Prenatal care measures

There is no universal standardized template for prenatal care. The core is to focus on the health indicators of the mother and fetus. On the basis of regular prenatal check-ups, individualized adjustments to diet, exercise, and mental state are required to prevent and control pregnancy complications in advance. The priority of all measures must give way to the actual situation of the individual. There is no "must-do list" that applies to everyone.

I just said this to a pregnant mother who was 24 weeks pregnant last week. She followed the "Nutrition List for Pregnant Women" on the Internet, ate 2 bird's nests and 3 cups of milk a day, plus a pound of cherries, and ate normally. As a result, she gained 6 pounds in half a month. During the prenatal check-up, her blood sugar level directly exceeded the red line for gestational diabetes. She also didn't dare to move because she lay down every day, and her calves were so swollen that there were pits every time she pressed them.

Many people think that prenatal care is about eating and moving. In fact, the top priority is that you must first understand the situation of yourself and your baby, which requires regular prenatal check-ups. Don't believe the rumors that "too many prenatal check-ups can lead to radiation". The amount of radiation from a regular ultrasound is not as much as playing with your mobile phone for a day. To be fair here, there are indeed different opinions on the choice of prenatal check-up items: such as the choice of Tang screening and non-invasive DNA. The traditional obstetrics recommendation is that pregnant mothers under 35 years old and without high-risk factors should do Tang screening first. If the result is high risk, they can then do non-invasive or amniocentesis, which is more cost-effective. ； But now more and more clinicians suggest that as long as financial conditions permit, just do non-invasive DNA. After all, the false positive rate of Tang screening can reach 30%. Many pregnant mothers are scared to death if they fail Tang screening. In the end, the non-invasive results are all good, and it is a psychological crime. Both options are right. It just depends on your own acceptance.

When it comes to food, the older generation always said "one person eats and two people nourish", and they would like to make pregnant women drink bone soup and eat old hens all the time. Today's young people also pay attention to "controlling weight and preventing wrinkles" and don't even dare to eat too much rice. In fact, both of them are a bit extreme. I saw a pregnant mother who was 28 weeks pregnant and drank bone soup every day. As a result, her blood lipids were horribly high and her baby was two weeks too big. In the end, she had to have a caesarean section. ； I have also seen pregnant mothers eat only one staple meal a day in order to control their weight. At the end of the prenatal check-up, the baby was two weeks younger, anemic, and dizzy. In fact, the core of the diet is just one: ensure the intake of high-quality protein, calcium, iron, and folic acid, and control the amount of refined sugar and saturated fat. To put it simply, drinking two cups of milk, eating 1-2 eggs, and eating some lean meat or fish and shrimp every day is much more effective than drinking three bowls of bone soup. For high-sugar fruits such as cherries and strawberries, just eat a dozen or so at a time. Don’t eat them as meals. As for weight gain during pregnancy, the standard range is about 12.5kg. But if you were on the thin side before pregnancy, an extra three to five kilograms is okay. If you were on the fat side before pregnancy, it is normal to gain a few kilograms less. There is no need to worry about the weight.

The controversy over whether it can be moved is even greater. Not long ago, a dance teacher who was 32 weeks pregnant came for a prenatal check-up. She said that she danced low-intensity jazz at home, but her mother scolded her for three days, saying that she might have fetal gas. In fact, as long as you don’t have contraindications such as placenta previa, cervical insufficiency, or threatened abortion, it’s really okay to move for 30 minutes a day. Walking, pregnancy yoga, swimming, and even low-intensity dancing are all fine. Not only can you control your weight, but it can also help you open your pelvis and shorten the labor process. The dance teacher I just mentioned gave birth to a little girl weighing 6 and a half pounds. The labor lasted only three hours, which was much faster than those pregnant mothers who lay still all day long. But if you have bleeding, abdominal pain, or a short cervix, you really have to lie down and don't force yourself to move. If something goes wrong, the gain outweighs the loss.

Many people ignore psychological care. In fact, this thing has a much greater impact on pregnant mothers than you think. A few months ago, there was a pregnant mother who was 36 weeks pregnant. She watched negative videos about childbirth at home every day. She was so scared that she cried every day and couldn't sleep well. When she came for a prenatal check-up, her blood pressure was high. She thought she had gestational hypertension. Later, she made an appointment with a midwife clinic, showed her the environment of the delivery room, and taught her the Lamaze breathing method. Her husband also followed her to learn how to accompany the child, and her blood pressure became normal within a few days after returning. Really, it’s normal to be a little anxious during pregnancy. Don’t think you are being pretentious. If you feel uncomfortable, tell your doctor, tell your family, and ask your husband to accompany you to prepare the delivery package and go for a walk. It is 100 times more effective than the comfort of “Don’t think too much”.

After all, prenatal care is really not a complicated matter, and you don’t have to check off an online checklist. I have seen too many pregnant mothers who dare not eat anything they are told not to eat. They must do whatever they say they must do. If they miss a step, they become extremely nervous. It is really unnecessary. Your own physical feelings always come first. If you feel chest tightness, abnormal fetal movement, or stomach pain, don't worry about whether it's the day of prenatal check-up. Go directly to the hospital. This is more effective than any other nursing measures. Oh, by the way, one last thing, remember to count fetal movements in the third trimester of pregnancy. This is the most convenient way for you to monitor your baby's condition at home. Don't bother, just count three times a day for 1 hour. If the fetal movements are half less than usual, go to the hospital quickly, don't delay.