Prenatal Care

From LoveToKnow Pregnancy

Early prenatal care is vital for the health of your baby. Even though the appointments your care provider insists on seem like a waste of time, they are very important.

Prenatal Care

Prenatal Care before Pregnancy

Ideally, you would have started your prenatal care before even getting pregnant.

  • You should make an appointment with your Ob/Gyn to discuss your pregnancy plans and learn if there is any health reason you should not be getting pregnant.
  • You should get your teeth checked and cleaned.
  • You should learn about you and your partner’s family history and if there are any genetic risks for you or your baby.
  • You should stop smoking, drinking alcohol, decrease caffeine consumption, and stop using recreational drugs.
  • You should start taking a multi-vitamin that has folic acid to prevent against birth defects.
  • You should update your immunizations. Immunizations for chicken pox and rubella should be given at least three months before you are pregnant.
  • If you have a chronic disease like depression, high blood pressure, or epilepsy, talk to your doctor about your condition before getting pregnant.
  • Talk to your doctor about any prescription medications you take.
  • You should adopt a healthy lifestyle that includes exercise, good nutrition, and plenty of sleep.

Pregnancy Care and your Care Provider

At your first appointment, you may be meeting the care provider who will be delivering your child and providing your prenatal care. You should feel free to ask them questions about what you can expect the next couple of months. If you know what kind of birth you want, you may want to ask questions about this, though you have time to change care providers further in your pregnancy if you wish.

Your care provider should be someone you feel absolutely comfortable with. You should feel free to interview care providers until you find one that fits your requirements.

Your First Prenatal Appointment

Care providers have different tests they like to perform at the first prenatal visit. But you will probably get the following tests at your first or second prenatal visit to start your prenatal care:

  • Pelvic exam
  • Pap smear if you’re behind in your yearly tests
  • Tests for STDs and other infectious organisms
  • Pregnancy test
  • Weight check
  • Answering of questions
  • Test for urinary tract bacteria
  • Abdominal examination to measure the growth of uterus (there may not be much growth if your first prenatal exam is early in your pregnancy)
  • Possibly a breast exam to screen for breast cancer

What You can Expect at each Prenatal Appointment

Your prenatal appointments will start to get monotonous. However, each appointment and test is an important screening that can help foresee possible complications.

Tests you will probably have at each prenatal appointment are:

  • Blood Pressure
  • Urine test for protein, sugar, and ketones
  • After 10-12 weeks, your care provider will begin checking for your baby’s heart beat
  • Weight checks
  • Abdominal exam to measure the growth of your uterus
  • Answering of questions (bring a question to each appointment)

Tests in Late Pregnancy

In late pregnancy you will see your care provider more. Tests will include the following:

  • Abdominal exam to estimate size and position of baby
  • Breast exam to access condition of the breasts for breastfeeding
  • Discussions about your plans and wishes for childbirth
  • Some care providers perform vaginal exams around week 37 or 38 to check for effacement and dilation

Common Prenatal Tests

As you continue your prenatal care, you will have a number of tests. These tests are voluntary and can tell you about complications before they become serious.

Ultrasounds

Most women get at least one or two ultrasounds in their pregnancy. Ultrasounds are an important diagnostic tool. They can:

  • Tell you whether you are carrying multiples
  • Estimate the age of the fetus (though accuracy gets less later in the pregnancy)
  • Estimate fetal growth and weight
  • Help assess position and condition of placenta
  • Help assess amount of amniotic fluid
  • Determine if pregnancy is ectopic
  • Detect some birth defects
  • Tell you what the baby’s sex is

Ultrasound appears safe in low doses, though there are some studies that question its long-term safety.

Amniocentesis

Amniocentesis is a common test performed now. Amniocentesis is performed for the following reasons:

  • Provides information on birth defects such as Down syndrome and neural tube defects
  • May provide information on fetal lung maturity
  • Provides information about blood disorders to determine if treatment is needed

Amniocentesis is voluntary. Due to the risk of miscarriage, it should not be performed without reason.

Importance of Pregnancy Care

Prenatal care is very important for the health of your pregnancy. Not only can your care provider pinpoint potential complications before they become serious, but babies that receive prenatal care have less risk of prematurity and other health issues.


 


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