Prenatal care is the medical attention a pregnant woman receives. Early and frequent prenatal care is advantageous for pregnant women and their unborn children. Regular check-ups enable doctors to discover and treat any concerns immediately. Ideally, prenatal care should begin before a woman gets pregnant.
Where Can I Find Pregnancy Care?
It is a significant accomplishment to reach the conclusion that you want to grow your family with the use of surrogacy. It requires doing thorough background looking for surrogate mothers, investigating their past pregnancy experiences, assessing their reasons for wanting to become a surrogate, and, finally, assisting them in maintaining their dedication to the procedure. Typically, pregnant women are cared for by:
- Obstetricians are physicians who specialize in pregnancy and childbirth.
- Obstetricians and gynecologists (OB/GYNs) are physicians who specialize in the health of women, pregnancy, and childbirth.
- Family practitioners are multi-specialist physicians who provide a wide range of services to patients of all ages, including obstetric care.
- Prenatal care, labor ,delivery and postpartum care for healthy pregnancies are the focus of an advanced practice nurse with certification as a nurse-midwife.
If you are in good health and there are no indicators that your pregnancy or delivery may be complicated, any of these healthcare providers would be an excellent choice. If a C-section is necessary, nurse-midwives must have a physician present for the delivery.
If any of the following apply, your healthcare provider may recommend that you see a high-risk pregnancy specialist:
- Have a chronic ailment, such as diabetes or heart problems
- Women are more likely to experience preterm labor.
- Are older than 35 years.
- Are expecting multiple fetuses.
- You have a complicating issue that qualifies you as high-risk.
Even though your pregnancy is not high-risk, if you do not feel comfortable with your present physician, now may be a good time to switch.
Antenatal testing
Numerous prospective parents choose for prenatal testing. These can help medical practitioners identify chromosomal abnormalities or birth defects in the fetus. For prenatal testing, the first, second, and third trimesters are utilized.
Some prenatal examinations are screenings that can merely identify the possibility of a problem. Other prenatal tests are diagnostic procedures that accurately detect whether a fetus has a certain condition. Occasionally, a diagnostic test follows a screening test. Among these are blood tests, amniocentesis, CVS, and ultrasound examinations.
Additional conditions associated with pregnancy include:
- Preeclampsia, also known as toxemia of pregnancy, is a disorder that can occur after the sixth month of pregnancy and is characterized by high blood pressure, edema (fluid accumulation in bodily tissues that causes swelling of the hands, feet, or face), and protein in the urine.
- Rh-negative mother/Rh-positive fetus (also known as Rh incompatibility): The vast majority of individuals have Rh factor in their red blood cells (they’re positive). Those who do not carry the Rh gene called Rh-negative. Rh factor is determined using a simple blood test. When the baby’s blood cells enter your bloodstream, if your baby is Rh-positive and you are Rh-negative, complications can occur. Your immune system may produce antibodies that enter the fetus bloodstream and kill red blood cells.
- These ailments are severe but treatable. Therefore, it is essential to learn about them and discuss them with your doctor.
Diet and Weight Gain
Many pregnant women have concerns regarding weight gain. Normal-weight women should gain between 25 and 35 pounds during pregnancy. If a woman begins her pregnancy overweight, she should gain between 15 and 25 pounds. Underweight individuals should gain 28–40 pounds.
Controlling weight gain becomes more difficult as a pregnancy progresses, so aim to avoid gaining excessive weight in the first several months. However, insufficient weight gain can also lead to complications, such as poor fetal growth and early labor.
It is not a good time to begin a diet during pregnancy, but it is an excellent time to consume healthier meals. Doctors recommend that pregnant women consume an additional 300 calories every day in order to adequately support their developing child. The majority of these calories should come from protein, but you should also consume an abundance of fresh fruits, grains, and vegetables.
Your doctor may recommend a prenatal vitamin to ensure adequate iron, calcium, and folic acid intake. It is also a suitable period for moderate-impact exercise.
What Else Do I Need to Know?
During pregnancy, it is essential to take exceptionally good care of yourself, both for the benefit of your unborn child and your own health. Follow these guidelines:
Don’t smoke, drink alcohol, or take drugs.
- Get enough rest.
- Consume a nutritious diet.
- OTC Medicines
Due to their potential effects on the fetus, over-the-counter medications are normally prohibited during pregnancy. Most physicians recommend avoiding over-the-counter medications if feasible, but may provide a list of those they deem safe. Consult your physician with any queries regarding medications (including natural cures, supplements, and vitamins).
Food Safety
Foodborne infections such as listerias and toxoplasmosis, which can be fatal to an unborn child and cause birth abnormalities or miscarriage, must also be avoided during pregnancy. Examples of foods to avoid include:
- Soft, unpasteurized cheeses such as feta, goat, Brie, Camembert, and blue cheese (sometimes advertised as “fresh”).
- Unpasteurized milk, liquids, and apple cider.
- Eggs or meals incorporating raw eggs, such as mousse and tiramisu, that are uncooked.
- Uncooked or undercooked foods, seafood, and shellfish
- Processed meats, such as hot dogs and deli meats, are unhealthy (these should be well cooked)
- Also avoid eating shark, swordfish, king mackerel, marlin, orange roughly, bigeye or ahi tuna steak, and tilefish. Fish and shellfish can be an extremely nutritious portion of a pregnant woman’s diet due to its omega-3 fatty acid content, high protein content, and low saturated fat content. However, certain species of fish may contain high levels of mercury, which might harm a fetus’s growing brain.
