Pregnancy and Prenatal Care

The Importance of Prenatal Care

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Maternal and Child Health Bureau, ''Babies born to mothers who received no prenatal care are three times more likely to be born at low birth weight, and five times more likely to die, than those whose mothers received prenatal care.''


Prenatal care is much more than just health care while you’re pregnant. Prenatal care is a key factor in any healthy pregnancy and vital to the health of both the pregnant mother and the unborn baby. Pregnancy causes physical, biochemical and hormonal changes in the pregnant mother that may sometimes lead to a difficult pregnancy or complications at birth. These may go undetected without regular examinations by an experienced physician trained in the field of obstetrics.



For more information about the importance of prenatal care, please visit the HEALTH CARE FOR WOMEN in Monterey County website or call 831-758-8223 to schedule an appointment with a qualified ob-gyn.



Early Pregnancy Detection

If you suspect that you are pregnant, it’s important to verify the pregnancy as soon as possible. The most common event associated with pregnancy is a missed menstrual cycle. Women who don’t have regular menstrual cycles should be alert for other signs of a possible pregnancy such as unusual fatigue, nausea, frequent urination, heartburn or tenderness in the breasts. Once you’ve missed a menstrual cycle or had some other indication of a possible pregnancy, it’s important to visit your ob-gyn as soon as possible. Even if you've taken a home pregnancy test, it's still wise to follow-up with your doctor. Your obstetrician will test for the presence of a hormone called chorionic gonadotropin, which is produced by the placenta. The presence of this hormone in the blood or urine confirms the pregnancy.



If you need help confirming your pregnancy, call 831-758-8223 to schedule your pregnancy test. Health Care For Women can also help you get started with your prenatal care.




Prenatal Care

Proper prenatal care means more than just doubling up on your vitamins and watching what you eat. Remember that it’s not just the health of the mother that needs to be monitored, but also the health of the baby.



In monitoring the health of the mother your doctor will test for conditions that can arise as a result of the pregnancy itself. Some of these can be high blood pressure, insufficient or overly substantial weight gain and diabetes (which can develop even though diabetes was not present before the pregnancy). The presence of these special conditions or any others may be indicators of a difficult pregnancy. Early detection allows your ob-gyn the opportunity to prescribe any specialized treatments or procedures that may be required to insure a healthy pregnancy and the health of the mother and child.



Your obstetrician will also monitor the health of the baby. Early detection of abnormalities for example, in the fetal heartbeat or the size and position of the fetus, will indicate to your ob-gyn that specialized procedures may be required to insure a successful pregnancy. The early detection of any abnormalities also allows your doctor the opportunity to make certain that any specialized equipment or medical personnel that may be needed will be present at the birth in order to safeguard the health of both the mother and the newborn baby.



If you're interested in finding out more about the gynecological and obstetrical services offered by the medical professionals at Health Care For Women, please visit www.hcfw.com, or call 831-758-8223 and set up an appointment for a visit to the Health Care For Women offices today.