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Prenatal care refers to the medical care recommended for women before and during pregnancy. The aim of good prenatal care is to detect any potential problems early, to prevent them if possible (through recommendations on adequate nutrition, exercise, vitamin intake etc), and to direct the woman to appropriate specialists, hospitals, etc. if necessary. The availability of routine prenatal care has played a part in reducing maternal death rates and miscarriages as well as birth defects, low birth weight, and other preventable infant problems in the developed world. While availability of prenatal care has considerable personal health and social benefits, socioeconomic problems prevent its universal adoption in many developed as well as developing nations. Studies in Canada and the United States have shown that communities in rural areas as well as minorities are less likely to have available prenatal care and also have higher infant mortality rates as well as premature involuntary termination of pregnancy. One prenatal practice is for the expecting mother to consume vitamins with at least 400 mcg of folic acid to help prevent neural tube defects. Prenatal care generally consists of:
Physical examinations Physical examinations generally consist of: Ultrasound Obstetric ultrasounds may be performed during the second trimester at week 20. The ultrasound determines, among the other things, the gender of the baby, number of fetuses, due date, health of the baby, and expected weight. Ultrasounds are considered relatively safe and have been used for over 35 years for monitoring pregnancy. Ultrasounds are used to: Generally an Ultrasound is ordered whenever an abnormality is suspected or along the schedule of: | ||||||||
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