Antenatal Care tips
Antenatal care, also known as prenatal care, is a type of preventive healthcare practice. It is provided in the form of doctor visits, consisting of recommendations on managing a healthy lifestyle and the provision of medical information such as physiological changes in pregnancy, biological changes, and prenatal nutrition which includes prenatal vitamins, which prevents potential health problems throughout the course of the pregnancy and promotes the mother and child’s health alike. The availability of routine antenatal care, including prenatal screening and diagnosis, plays a part in reducing the frequency of miscarriages, neonatal infections, birth defects, maternal death, low birth weight, and other preventable health problems.
Traditional prenatal care generally consists of:
- Monthly visits during the first two trimesters (from the 1st week to the 28th week)
- Fortnightly visits from the 28th week to the 36th week of pregnancy
- Weekly visits after the 36th week to the delivery, to the 40th week
It is the recommendation of WHO that a woman should receive at least eight antenatal visits.
Other than doctor visits, here are some tips that women should follow during pregnancy for antenatal care:-
- Take folic acid, iron and calcium
- Staying active is important, try to exercise
- Eliminate toxins – avoid smoking, alcohol and other drugs
- Track your weight gain
- Stay hydrated
- Stay clean
Dr. Usha Agarwal, Senior Consultant – Gynaecology, Narayana Multispeciality Hospital, Jaipur