What would a baby registry look like if it included the future mom’s needs, too? Would you see regular ultrasounds? Nutritional advice? Mental and emotional counseling? SFCHC offers all these services because healthy babies actually do need their moms to have them.
Whether you’re a first-time mom or already have children, pregnancy can be full of surprises. Prenatal care monitors you and your pregnancy to help catch the unexpected early enough to address it. A fetus experiences everything their mother does – anything from a stressful job to too many French fries can impact their health and development.
If you’re planning to get pregnant, you can start seeing a provider before it happens. This is called pre-pregnancy care or preconception planning. SFCHC offers services to help you get pregnant, including basic infertility treatments for when it doesn’t happen right away.
You should start prenatal care as soon as you know you’re pregnant. At your first appointment, your provider will check for existing conditions that can prevent a healthy pregnancy. They’ll ask about your medical history and that of your family and the baby’s other parent. They’ll also want to know:
You’ll get a full checkup, including blood and urine tests, recording height, weight, and blood pressure, and possibly pelvic and breast exams. You may also be tested for sexually transmitted diseases.
Finally, your provider can recommend prenatal vitamins and healthy habits to try. You can also ask them about anything – no question is too dumb when it comes to your baby’s health!
After your first appointment, you should have regular follow-ups with your provider:
Mothers younger than 18, older than 35, or at higher risk for complications may get checkups more often. Your provider will check how the baby’s doing by listening to their heartbeat, measuring your growing belly, and running genetic tests. They also check in with you, taking vitals again, providing vaccines, and answering any new questions.
It’s likely that your provider will perform at least one ultrasound during your pregnancy. Also called a sonogram, this test uses sound waves to get an image of the baby. (That’s right – the same way they find submarines!) The waves are emitted through a lubricated wand against the skin of your belly or walls of your vagina. It certainly feels weird, but it doesn’t hurt. The images that are produced can tell:
This information helps your provider estimate when the baby is due and check for certain birth defects.
If your pregnancy is high-risk for any reason, you may also undergo an amniocentesis. Using a needle, your provider draws some amniotic fluid from inside your uterus. That fluid is then tested for defects in your baby’s chromosomes or neural tube (what develops into the brain and spine). The results of this test are more than 99% accurate.
Loving your new baby comes naturally, but knowing how to care for them may not. Did you know that you shouldn’t eat cold deli meats while pregnant? Or that honey is dangerous for infants less than a year old? SFCHC offers nutrition counseling so you can give your baby what they need before and after they’re born. We also provide childbirth classes to help each mother get the delivery that’s safest and most comfortable for her.
The unexpected continues after your baby comes, so SFCHC can train expectant parents in infant CPR and first aid. And breastfeeding comes with its own learning curve – it’s a new skill for your baby, too! SFCHC offers breastfeeding classes and support.
If all of this feels overwhelming, we have you covered there, too. The most important prenatal care a mother can get may be mental and emotional support. Counseling is available from our behavioral health department. Through the Comprehensive Perinatal Services Program, you can get counseling long after your baby is born.
Quality prenatal care has effects that are long-lasting and far-reaching. It prevents the majority of pregnancy-related complications, a serious issue for Americans. Maternal mortality rates are twice as high in the United States as in the United Kingdom or Canada. Here, pregnancy and birth are more dangerous for
Fortunately, mothers who get prenatal care are more likely to use other health services and medical care for their children. These children grow up to be healthier adults with lower risk of developmental disorders and mental health conditions.
By now it’s no surprise that San Fernando Community Health Center is committed to our patients’ health. But through prenatal care, we can promote health not just for expectant moms, but everyone in our community.
