Pregnancy Follow-up and Its Importance

When should pregnancy monitoring begin?

Pregnancy is a process that changes the normal life of every woman who wants to be a mother. The changes that may occur in the mother-to-be during this process are very important for both the mother-to-be and the baby that develops and grows in the womb. In order to have a pregnancy as productive, healthy and safe as possible, pregnancy follow-up should be done regularly. Pregnancy follow-up should start when couples are still thinking about having a child and the mother-to-be should learn all the procedures that need to be done before pregnancy. For the healthy growth and development of her baby, experts can give a few recommendations before the mother-to-be gets pregnant and prepare the mother-to-be for pregnancy.

For example; if the expectant mother has habits that are harmful to her health such as smoking and drinking alcohol, she is warned by her specialist doctor and told that she should get rid of habits such as smoking and drinking alcohol. Again, the doctor definitely tells the expectant mother before pregnancy that taking folic acid is very beneficial for the baby’s health.

Follow-up of the baby after pregnancy

Pregnancy follow-up is to ensure that the expectant mother follows all the movements, reactions, growth and development of the baby during pregnancy, month by month and sometimes week by week depending on the risk, and to ensure that the mother goes through this process in a healthy way.

Prominent issues in pregnancy follow-up

• First of all, it is checked whether the baby and the expectant mother are healthy.
• Following the baby week by week, monitoring their development moment by moment and determining which week they are in,
• The risks that may occur during pregnancy are discussed and the expectant mother is warned and necessary warnings are made.
• If there is any discomfort that may occur in the expectant mother, these should be identified and precautions should be taken,
• Information is given about birth methods and when the expectant mother will give birth is determined.
• The expectant mother is educated by providing educational information about pregnancy.
• Preparations are made for any risk of premature birth.

For pregnancy follow-up, the mother first learns whether she is pregnant or not. After the pregnancy test, a gynecologist who is an expert in his/her field is selected and the real follow-up begins. The first examination is for the detection of pregnancy. Afterwards, the doctor takes blood samples from the expectant mother for a number of tests. Diseases checked in the blood; determination of infectious diseases, routine biochemical tests, complete blood test are requested. In ultrasound follow-up; heart rhythm, the baby’s sac, structure are examined and average development is determined by following the dimensions. Problems such as blood incompatibility in pregnancy are detected early and necessary precautions are taken.

Importance of weeks in pregnancy follow-up

It is necessary to follow the baby from the first week to the last week during pregnancy. However, a doctor’s examination is not recommended for every week. If there is an extra situation, the baby is followed up week by week. Otherwise, if everything is normal, one examination per month is sufficient. It is useful to be followed up during certain weeks for tests that need to be done (triple screening test), important ultrasound results, and when the baby’s nuchal translucency is measured.

Pregnancy follow-up in the last 3 months

The psychology of the mother-to-be is disrupted due to the growth of the baby, the weight gained and the needs that arise. This situation negatively affects the baby in the womb and also affects its development. In the last 3 months, there should be more attention around the mother-to-be and the best medicine for the mother-to-be is to follow up with a specialist gynecologist who will calm her down, prevent her from getting anxious and improve her psychology, and give her reliable and accurate information. The mother-to-be will take all the steps she needs to take consciously thanks to her doctor.

Procedures to be followed in the 9th month of pregnancy

• If the expectant mother’s water breaks, she should be taken to the hospital as quickly as possible.
• If the baby is not moving or kicking, he/she should definitely be taken to the hospital.
• If the expectant mother experiences bleeding, this is the most obvious sign that labor has begun and she should be taken to the hospital immediately.
• If the regular pains increase and the intervals between the pains gradually decrease, you should go to the hospital urgently.