The importance of prenatal care for mother and baby

THE pregnancy It is a period of many physical and emotional changes for the woman. Everything the future mother does or fails to do during the nine months of childbirth preparation has a great influence on baby health. This is why it is so important to receive medical follow-up in the months leading up to the birth of the child and to follow the prenatal to the letter.

O prenatal It works as an effective measure to prevent and identify health problems or more serious complications that put the life of the mother and baby at risk. Periodic visits to the doctor allow monitoring the growth of the belly, changes in pressure of the pregnant woman, among other measures that ensure a healthy pregnancy.


With follow-up, the pregnant woman can feel safer about what is happening to her body, the health of her baby and if any problem is identified, can receive the necessary care so that it does not get worse.

How is it done and when does prenatal care begin?

Ideally, the mother should start consultations in the first trimester as soon as she confirms the pregnancy. On average, a pregnancy lasts forty weeks. Initially, the prenatal consultations should be monthly, then have shorter intervals, depending on each case. Generally, from the 32nd / 33rd to the 37th week they become biweekly and from the 40th week onwards, the doctor visits should be weekly. After this period, the pregnant woman needs to be followed by the obstetrician every two or three days.

In the first consultations of the prenatal Some basic exams are done, which are generally:

  • Blood group;
  • Blood count;
  • Blood glucose;
  • Toxoplasmosis research;
  • Rubella;
  • Syphilis,
  • Feces;
  • Urine.

The prenatal exams They allow the identification of diseases, infections or dysfunctions, such as hypertension, anemia, urinary tract infection, and mother-to-child communicable diseases such as AIDS and syphilis.

During the prenatal The woman also receives information to have a healthy pregnancy, such as the importance of following a balanced diet so as not to gain excess weight, engage in physical activity and avoid alcohol and cigarette addiction.

The Importance of Prenatal Vitamins (March 2024)


  • Pregnancy
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