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Prenatal Care

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Medical Care Obstetricians: doctors who specialize in

pregnancy and birth.

The woman will undergo a complete physical. Urine and blood tests will be done to check for diseases that can harm an unborn child.

The obstetrician will give the parents-to-be healthy-habit advice.

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An approximate due date will be declared.

Pregnant woman have monthly doctor appointments through the first six months.

Visits increase to twice a month for the 7th and 8th months, and then weekly during the 9th month.

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The Unborn Baby’s Environment Environmental factors are those factors

caused by a person’s surroundings. The prenatal environment is the mother’s body

and it will affect the baby.

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Factors That Affect the Baby’s Health

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Mother’s Age In regard to health, the ideal time for a

woman to have a baby is between ages 21 and 28 years.

Teens and women over 36 are high-risk mothers-to-be. Because teens are still growing, they cannot

always meet the needs of babies. Teens tend to have babies premature with low

birth weights, some with disabilities, and even some are born dead.

Women over 36 have a higher rate of babies with health problems, disabilities, and disorders.

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Mother’s Physical Health The mother’s pre-pregnancy health greatly

affects the outcome of pregnancy.

Pre-existing health problems Sometimes special tests can be done, medications

or other treatments can help keep the unborn safe.

Healthy weight

Nutrition and activity level

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Rh Factor Rh Factor: Protein substance found in the red

blood cells of about 85% of the population. Those who have the substance are Rh+ and those

that don’t are Rh- It only becomes a problem when fathers are Rh+

and mothers are Rh- (this occurs in 12% of marriages)

If the baby inherits the Rh+ blood type from the father, the baby may develop Rh disease, which is a type of anemia that destroys the baby’s red blood cells.

Vaccine called anti-Rh-immune globulin greatly reduces the danger of Rh disease

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Mother’s Emotional Health Mother’s stress increases her heartbeat and

muscle tension as well as the baby’s

Unborn babies can handle some stress, however if it is severe, frequent, or long-lasting, the mother may have more difficulty delivering. The baby may be smaller, fussier, or quite active.

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Health Habits During Pregnancy

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Nutrition By the 12th week, the baby is completely dependent

on the mother for food.

By obtaining essential nutrients before pregnancy, a woman is able to store these nutrients for when the baby begins to draw them from her body.

There is a direct link between what a pregnant woman eats and: her weight gain, the infant’s growth, the infant’s mental capacity, and the infant’s physical performance.

Pregnant woman should limit caffeine.

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Weight Gain Experts suggest women gain between 25-35

pounds in a pregnancy. During the first three months: about 4 pounds

total From four to nine months: about three to four

pounds per month (with most of the weight gain occurring from 7to 9 months).

Pregnant women need to eat 300 extra calories per day, starting in the fourth month.

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Hygiene Practices Many doctors recommend pregnant women do

the following: Have a dental checkup Avoid very cold or very hot baths and hot tubs Wear comfortable clothes with low-heeled shoes Replace tub baths with showers or sponge baths

during the last 4-6 weeks of pregnancy. Never take any medications (even over-the-

counter) unless advised by a doctor

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Rest and Sleep Doctors recommend 8-9 hours of sleep a night

along with 15-30 minutes of rest (with or without sleep) during the day.

Many women feel the most tired during the first few months and last weeks of pregnancy.

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Physical Activity and Exercise Physical activity helps women keep weight

within normal limits, strengthen muscles women use in delivery, increases energy, and relieves tension.

In childbirth classes, women learn conditioning exercises to relieve back and leg strain of later pregnancy. They can also learn exercised to prepare the muscles for delivery.

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Health Hazards to Avoid

Diseases or Illnesses in the Mother

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Diabetes Diabetes is caused from the body’s inability to use

sugar properly. Gestational diabetes: occurs during pregnancy to

women who did not have diabetes before pregnancy. These women are usually prone to it later in life. Their babies are usually born larger (10-12 lbs.) Babies are at risk for high blood pressure, congenital

problems, heart problems, and infant death These babies are also at a higher risk of diabetes when

they are children. Balance of diet, physical activity, and medication

will keep diabetes under control.

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Pregnancy-Induced Hypertension (PIH) High blood pressure caused by pregnancy.

Aka preeclampsia or toxemia.

More common in older women and multiple pregnancies.

It can come on very sudden and if untreated, can cause damage or death of mother, baby, or both.

Bed rest is a common treatment for PIH.

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Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) Infectious illnesses passed through sexual

intercourse. Not all people are aware that they have an STI

which is very dangerous to an unborn baby.

Some STIs can enter the bloodstream of the mother and cross the placenta to reach the baby.

Others infect the mother’s reproductive tract and can pass to the baby during delivery.

Others can be passed through breast-feeding.

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Drugs: Medications A pregnant woman should not take ANY

medication without consulting a doctor first. Including prescriptions, over-the-counter

medicines, dietary supplements, and herbal products.

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Drugs: Alcohol Doctors advise women never to drink alcohol

during pregnancy.

Almost 40,000 babies are born with damage from alcohol every year. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is a group of

symptoms that occur in infants whose mothers drank during pregnancy. Babies may be smaller, their growth and development

slow down, they have smaller heads, unusual facial features, heart defects, poor motor skills, and disabilities.

Fetal Alcohol Effect (FAE) is a term to describe less severe damage, causes children to have serious learning problems.

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Drugs: Nicotine Babies of smokers are usually smaller than average

or may be born premature. Babies are at risk of cleft lip/palate. Their brains also develop abnormally, which lead to learning problems, hyperactivity, and poor attention spans. Ear infections and breathing problems are also more common.

Raises mother’s heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, and blood flow slows down.

Smoking after the 16th week raises the woman’s chance of losing her baby. It also increases delivery difficulties.

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Illegal Drugs If a pregnant woman is addicted to drugs, chances

are her baby is, too.

Babies are at risk of: low-birth weight and born prematurely.

Babies will experience withdrawals: they will have a high-pitched cry, shake, not eat, and have a fever.

Cocaine: can cause women to lose the babies, babies born prematurely, babies grow much slower, damages baby’s brain, eyes, heart, limbs, intestines, and urinary tract.

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Radiation Exposure During pregnancy, x-rays should be avoided if

possible. The radiation during an x-ray aimed towards a

fetus increases the likelihood of childhood cancer.

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Environmental Pollution Lead, chemicals, pesticides, and herbicides all

pose risks to the unborn baby.

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Complications of Pregnancy

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Congenital problems: a physical or biochemical problem in a baby that is present at birth. May be inherited or caused by environmental

factors.

Pre-term Birth: a delivery that occurs before 37 weeks of pregnancy. Main cause of death in the first month of life. May cause: cerebral palsy, chronic lung disease,

and delays in development

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Miscarriage: the expulsion of the baby from the mother’s body before week 20 of pregnancy. Medically known as spontaneous abortion Most common in the first three months The risk of a second miscarriage is higher than

that of couples who have never miscarried.

Stillbirth: the loss of the fetus after 20 weeks of pregnancy. The baby is born dead

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Monitoring the Baby’s Development

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Blood Test Triple screen: given at 12 weeks, testing for

neural tube defects, Down syndrome, and other severe abnormalities.

Blood tests can screen for STIs at a mother’s first medial visit.

Another blood test given at 6 or 7 months screens for gestational diabetes.

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Ultrasound Sound waves bounce off the fetus to produce

an image of the fetus inside the womb. The picture is called a sonogram

3-D ultrasounds are now available to look at the severity of structural defects of a baby.

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Chorionic Villus Sampling A procedure for finding abnormalities in the

unborn. It can detect serious problems with the fetus early in the pregnancy.

A hollow tube is inserted through the vagina into the uterus and guided to the chorion. A small section of the villi is painlessly suctioned off and analyzed for congenital problems.

There is a slight risk of infections, which can result in miscarriage.

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Amniocentesis A prenatal test used to check for the presence

of over 100 congenital problems. Common problems it tests for: Down syndrome

and sickle-cell anemia A needle is inserted through the abdominal

wall into the uterus. An ultrasound is done at the same time to help position the needle. A small amount of fluid is drawn from the amniotic sac.