Prenatal Care for Pregnant Women – Reliable at Nyle Hospital

Prenatal care is nothing but the health care a woman receives during her pregnancy. The key to have a healthy foetus is providing proper care to mother’s health. The healthier a mother is, the stronger will be the baby. Any woman must follow these basic things for normal delivery and healthy baby:

Consulting a healthcare provider right from the day a woman knows she is pregnant

Eating healthy foods, especially vegetables, fruits, eggs, low-fat milk products, pulses and grains

Strictly avoiding alcohol, cigarettes and drugs

Sensible planning of exercises and regular activities

Following the doctor’s visit as scheduled both before and after delivery

During every prenatal care visits, the physician will ensure that mother and foetus are hale and healthy. Some women take up the care before pregnancy referred as preconception planning or pre-pregnancy care. Along with regular checkups, mother must undergo all prenatal testing suggested by the doctor.

Sometimes, the gynaecologists may refer for consultation with other specialists, if the mother is found to have high-risk pregnancy. The reasons that may increase the risk include:

Woman is subjected to chronic conditions, including heart problems or diabetes

High-risk of preterm labour

Woman’s age being 35 or above

Multiple foetuses

Any other complicating factors that might increase the risk

A pregnant woman is subjected to complete physical and rectal and pelvic examination. The blood sample is collected from mother for the following screening tests:

Complete blood cell count (CBC)

Type of blood and Rh antibodies screening

For detecting infections including Chlamydia, hepatitis, gonorrhoea, syphilis as well as human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV)

For detecting previous evidence of measles, chickenpox, mumps, or German measles and giving the necessary vaccinations

For detection of cystic fibrosis, if there seem to be a family history. It is necessary to discuss with the healthcare provider and check for the requirement of genetic tests.

During the 1st visit, urine sample would be collected for confirmation of pregnancy and Pap test would be done for detecting cervical cancer. Urine samples will be tested periodically for knowing the sugar and protein levels. Excess protein is the indication of preeclampsia, a condition characterized by sudden shoot up of blood pressure (BP) and more weight gain, along with fluid accumulation and presence of protein in urine.

The frequency of hospital visit varies for healthy and high-risk mothers. Generally, women with pregnancy complications are called anytime for examination based on their severity. On the other hand, healthy mother can expect her visits as follows:

Every 4 weeks (once in a month) till the completion of 28th week

Every 2 weeks (twice in a month) until 36th week

Every week or once in 3 days until delivery

During each examination, mother’s weight and BP are recorded mandatorily. The shape and size of the uterus may also be examined on the onset of 22nd week to check whether the foetus growth and development is normal.