Prenatal care content

The core of prenatal care is full-cycle health management covering the period of pregnancy preparation to the time of delivery. It essentially consists of three core tasks: dynamic monitoring, risk intervention, and life guidance that focus on the physical and mental state of the mother and the growth and development of the fetus. It is by no means as simple as "regular prenatal check-ups" as most people think.

I have been in the obstetrics clinic of a tertiary hospital for 7 years, and I have seen too many pregnant mothers fall into the pitfall of "too one-sided understanding of prenatal care." Last year, I met a 28-year-old pregnant mother with her second child. The first pregnancy went smoothly, but the second child felt that she was clear. She refused to do any examination except the necessary B-ultrasound. She skipped it because she found it troublesome. As a result, I listened to the fetal heart rate regularly at 32 weeks. Her feet were so swollen that she couldn't even put slippers in them. Her blood pressure was 150/95 and her fasting blood sugar was 10.2. She was immediately admitted to the hospital. It took two weeks for her to stabilize. Finally, she had a caesarean section at 38 weeks, two weeks earlier than she expected.

When it comes to prenatal check-ups, many people can say a few keywords such as "12-week filing, NT, Tang screening, and large-scale abnormality screening", but in fact, the frequency requirements for prenatal check-ups in different regions are quite different. The current common standard in our country is that low-risk pregnant mothers should be checked every 4 weeks from 12 weeks to 28 weeks, once every 2 weeks from 28 to 36 weeks, and once a week after 36 weeks. Many pregnant mothers find it troublesome to go to the hospital and don’t feel uncomfortable. However, in fact, problems such as gestational diabetes and pregnancy-induced hypertension have no obvious symptoms in the early stage. By the time you feel dizzy and swollen, it is often a bit serious. However, many European and American scholars have expressed different opinions, saying that it is not necessary for low-risk groups to undergo such high-frequency screening, which can easily increase anxiety during pregnancy. Many low-risk pregnant mothers there do not have their first formal prenatal check-up until 16 weeks, and the intervals thereafter are also looser. In fact, there is nothing wrong with both options. The core is to adapt to different population baselines - the proportion of high-risk pregnant mothers in our country is higher. Encrypted screening can indeed nip many risks in the bud. If you are a low-risk pregnant mother with no underlying diseases and aged between 22 and 30, you don't need to be too anxious if you occasionally miss a routine examination. Oh, by the way, some people ask how to choose between non-invasive screening and non-invasive screening. There is no mandatory requirement in the industry now. If you are over 35 years old, have a family genetic history or have had a history of adverse pregnancy before, it will be more accurate to do non-invasive or even sheep biopsy. If you are a low-risk pregnant mother in your 20s, regular screening is enough, and there is no need to blindly pursue expensive tests.

In addition to the examinations at the hospital, a larger part of prenatal care is actually lifestyle adjustments that can be made at home. To be honest, this part is the easiest to go to extremes, either not daring to eat or move, lying in bed every day to support the fetus, or not eating anything, including iced coffee and hot pot. I met a pregnant mother a while ago. She quit her job as soon as she found out she was pregnant. She lay at home every day and didn't even dare to do housework. As a result, she failed her glucose tolerance test at 24 weeks and gained almost 20 pounds, which caused a lot of trouble later on. Another pregnant mother chased me and asked if I couldn't touch milk tea. I told her that as long as your blood sugar is normal, it's absolutely fine to drink a cup of sugar once a week. If you are so greedy every day that you scratch your head and can't sleep well, the negative impact will be much greater than that little sugar. Oh, by the way, there is also the controversy over exercise. Many elders say that "moving more will help you have a good pregnancy." Others say that "moving too much during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage." In fact, it really depends on your physical constitution. If you have placenta previa and a history of premature birth, you really need to rest more. If you have low blood pressure, For at-risk pregnant mothers, taking 30 minutes a day to take a walk and do Kegel exercises is really helpful for weight control and shortening the labor process. I usually send my pregnant mothers a comparison chart to tell them what exercises they can do in each situation, and never give a unified "standard answer."

There is another aspect of prenatal care that many people are not aware of, which is the assessment and intervention of mental status. Prenatal depression screening has gradually become more popular in the past two years, but there is also a lot of controversy. Some people say that psychological evaluation should be included in every prenatal check-up. Others say that excessive screening will label pregnant mothers as "emotionally unstable" and increase the psychological burden. I have met several pregnant mothers myself. Every time they come for a prenatal check-up, they are alone. She secretly sheds tears while sitting there waiting for her number to be called. Everyone in the family is staring at the child in her belly. No one asks her whether she can sleep at night or whether her legs are cramping. At this time, I usually chat with her more. If the situation is serious, I will transfer her to a psychology department. To be honest, a pregnant mother's emotional stability is more effective than any number of nutritional supplements.

In the third trimester of pregnancy, prenatal care also includes delivery preparation, which is not as simple as just packing the delivery bag. Our clinic now offers free delivery rehearsal classes every week, teaching you the Lamaze breathing method, as well as providing guidance for expectant fathers to accompany you during delivery, and even teaching you the correct breastfeeding posture in advance. Many people think that breastfeeding is something they only have to worry about after giving birth. In fact, after 37 weeks, you can slowly clean your nipples, and if you have nipple recesses, correct them in advance, so that you can avoid suffering from old problems after giving birth.

After all, there is actually no unified template for prenatal care. Each pregnant mother’s physical condition, past medical history, and living environment are different. The most suitable plan for you will always be communicated with your prenatal doctor. Don't blindly believe in experience posts on the Internet such as "10 things you must do when you're pregnant", and don't take it too seriously. Get check-ups as needed, eat well, sleep well, and be in a good mood. That's better than anything else.