• When a woman is pregnant, it is important to have regular check-ups with the doctor. These check-ups are called antenatal care or antenatal visits. Antenatal means before birth. Regular medical care, knowledge of her choices, and understanding the unknown events during pregnancy can make childbirth an extremely enriching and joyful event. A series of appointments is usually offered with a doctor who specialises in pregnancy and birth (an obstetrician).


• About AnteNatal Care
  For most women, pregnancy is a simple, joyful and hale and hearty time. Having regular antenatal check-ups is an important part of staying healthy and making sure baby is healthy too. Regular checks during pregnancy can help in finding and decreasing risks to mother or baby. Although expecting mother may be feeling fine, it is still important to get regular antenatal check-ups. This gives a chance to ask any questions and to talk about any issues that one is unsure about. Before each visit, one can plan and think about the things one wants to talk about from the gynaecologist.


• Medical history
  An assessment of any medical problems and a discussion of how they may affect a pregnancy.


• First Antenatal care visit
  At the first antenatal visit, expecting mother will be asked lots of questions about her health, any other pregnancies, herself, her partner, and her family. This will assist the doctor to plan her care. At the first visit, she may also undergo some diagnostic test like blood group, viral markers, Hb electrophoresis, thyroid panel& urine test as well.
  Gynaecologist will need medical history, including information about illnesses, operations, and allergic reactions to drugs, heart or kidney problems. Also, doctor will need gynaecological and obstetric history and any other health issues and information about any family medical problems such as diabetes, chronic diseases, genetic disorders or a history of twins.
  To help gynaecologist to find out if she need any special antenatal need care, it’s important to share if expecting mother:
  Had any complications in a previous pregnancy or birth, such as pre-eclampsia or a premature baby
  Are being treated for a long-term condition, such as diabetes or high blood pressure
  Have previously had a baby with a birth defect (or anyone in your family has), for example spina bifida
  Have a family history of an inherited disease, for example sickle cell anaemia or cystic fibrosis
  Next successive antenatal visits till expected due date (EDD) will be a great way to learn about how the baby is growing and what is happening to expecting mother’s body. Many women and their partners enrol for antenatal classes to learn more about pregnancy and birth, partner’s role etc..

• DELIVERY
  Every delivery is different, and some women need extra help. It’s good to know ahead of time about the medical interventions that may be offered, and how doctor may assist labour.


• Normal Delivery –
  is Natural (vaginal) childbirth.


• Caesarean Delivery -
  (also called a C-section) is childbirth through an cut in the mother’s abdomen


• Painless Delivery –
  Epidural Analgesia helps in reducing the discomfort of childbirth. The goal of an epidural is to provide pain relief, rather than anaesthesia which leads to total lack of feeling which allow women to remain alert and be an active participant in your birth.


• Assisted Delivery –
  Assisting baby’s birth with vacuum or forceps is a safe, well-practiced procedure.

• A Caesarean is an operation where an incision (a cut) is made through the abdomen to deliver the baby. It is also called a caesarean delivery.
  Some Caesareans are planned, and some are emergencies. At times a C-section is safer for mother or baby than is a normal (vaginal delivery). In addition, several women request C-sections with their first babies to avoid labour or the possible complications of vaginal birth, or to take advantage of the convenience of a planned delivery.


• Planned Caesarean
  If a Caesarean is planned, doctor will share all the information necessary to make the decision. A planned Caesarean will not be done before 38 weeks of the pregnancy, unless there are concerns about mother or baby’s. Some of the reasons for planned Caesarean include,


• Painless Delivery and postnatal counselling
  Painless delivery : Each woman during labour, experiences and tolerates pain. In some cases, the labour may be short i.e. 4 to 8 hours, but in other cases it may go on up to 24 hours, especially in first pregnancy. The perception of pain during labour and delivery differs between individuals.
  Many expecting mothers would like to experience a normal delivery but without the labour pain. Painless delivery using epidural analgesia is an advance in pain management during labour, which ensures that a pregnant woman has a comfortable labour.


• Postal Natal Counselling
  Baby is finally here! The joys and challenges of motherhood are about to begin. It is important to remember to take care of yourself as well as your new baby. Post Natal care is of due importance. Make sure to rest when you can and don’t try to do too much. You need to understand that changes in your body post-delivery will continue for next couple of months as you decide whether or not to breastfeed and as your body starts to recover from having the baby. As we all know, breast milk is the best form of food for the babies. Your will start breastfeeding your baby as soon as possible after the delivery, if you need assistance with breastfeeding, your doctor will help you to guide to take a right way. Postnatal visit to doctor is an important part of the pregnancy care. Post Natal visit to your gynaecologist is required for abdomen check-up. It is important to discuss about contraception as well, as there is a high risk of pregnancy immediately postpartum,

• A pregnancy is “high risk” or “complicated” when the life or health of the mother or baby may be at risk. Health problems that occur before a woman becomes pregnant or during pregnancy may also increase the likelihood for a high-risk pregnancy.
  
  Some factors that may lead to a high-risk pregnancy include:


• 35 years old or older at the time of conception
• Multiple pregnancy
• History of poor pregnancy outcomes (recurrent miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery)
• History of pregnancy-related complications (premature delivery, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes)
• Have a serious medical condition (high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, autoimmune disorders, etc.)
• Have an infection, such as HIV or hepatitis C. Other infections that can cause a problem include cytomegalovirus (CMV), chickenpox, rubella, toxoplasmosis, and syphilis.
• Use of alcohol or illegal drugs, or you smoke.
• Family history or previous child with birth defects
• Family history of a genetic disorder
• In case of high risk pregnancy, one will have more visits to the doctor than in a normal one. One may have more diagnostics test to have a regular check on mother and baby, frequent ultrasound tests to make sure that baby is growing well.

• DELIVERY
  No one who conceives a pregnancy expects to have to end it – terminate it – for medical reasons, or for a normally happy event to become one of sadness. The decision to terminate or to continue with a pregnancy can be a very difficult time for both of the parents.
  Before any process of termination of pregnancy, one should receive a thorough consultation with the gynaecologist For uninvited pregnancy or pregnancy complications, based on stage of pregnancy there are different types. They are –



• MEDICAL ABORTION –
  This is for women seeking abortion in early pregnancy. In medical abortion, use of a medicine or combination of medicines causes the pregnancy to terminate and the uterus to expel the products of conception.


• SURGICAL ABORTION -
  



• SUCTION ASPIRATION / DILATION & EVACUATION (D&E) –
  

• Postnatal visit to doctor is an important part of the pregnancy care. Post Natal visit to your gynaecologist is required for abdomen check-up. It is important to discuss about contraception as well, as there is a high risk of pregnancy immediately postpartum

Postnatal visit to doctor is an important part of the pregnancy care. Post Natal visit to your gynaecologist is required for abdomen check-up. It is important to discuss about contraception as well, as there is a high risk of pregnancy immediately postpartum