Antenatal Care for a Pregnant Woman

Corresponding Author:

Steven A. Webber Departments of Pediatrics, Indiana University, USA E-mail: sawebber_12414@iu.edu

Abstract

Introduction

The prenatal period encompasses the time between conception and birth. This section examines the mother’s pregnancy term at her first antenatal visit, the number of antenatal visits, and maternal history and health, including previous caesarean section, smoking status, alcohol use, weight list (BMI), and maternal illnesses. Antenatal care is a scheduled visit between a pregnant woman and a birthing specialist or specialist to assess and work on the mother and child’s well-being throughout pregnancy. Positive maternal and child outcomes are linked to prenatal consideration. It does, however, eliminate visits whose main purpose is to confirm the pregnancy. Antenatal care is linked to better mother and child health outcomes, and going to antenatal care increases your chances of receiving effective health interventions.

The percentage of women who receive prenatal care in the first trimester (before 14 weeks of pregnancy) is the most commonly used indicator. Traditional prenatal care in the first trimester is linked to better maternal health during pregnancy, fewer mediations in late pregnancy, and excellent outcomes for the child. According to the Australian Pregnancy Care Guidelines (DoH 2020), a woman should have her first antenatal appointment within the first 10 weeks of her pregnancy. In 2019, 55 percent of pregnant women sought prenatal care within the first 10 weeks of their pregnancy.

The majority of women seek prenatal care in the first trimester (77 percent), across all states and domains. A few moms were more averse to having an antenatal visit in the first trimester, including those under the age of 20 (65 percent), those who smoked during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy (69 percent) and the following 20 weeks (67 percent), those who were conceived abroad (74 percent), and those who had at least four children (63 percent). According to the Australian Pregnancy Care Guidelines (DoH 2020), first-time parents with a simple pregnancy should have 10 antenatal consideration visits during their pregnancy (7 visits for ensuing simple pregnancies). In 2019, 85 percent of women had at least seven prenatal consultations, and 57 percent had at least ten antenatal consultations.

During their pregnancy, more than 9 out of 10 moms (94 percent) had at least 5 prenatal visits. This percentage was slightly lower (91%) among high school parents (under the age of 20) and moms who smoked during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy (89%) and the following 20 weeks (89%). As the number of previous pregnancies increased, the number of women who had at least 5 prenatal visits decreased (from 96 percent among moms who had no past pregnancies to 87 percent among moms who had at least four past pregnancies). Across PHN regions, the proportion of mothers who attended a prenatal consideration visit in the first trimester increased from half (in the Australian Capital Territory) to 90.5 percent (in Western Victoria).

Acknowledgement

None

Conflict of Interest

The author declares there is no conflict of interest.