Prenatal checkups, referred to as maternity checkups, are one of the sources for the mother-to-be to know the health status of her baby and are a very important way to safeguard the health of mother and child. Many studies have proven that regular prenatal checkups can reduce the mortality rate of mothers-to-be by knowing in the first place whether there is ectopic pregnancy, correcting the fetal position, detecting and treating pregnancy complications and complications at an early stage. However, there are actually a lot of misconceptions about maternity checkups, and if they are not handled properly, they can be dangerous and even affect their own health and that of the fetus. So what are the common misconceptions that mothers-to-be encounter during maternity checkups? How should we view them correctly? We’ll talk to you about them next. Myth 1: You don’t need to go to the hospital for early pregnancy checkups, just use early pregnancy test paper to confirm your pregnancy. Some mothers-to-be think that there is no need to do check-ups in the early stage, and it is not too late to do maternity check-ups when the child is stable after 3 months. Some mothers-to-be think that the early stage is a critical period for fetal growth, and it is not good to do ultrasound, and maybe the baby will be affected in the process. In fact, these thoughts are not true. Studies have shown that early pregnancy screening is the key to screening high-risk pregnancies and reducing maternal mortality and perinatal mortality. Therefore, the importance and necessity of early checkups should be kept in mind inside the mindset of all mothers-to-be. Myth 2: You don’t have to care about the number and interval of prenatal checkups, just go when you have time. There are many mothers-to-be who still go to work after having a baby and work while pregnant, so they don’t feel the need to go to the maternity checkups exactly as the doctor prescribed because of time problems, and they also modify the maternity checkup schedule arranged by the doctor for various reasons. The number and time interval of prenatal checkups is based on science, and regular checkups can monitor the growth and development of the fetus and the physiological condition of the mother-to-be, so that you can know the specifics of the pregnancy. Myth 3: You must look for a big hospital and chief physician for your maternity checkup. This is what both mom and dad think. Nowadays, more and more families can only have one child, so if they have a baby, they go to the biggest hospital for the checkup and feel that they need to find the most famous doctor in the hospital. In fact, it is not necessary to do so, as the big hospitals are crowded and the waiting time is very long. Normal maternity checkups can be done in a specialized maternity hospital. It is better for the mother-to-be to have her prenatal checkup at the same hospital, so that it will be easier for the doctor to have a comprehensive grasp of the condition, which will be better. Myth 4: Terminate pregnancy when ultrasound reveals fetal abnormalities. In the clinic, when the ultrasound found fetal abnormality, regardless of how it is, the mother-to-be will ask: can the child still be wanted? There are many people who think that the pregnancy should be terminated when the fetal abnormality is found by ultrasound. In fact, this is not true. The decision to terminate the pregnancy depends on the type of malformation. Some morphological abnormalities, such as harelip, an extra finger, or some defects in appearance, but not combined with other chromosomal abnormalities, actually have little impact on the life of the baby, and some defects can be treated surgically, so there is no need to terminate the pregnancy. If the fetus is found to have serious malformations, such as anencephaly, significant brain expansion, spina bifida, thoracoabdominal wall defect, visceral bulge, fatal cartilage malformation, etc., then the pregnancy should be terminated. However, each case is slightly different and should be analyzed on a case-by-case basis. Myth 5: Ultrasound must be done sparingly, it is not good for the fetus. A part of the mother-to-be believes that ultrasound has radiation and will be harmful to the baby. In fact, ultrasound is the same as the sound waves we usually speak, ultrasound does not affect the human body, so ultrasound is used inside hospitals. This proves that it is safe and there is no ionizing radiation or electromagnetic radiation.