Many times, doctors tell mothers-to-be that “every prenatal checkup is to make sure that you and your future baby are okay”, but it’s not as motivating and happy as the real information from the baby inside your body.
The midwife or OB/GYN will want to know everything about you, both medically and in terms of your lifestyle. He or she will then ask you to undergo a series of medical tests.
Throughout your pregnancy, blood tests, urine tests, blood pressure measurements …… With so many tests, it’s not easy to understand what’s going on, not to mention all the hard to understand test data and medical jargon such as nuchal dorsal clarity, amniocentesis, toxoplasmosis… …so as soon as the OB/GYN looks worried or the midwife frowns, you’ll be nervous for no reason.
Prenatal checkups, in the experience of many mothers-to-be, are cold, mechanical, non-pleasant experiences that have to be accepted, but in the experience of other mothers-to-be, pregnancy checkups are not only essential but blissful, because it is through such checkups that professionals are there to ensure that the pregnancy is progressing smoothly and that the future baby is growing normally. In the event of the slightest abnormality, both mother and baby will receive prompt care. It is also these vital tests that provide the mother-to-be with the opportunity to ask the doctor questions and thus learn all kinds of information about the baby inside her body.
Okay, let’s go step by step into a few important medical tests during the 9 months of pregnancy.
”Is the baby really taking root inside my body?” It all starts with a pregnancy test …… This test can be done at a gynecologist or obstetrician. If the result is positive, your doctor will announce the good news to you and at the same time tell you what to do next. The first step is to choose for yourself a maternity hospital for your first check-up. In principle, the first check-up should take place between the second and third month of pregnancy.
The midwife, your attending doctor, or your obstetrician-gynecologist will follow you throughout your pregnancy and tell you the dates of your regular checkups. Some maternity homes do monthly checkups, while others do one checkup during the first trimester, then monthly checkups until the twenty-eighth week, then biweekly checkups, and weekly checkups until the thirty-sixth week. During this time, you will be followed by your primary care physician or obstetrician. The examinations and procedures are generally the same, except for special periods.
The first check-up takes place around the beginning of the third month of pregnancy and your doctor will want to know everything about you. First of all your status, your age is also an important factor: pregnancy is different at the age of 18, 30 or 40. He also wants to know your occupation, whether you work in an office, do heavy work like lifting, stand all day, travel a lot, etc.
Important details also include the mode of transportation you use to get to and from work every day. Because transportation increases fatigue, it can sometimes pose a risk of preterm labor. The midwife or doctor will also want to know if you live in a bungalow or in a five-story building without elevator, in the city or in the country, in a remote area or close to a commercial center. In short, your entire lifestyle is of interest to him. This also includes your family situation: do you live alone or with your future father, are your living conditions more limited or comfortable enough …… Full examination of.
Your eating habits and your medical history: are you a good eater, are you anorexic, have you suffered from depression (depression may return during pregnancy or after giving birth.) Do you drink alcohol regularly? This information helps professionals to guide you and give you the right help if necessary. For example: some maternity homes offer the services of a quitter for pregnant women who need help to quit smoking.
It is worth emphasizing that questions from professionals about eating habits, lifestyle patterns, and various small details are meant to identify problems in a timely manner. They also have an obligation to calm the mother-to-be who is nervous for no reason. Nervousness is a normal thing for a first pregnancy. The main purpose of the first visit during pregnancy is to ask about past medical history and give you the necessary guidance.
The next questions are more specific: Does your family have any special medical history (e.g. high blood pressure, diabetes), and chromosomal variants …… Do you have any special illnesses yourself, such as obesity, back pain? These are all information to be recorded in the first conversation. Then there are questions about past pregnancy history, problems with spontaneous or induced abortions, problems you have had with past births, etc. However, although these questions are useful to the doctor, no one is forcing you to answer them all. You are completely free to provide only the information you find useful.
You should understand that these questions are asked so that the doctor can have the most accurate understanding of you. The more accurate the information he obtains, the better he will be able to provide you with personalized follow-up and ensure the health of the mother and the fetus.
General body condition and gynecological examination.
Now it’s time for your check-up: check your heart, your lungs, measure your arterial blood pressure to determine the general state of your body. He weighs you, checks your spine to see if you have scoliosis, and gives you some advice to reduce the back pain that often occurs during pregnancy.
Some of the required tests include.
A urine test, the results of which are available immediately, to check for the presence of protein and sugar in the urine. Urine tests should be done every month.
Gynecological examination: touching the breast to see if there are any nodules (cysts or fibroids), checking the size of the uterus, and cervical smear. In English-speaking countries, this test is considered useless and lacks respect for pregnant women. However, in many countries, most doctors still perform this test to avoid missing cervical cancer.
Finally, prescribing.
Before deciding on the time of your next check-up (about 12 to 16 weeks after your last period, i.e. the 10th to 14th week of pregnancy,) your doctor will prescribe a blood test and an ultrasound. The results of these two tests will be analyzed at the second medical examination. (The dates proposed here for the physical exam are only guidelines; the results of the first blood test can also be done perfectly well during the first 3 months.
The pre-pregnancy check-ups appear regularly in your life from then on, as you have to have them once a month until delivery, not including the visit to the ultrasonographer. This time, the midwife or doctor knows something about you and the checkup is shorter accordingly. The second check-up is performed around the 12th to 16th week after menopause, i.e. the 10th to 14th week of pregnancy.
Medical examination in the fourth month of pregnancy.
First of all, the doctor will ask you about some changes in your body sensations, check your blood pressure, weight, and check your urine for protein and sugar. If you feel heavy legs, feel tired and have difficulty sleeping, you should talk to your doctor for advice. The doctor or midwife will measure the height of your uterus to estimate the growth of the baby. Then the vagina will be touched to check the firmness of the cervix. Now, the size of your baby inside your belly is probably your main concern, and this test is just the thing to help you get this information as soon as possible.
Is there a conflict between your blood type and your baby’s?
Analyzing the results of the first blood draw is crucial during this checkup: it helps you recognize or determine your blood type (A, B, AB, O) in case you may need a blood transfusion during delivery. Usually two blood tests are performed and the results are recorded on a card with your name, the serial number and date of each blood draw to avoid possible errors.
If your blood type is Rh factor negative and your baby is Rh factor positive, you will be followed closely. This is because, if your blood comes in contact with the fetus’ blood, your organism will produce antibodies against the fetus which is considered foreign. The fetus will be severely anemic and will require blood exchange in the womb or at its birth. Normally, of course, there is no contact between the mother’s blood and that of the fetus.
Therefore, when your blood type is Rh factor negative and your child is Rh factor positive, there is usually no major problem with the first pregnancy, but rather problems may arise during your subsequent pregnancies. If your second child is also Rh-positive, your body may already contain the antibodies that were produced during your first pregnancy. This time, these antibodies will cross the placenta and destroy the red blood cells of the fetus.
But rest assured, today, as soon as the first child is born, the doctor will give the mother anti-D gammaglobulin to avoid any future problems. Other incompatibilities between blood types are much more benign. Some of them can cause jaundice in infants, but today there are good ways to deal with them.
Syphilis, rubella, toxoplasmosis.
Blood tests can help your doctor determine if you have a disease that can be transmitted from mother to fetus. There are three such diseases that can have serious consequences for the fetus.
Syphilis.
Today, syphilis is very rare. However, testing is still essential. If syphilis is present, only the mother-to-be needs to be treated with antibiotics to ensure that it is not transmitted to the fetus.
Rubella.
Most mothers-to-be do not contract this disease. However, in recent years, there has been an increase in rubella cases due to only one rubella vaccination, with back-up vaccinations not done or unsuccessful. Rubella is an extremely serious infection for the fetus, especially during the first trimester of pregnancy. The rubella virus can damage the fetus’ ears, eyes and central nervous system. Once infected with rubella, doctors may recommend aborting the pregnancy. After 12 weeks of amenorrhea, the risk of infection is still high, but the consequences are slightly less severe. However, it can still cause partial deafness.
When rubella is contracted after 18 weeks of menopause, the virus has little effect on the fetus. This is why it is important to have your child vaccinated with the MMR triple vaccine. Ideally, you should make sure you are immune before you get pregnant, otherwise, get a vaccination. If the first blood test is negative, check again at 20 weeks after menopause to make sure you have not contracted rubella during this time. If the blood test shows a positive result, it is proof of infection. At this point, an amniocentesis must be performed to check if the fetus is infected.
Toxoplasmosis.
This infectious disease is caused by the toxoplasma parasite and can have serious effects on the fetus, especially in the early stages of pregnancy. If the blood test is positive, it is good news that the mother has antibodies and that the mother-to-be and the baby are thus protected. If the serum is negative, steps should be taken to avoid infection during pregnancy. Do not eat vegetables that have not been carefully washed, do not eat meat that has not been fully steamed, and do not come into contact with soil, which may contain feces. Also wash your hands frequently.
Hepatitis B.
Once the mother-to-be is tested for hepatitis B, the doctor knows what to do to prevent the fetal baby from being infected. Hepatitis B transmission from the mother-to-be to the fetal baby may occur during pregnancy or during delivery, as the baby is delivered with contact with the mother’s blood, so the baby is given antibodies to hepatitis B and a hepatitis B vaccine to keep him safe as soon as he is born.
Also, during this stage, procedures such as measuring blood pressure, checking weight, measuring the height of the uterus, checking sugar and protein in the urine, and touching the abdomen remain the same as in the past. The doctor will use this opportunity to discuss with you about breastfeeding, check your breasts and introduce you to a lecture on postpartum preparation.
First ultrasound, first visual contact with the fetal baby.
This moment is really exciting for you: it is the first time you have visual contact with your unborn baby. The ultrasound can help to determine exactly when the pregnancy is, check if the trophoblast, the placenta, is in the right place, etc.
Second ultrasound to see what the baby looks like.
The ultrasound test, done between 17 and mid-24 weeks after menopause, allows the ultrasonographer to get a full view of the fetal baby’s growth and check if its organs are malformed. The mother-to-be can see the outline of its head, brain, face, neck and spine, thorax, heart, lungs and diaphragm. Its abdomen, liver, spleen, stomach, external reproductive organs, arms and legs can also be seen. The placenta and amniotic fluid.
Maternity leave is approaching and your belly is getting heavier and heavier. You need to change the pace of your life for the sake of your baby. Do only what you have to do, both at work and at home. This phase is extremely critical because of the risk of preterm labor. Talk to your boss about the possibility of changing your work schedule. Use evenings and weekends to get as much rest as possible. Don’t care if the baby’s bedroom is ready or if all the chores are done.
Seventh month check-up.
You will perform: auscultation, blood pressure check, urine check, touching the abdomen, measuring the height of the uterus …… The doctor or midwife confirms that everything is normal and instructs you to be cautious: a little infection or stress can have an impact on the pregnancy. Your doctor will tell you about the contractions so that you can understand them and see a doctor if necessary. During a contraction, your stomach feels tense and hard, but it doesn’t necessarily hurt. If your stomach hurts, it will feel like having your period, only much more painful. At the end of your checkup, your doctor will ask you to have another ultrasound test.
Eighth month checkup.
The checkup is similar to the past. The professionals always pay more attention to diabetes during pregnancy, gestational arterial hypertension, and the normal functioning of the kidneys. They recommend that you go to the hospital if you have any of the following symptoms: bleeding, severe pain, and fever.
This exam is usually done between 32 and 36 weeks after menopause and ends with a look at the results of the third ultrasound. “How big is he? How tall is he?” Ultrasound results can estimate the weight and height of the fetal baby, although there may be a large margin of error. The position of the fetal baby is related to the normal and successful delivery. Usually the head is facing downward, with the face facing your spine and the back facing outward. The doctor also checks the position of the placenta, which should be in the upper part.
Regarding pain.
Many hospitals now offer pain relief for labor and delivery, and there are a variety of pain relief methods for you to choose from to ease your pain during labor. There are many methods of labor analgesia, but the most reliable is epidural analgesia. Once you are in the delivery room, you can request labor analgesia from your obstetrician or midwife, who will inform the anesthesiologist, who will administer it to you according to your specific situation.
Ninth month check-up.
After 37 weeks of amenorrhea, you will also have a prenatal physical examination.
This exam includes checking the height of the uterus, blood pressure, checking the sugar and protein in the urine, taking your weight, feeling your belly …… to check the position of the baby, checking the pelvic pathways for any abnormalities, and determining the mode of delivery based on the size of the baby and the pelvic pathways. In most cases, the delivery takes place through the vagina.
”Is the baby too big? Can I have a natural birth?” If the baby is buttocks down, or if you have already had a cesarean section, they will inform you of the risks of a vaginal birth and discuss with you the method of delivery.
All the happy messages from your body prove that you are ready and that your little one could come into the world at any moment, he is so healthy, cute and full of expectations!