Healthyvives Health Blog

The means of “safe motherhood” to creating circumstances within which a woman is enabled to choose whether she will become pregnant, and if she does, ensuring she receives care for prevention and treatment of pregnancy complications, has access to trained birth assistance, has access to emergency obstetric care if she needs it and care after birth, so that she can avoid death or disability from complications of pregnancy and child birth.

There are three stages of pregnancy. They are Antenatal, Intra-natal, and Postnatal.

Care for antenatal stage.

Antenatal care is the care of the woman during pregnancy. Your aim in providing antenatal care is to achieve at the end of a pregnancy a healthy mother and a healthy baby. It is ideal if you begin the care soon after conception. Remember that the regular monitoring during pregnancy is essential to detect the complications early before they become life threatening emergencies.

Antenatal care.

What we need to do.

Enumerate the aims of antenatal care

Diagnose pregnant woman, register her early and explain the importance of early registration.

Elicit proper history, do clinical examination and routine investigation during the antenatal period and to ensure quality assurance.

Assess the risk factors and take appropriate action.

Give T.T. immunization and advise to take iron and folic acid tablets depending on hemoglobin level.

Identity the common complications of pregnancy and know how to manage them.

Maintain records.

What are the aims of antenatal care?

Detect and give special attention to the high risk woman.

Promote, protect and maintain the physical and mental health of the mother during pregnancy.

Anticipate complications and prevent them.

Provide health education regarding diet, exercise, rest and avoidance of unnecessary travel during pregnancy.

Prevent maternal as well as neonatal tetanus.

Explain the normal process of labour.

Educate the woman for delivery, breast feeding and subsequent care of her child and appropriate spacing of birth.

Ensure birth of a mature live and healthy newborn.

Diagnosis of Pregnancy

Diagnose the pregnancy by the following signs and symptoms

Up to 20 weeks

Early breast changes, breast may be grow bigger, darken and painful nipple.

Amenorrhea i.e. missed of menstrual period.

Morning sickness, i.e. Nausea and vomiting.

Frequent passing of urine.

Quickening felt by the mother.i.e. Movement of baby may begin.

Skin condition may be changes.

Up to 20-36 weeks

Enlarged uterus

Foetal parts felt per abdomen

Foetal heart sound.

Risk factors of pregnancy

Age less than 18 years or more than 35 years.

Weight less than 38 kg at first trimester or more than 70 kg.

Height less than 145 cm. or 4 feet and 10 inches.

More than 4 deliveries.

Illness such as heart disease, diabetes and problem in previous pregnancy, as like operative delivery, still birth, prolonged labour, retained placenta, ante partum and post partum hemorrhage and sepsis.

Problems in present pregnancy such as:

Bleeding any time during pregnancy

Eclampsia or Pre-eclampsia

Abnormal presentation

Twins over or distended uterus.

Very big or very small baby.

Severe anaemia.

Floating head in a primigravida at 38 week or later.

Pre mature rupture of membrance.

Preterm labour.

Danger Factors of pregnancy

Bleeding or vaginal discharge.

Jaundice.

Excessive vomiting.

Excessive or less number of foetal movements.

Epigastria pain.

Blurring of vision.

Breathlessness.

Convulsion.

Severe headache.

Swelling of face and hands.

High grade fever.

Labour pain more than 12 hours.

Advise for pregnancy

Pregnant women to be in bed for about 10 hours.hard and strenuous work should be avoided specially in the first trimester and the last 6 weeks.avoid long travel during early or late pregnancy., diet rich in protein, fibre and vitamins,such as milk, egg, plenty of green vegetables, cereals and fruits as available, encourage more fluid intake, check the weight, test urine for albumin, maintain fluid intake, check the BP Frequently time to time, check the foetal heart rate. Daily bath should be taken but to be careful against slipping in the bathroom due to imbalance. Teeth should be cleansed two times a day.  Breast should be kept clean by washing with water regularly. Retracted nipples are lifted up by fingers from 28 weeks onward. Arrange breast feeding early as care of newborn. Smoking and alcohol is avoided as it affects the growth of the baby. Intercourse should be avoided during the first trimester and last 6 weeks.