The importance of prenatal care

The Importance of Prenatal Care One of the most important steps to giving birth to a healthy child is taking care of yourself first. Your child’s health starts with yours and is heavily influenced by your medical history, your family’s health history along with a combination of a healthy diet and exercise plan.

With the help of their doctor, mothers often go on to have healthy children and a pleasant overall experience while pregnant.

Staying healthy starts with prenatal care. For a birth mother considering placing her baby for adoption, the adoption agency she chooses may help with gaining access to prenatal care. Some agencies offer birth mother services at no cost to the mother to help keep her and the baby healthy throughout the pregnancy. Here are some of the things expecting women should know about prenatal care and staying healthy.

What Is Prenatal Care?

Prenatal care refers to the health services you receive from a trained health care provider like a doctor or midwife while pregnant. Prenatal care encompasses advice and coaching, like diet and exercise tips; education about the changes your body is going through, including what to expect and how to handle it; and exams and procedures that will monitor the baby’s progress along the way.

This care will not only help you stay healthy, but it will help your child grow to be healthy and strong as well. Many expecting mothers set up several appointments during different trimesters to learn how to handle discomforts that accompany different stages of pregnancy. These regular checkups are especially important for women in embryo adoption agreements.

Additionally, doctors and midwifes give expecting mothers the knowledge needed to detect warning signs that something is irregular. Mothers gain a lot from these visits, as they are also a perfect opportunity to ask questions and get the answers.

First Prenatal Care Visit Your first prenatal care visit will probably be the longest. It will be the first time you meet your doctor. This is a crucial first meeting because it establishes your relationship and includes a thorough examination. Your doctor will ask you several questions concerning your medical history and related issues. You may also be asked questions about the biological father as well as health issues and history from both the maternal and paternal side. A few of the things that your doctor might measure during your first visit will be your height, your current weight, your blood pressure and heart rate.

Expect to receive a gynecological exam and a breast exam. Your doctor may also test you for sexually transmitted diseases. Doctors offer optional exams such as tests on blood and skin to check for anemia, inherited diseases, rubella and more. Urine tests are also very common during an expecting mother’s first prenatal care visit. Urine examinations allow a doctor to check for diabetes and other possible infections. It may sound a little overwhelming or intimidating, but they are just precautionary efforts. Any health risks facing the mother could also affect her baby’s health, so the doctor needs to check

everything.

This first appointment is a great opportunity to talk about your current diet, exercise and overall lifestyle. Your doctor will discuss questionable habits as well as healthy habits you already practice. He may also suggest making certain changes to the food you consume, the amount of sleep you receive and more.

Lifestyle Changes Many expecting mothers have questions about their diet, exercise and other contributing factors that lead to a healthier pregnancy and long-term lifestyle. As we mentioned earlier, prenatal care visits are the best time to discuss any concerns you may have about necessary changes to your diet.

Expecting mothers sometimes make life-long decisions to change their diet permanently.

Some women make these lifestyle changes long before they become pregnant in order to ensure that they are in great health prior to conceiving a child. For example, some women make the decision to start eating healthier, give up smoking as well as reduce the amount of alcohol they consume. However, when faced with an unplanned pregnancy, many women are concerned they have not been living the healthy lifestyle they should be. This is where your doctor comes in to help guide you and reassure you that your baby is healthy.

Diet and exercise are high priorities for expecting mothers. Some power foods all pregnant women should eat include fortified breakfast cereal, dried beans and lentils, vegetables, non-fat milk and lean meat.

When it comes to exercise, the most important thing is to stay active and keep moving.

Some simple pregnancy exercises include daily walks, swimming, low-impact aerobics and dancing.

Prenatal Testing Earlier, we discussed exams that your health care provider may issue to check on your health. Next, we’ll discuss the type of exams that your doctor may issue to check on the health and status of your child. These can include ultrasounds, multiple marker screenings and a chorionic villus sampling. These tests check for different health issues including possible disabilities.

Biophysical profile tests are also very common. It is typically issued during an expecting mother’s third trimester. The exam consists of an ultrasound that allows doctors to observe a fetal heartbeat and movement to make sure the baby is on track and developing normally.

Pregnant women can certainly expect to experience other physical symptoms and changes such as nausea, heartburn and constipation. However, if you make it a point to see your health physician on a consistent base, they can help you treat these symptoms and have a more pleasant pregnancy. The most important thing is to have an open and honest relationship with your doctor. Feeling comfortable enough to ask questions will lead to a healthy pregnancy and a strong and healthy child.

Placing a child for adoption is an important decision that requires careful consideration.

Are you contemplating this loving option? Do you have any idea about how or where to start? Action Adoption at Providence Place can help. We will guide you through the process while making sure all your questions are answered. Contact us today to learn more.