Pregancy Care

East Georgia Women's Center offers professional care throughout your pregnancy journey. We want your pregnancy and delivery to be healthy and happy. Dr. George A. Palmer looks forward to caring for you and the little one growing inside. We also have a Nurse Practitioner, Jessica Smith, on staff to help ensure quality care. East Georgia Women's Center is your source for prenatal care that ensures the health of both mother and child.

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Prenatal/Postpartum Care

East Georgia Women's Center wants to be with you throughout your pregnancy, including the period after the baby is born. We offer complete prenatal, delivery and postpartum care. A pediatrician or family physician of your choice will care for your newly delivered infant. Please feel free to bring your new baby to your postpartum visit; we always enjoy seeing them and we would love to snap a picture for display on our website and in our office.

Our highly trained nurse practitioner may see you every other prenatal visit. While we do not practice general medicine, we handle any medical problems we can during pregnancy, and we make referrals for problems outside our specialty. Your health is our priority.

Schedule of Pregancy Visits

*This may vary depending on how many months into the pregnancy you already are.
*Be prepared to give a urine sample at every office visit.

1st Visit includes an ultrasound (if far enough along), questions about your medical history, labwork, and a chance to speak with the nurse practitioner to answer any questions you may have. At this visit you will also receive an "ob packet" which includes a cloth drawstring bag with our logo on it. This bag is full of information about your pregnancy and includes the book "What to Expect When You are Expecting."

2nd Visit is two weeks after your initial appointment. This visit will consist of an ultrasound, papsmear, physical exam, and a series of questions about past pregnancies as well as general medical history.

After your second visit you will come for rechecks every month until around the 30 week mark and at that point your visits will only be two weeks apart. Once you are 36 weeks, which is considered full term, you will need to come to our office for a visit on a weekly basis. During the last four weeks you will be monitored very closely and your cervix will be checked weekly to see how you are progressing.

Ultrasound Schedule

This may vary depending on the doctor's orders, the following list is the minimum amount of ultrasounds allowed so chances are you will get more than on the schedule.
CDs are available for $1 to save ultrasound images and small video clips. The CDs are reusable.

6-10 weeks: Initial ultrasound for dates- this will determine your due date
18-22 weeks: Anatomy ultrasound- This is to check all internal organs to make sure the baby is healthy. At this time we can determine the sex of the baby.
28-32 weeks: 4D ultrasound- A growth scan will be done and an attempt will be made to obtain 4D images depending on the baby's position.
35-36 weeks: Estimate of Fetal weight- This checks the approximate size of your baby at this time. You can estimate that the baby gains 1/2 a pound per week during the last 4 weeks of pregnancy.

Prenatal Classes

Prenatal classes are recommended for patients who are having their first baby as well as other patients in special circumstances. Classes are offered at East Georgia Regional Medical Center.
Visit the link below to find out more information.

Classes and Programs

High Risk Pregnancy

High risk pregnancies are managed by Dr. Palmer on a case by case basis. More frequent office visits and ultrasounds are sometimes necessary when caring for high risk patients. Many patients may still be able to have their baby at East Georgia Regional Medical Center. However, if you or your baby need more specialized care we will refer you to:

Savannah Perinatology Associates