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Childbirth Specialist

Interior Women's Health Our Services Childbirth
Interior Women's Health - - Board Certified OB-GYNS, Midwives & Advanced Nurse Practitioners

Interior Women's Health

Board Certified OB-GYNS, Midwives & Advanced Nurse Practitioners located in Fairbanks, AK

For the best childbirth experience, trust the experts at Interior Women’s Health in Fairbanks, Alaska. OB/GYNs Karl Baurick, MD, FACOG, and Doris Heilman, MD, FACOG, as well as mid-wives Kristina Amundson, DNP, CNM, and Tanya Ignacio, CNM, oversee your pregnancy and delivery experience and answer all your questions about issues such as the signs of labor, pain management, cesarean section deliveries, and natural birth. If you’re pregnant, or plan on trying to be in the near future, call for your appointment or use this website to schedule.

Childbirth Q&A

What will my childbirth experience be like?

The team at Interior Women’s Health wants to give you the type of birth experience you desire. The doctors work with you to develop a birth plan so you get the compassion, care, and support you need. But remember that doctors are always prepared to diverge from the plan in case of emergencies. 

The doctors encourage natural childbirth and offer vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) deliveries. If you’ve had a C-section in the past, but want to try to deliver your next baby vaginally, the doctors will do their best to work with you and your body.

What types of deliveries are likely?

Dr. Baurick and Dr. Heilman specialize in all types of deliveries, including routine vaginal deliveries, operative vaginal deliveries, and Cesarean sections.

The doctors encourage you to try natural childbirth, meaning you:

  • Go through labor and delivery with minimal help of medications
  • Experience few (preferably no) artificial medical interventions such as continuous fetal monitoring or episiotomies
  • Lead the labor and delivery process, meaning no inductions or medications to “push” labor along

Of course, if the baby or mother is in distress, the team at Interior Women’s Health steps in to ensure everyone’s health. Sometimes this can mean a Cesarean section in which the doctor makes a surgical incision in your abdomen and uterus to remove the baby. A C-section may be necessary due to the baby’s position, mother’s anatomy, or a baby in distress.

If you desire pain medications, including an epidural, the doctors will honor the request to ensure you’re as comfortable as possible during the childbirth process.

How do I know I am in labor?

As you get closer to your due date, you may look for signs that you’re ready to go into labor. At prenatal visits in the third trimester, the team at Interior Women’s Health will notice changes in your cervix that suggest your body is nearing labor and delivery.

Signs that you are in labor and ready for childbirth include:

  • Contractions that occur at regular intervals and become stronger and closer together
  • Lower back pain and cramping that persists
  • You start to have a brownish or reddish mucus discharge from your vagina
  • Your water breaks in a big gush or continuous trickle

If you experience any of these symptoms when you’re not near your due date, call the office right away. The doctors may want you to come in right away to be examined or head to the hospital to manage preterm labor.

 The expert providers at Interior Women’s Health will help you manage your childbirth experience. Call today or book online for all your pregnancy support.