An antenatal mother should remember that she is her child’s first doctor. The antenatal period is very important to deliver a healthy baby. Following your doctor’s advice from day one will make your pregnancy a wonderful experience to cherish forever. Read the following with your partner before beginning your journey as a mother.
The following should be done
- Confirmation of pregnancy.
- Basic investigations
- Dating scan
- Complete blood count
- Liver function test
- Renal function test
- HIV
- HbsAg
- VDRL
- Blood grouping and typing, if blood group is negative you must do ICT test
- Thyroid function test
- Oral glucose challenge test
- Inj . Td 2 doses to be taken at one month interval
- To watch for bleeding
- To get RCH ID and follow up
- To take T. Folic acid supplement daily till 3 months of pregnancy
- To disclose your past medical history, obstetric history and family history of both biological parents to doctor. All your records will be maintained secretly.
- Discuss about your current and recent medicines including over-the counter medicines and herbal medicines.
- To discuss about any domestic violence which hinders you from proper health checkups so that we may provide a good support network.
- To disclose about any substance abuse with the doctor.
- To do NT scan at 11 to 13+6 wks of pregnancy.
II trimester
- To take iron vitamin and calcium supplements regularly to be continued till 6 months after delivery.
- To take iron rich diet vegetables and fruits
- To look for first fetal movement which you may feel after 18 wks
- Don’t fail to do anomaly scan at 20-21 wks to look for fetal anomalies and also look for fetal ECHO
- To repeat OGCT at 24-28 wks to look for sugars
- Have a proper sleep and diet
- Listen to good music
- To refrain from unpleasant environment and to surround yourself with positive people.
- Try to communicate with your baby and develop a bond with your growing foetus.
- To decide about the place of delivery in advance and try to have a regular checkup there so that it will be easy for your doctor to know about your history very well.
- To check for haemoglobin levels and aim to keep your haemoglobin level at 12g
- Monitor Bp regularly.
- Try to note any unusual symptoms in a diary and try to inform ur doctor during your visit to the hospital because you may forget to tell the important danger sign which your doctor will pick up.
- To do screening ECG and ECHO.
III trimester
- To do growth scan after 28 weeks and 35 weeks.
- To have frequent health checkups.
- To monitor foetal movements.
- To hydrate adequately.
- To start minimal physical activity like walking and doing household chores.
- To follow your doctors advice based on your clinical history and health status
- To have a positive approach towards delivery and trust your doctor in making the decisions.
- To maintain ideal weight for a better delivery outcome. People with obesity may faces challenges during normal delivery and complications during postoperative period after caesarean delivery.
- (8th point Optimized) Maintaining an optimal weight is crucial for a favourable delivery experience. Individuals with obesity might encounter difficulties during natural childbirth and face potential complications in the postoperative phase following a caesarean section.