Beginner’s Guide to Antenatal Care

Antenatal Exercise

Antenatal exercises are important to maintain physical fitness and overall health and wellness during pregnancy. Your health care provider will also recommend you to be active as long as it is comfortable and there are no other adverse health issues. Prenatal care is preventive health care and a well-chosen health program aids in making delivery easy. Some facts about exercise during pregnancy:

Regular exercising during pregnancy reduces the risk of excess weight and back pain. It strengthens the muscles for childbirth.
Low-impact exercises such as swimming, brisk walking, yoga, and stationary cycling are good ways to get fit during pregnancy.
During labor, squatting may help to open the pelvis so it is beneficial to perform squats during pregnancy.
Pelvic tilts can strengthen the abdominal muscles and help reduce back pain.

Antenatal Diet

A healthy and nutrient-rich diet during pregnancy ensures that your baby is healthy. A balanced and nutritious diet during pregnancy contains a balance of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients in general. According to researches, a pregnant woman consumes around 300 more calories over her normal diet. To start with, plan meals and serving sizes appropriately based on body weight, exercise levels, gestational age, and maternal age. The following food is recommended as a part of the diet of pregnant women:

Fruits and vegetables: An expectant mother should eat a good amount of fruits and vegetables particularly during the second and third trimesters. These colorful foods are rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals and low in calories.
Lean protein: For the growth and development of babies, pregnant women should include good protein sources at every meal. Protein-rich foods include meat, fish, eggs, beans, nuts, and seeds. These are a vital source of energy in the diet and provide fiber, iron and vitamin B.
Dairy: Dairy products such as milk, yogurt, and cheese are good dietary sources of calcium, protein and vitamin D. Besides, pregnant women need to take a daily prenatal vitamin to obtain some important nutrients like folic acid and iron.

In addition to the above, there are certain foods such as caffeine and fish that are needed to be eaten in a limit. 200 mg of caffeine is safe to be consumed in a day while excess coffee intake can contribute to miscarriage or premature birth. Also, if you are a non-vegetarian and eat mercury-rich fishes like albacore and tuna, then, you should limit its consumption to no more than 6 ounces a week as mercury can prove harmful to a baby’s developing brain. Alcohol and unpasteurized foods should be avoided strictly.

Antenatal Examination

Prenatal care implies regular antenatal check-ups. They allow doctors to prevent potential health problems throughout the pregnancy phase and to promote a healthy lifestyle for the mother and the child. Once your pregnancy test is positive, visit your doctor. The doctor may arrange blood tests and scans before your first antenatal visit. The first appointment is generally around 10-12 weeks of pregnancy.
At first antenatal care visit, the doctor or midwives will check your blood pressure, weight, and height and record the readings. Other examinations of heart, chest, and breast may be done if indicated. Routine antenatal tests also include a urine test of the lady. You will also be asked about possible signs of depression and stresses if any. Other information:

Your medical history is reviewed by the doctor including information about illnesses, operations, and allergies to certain drugs or any other health issues. Details about ongoing medication and treatment are recorded.
Your gynecological and obstetric history include queries about the menstrual cycle, last period date, types of contraception used and also about any previous, pregnancies, terminations, miscarriages and live births.
Your due date is known as your EDD (Estimated Due Date) and is usually around 40 weeks after the beginning of the last period.

At other antenatal visits, followings activities are performed at the healthcare center including:

Blood pressure check-up.
The doctor or midwife will palpate your abdomen to see the growth of the baby and listen to your baby’s heartbeat.
On some occasions, you may be weighed and urine may be examined.

Antenatal Screening

The World Health Organization has issued a new series of recommendations to improve quality of antenatal care. Antenatal screening checks about the well-being of the baby in the womb. Prenatal diagnosis establishes whether or not the disorder is present. Screening aims to provide information which aids in decision making. The main procedures are amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling (CVS).
The tests offered during pregnancy are either ultrasound scans or blood tests or a combination of both. Blood samples will help you identify the presence of inherited disorders such as sickle cell anemia and thalassemia or infections like HIV, hepatitis. UV scans detect physical abnormalities such as spina bifida. Blood tests and scans together help find the chance of chromosomal abnormalities such as Down's, Edward's and Patau's syndrome.
Our doctor Dr. Parul Jain determines the best and most effective way to guide about antenatal care. Visit our clinic to consult best gynecologist in Gurgaon.