Relevant Tips for a Good Prenatal Care

Celebrating Mother's Day with some tips for a healthy pregnancy

Prenatal care is very important; not only for your baby's health, but also for yours. 

During the pregnancy period, follow the basics: eating a healthy diet, getting enough rest, not smoking, drinking alcohol or taking drugs. Schedule your first prenatal care check-up as soon as you find out you have synthoms you can be pregnant, so you can check your health condition and can find out your due date.

Don't miss any of the prenatal care check-ups, even if you’re feeling fine. You will get blood and urine tests during most of your visits and a blood pressure check at every visit. Your doctor may recommend certain vaccinations or prenatal tests at your check-ups. Prenatal tests monitor the evolution of the pregnancy and your baby's health. They include ultrasound to monitor the development of the fetus and mesure different parameters as the size of relevant organs and, if indicated, they may include amniocentesis or chronic villus sampling.

During the prenatal care check-ups, your doctor will also asks you about your family health history to see if certain medical conditions run in your family. Always tell your doctor how you’re feeling and ask as many questions as doubts you have so you are well informed about every detail on what’s happening throughout your pregnancy.

Why is prenatal care important?

Prenatal care allows you to achieve good maternal health, normal development of the fetus, and to promote optimal childbirth conditions. This way, maternal complications during pregnancy will decrease, as well as newborn complications such as low birth weight and other neonatal conditions or diseases.

Prenatal care seeks to provide education to improve the quality of life of the expectant couple, and that of the expected child. This process involves prenatal care, childbirth, and newborn care.

Prenatal care should start at the time you learn you are pregnant, ideally you should be evaluated well before the 14th week of pregnancy to assess the health of the pregnant woman, determine the pregnancy risks that may be associated with the mother's and her family medical history, and take the appropriate actions to achieve a successful pregnancy.

Warning signs to watch out for during your pregnancy

It is of the utmost importance that you know the warning signs that can occur during pregnancy. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, immediately go to urgent care:

• Excessive weight gain (more than two kilograms in one week).
• Swelling or edema in your feet, hands, or face.
• Altered vision (blurred vision, spots).
• A decrease in the amount of urine.
• Burning during urination or foul-smelling urine.
• Uncontrollable vomiting.
• Severe and persistent headache.
• Intense pain in your esophagus or stomach.
• Decrease in- or absence of fetal movements.
• Vaginal bleeding.