Prenatal care is the routine healthcare a person receives during pregnancy to support both the pregnant person and the developing baby. Obstetrician-gynecologists can help prevent potential pregnancy complications and educate a future parent on how to have a smooth pregnancy. But what does prenatal care involve? In this article, we discuss the main areas and procedures of prenatal care.
What Does Prenatal Care Involve?
Typically, it is recommended to visit your doctor every month during early pregnancy and more often later on. During these visits, your doctor monitors your vitals, measures uterine growth and tracks the baby’s development, conducts necessary screenings and tests, decides what supplements and medications you require, and gives you guidance on lifestyle and nutrition. Let us look at each point in more detail:
Screenings and Tests
The types of tests during prenatal care typically include:
- Checking weight, blood pressure, and overall health
- Blood tests to monitor hormones, infections, and screen for signs of anemia
- Urine tests to measure protein, glucose, and screen for infections
- Ultrasounds to monitor anatomy and growth
- Gestational diabetes screening (typically conducted between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy and checks for high blood sugar using a 1-hour glucose challenge test)
- Group B strep test to detect bacteria that, if present during labor, could cause serious infections in newborns, such as meningitis, pneumonia, or sepsis (typically conducted at 35–37 weeks)
Supplements and Medications
Depending on the results of your tests, your doctor might prescribe prenatal vitamins (especially folic acid, iron, and iodine) if you do not get enough of them in your diet, and medications if issues arise or need to be prevented.
Nutrition and Lifestyle Guidance
During your visits, your doctor will provide guidance on appropriate nutrition and weight gain, based on your test results and overall health. Generally, a healthy diet during pregnancy should include the following types of foods:
- A colorful variety of fruits and vegetables
- Whole grains
- Lean proteins
- Healthy fats (avocado, nuts, seeds, olive oil)
Additionally, your doctor is likely to recommend making sure that your diet provides enough of:
- Folic acid (helps prevent neural tube defects)
- Iron (supports blood volume)
- Calcium and vitamin D (support bones and teeth)
- Protein (supports growth)
- Omega-3s (support brain and eye development)
Also, you will receive recommendations for physical activity and appropriate exercises, and your sleep and stress will be assessed to ensure you get enough rest and maintain good mental and physical health during pregnancy.
Typically, pregnant people are recommended:
- Including about 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week, for example, walking, swimming, prenatal yoga, cycling on a stationary bike
- Aiming for 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night
- Side-sleeping (especially later in pregnancy)
Education and Planning
Your doctor will provide information on which symptoms are normal during pregnancy and which require medical attention. Also, you will discuss labor and delivery options, pain management choices, breastfeeding and formula feeding, and postpartum recovery and newborn care.
Monitoring and Managing Conditions
During your regular visits, your doctor will monitor health issues that can affect pregnancy to reduce risks for both the pregnant person and the baby. Some conditions can be pre-existing, some develop during pregnancy, and others are pregnancy-specific.
To manage such health conditions, your doctor might conduct additional tests, including more frequent ultrasounds, and prescribe certain medications, lifestyle and activity changes, and diet adjustments.
Make an Appointment at West Texas Health
If you require prenatal care, do not hesitate to make an appointment at West Texas health care center today. We are looking forward to your visit.
