What is Prenatal Care, Why it’s Important
Pregnancy and childbirth do not change the precious value of a woman's existence, but still a difficult choice that needs courage and 100% preparation by the couple. Women, at the core of pregnancy, need to undergo a series of pre-pregnancy checkups and prenatal care, including basic physical health checks such as blood pressure and blood glucose, bone health, especially the waist and legs, and the condition of the teeth and oral cavity, as well as psychological checkups, such as emotional and psychological counseling. Prenatal care requires meticulous attention to ensure a healthy pregnancy by adjusting any minor ailments that you did not care about before, in case the changes in your body during pregnancy magnify the pain caused by these minor ailments. This is why it’s important.
Quality of Prenatal Care Research
Nearly 15% of women in the United States receive inadequate prenatal care, and 6% receive late or no prenatal care. Only 63% of pregnant women in Florida receive adequate prenatal care, with little is known about their perceptions of quality prenatal care.
To assess women's perceptions of the quality of prenatal care, and describe their preferences for seeking prenatal care that meets their needs, the NIH conducted a qualitative study of postpartum women who gave birth in Florida.
Results of the qualitative data indicated that participants wanted patient-centered care, as well as care that was informative, tailored to their needs, and delivered within the constraints of daily life.
Women's Experience of Prenatal Care: An Integrative Review
NIH interviewed 465 pregnant women in 2019, using a semi-structured interviewer-administered questionnaire to investigate their experience of prenatal care and to assess the overall quality of prenatal care.
The overall quality of prenatal care was 32.7% and the quality of prenatal care was positively associated with a pregnant woman's level of education, the number of prenatal care visits she participated in, and whether or not her monthly household income exceeded $175.50.
The overall quality of antenatal care in this study was low. Therefore, promoting targeted antenatal care increasing infrastructure, encouraging maternal education, and compensating low family income women for health care costs may improve the quality of care.
Some women were treated with respect and reported comprehensive, individualized care. However, some women experienced long waits and rushed visits and perceived antenatal care as mechanized or demanding. Women's preferences included reasonable waits, unhurried visits, continuity, flexibility, comprehensive care, meeting with other pregnant women as a group, developing meaningful relationships with professionals, and becoming more active participants in their care. Some low-income and minority women experience discrimination or stereotyping and external barriers to care.
Checklist Before Pregnancy
There’s plenty you can do before pregnancy, having a preparation to ensure a healthy pregnancy and a baby. Here is a checklist that may help you sort out what to do.
1. Pre-conception checkups with your partner
Typically, the tests that are usually required before pregnancy are laboratory tests, routine gynecological tests, and ultrasound. For men, it is mainly the reproductive system and some routine tests.
Laboratory tests: Including routine blood tests, Hepatitis B pentameter tests, HIV screening, blood type tests, measurement of blood sugar and blood pressure, and so on. Before the laboratory tests, you need to pay attention to a light diet and try to avoid spicy and greasy food. You need to stop eating and drinking in the early morning on the day of the test so as not to affect the results.
Routine gynecological examination: Routine gynecological examination generally includes an examination of vaginal secretions, HPV screening, and examination of the cervix and uterus. Before the routine gynecological examination, it should be noted that you need to avoid the menstrual period, and try to choose the period from the end of menstruation to the ovulation before the examination, and also avoid sex before the test so as not to interfere with the doctor's judgment of the test results.
Ultrasound: The purpose of pre-pregnancy ultrasound is to check the female genitalia for adenomyomas, fibroids, and other abnormalities and malformations. When performing the pre-pregnancy color ultrasound examination, since the examination needs to be performed in the state of a full bladder to be easily and accurately judged, it is necessary to hold urine before the examination to keep the bladder in a full state. In addition, when doing the ultrasound, you should keep your mood relaxed and not be overly nervous, otherwise it may have an impact on the results of the examination.
2. Provide family medical history
Depending on your family history and ethnicity, your doctor may recommend the following genetic tests for you and your partner:
- Sickle cell anemia
- Thalassemia (an inherited form of anemia)
- Genetic conditions common among Ashkenazi Jews, such as Tay-Sachs disease
If you need to update your vaccinations, it is important to do so before you become pregnant. Some specific vaccines, such as MMR (measles-mumps-rubella), chickenpox (the virus that causes chickenpox), or hepatitis A vaccine increase the risk of birth defects. Experts recommend that you wait at least 28 days after receiving some of these vaccines before trying to get pregnant.
3. Dental checkup
The purpose of pre-pregnancy dental examination is to avoid dental and oral diseases after pregnancy, the drugs will cause adverse effects on the fetus.
As a woman's hormone level rises after pregnancy will make changes in the oral environment, in addition to the increase in stomach acid caused by vomiting in early pregnancy, as well as changes in the oral environment caused by changes in the pregnant woman's diet, are prone to gum disease and oral diseases. If you can't stay healthy during pregnancy, your gums will swell and bleed, the pain will be worse than usual, and the bacteria in the gums will enter the bloodstream and infect the fetus through the placenta which can also lead to preterm labor. Therefore, dental checkups should be conducted before pregnancy to treat dental and oral diseases in time to avoid the adverse effects of medications on the fetus after pregnancy.
4. Quit smoking alcohol, and caffeine
The negative effects of alcohol and tobacco on the fetus are well known, and caffeine can increase the likelihood of miscarriage, so quitting these habits before pregnancy can help your body adapt earlier.
5. Take supplements such as folic acid
Folic acid is a water-soluble vitamin, so named because it was first extracted from spinach leaves. Folic acid is especially critical for the development of the fetal nervous system, but the human body cannot synthesize it on its own, so it can only be obtained through food and nutrient supplements. Therefore, it is especially important to provide adequate folic acid during the gestation of the fetus.
6. Organize the medications and supplements you take daily
From the beginning of your pregnancy preparation, you need to seek medical advice before you take any medications, avoiding the harm from some medications to your body and your upcoming baby.
7. Keep fit and maintain a healthy weight
Excessive obesity and too lightweight affect your health, not to mention the stage of preparing to conceive a baby. Adhering to fitness will keep you in a healthy figure and can help you de-stress.
8. Read books on fertility to prepare for raising a baby
Conceiving a baby will not be an easy task, especially for women who are pregnant and giving birth, it is a double test both physically and psychologically. Proper reading and acquiring some new knowledge will help you and your partner understand more about fertility, and you can be well-prepared for the arrival of your baby.
Ovulation Tracking with Femometer Smart Ring
Tracking ovulation is also an essential part of preparing for pregnancy, accurate ovulation prediction can help you conceive earlier and successfully. More than half of the TTC couples in the world have experienced the torment of unsuccessful conception, until the emergence of the ovulation tracker changed the situation, by now it has evolved into a more convenient smart wearable, like a smart ring for women, in addition to an accessory, the more abundant function is night time monitoring basal body temperature and predicting ovulation time in 99% accuracy, providing data-based guidance for users preparing for pregnancy.
Key Takeaways
Prenatal care, pregnancy preparation, and ovulation tracking during pregnancy planning are crucial for TTC planing couples, but fertility is not a measure of a woman's worth. We admire all women, especially those who choose to prepare for and carry their babies to term, and we understand the difficulties they are suffering, which is why Femometer, as a women's health brand, insists on launching products to help women in preparation for and during pregnancy, in the hope that all the moms-to-be to get attention and focus on their health.
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