The Centering Pregnancy Drop-In was started in May by three faculty members from the School of Nursing, in conjunction with the Vancouver Health Board and West Main Health Unit.
"Many women in the UBC area, particularly students or the partners of students, are here from out of province or out of country and are away from their traditional support system of friends and family," said Marion Clauson, a clinical assistant professor of nursing at UBC.
"And during pregnancy people tend to rely to a certain extent on that support system for information, advice or reassurance. We established the drop-in to meet the need for support, and to bring women together to establish their own support network."
Clauson said the free drop-in is aimed at the residents of the Acadia and Fairview student housing developments and surrounding community, but is open to anyone. The drop-in also provides nursing students with experience in working with expectant mothers.
"When we decided to start the drop-in, we considered both the need for support in the area and possibility of enhancing opportunities for faculty practice and student clinical experience."
Clauson, Assoc. Prof. Elaine Carty and Clinical Assistant Cathy Ebbehoj bring a lot of experience to the clinic. Clauson and Ebbehoj have particular expertise in the childbearing period with an emphasis on prenatal education and prenatal care. Clauson has expertise in high-risk pregnancy and nursing care in labour. Carty's research interests include early maternity discharge, transition to parenthood and childbearing and parenting with disabilities. She is recognized as an expert in the area of childbearing families and also works as a consultant with community and hospital health care professionals. Ebbehoj works closely with postpartum families in the hospital and community.
All three do clinical teaching with undergraduate nursing students and are involved in supervising students in hospitals and in the community.
While doing the maternity component of their studies, fourth-year nursing students are required to follow the progress of a pregnant woman through the later part of pregnancy and childbirth.
Clauson said they decided to establish the drop-in after determining from community health nurses who work in the area that there were a sufficient number of births to merit the service. A breast-feeding drop-in service established last year along similar lines has been well used by families in the area.
"We felt that women who might be somewhat isolated out here on campus without the strong family network behind them might be more inclined to come to something like this rather than the more formalized, traditional pre-natal classes," Clauson said.
"Some of the people coming to us are women who have had a child before and are not attending pre-natal classes but still have concerns, or women for whom English is not the first language and may not feel comfortable in a fast-paced pre-natal class."
The drop-in sessions are informal, always attended by at least one faculty member and usually one or two students. Clauson said the nurses will answer questions and provide support if needed, but that the drop-in will ideally be shaped by the needs of the women who attend.
"Women who come back on a repeated basis will be able to form a support network among themselves. We anticipate that it will become more of a group discussion rather than something we have to direct. One-on-one will always be available but we're hoping that the women will want to talk with each other and learn from each other," Clauson said.
"We're not suggesting that we know what the women need. We are prepared to find out what they want from us and then see how we can meet their needs individually."
The drop-in is held every Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in the Fireside Lounge of the Acadia Fairview Commons Block at 2707 Tennis Crescent.
Clauson said an evening drop-in is being considered to accommodate women who can't attend the daytime drop-ins, and to allow couples to attend together. For further information call 822-7470.