Antenatal Care

There are three stages of caring for an expecting mother: prenatal, antenatal, postnatal care. This is essential to ensure smooth pregnancy and labour and to keep the mother healthy after giving birth. This care is a combined effort between the doctor and the expectant couple. Here are a few things to keep in mind if you are expecting an addition to your family.

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.

Painless Normal Delivery

One of the most severe forms of pain is the pain that a woman experiences during the process of childbirth. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the most severe, it is believed to be 8 to 10. In the earlier days, a number of women would die during childbirth and survival was considered as a second lease of life. This belief has however, changed with the advancements in medical science. The delivery has now become an almost painless procedure.

What are its benefits?

• The mother has a painless delivery and is conscious and able to see the process of delivery.
• Significant relief from the painful experience of childbirth. The pain induces secretion of stress hormones in the mother, which adversely affects both the mother and the child.
• Blood pressure is better controlled using this procedure.
• Additional instruments can be used during the delivery if required without the need for additional anesthesia.
• If required, the procedure can be converted to a cesarean section too, by adding an epidural catheter.
• The duration of childbirth has been significantly decreased.
• Suitable for patients who have preeclampsia and heart disease

Certain indications

In the following cases, the doctor would advise the mother to go for a painless delivery

• Medical conditions like preeclampsia, high BP, or other heart conditions
• Subsequent births after having had a cesarean section (VBAC – vaginal birth after cesarean)
• People who have previously had prolonged or complicated labor, a painless delivery is easy on both the mother and the child
• When it should be best avoided

In some cases, like the ones listed below, the painless delivery should be avoided

• Women with bleeding disorders.
• Women who are on blood thinners like aspirin, heparin, etc.
• Women who have had prior low back surgeries
• Women with neurological conditions

Cesarean Section

Babies can enter this world in one of two ways: Pregnant women can have either a vaginal birth or a surgical delivery by Caesarean section, but the ultimate goal is to safely give birth to a healthy baby.

A C-section, or Caesarean section is a surgical procedure to remove baby through an incision in the mother’s abdomen and then a second incision in the uterus.

Some C-sections are considered elective, meaning they are requested by the mother for non-medical reasons before she goes into labor. A woman may choose to have a C-section if she wants to plan when she delivers or if she previously had a complicated vaginal delivery.

Reasons for a C-section may include

• Health problems in the mother
• The mother carrying more than one baby
• The size or position of the baby
• The baby’s health is in danger
• Labor is not moving along as it should

The surgery is relatively safe for mother and baby. Still, it is major surgery and carries risks. It also takes longer to recover from a C-section than from vaginal birth. It can raise the risk of having difficulties with future pregnancies. Some women may have problems attempting a vaginal birth later. Still, many women are able to have a vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC).

Medical Termination of Pregnancy

Medical abortion is a procedure that uses medication to end a pregnancy. A medical abortion doesn't require surgery or anesthesia and can be started either in a medical office or at home with follow-up visits to your doctor. It's safer and most effective during the first trimester of pregnancy.

Having a medical abortion is a major decision with emotional and psychological consequences. If you're considering this procedure, make sure you understand what it entails, side effects, possible risks, complications and alternatives.

Why it's done

The reasons for having a medical abortion are highly personal. You can choose medical abortion to complete an early miscarriage or end an unwanted pregnancy. You can also choose to have a medical abortion if you have a medical condition that makes continuing a pregnancy life-threatening.

Potential Risks of Medical Abortion include:

• Incomplete abortion, which may need to be followed by surgical abortion
• An ongoing unwanted pregnancy if the procedure doesn't work
• Heavy and prolonged bleeding
• Infection
• Fever
• Digestive system discomfort

After the procedure

Signs and symptoms that may require medical attention after a medical abortion include:

• Heavy bleeding — soaking two or more pads an hour for two hours
• Severe abdominal or back pain
• Fever lasting more than 24 hours
• Foul-smelling vaginal discharge