SALT LAKE CITY — One of the first things Dr. Scott Rallison tells his patients, who are usually moms-to-be, is "there is no such thing as a dumb question."
"The more knowledgeable they are, the less scared they are," Rallison said of his pregnant patients.
Rallison and certified nurse midwife Gretchen Faucett, both of Intermountain Healthcare's Avenues Specialty Clinic, will be available to answer questions on pregnancy Saturday between 10 a.m. and noon for the Deseret News/Intermountain Healthcare Health Hotline. The public is welcome to call 1-800-925-8177 or post questions on the Deseret News' Facebook page, www.facebook.com/desnews.
The duo will address topics ranging from family planning and birth control to conception, pregnancy and childbirth.
Since every pregnancy is different, Faucett said there is no tried and true way to give birth a baby. Childbirth and its various techniques can be individualized, depending on a woman's personal preference.
A midwife, she said, may be "more willing to allow them to do the things that they want for their own delivery." Common compromises with a midwife include waiting before receiving an epidural or other medication and being involved in the decisions related to childbirth.
General advice for women planning to have children, Rallison said, is to quit smoking, receive annual exams from a gynecologist and live a healthy lifestyle, which includes eating right and regular exercise.
"We want you to do the best you can with what you've got," he said.
E-mail: wleonard@desnews.com
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