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Pregnancy is a special time in a woman’s life. When you’re all set to take the next step and embrace parenthood, it is an overwhelming feeling. As excited as you are to start the new journey of parenthood, your responsibilities too increase multifold, and that can be scary. However, the most important thing about being pregnant is taking care of yourself and the growing baby in your belly. Yes, you have to take care of yourself, but that’s not enough. The care you receive from medical and health professionals during your pregnancy is of utmost importance, and today we are here to elaborate on it. So what exactly does maternity care entail? Keep reading to find out:
Antenatal care, also called maternity care or pregnancy care, is the care you get from health professionals during those nine months of pregnancy. You will be assigned appointments with a midwife or an obstetrician. It’s best to start your antenatal care as soon as possible once you find out that you’re pregnant.
Antenatal Care: What Does It Cover?
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Now that you understand the gist of what antenatal care means, let’s look at what your midwife/doctor should cover with it:
- Consistent health checks of you and your baby.
- Advise you about a healthy lifestyle during pregnancy, which includes your diet and exercise.
- Discuss options and choices for your pregnancy care, labor, and birth.
- Be available to clear any doubts that you may have about pregnancy, motherhood, newborn baby health, etc.
- Be patient enough to answer all your questions.
How Do You Start Antenatal Care?
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Antenatal care (ANC) usually helps identify high-risk pregnancies and possible complications during childbirth and educates women about it to help them have a good experience during labor.
To begin your antenatal care, you can contact your GP or your midwife directly when you find out about your pregnancy. Your GP will put you in contact with the nearest midwife service. It’s important that you get in touch with a midwife as soon as you find out that you’re pregnant. It will help you get all the information you need for a healthy pregnancy, and so — the earlier, the better.
What To Inform Your Midwife/Doctor
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A few tests have to be conducted in the first two months of pregnancy. For example, tests to screen diseases like sickle cell anemia and thalassemia must be done before ten weeks of pregnancy (1). If you require special medical care or needs, inform your midwife/doctor well in advance, and they will be a part of your pregnancy care.
If you have any disability that requires special treatment or care, do not forget to inform your midwife. They will be able to assess what special treatments you would need for when you are in labor.
How Many Antenatal Appointments Should You Have?
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When you meet with your midwife/doctor in your early pregnancy, they will most likely give you a comprehensive list of how many appointments you would have and what will happen during them.
If you’re having your first child, you will likely have around ten appointments during your pregnancy term. However, if you’ve had a baby before, you would have about seven appointments, as discussed by your midwife. The number might vary depending on whether you have any medical condition that requires additional care.
Where Will The Antenatal Appointments Happen?
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Antenatal appointments should not be taken lightly. They should ideally happen in a space where you feel safe because it includes discussing personal details, mental health issues, and sensitive topics like abuse and substance dependency.
To get an overall idea, your midwife will also ask you questions about your family, mental health, and other details relevant to your baby’s health and yourself. Therefore, these appointments may happen at home, a children’s center, or a hospital.
It’s a good idea to keep track of everything you learn, hear and understand during these appointments. If you can, maintain a notebook or diary where you document your journey. Years later, when you look back, it would make a great source of nostalgia. Did you enjoy your antenatal appointments, or were you nervous? Comment below and let us know!
