Prenatal Care and Wellness

By definition prenatal means occurring or before birth. Prenatal care is the routine health care that pregnant women should get from a gynaecologist.Prenatal development is the formation of a baby from a single-celled zygote created by the union of a sperm and an egg.

Prenatal diagnosis is the diagnosis of a child before birth using chorionic villus sampling and amniocentesis to identify anomalies in a foetus. Ultrasound is utilised for guiding throughout both operations.

All about Prenatal Care

  • Care begins before you become pregnant,
    • A healthy pregnancy starts before you get pregnant. It truly starts long before you consider becoming a mother.
    • Consider what you can do right now to ensure that any future pregnancies are planned and healthy.
    • Seek medical advice to prepare before conceiving
    • Basic pre-pregnancy preparation is good for both you and your partner
    • Prepare your body as a suitable environment for your child
    • Taking prenatal vitamins before pregnancy is good.
    • Folic acid and iron support the development of foetus
  • Significance of prenatal care
    • Prenatal care is an essential aspect of keeping healthy while pregnant.
    • Doctor and nurse will monitor your unborn child’s development and do periodic tests to help detect and avoid complications.
    • These monthly appointments are also an excellent opportunity to learn how to relieve any discomfort you may be experiencing and to ask any other concerns you may have regarding your maternity and the arrival of your baby.
  • Prenatal Visits
    • The frequency with which you will receive prenatal care is determined by how far along you are in your pregnancy and how high your risk of complication is.
    • The average prenatal care routine for a healthy woman is:
      • Pregnancy weeks 4 to 28 Every four weeks, schedule a check-up (once a month).
      • 28th to 36th week of pregnancy Every two weeks, schedule a check-up (twice a month).
      • 36th to 41st week of pregnancy Every week, schedule one check-up (once a week).
      • If you experience difficulties throughout your pregnancy, your doctor may want to see you more frequently.
  • Prenatal Tests
    • Prenatal testing may be recommended by your doctor at various points during your pregnancy to ensure that you are healthy and that your foetus is developing normally. Some prenatal testing can detect potential birth abnormalities.
    • Ultra sound
      • To make sure whether or not you are pregnant,
      • To determine your baby’s age and development. This assists your provider in determining your due date.
      • To monitor your baby’s heart rate, muscle tone, activity, and general growth.
      • To determine whether you are pregnant with twins, triplets, or more
      • Before giving delivery, check to see if your baby is in the heads-first position.
      • In order to check your ovaries and uterus.
  • Chorionic villus sampling (CVS)
    • CVS is a prenatal diagnostic that includes extracting tissue from the placenta and testing it for chromosomal abnormalities and other genetic issues. Transcervical and Transabdominal are 2 types of CVS procedures
    • Procedure is done between the 10th and 12th weeks of pregnancy
  • Amniocentesis
    • Amniocenteses is a surgical technique that extracts a tiny sample of amniotic fluid for examination. This is the fluid that surrounds a pregnant woman’s foetus. Amniotic fluid is a transparent, light-yellow fluid that does the following:
    • It shields the foetus from risk.
    • Anti-infection properties
    • Allows the infant to move about and develop normally.
    • Aids in the regulation of the fetus temperature.