1. Prenatal Care
Prenatal care is the care you
receive throughout your pregnancy. Special care from professionals
during pregnancy can help identify pregnancy problems or conditions
before they become serious. Always feel free to ask questions about
your pregnancy at your prenatal appointments.
If you have confidence in your
healthcare provider, you’ll be able to relax and enjoy your pregnancy.
Pregnancy is a special time in your life; good prenatal care helps
ensure you do everything possible to make it the best 9 months possible
for you and your growing baby.
2. Your First Prenatal Visit
Your first prenatal visit may be one of
the longest. Your healthcare provider will ask questions, order lab
tests and give you a physical examination.
If this is a new
healthcare provider, you may be asked for a complete medical history.
This can include questions about your menstrual periods, recent
birth-control methods, previous pregnancies and other details. Tell
your healthcare provider about any miscarriages or abortions you have
had. Include information about hospital stays or surgical procedures.
Discuss any medications you take or those
you are allergic to. Your family’s medical history may be important, as
in the case of diabetes or other chronic illnesses. Discuss any chronic
medical problems you have. If you have medical records, bring them with
you.
On your first visit, you will probably
have a pelvic exam, which helps determine if your uterus is the
appropriate size for how far along you believe you are in your
pregnancy. You’ll have a Pap smear if you haven’t had one in the last
year, and other tests may be necessary.
In most cases, you will visit
your healthcare provider every 4 weeks for the first 7 months, then
every 2 weeks until the last month, then once a week. You may be
scheduled for visits more frequently if necessary. On every visit, your
weight and blood pressure will be checked; they provide valuable
information about how your pregnancy is progressing.
3. Taking Others to Your Office Visits
If you want to bring your partner with
you to your prenatal visits, do so. These visits can help him
understand what is happening to you and feel he’s a part of your
pregnancy. And it’s nice for your partner and your healthcare provider
to meet before labor begins.
It’s all right to take your mother or
mother-in-law. If you want to bring anyone else, discuss it with your
healthcare provider first.
Many offices don’t mind if you bring your
children with you; other offices ask you not to bring children to
office visits. Talking with your healthcare provider about a problem
can be difficult if you’re trying to take care of a young child at the
same time. If you do bring children, observe the following rules of
etiquette.
•Ask about office policy ahead of time.
•Bring only one child to a visit.
•Don’t bring a child on your first visit, when you will probably have a pelvic exam.
•If you want your child to hear the baby’s heartbeat, wait to bring him until after you have heard it.
•Bring something to entertain your child in case you have to wait. Not all offices have toys or books for kids.
•Be considerate of other patients; if your child has a cold or is sick, don’t bring her.
4. Choosing a Healthcare Provider
You have many choices among healthcare
providers to care for you during pregnancy. You can choose an
obstetrician, a family practitioner, a certified nurse-midwife or a
nurse practitioner to oversee your prenatal care.
An obstetrician is a medical
doctor or an osteopathic physician who specializes in the care of
pregnant women, including delivering babies. He or she has completed
additional training in obstetrics and gynecology after medical school.
A perinatologist is an
obstetrician who specializes in high-risk pregnancies. Only about 10%
of all pregnant women need to see a perinatologist; your healthcare
provider will refer you. If you see a perinatologist, you may still be
able to deliver your baby with your regular healthcare provider. Or you
may have to deliver at a hospital other than the one you had chosen
because of its specialized facilities or the availability of
specialized tests for you or your baby.
A family practitioner is a
physician who provides care for the entire family. Many family
practitioners have experience delivering babies. If problems arise,
your family practitioner may refer you to an obstetrician or
perinatologist for prenatal care.
A certified nurse-midwife is a
trained professional who cares for women with low-risk, uncomplicated
pregnancies and delivers their babies. These professionals are
registered nurses who have additional training and certification in
nurse-midwifery. Supervised by a physician, they will call him or her
if care or delivery complications occur.
A nurse practitioner may also
serve as your healthcare provider at office visits, if your pregnancy
is normal. Nurse practitioners are registered nurses with advanced
degrees in a specialty area. They are certified by national
organizations in their specialty and practice under the rules and
regulations of your state, under the supervision of a physician. They
can provide prenatal care and family-planning services. At delivery, a
nurse-midwife, obstetrician or family practitioner delivers the baby.
If you have a healthcare provider you
like, you may be all set. If you don’t, call your local medical society
for a referral. Ask friends who recently had a baby
about their healthcare providers. Sometimes another healthcare provider
can refer you to someone to care for you during your pregnancy.
Ellie didn’t fill out all of the forms
at her first office visit; she left the family-history portion blank.
She said she didn’t realize it mattered. We discussed how her family
history could affect her and her pregnancy. The next month, she told me
she had spoken to her mother, and there was a family history of
diabetes and twins, both important pieces of information for her
pregnancy.
Make an effort to communicate with your
healthcare provider so you can comfortably ask him or her questions
about your condition. Read articles and books such as this one and our
other books. They will help you prepare questions to ask your
healthcare provider. However, never substitute information you receive
from other sources for information, instructions or advice you receive
from your own healthcare provider. Your healthcare provider knows you,
your history and what has occurred during your pregnancy.
Don’t be afraid to ask any
question. Your healthcare provider has probably already heard it, so
there is no need to be embarrassed. Check out even the smallest
details. Your healthcare provider will be the first to tell you it’s
better to ask a thousand “silly” questions than risk overlooking a
single important one.
