You can get prenatal care from several types of providers and locations, including OB/GYN offices, midwifery practices, family physician clinics, community health centers, and birth centers. The right fit depends on your health, your pregnancy risk level, your insurance status, and what kind of birth experience you want. Most people have more options than they realize, including low-cost and no-cost paths if you’re uninsured.
Types of Providers Who Offer Prenatal Care
Three main types of healthcare providers manage pregnancies in the U.S., and each one takes a slightly different approach.
Obstetricians (OB/GYNs) specialize in pregnancy, labor, and delivery. They have at least four years of training beyond medical school focused on women’s health and reproduction, including surgical care. They can manage complicated pregnancies and perform C-sections. If you have a pre-existing condition like diabetes or high blood pressure, or if complications develop during pregnancy, an OB/GYN is typically the provider you’ll work with.
Certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) care for women through pregnancy, labor, and delivery. Midwives approach pregnancy as a normal process and focus on helping you deliver safely while minimizing medical interventions. If complications arise, a midwife will refer you to an OB/GYN for a consultation or transfer your care entirely. CNMs practice in private offices, birth centers, and hospitals.
Family physicians are general doctors who treat patients of all ages, and some also manage pregnancies. Many will care for you through both pregnancy and delivery, while others handle prenatal visits but refer you to an OB or midwife for the actual birth. A family physician can also care for your newborn after delivery, which means fewer providers to coordinate with.
Where to Find a Provider
The most direct way to find a prenatal care provider is through your insurance company’s online directory, which filters by specialty and location. If you want a board-certified OB/GYN specifically, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has a searchable “Find an Ob-Gyn” tool on its website where you can search by zip code. For high-risk pregnancies, the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine offers a similar directory to locate specialists in your area.
Your primary care doctor can also refer you. If you already have a family physician or gynecologist, they can point you toward a trusted OB or midwife and often expedite your first appointment.
Community Health Centers and Public Clinics
If you’re uninsured, underinsured, or on a tight budget, federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) are one of the best options. These community-based clinics operate at over 16,200 sites across the country and serve more than 32 million people. They provide primary care on a sliding fee scale based on your income, which means you pay what you can afford. Many offer prenatal services directly or connect you with local OB providers.
To find one near you, visit the HRSA Health Center Finder at findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov and enter your zip code.
Local and county health departments also run prenatal programs in many areas. These often include clinical visits along with extra support like home visiting programs, where a nurse, social worker, or community health worker checks in with you throughout pregnancy. Health departments can also connect you with WIC (a nutrition assistance program for pregnant women and young children) and help you apply for Medicaid.
Planned Parenthood health centers offer pregnancy testing, prenatal services, and referrals. Not every location provides full prenatal care, but they can confirm your pregnancy, address early concerns like pain or bleeding, and connect you with a provider who will manage the rest of your pregnancy.
Birth Centers as an Alternative to Hospitals
Freestanding birth centers offer prenatal care and delivery in a setting designed to feel less clinical than a hospital. You’ll receive prenatal visits at the center throughout your pregnancy, and if everything stays low-risk, you’ll deliver there as well. Birth centers are staffed primarily by midwives and emphasize a natural approach to labor.
These centers are best suited for people who have had previous uncomplicated deliveries or whose current pregnancy is considered low-risk. If you’re carrying multiples, have gestational diabetes or high blood pressure, or your baby is in a breech position, a birth center is not the right setting. You’ll be screened early in pregnancy to confirm you’re a good candidate. Look for centers accredited by the Commission for the Accreditation of Birth Centers (CABC), which sets safety and quality standards.
Telehealth for Prenatal Visits
Many prenatal care providers now offer a mix of in-person and virtual appointments. During a telehealth visit, you might report your weight and blood pressure at home, and some providers send you a handheld Doppler so you can check your baby’s heart rate while the provider listens remotely. Screening questionnaires, genetic counseling, and specialist consultations can also happen virtually.
Certain things still require an in-person visit: ultrasounds, vaccinations, blood draws, and physical exams. A typical hybrid schedule alternates between virtual check-ins and in-person appointments, which can cut down on travel time and time off work without skipping any essential monitoring.
When You Need a High-Risk Specialist
A maternal-fetal medicine (MFM) specialist handles pregnancies that carry extra medical risk. Your regular OB or midwife will refer you to one if the situation calls for it, but it helps to know what triggers that referral.
Common reasons include pre-existing conditions like diabetes, lupus, kidney disease, or high blood pressure. You may also be referred if you develop a complication during pregnancy such as gestational diabetes or preeclampsia, if you’re carrying twins or multiples, or if your baby has been found to have an abnormality on ultrasound. A history of preterm delivery in a previous pregnancy is another reason, since it raises the chance of preterm labor in future pregnancies.
If you or your partner have a family history of genetic conditions like sickle cell disease or Tay-Sachs disease, an MFM specialist can provide genetic screening and counseling before or during pregnancy. Seeing a high-risk specialist doesn’t necessarily mean something is wrong. It means your pregnancy benefits from closer monitoring, which often involves more frequent ultrasounds and additional testing.
Paying for Prenatal Care
Under the Affordable Care Act, all Marketplace health plans and many employer plans must cover a range of prenatal services with no copay or coinsurance. That includes gestational diabetes screening, hepatitis B screening at your first prenatal visit, preeclampsia screening, Rh incompatibility testing, syphilis and gonorrhea screening, urinary tract infection screening, folic acid supplements, and expanded tobacco cessation counseling for pregnant smokers. Breastfeeding support, counseling, and supplies are also covered for pregnant and nursing women.
If you don’t have insurance, Medicaid covers pregnancy-related care in every state. Eligibility is based on income and varies by state, but the threshold is often generous. The federal poverty level for a family of three is $26,650 as of 2025, and most states extend Medicaid eligibility for pregnant women well above that line, sometimes to 200% of the poverty level or higher. You can apply through your state’s Medicaid office or at healthcare.gov, and coverage can start quickly. Many states also extend coverage through 60 days or more after delivery.
Community health centers with sliding-scale fees are another option if you fall into a gap where you earn too much for Medicaid but can’t afford private insurance premiums. Some hospitals also have charity care programs that reduce or eliminate costs for prenatal and delivery services.