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The Importance of Prenatal Care

© Geneva M. Edwards

What Is Prenatal Care?

When a woman is pregnant, everything she does has an affect on her developing child. This is why it it is imperative for women to stay in touch with their physician/midwife regularly once pregnancy has been confirmed. Pregnancy usually is confirmed after a woman has missed her menstrual cycle for eight to twelve weeks. At this time women are offered a plan of care. This plan of care takes place during the prenatal period, which includes the time during pregnancy to the delivery of the baby. A good prenatal plan of care should be comprehensive, including all family members. This plan will allow time for both health and psychosocial issues to be dealt with properly by the entire family.

What Can I Expect?

Your first prenatal visit is the longest, usually lasting up to one hour. At this time a full history, physical, and lab work will be done. A special pregnancy risk assessment is also done at this time and your baby's due date is determined.

An expectant mother will normally be scheduled to visit her physician/midwife every month until about the seventh or eight month. After the seventh or eight month the office visits become weekly until the baby is delivered. During these visits your baby's growth and heart rate will be evaluated, determining the developing child's well being. A proper diet along with prescribed vitamins will be provided to ensure the adequate nutritional health of you and your baby.

In Conclusion:

Early and consistent prenatal care is essential because it decreases both the risk of infant deaths and complications of pregnancy. As you should know, there are many things that can go wrong in a pregnancy and health care providers have been trained to prevent many of these conditions that may present during pregnancy and/or during delivery.

If you are a woman who is planning to become pregnant, please seek counseling from your physician/midwife. This counseling can help ensure that you are as healthy as possible and that your risks are as low as possible. If you are someone who has chronic medical problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or arthritis and/or if you are someone older than thirty five, have had previous pregnancy complications, or if anyone in your family or significant other's family has had a genetic disorder, pre-pregnancy counseling will be of major importance to you, your developing child and to your entire family. Also, do keep in mind that the more the entire family is involved in your pregnancy, the more the stronger the family bond will be.