Prenatal Care: An Overview
Prenatal care means healthcare during your pregnancy before your baby is born. Take care of yourself and your baby by:
- Getting early prenatal care (beginning the first trimester). If you know you are pregnant, or think you might be pregnant, call your healthcare provider as soon as possible and schedule a visit.
- Getting regular prenatal care. Follow your healthcare provider's schedule for visits, and don't miss appointments.
- Doing everything you can to keep yourself and your baby healthy during your pregnancy.
The Importance of Prenatal Care
Prenatal care is important, because, by seeing you regularly, your healthcare provider has the chance to find problems early so that they can be treated as soon as possible. Other problems might also be prevented. Many studies have shown that early and regular prenatal care is important for the health of both mothers and their babies.
Your healthcare provider will give you a schedule for your prenatal care.
You will have prenatal visits more often as you get closer to the end of your pregnancy. An average pregnancy lasts about 40 weeks. A typical prenatal care schedule includes visiting your healthcare provider:
- About once each month during your first six months of pregnancy
- Then every two weeks during the next two months
- Then weekly until the delivery date.
If you are over 35, or if your pregnancy is high risk because you have certain health problems (like
diabetes or
high blood pressure), your healthcare provider will probably want to see you more often for prenatal care.
What to Expect With Prenatal Care
At your first prenatal care visit, your healthcare provider will talk to you about your health history and your family health history and will perform a physical exam. The physical exam will include checks of your
blood pressure, height, and weight, as well as an exam of your pelvic organs. There will be tests of your blood and urine. Your healthcare provider will be able to tell you when to expect that your baby will be born. This visit is also a chance for you to learn about staying healthy during pregnancy.
At your later prenatal care visits, your healthcare provider will check how you are doing and how the baby is developing. You may have a number of tests done as your pregnancy progresses. Ultrasound exams are often used to check on the baby's growth and health. You may have more urine and blood tests, as well as special tests if needed.
Prenatal Care for Women Over Thirty
As you get older, there is more chance of having a baby born with a birth defect. However, most women in their late 30s and early 40s have healthy babies. See your healthcare provider on a regular basis before you get pregnant, and be sure to go for your prenatal care throughout your pregnancy. Your healthcare provider probably will want to do some special tests to check on your baby's health.
Prenatal Care and More: Taking Care of Yourself Before Getting Pregnant
Taking care of yourself before you get pregnant helps you have a healthy pregnancy and lowers your chances of having a baby born with a birth defect. Here are ways to take care of yourself before you get pregnant:
- Eat healthy foods, exercise regularly (30 minutes per day for most days of the week is best), and get enough rest and sleep. Talk to your healthcare provider about what kinds of food and exercise are best for you.
- Take 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid (one of the B vitamins) every day. The best way to do this is to take a daily multivitamin pill that contains this amount of folic acid. Getting enough of the synthetic (manufactured) form of folic acid every day before you get pregnant and during early pregnancy can help prevent certain birth defects. Many breakfast cereals and other grain products have folic acid added to them, but only certain cereals contain 400 mcg of folic acid per serving. Check the label on your multivitamin or cereal to find the amount of folic acid in the food.
- See your healthcare provider for a complete checkup. Make sure that you have had all your shots, especially for rubella (German measles). Rubella can cause serious birth defects. Chickenpox is another illness you want to avoid during pregnancy. If you have had chickenpox and rubella in the past, you should be immune to them.
- Tell your healthcare provider about any prescription or nonprescription medicines (including herbal remedies) that you are taking. Some medicines are not safe to take during pregnancy.
- Stop smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol, and taking drugs. Ask your healthcare provider for help. You can also get help from a member of your faith community, a counselor, or a trusted friend.
Prenatal Care and More: Taking Care of Yourself After Getting Pregnant
Here are ways to take care of yourself and the precious new life growing inside you:
- Continue taking your multivitamin with 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid every day.
- Get early and regular prenatal care. It doesn't matter if this is your first pregnancy or if you already have children -- it is important to see a healthcare provider during your pregnancy. Your healthcare provider will check at each visit to make sure that you and the baby are healthy. If there are any problems, action can be taken right away to help you and the baby.
- Eat a healthy diet that includes fruits, vegetables, grains, and calcium-rich foods. Choose foods low in saturated fat.
- Unless your healthcare provider tells you not to, try to be physically active for 30 minutes, most days of the week. If you are pressed for time, you can get your activity in through 10-minute segments, three times a day.
- If you smoke, drink alcohol, or use drugs, STOP. These can cause long-term damage to your baby. Talk with your healthcare provider about steps to take to stop smoking. Talk with a member of your faith community, a counselor, a trusted friend, or your healthcare provider if you are concerned about your alcohol or drug use.
- Ask your healthcare provider before taking any medicine, even over-the-counter medicines. Some medicines are not safe to take during pregnancy.
- Avoid hot tubs or saunas and x-rays during pregnancy.
- Do not empty the cat litter when you are pregnant. It may contain a parasite that causes an infection called toxoplasmosis, which can cause birth defects. Also, use gloves when working in garden areas used by cats.
- Don't eat uncooked or undercooked meats or fish.
- Stay away from toxic chemicals like insecticides, solvents (like some cleaners or paint thinners), lead, and mercury. Most dangerous household products will have pregnancy warnings on their labels. Ask your healthcare provider about products if you are unsure.
- Limit or eliminate your caffeine intake from coffee, tea, sodas, medications, and chocolate.
- Staying active might help you stay healthier, and many women do so by continuing to work through pregnancy. If you have a question about the safety of your particular job, talk with your healthcare provider.
- Get informed. Read books, watch videos, go to a childbirth class, and talk with experienced moms.
- Ask your healthcare provider about childbirth education classes for you and your partner. Classes can help you prepare for the birth of your baby.
Folic Acid as Part of Prenatal Care
All women of childbearing age with even a remote chance of getting pregnant should try to make sure they get enough
folic acid. The reason is that many pregnancies are not planned. Many women don't know they are pregnant until later in their pregnancies, and certain birth defects happen in the very early part of pregnancy. Taking 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid every day can help prevent certain birth defects that occur in the early part of pregnancy. If a woman begins taking vitamin pills in the second or third month of pregnancy, it may be too late to prevent birth defects. Folic acid may also have other health benefits for women besides preventing birth defects.
Prenatal Care and More: Tips for Pregnancy
Additional tips to help ensure the health of you and your baby include the following:
- Talk to your healthcare provider about how much weight you should gain during your pregnancy.
- Eat foods rich in folate, iron, calcium, and protein, or get these nutrients through a prenatal supplement.
- Talk to your healthcare provider before taking any supplements.
- Eat breakfast every day.
- Eat high-fiber foods and drink plenty of water to avoid constipation.
- Avoid alcohol, raw fish, fish high in mercury, and soft cheeses.
- Aim to do at least 30 minutes of moderate activity on most days of the week. Talk to your healthcare provider before you begin.
- After you deliver your baby, continue eating well. Return to a healthy weight gradually.
- Slowly get back to your routine of regular, moderate physical activity.
- Take pleasure in the miracles of pregnancy and birth.
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