Antenatal Care
Antenatal care is also known as prenatal care and is the ongoing care you receive from your obstetrician/gynaecologist after conception. These routine visits with your healthcare provider ensure that you and your growing baby are healthy throughout your pregnancy.
During these checkups, your doctor will:
- Give you an estimate of your baby’s due date.
- Monitor your health and your baby’s health, including listening to the heartbeat.
- Explain what will happen during labour and delivery.
- Provide tips on how to care for your baby.
- Answer any questions you may have.
Your visits will be determined by how far along you are in your pregnancy. The recommended schedule is as follows:
Weeks 4 to 28: 1 prenatal visit a month
Weeks 28 to 36: 1 prenatal visit every 2 weeks
Weeks 36 to 40: 1 prenatal visit every week
Several factors might require you to have more prenatal visits, such as:
- If you are expecting multiple babies
- If you are 35 and older, due to the increased risk of complications during pregnancy
- If you have existing health conditions such as diabetes or high blood pressure
- If you develop health conditions during your pregnancy, such as preeclampsia, gestational diabetes or pregnancy-related high blood pressure.
- If you are at risk of delivering a premature baby
