• Single or multiple fetuses
• A fairly accurate due date for the birth
• Congenital birth defects or anomalies
• Position of the placenta
• Whether the baby is a boy or girl

Dr. Malcolm Hamilton of Partners in Women's Health in Kalamazoo has seen an increasing reliance on technology in the practice of obstetrics in the past 20 years. “We want to give everyone the chance for a good outcome, through proper prenatal care and nutrition,” he says. “However, we cannot fix things that aren't fixable. Sometimes people miscarry and things can happen during labor and delivery that are unfortunately outside anyone's control.”

The advent of new equipment options has created a demand for lifelike, color images of a baby as it develops in the womb. The new 3D ultrasound technology is “patient driven” according to Dr. Hamilton. “The detailed images make the baby more real, rather than the black and white of the two-dimensional ultrasounds. When patients see the images, their faces just light up,” he says. “Medically, it enhances patient understanding if there are defects, such as dwarfism or spina bifida with an obvious open part of the spine showing.” Three out of every four pregnant women now will choose to know whether they are having a boy or a girl. Very few opt to be surprised.

Other routine procedures for pregnant women include testing for diabetes and standard blood tests to screen for AIDS, syphilis, the Rubella titre, and blood type. Amniocentesis, the testing of the amniotic fluid, is only indicated if the physician believes there is a high risk for birth defects or genetic conditions of which the expectant parents should be made aware. “Those are the exception, not the norm,” says Dr. Hamilton. “The background risk of major anomalies is only one or two percent of the population, so that means 98 percent of all babies are not going to have anything major wrong with them.”

The movement toward “just letting Nature take its course” is beneficial within reason and when combined with good prenatal care, according to Dr. Hamilton. He points out that historically, many babies did not survive and women often died in childbirth. “That's why people had ten children, hoping half of them would survive to adulthood,” he notes. “There was hemorrhaging and infection more often than not. It's easy now to have the opinion that any medical intervention is not necessary and anything natural is good, but we don't want to forget what birthing was like 50 to 100 years ago.”

For information on prenatal care or to access the 3D ultrasound option, contact Partners in Women's Health on John Street in Kalamazoo, (269) 343-4609.