• ENG

Antenatal Visits During Pregnancy: Why Do They Matter?

Antenatal Visits During Pregnancy: Why Do They Matter?
Prenatal care helps decrease risks during pregnancy and increases the chance of a safe and healthy delivery.

As per WHO, a woman's contact with her doctor should be more than a visit but rather the provision of care and support throughout pregnancy.

Written by Kashish Sharma |Updated : May 11, 2023 8:51 PM IST

Antenatal care is the care you get from your health professionals during pregnancy. As per WHO, a woman's contact with her doctor should be more than a visit but rather the provision of care and support throughout pregnancy. Prenatal care helps decrease risks during pregnancy and increases the chance of a safe and healthy delivery. Regular prenatal visits are important as they can help identify complications before they become serious.

Pregnancy-related deaths and diseases are fairly high. According to WHO, while substantial progress has been made over the past two decades, increased access to, and use of, higher-quality health care during pregnancy and childbirth can prevent many of these deaths and diseases, as well as improve women's and adolescent girls' experience of pregnancy and childbirth.

The primary causes of maternal deaths in India are usually excessive bleeding, infections, pregnancy-induced hypertension, obstructed labour and unsafe abortions. Pre-natal care throughout pregnancy can prevent such clinical outcomes.

Also Read

More News

Journey of prenatal care

As per reports, prenatal care must ideally start at least three months before one decides to conceive. Once a person becomes pregnant, they must schedule regular health checkup appointments. Usually, a pregnant person must see their doctor every month in the first six months, every two weeks in the seventh and eighth month and every week in the ninth month. These visits usually include taking routine tests such as blood tests, monitoring your blood pressure, screening routine monitoring the baby's growth or baby's position and heart rate. They can predict and many times prevent delivery and postpartum complications to develop.

Challenges affecting prenatal care

As per studies, socioeconomically disadvantaged groups are at the highest risk of missing out on early antenatal care. As per experts, factors like basic awareness, understanding and cost of visit play an important role in determining the frequency at which expectant mothers see their doctors during pregnancy.

As per some quoted experts, sometimes expectant mothers having unhealthy lifestyle choices like smoking might fear visiting the doctor in fear of reprimand. Unskilled birth attendants like kins and family members who might assist in the delivery at home might overlook signs of clinical complications. Existing distrust against the healthcare system can also lead to expectant mothers and their families not taking these monthly visits seriously.