Antenatal Care and Assessment - What does that mean?

Pregnancy is a special period that every woman waits with bated breath. While the happiness and excitement are there, the health of the mother and baby are extremely important as well. Incidences of complications during pregnancy and childbirth are not new. Many pregnant women suffer from preeclampsia (high blood pressure often associated with the presence of proteins in the urine), and gestational diabetes, which, left attended can be risky for both the mother and the baby. Lack of awareness and proper guidance are often found to be the main contributors, affecting the maternal and fetal health during pregnancy. The NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) suggests that complications or not, all women should be under medical guidance and assessment during pregnancy.

Antenatal Care and Assessment has been a revelation ensuring that a woman enjoys a safe and healthy pregnancy sans any complications. There are regular health check-ups, diagnostic and screening tests and prenatal counseling for the pregnant women and their families. The initiatives have been truly noteworthy, bringing about a significant reduction in the incidences of miscarriages and other pregnancy-related complications.

What does Antenatal Care and Assessment include?
Each trimester brings about changes that need care and attention. The Antenatal Care involves assessing and guiding a pregnant woman and their loved ones as the pregnancy progresses through each trimester.

• The program aims at identifying the conditions that may pose a threat to the maternal and fetal health during pregnancy and work towards eliminating it.
• Medical conditions such as anemia, HIV infection, Sexually Transmitted infections, stress, and fatigue can spell doom, affecting the pregnancy beyond imagination. Thus, time and again, a pregnant woman is screened for the mentioned complications.
• The diet can play a crucial role during pregnancy. A pregnant woman should eat a nutritionally enriched diet as the fetus receives the nutrients directly from the mother. Antenatal care lays great emphasis on the diet of the pregnant woman.
• De-worming and immunization programs are carried out to immunize the mother and the baby against harmful infections, including, tetanus and malaria.
• Antenatal care is a complete package that includes prenatal as well as postnatal care and assessment so that the mother and the baby enjoy good health.
• Pregnancy brings about a new phase in the life of couples. While most couples accept the changes graciously, many find it difficult to cope with the situation. Thus, the program aims at counseling such couples both mentally as well as emotionally so that things get a less stressful and challenging. The program also educates the other family members and loved ones about prenatal and postpartum care and management.

Many women have benefitted immensely from the antenatal care and assessment programs, safeguarding the mother and the baby from various health problems. In fact, efforts are being made to aware and educate the rural India about the immense health benefits associated with the antenatal care.