This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 11th, 2009 at 4:59 pm and is filed under Women's Health. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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WOMEN’S BODIES: PREGNANCY. ANTENATAL CARE
Since it was introduced early this century modern antenatal care has made a huge contribution to the health of mothers babies. Australia was one among the first countries to provide antenatal services. Few Australians today will have heard of any woman who has died as a result; pregnancy or childbirth, largely thank antenatal care plus improved management of labour, the availability of blood transfusion and antibiotics, and bet social conditions that ensure healthier pregnant women.
There are two broad divisions of antenatal care: education and pregnancy supervision.
Education
Today most maternity and district hospitals provide many opportunities for you to get the best out of pregnancy: talk, films and question sessions for parents; nutritional advice; tips on how to relieve pregnancy symptoms; exercise classes; preparation for childbirth; breastfeeding know-how; baby-care information. Most women attend as many sessions as they can during the first pregnancy, and just the exercise classes for subsequent pregnancies.
If you live in a remote area you may have to rely more on reading to learn how to look after yourself during pregnancy and prepare for delivery, with occasional visits to antenatal classes.
The purpose of pregnancy supervision is to discover any problems so that they can be corrected if and as soon as possible. Not every problem is preventable or treatable, but early detection usually improves the outcome for mother and baby. For most of this century pregnancy supervision has been provided mainly by doctors, though today you’re more likely to meet a team that also includes mid-wives, physiotherapists and nutritionists, as well as the many experts who perform the routine and other tests that have become part of pregnancy supervision.
Which doctor?
Most women see the family doctor for confirmation of pregnancy. If you live in the country, your doctor is likely to supervise your pregnancy and deliver your baby. If you live in the city, you’re likely to be referred to a hospital or a private obstetrician for antenatal care and delivery: few city GPs deliver babies these days. You can also go directly to a public hospital antenatal clinic for confirmation of pregnancy and antenatal care. You don’t need a referral, but it’s a good idea to ring for an appointment.
It’s very important that you feel happy with your doctor and other antenatal attendants. You must have faith in their competence, feel at ease with them and be able to ask questions freely. If you’re not satisfied, find someone else.
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