Family Planning

There has been a lot of discussion (and some confusion) about vaccinations this past year, particularly among those who are pregnant or trying to conceive. Clinic Sofia shared an article about the safety of the COVID vaccine for pregnant women that you can find here. In addition, we recently asked Dr. David Clay, who has a special interest in fertility management and has been closely monitoring the latest information related to the vaccine, to shed some light on the topic of vaccines and fertility and help to dispel some of the misinformation that may be online.

You might have noticed that we’ve had a recent baby boom among our Clinic Sofia team, with Drs. Clay, Hammers, Jordi and Stevens all welcoming newborns in the last year or so. With all of these new babies on board, we thought it might be fun to check in with your doctors to see what it’s like to be expecting while working with prenatal and postnatal patients.

Throughout 2020, Dr. David Clay has reminded his patients seeking fertility treatments that “you are not alone.” While some have chosen to stop or delay treatment for infertility, many individuals and couples are choosing to move forward with the support of Dr. Clay and Clinic Sofia.

The daycare decision for working parents can be one of the most stressful to make. Nanny? Childcare center? Or a little bit of both? It is smart to start brainstorming options fairly early on in your pregnancy, since many centers will have wait lists for newborn spots.

If you live in Minnesota, you will likely pay somewhere between $6,000 and $15,000 to have a baby, according to FAIR Health’s state-by-state data. The survey showed that Minnesota was 31st in the nation for delivery costs, with vaginal birth ranging from $6,000 to $11,000 (with vs. without insurance) and C-sections ranging from $8,800 to about $15,000, again the first figure showing a delivery with healthcare insurance and the latter without insurance. The cost with insurance reflects the full hospital bill and out-of-pocket costs would vary based on the insurance plan.

While more women today are open about their struggles with infertility or pregnancy loss, it is still hard to find the right words when one of your friends or loved ones shares her challenges in getting pregnant or maintaining pregnancy. Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month can open our eyes and hearts wider to these issues: 1 in 8 couples has difficulty getting pregnant or sustaining a pregnancy, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.