When Kimberly and Landon Smith learned they were pregnant with twins, they were already prepared with a prenatal plan. Just as she had with their first child, Kamp, Smith knew she would pair up on her prenatal care, seeing both her OB-GYN and her primary care physician throughout her pregnancy. In Smith’s mind, her long-standing relationship with Department of Family and Community Medicine Associate Professor Erin DeLaney, M.D., made continuing care the natural choice.
“My twins were new to the world, but they weren’t new to our doctor. She already knew their story because she knew mine,” said Smith, a patient at the Family Medicine Clinic at UAB Hospital-Highlands.
“For me, it came down to trust,” Smith said. "My OB-GYN and Dr. Delaney worked together during my pregnancy.”
Smith gave birth to her twins in September of 2025. While their arrival officially brought prenatal care to an end, maintaining a high level of care postpartum was essential to Smith.
“Being able to continue seeing Dr. Delaney after delivery gave me a level of continuity that was especially valuable during the newborn stage,” said Smith. “Having a physician who knew me, knew my pregnancy, and who was also caring for my babies meant that my health didn’t get lost in the focus on the newborns.”
Smith said DeLaney supported her through her first pregnancy journey. This, along with DeLaney’s knowledge of her medical history, gave Smith a sense of security. There was no hand-off or learning curve.
“Knowing her care for me and the twins would continue after delivery, just as it had with me and our first son, gave me a level of continuity and reassurance that was incredibly important to me,” said Smith. “[She helped] me manage everything from double the morning sickness to the physical demands and strains of growing two babies.”
After the birth of her twins, DeLaney kept as close an eye on Smith as she did Smith’s two little ones.
“In those early months, it’s easy for all the attention to shift to the babies, so having a physician who was caring for all of us meant my health and wellbeing [remained] part of the conversation,” explained Smith. “While I was bringing the twins in for newborn visits, she was also checking in on me, how I was recovering, how breastfeeding was going, and how I was adjusting to life with three little ones [under three].”
Overall, Smith says the biggest upside to seeing DeLaney during and after her pregnancy is continuity of care.
“Pregnancy and postpartum affect so much more than just pregnancy itself. [It affects] your physical health, mental health, sleep, and overall wellbeing. Having a primary care physician who knows your history and continues caring for you beyond that six-week postpartum window means those things don’t get lost after delivery. And when that same physician cares for your babies, they’re able to see the bigger picture and care for the family as a whole,” said Smith.
“When you know what’s going on with their other family members, it gives us greater context,” echoed DeLaney.
Treating prenatal and pediatric patients, DeLaney says she has had the opportunity to more effectively connect with patients. For a family medicine physician, it’s also the ultimate in preventative medicine.
“You really are trying to catch things early and identify risk or developmental delay,” explained DeLaney. “You can help shape children's health from the start. By shaping healthy habits from an early age, you can help them develop healthy habits they can maintain throughout their lives.”
Smith knows this, too, as she works with DeLaney to set standards her whole household can follow.
“Family medicine is one of the few places in healthcare where the birth of a baby isn’t the beginning of a new patient relationship; it’s the continuation of a family’s story,” said Smith.
Providers at the Family Medicine Clinic at UAB Hospital-Highlands and UAB Family Medicine East Clinic offer prenatal and pediatric care and are accepting new patients.