Antenatal care is the healthcare a woman receives when she is pregnant. It includes care given by her doctor and the care she gives herself. The first visit with your own doctor should be scheduled when pregnancy is suspected. Your GP will then either see you or give you a referral to an obstetrician or hospital midwife. You will have monthly visits until 7 months and then more frequent visits until the baby is born.
The first antenatal visit may take an hour and includes questions about previous health patterns or problems and a complete physical exam. This sometimes includes a Pap smear and pelvic examination to feel the size and shape of the uterus. Other blood tests are also done. Results of these tests help the doctor plan the appropriate care. As the pregnancy progresses, additional testing such as ultrasound and special blood tests may be needed.
ANTENATAL TESTS AND EXAMS
While you are pregnant, your doctor or midwife will organise some blood tests and other investigations.
One of the blood tests is for blood type and Rh factor. The Rh factor may cause you to develop blood problems that could harm future pregnancies. This only happens if you have a negative Rh factor and your baby has a positive Rh factor. Your doctor will give you an injection of Rh immune globulin, or anti-D at the time of birth, if you have a negative Rh factor. This will stop antibodies from forming and will protect any babies you may have in the future.
Other blood tests to assess the risk of abnormality in the foetus include maternal serum alpha feto-protein (AFP) test. Its purpose is to find out if the baby's spinal cord and nervous system are normal. This test is done in the sixteenth week of pregnancy.
A common exam in pregnancy is the ultrasound. This will give you information about the baby's size, growth, and development. It helps to estimate the due date.
TESTS ORDERED ONLY AS NEEDED ARE:
ULTRASOUND is the most commonly performed investigation during pregnancy besides a blood test as it is non-invasive, safe and increasingly more reliable as the technology improves. The two most frequently done ultrasounds are:
- Nuchal Translucency which is a specific ultrasound investigation for Down syndrome performed at around 11 weeks of pregnancy.
- An 18 week ultrasound which is to test for spina bifida, renal and other organ problems.
AMNIOCENTESIS is performed by taking a sample of amniotic fluid from the uterus through the mother's abdomen with a long needle before the eighteenth week of pregnancy. In the fluid are cells from the baby. If the baby has Down syndrome or other gene abnormalities, the cells may show it. It takes a number of weeks to get the results.
A FOETAL HEART MONITOR TEST measures the baby's activity and heart rate. This test is done in the last month of pregnancy if you have medical problems or if you are past your due date.
CHORIONIC VILLUS SAMPLING is done lat 11 weeks to detect chromosomal abnormalities such as Down syndrome. A cannula is introduced through the cervix into the uterus and cells are sucked into the tube. There is a 1% risk of miscarriage with this test. This test has largely been replaced by ultrasound and blood test.
SELF-CARE IS THE ANTENATAL CARE THAT YOU GIVE YOURSELF EVERY DAY DURING YOUR PREGNANCY. THIS INCLUDES:
