ALL YOUR PREGNANCY QUESTIONS
ANSWERED
If you have
any specific queries please e-mail me and I will answer them by mail as well as add a link
at this site for the benefit of other patients
Preconception counseling
If you are planning to
have a baby you should see a gynaecologist ideally at least 3 months before you
get pregnant. This is called a preconception visit and he will do the following:
-
Ask for a history of
past illnesses which may have a bearing on future pregnancy
-
Ask for a family
history of illness which may have a bearing on future pregnancy
-
Carry out a general
examination which will help detect basic problems
-
Ask for basic tests
-
Identify your Rubella
status. If you have not had rubella [German measles] in your childhood and not
been immunized for this you may need to take a Rubella vaccine and delay your
pregnancy by 3-6 months
Congratulations-your first antenatal visit
Now that you are pregnant
you must see the doctor as soon as you know that you are pregnant. He will
follow up on your tests and ask for a first trimester ultrasound scan [USG].
This is NOT at all harmful and very informative. It will pick up the
following:
Your doctor will also
examine you and call you back with your reports. You will be given a file with
an ante-natal card which has to be filled at every visit. If all is well you
will be asked to visit every 3 weeks till about 34 weeks and thereafter every 2
weeks.
What tests are done?
You will be asked to do
the following tests:
-
CBC-Complete blood
counts to detect anemia and other disorders such as low platelet counts etc.
-
Urine-routine &
microscopy to look for protein, blood, pus cells etc in the urine
-
Blood group
-
VDRL-test for
syphilis, a routine for all pregnant patients
-
BSF-Fasting blood
sugar to test for diabetes
-
HbsAg-test for
hepatitis B
-
HIV-AIDS screening
-
Ultrasound
At every antenatal visit:
-
You will have your weight checked-to look for either
excessive weight gain or poor weight gain in your pregnancy
-
Your BP will be
checked
-
You will be asked
about any complaints. Feel free to make a complete list of your
complaints/queries and ask your doctor at the next visit.
-
The height of the
uterus will be seen to see whether it corresponds to the period of your
pregnancy
-
The position of your
baby will be checked
-
Swelling of the feet
will be checked
-
Your babies heart beat
will be checked either with a machine [Doppler] or with a stethoscope
-
A prescription will be
given as per your needs
-
You will be given
dietary advice as required
Supplements
During the first 3 months
you will be given Folic Acid supplements, and after the 12th-14th
week iron and calcium supplements will be added
Why are regular visits important?
It is only if you make
regular visits that your doctor will be able to monitor important things such as
the growth of your baby, your BP, answer your queries etc.
What other test will you require?
-
USG at about 20 weeks
to detect any abnormalities in your baby if any. This is the time that by and
large all the organs of the baby can be visualized. You must realize however
that ultrasound may not detect ALL anomalies
- Repeat haemoglobin [Hb]
at about 24 weeks to look for anaemia
- A 50g oral glucose
test at about 24 weeks to look for pregnancy diabetes [gestational diabetes]
- A repeat USG may be
done at 32-34 weeks to evaluate growth of the baby
- NST [non stress test]
at about 35 weeks to see if your baby is getting enough oxygen
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