by Tania Mcloughlin

Created on: April 12, 2009

Prenatal care, and the opportunities it exposes are a vital part of pregnancy. Your understanding of prenatal care will need to be established forthright, your decision on which types of care to receive will require information.

Often, with a first time pregnancy you will go to your GP or a local doctor to confirm your suspicions of pregnancy, then you will be reffered to the hospital, to make the appointments and attend and undergo tests from, blood, urine, and measurements.

The systematic process of it all can seem like these tests and meetings are compulsory - they are not, it is your body, your baby, and anything that feels wrong you should protest.

The information you can gain from some tests may indicate signs of poor prenatal diagnosis, to be general, like downs syndrome, what matters is, and is often forgotten at testing time - Will you terminate, or voluntarily abort a pregnancy because your baby may have (the tests cannot be perfect and offer both false positives, and false negatives) a condition which in some people's opinion may affect the quality of life of the child?

If you answer yes, then it is wise to carry out the testing placed in front of you, if you would keep a baby no matter the condition he or she has, then there are more options, forgo any further testing to avoid potential stress and heartache (some babies after the mother had been told to terminate have been minimally affected and live very normal lives). Or undergo more testing to be certain of the condition of your baby to ensure all avenues for resuscitation and treatment are available immediately after birth.

Other areas of prenatal care include weighing and measuring yourself and belly, you can do this yourself if you wish, looking for signs of quick or uneven weight gain and 'normal fetal growth'.

Almost lastly the areas of prenatal care which are most important are always self managed, eating well, lots of vegetables and fruits of all varieties, including your meats and dairy if you eat them, correct posture and spine care, which does not have to include expensive treatment, just simple exercises. Also look after your lungs, walk regularly, and avoid any smoke or fumes, steer clear of alcohol if you can, for your own body's sake as well as your growing baby, and if you are unsure of your diet, after comparing what you consume, and what a pregnant should consume, modify your diet, or find a suitable substitute. Try to remain stress free during pregnancy, your fading memory is temporary, and designed that way on purpose, relax!

Finally, educate yourself about the birth process, attend some antenatal classes, and then read some good books and watch films about inspiring births and the hormonal infulence and control of the process and the best ways to enahnce your birthing and mothering experience.

Although imperatively important, not all your prenatal care needs to be done by a doctor or midwife, and much of it is about exploring yourself, and your partners birthing fears, to alleviate them, to feel comfortable with one another and embrace your whole self and the act of love that is making a baby- your body will do that all alone!

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