Got Pregnant? Then Get Prenatal Care!

Pregnancy can be filled with questions and uncertainty, especially for first-time mothers. It is often a time of great highs and lows. Your hormones are on a roller coaster ride during pregnancy. Even healthy pregnancies include physical discomforts such as constipation, mood swings, swelling and breast tenderness.

What can you expect at your doctor’s visits during pregnancy?
You will probably be weighed and have your blood pressure taken at every visit during your pregnancy. Your doctor may suggest that you take prenatal vitamins that include iron to help protect you against anemia, calcium to help keep your bones strong, and folic acid, especially early in pregnancy (and even before you get pregnant), to help prevent nerve defects (serious problems with the baby’s brain and spinal cord, often called spina bifida).

Should/can you exercise during pregnancy?
Unless you have problems in your pregnancy, you can probably do whatever exercise you did before you got pregnant. Except in special cases, mild to moderate physical activity and exercise during pregnancy is not only safe, but has been shown to be beneficial. Some women say exercising during pregnancy makes labor and delivery easier.

How can I get the best care for me and my baby before it is born?
Pregnancy is a special time in your life; good prenatal care helps ensure that you do everything possible to make it the best 9 months possible for your growing baby. Prenatal care ideally should start even before pregnancy. Prenatal care is basically taking your baby for a medical checkup before he/she is even born. These regular checkups are a chance for you and your family to learn how to manage the discomforts of pregnancy, have any testing you may need, learn warning signs, and ask any questions you may have related to your pregnancy, birth, or parenthood. Prenatal care is more than just health care; it often includes education and counseling about how to handle different aspects of pregnancy, such as nutrition and physical activity, what to expect from the birth itself, and basic skills for caring for your infant. Prenatal care has been proven over and over again to save the lives of women and their babies.

To find more information, visit our pregnancy and prenatal care section on our Baby.ConcerningAging.com website.

Author: Baby.ConcerningAging.com Staff Writer
Disclaimer: We are not medical professionals so consult your doctor before starting anything new during your pregnancy.