Antenatal

Pregnancy is very beautiful right from the moment when you get pregnant. Antenatal Care or pregnancy care is the healthcare and support you have while you’re pregnant. This is to make sure you and your unborn baby are as well as possible throughout your pregnancy.

For a healthy and enjoyable pregnancy, following the prenatal check-up and testing schedule is crucial. Let it be the regular pregnancy check-up visit or doing several pregnancy ultrasound scans to check the health of the baby, it is important to follow the schedule for you and your growing baby’s health.The World Health Organization has recommended a minimum of 8 ANC visits when you are expecting.

From minimizing the risk of mother-to-child disease transmission (HIV) to encouraging the use of a skilled birth attendant, ANC is womb-like care that caters to all your needs. The doctor at your antenatal visit will guide you regarding diet, exercise, supplements- Folic acid, Iron, Calcium to be taken during pregnancy. It is also important to have a cheerful mood to have during pregnancy and programmes such as Garbh-sanskaar, meditation and pregnancy support groups help. You will also undergo a lactation class.

The Antenatal Care you go through depends on:

The stage of pregnancy you are in
Problems that you are experiencing (if any) during your pregnancy
Your health condition and the risks you or your baby may have

From Weeks 4 to 28, doctor recommends 1 prenatal check-up visit a month.
From Weeks 28 to 36, doctor recommends 1 prenatal check-up visit every 2 weeks.
From Weeks 36 to 40, doctor recommends 1 prenatal check-up visit every week.

Below is the table for quick reference of pregnancy check-up and ultrasound scan schedule during your pregnancy.

2nd month	Routine prenatal check up Blood and urine test (ANC profile	Urine pregnancy test Pregnancy ultrasound scan for cardiac activity
3rd month	Routine prenatal check up NT ultrasound scan (sonography) and a double marker test	First trimester combined test
4th month	Routine prenatal check up
5th month	Routine prenatal check up	Anomaly or ultrasound level II scan
6th month	Routine prenatal check up	First dose of Tetanus Toxoid (TT) injection
7th month	Routine prenatal check up once in every two weeks Growth and fetal wellbeing ultrasound scan	Second dose of Tetanus Toxoid (TT) injection Blood test (CBC/Urine R/OGCT)
8th month	Routine prenatal check up once in every two weeks
9th month	Routine prenatal check up once in every week Nonstress test (NST)	Growth ultrasound scan Blood test- (CBC/ HIV/H8sAg)

Do not hesitate to ask a question at all the stages and get your queries resolved. Pregnancy schedule might feel a bit hectic at the start, but the journey will surely be enjoyable, and you will remember these moments for a lifetime.