Nowadays, maternity care is not only about taking care of women post-pregnancy but also during the pregnancy period. These two terms are coined as prenatal and postnatal care.
Maternity care involves not only the partners’ roles but also their families’ engagement.
This involvement is crucial for providing emotional and mental support throughout the journey. This will help them not only conceive a healthy baby but also stay strong throughout the journey.
In this blog, we will talk about both the care and study of the steps that need to be taken so that there are no hurdles throughout the maternity care services.
What is Prenatal Care?
Prenatal care refers to the healthcare a woman receives during pregnancy. It is important to ensure the health and well-being of both mother and baby in the uterus.
This procedure will begin after confirming pregnancy, often initiated at an IVF center, where a woman needs to undergo a physical exam, urine test, and blood tests and get a confirmation pregnancy date.
Prenatal care involves various types of tests such as:
① Regular Checkup
Through this checkup, you get to monitor the health of the developing baby and mother. This will involve physical examination measurement and discussion about the progression of the pregnancy.
② Screening and Tests
These tests aim to identify potential risks and complications that may affect the health of the mother or the baby. The tests will include blood tests, screenings, and ultrasound for conditions to detect conditions that could impact the pregnancy.
③ Nutritional Guidance
It is essential to make sure that there is proper and balanced intake of nutrition. The maternity care journey involves the intake of a healthy diet, necessary supplements, and weight management to support the health and development of both the mother and the baby.
④ Monitoring and Managing Health Conditions
The main reason why monitoring is done is to identify and address any complications that may arise during pregnancy, reducing potential risks at a later stage of pregnancy.
What is Postnatal Care?
A type of maternity care that women receive after giving birth. It is essential to receive proper birth care that will involve education about breastfeeding, newborn care, and postpartum recovery.
We at Nimaaya believe that the process is all about knowing what body changes you experience during the period, addressing emotional challenges, and identifying any other issues that you think can affect you or your baby’s health.
Remember, maintaining a proper diet is crucial for ensuring well-being in the long run.
Importance of Prenatal Care
Prenatal care is important for several reasons. Let’s explore the reasons one by one:
• Education and Preparations
Prenatal care allows mothers to learn about labor and delivery. It becomes easy for them to analyze what to expect and keep their mind at ease, enabling informed decision-making regarding their birth plan.
• Intake of Proper Nutrition
A proper and well-balanced diet during prenatal care will ensure that it is an opportunity to avoid health problems and focus on what is needed.
• Managing Risk Factors
Various factors like age, blood pressure, diabetes, infection, and genetics will impact the pregnancy. Early detection and treatment of these factors can reduce the likelihood of potential complications.
• Promoting Baby’s Health
Prenatal care helps in monitoring the development and well-being of a growing fetus. It will allow early detection of issues affecting the baby’s growth or development, enabling timely intervention or treatment.
Stages of Labor
Labor(Childbirth) is the process of a baby leaving your uterus through your vagina. This usually takes place between 37 to 42 weeks of pregnancy. 3 stages of labor include:
Stage 1 – Labor
This is the first and longest stage of labor and can last anywhere from 12 to 19 hours. During this stage, your contractions become strong and regular. The contraction helps muscles in your uterus tighten and relax that will help you push your baby out. Here, the cervix begins to thin out and open. Your baby progresses within your birth canal with the help of this and becomes more frequent and intense.
This stage has two phases:
‣ Early labor
The labor lasts anywhere from 6 to 12 hours. There are higher chances that there will be a need to rush to the hospital. During early labor:
- The cervix dilates to about 4 to 6 centimeters
- The vaginal discharge might result in red blood. Go to the hospital if you notice heavy bleeding.
‣ Active Labor
The pain lasts between 4 to 8 hours. At this phase, it is recommended to be in the hospital. What happens during active labor is:
- Contraction becomes stronger and regular
- Experiencing pain, cramps, or pressure in your lower back or legs
- Urge to push the baby
- Baby moving into your birth canal
- Water break during active labor
Stage 2 – Pushing and Birth
It begins when your cervix is 10 centimeters dilated. The most difficult stage of labor because you try to push the baby out. It lasts anywhere from half an hour to several hours. At this stage, you can expect to:
- Push when you have contractions but also rest between them. The IVF specialist will tell you when it’s the right time to push.
- Your baby’s crowns, which means when their head starts showing.
- Contraction starts to get slower and comes in intervals of every 2 to 5 minutes, which will last about 60 to 90 seconds.
- After the birth of a baby, there is a need to cut the umbilical cord.
Stage 3 – Delivery of the Placenta
The shortest delivery will last longer than 20 minutes. You push out the placenta (afterbirth), which is the organ that develops in your uterus during pregnancy. This will supply your baby with oxygen and nutrients and help you remove waste from your baby’s blood.
‣ During this stage:
- Women might experience colds and fever. Consult a nearby IVF center, if you experience these symptoms and get treatment.
- You might experience heavy vaginal bleeding for a short time during or after the delivery of placenta forward.
- There are higher chances of push, as well as the possibility of doctors pushing your belly to move the placenta forward.
- Contraction begins about 5 to 30 minutes after birth. These contractions help the placenta separate from your uterus.
Pain Relief Options During Labor
Maternity care involves getting treatment done from two methods: medical and non-medical relief. Let’s explore it one by one:
Non-Medical Relief Options for Childbirth
- Breathing techniques can help you fight through contractions.
- Be educated about what can be expected during various stages of labor that will help you reduce anxiety.
- Using different distraction techniques to take your mind off the pain.
- Constant touch and support from friends, relatives, and families can help you fight negative thoughts.
- To adopt a healthy lifestyle is to start yoga, exercise, and discard bad habits such as smoking, drinking, and intake of drugs.
Postnatal Care and Recovery
According to WHO one in five mothers experience mental health conditions during pregnancy or the first year after childbirth. Also, if the focus is not kept then this will not only affect mothers’ health but also be a hurdle in the child’s health, development, and well-being.
It is observed that many women are reluctant to seek help due to the stigma surrounding mental health. So, it’s essential to break down the barriers and seek help to create a safe, supportive environment for mothers to get the help they need.
Breastfeeding Benefits and Support
➢ Benefits of Breastfeeding for Baby
1) It helps build the immunity of your baby and lowers the risk of certain diseases such as:
- Diarrhea and vomiting
- Ear infection
- Childhood obesity
- Asthma
- Leukemia
2) It contains the nutritional benefits of everything your baby needs to grow and develop. This will provide a specific formula of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. It supports your baby’s health because it helps in:
- Easy for their immature stomach to digest and do not cause any harm.
- Gains healthy weight
- Contains the right amount of protein, fat, sugar, and vitamins that are vital for your baby’s health.
- Contains antibodies that will protect against infection and help you boost immunity.
➢ Support During Breastfeeding Time
Maternity care includes the support that you need during breastfeeding time. The support can be from a nurse, doctor, family, or relatives.
It is recommended to join online communities, friends and family, and healthcare providers who will support you emotionally and physically as they have gone through the same process. Therefore, connecting with them and asking them about the problems they are going through will help you sort it out at an easier pace.
Maternal Self-Care
Motherhood comes with lots of challenges be it physically and mentally. Moving ahead with this is quite challenging as one often forgets what they have to be good for them and their focus is shifted towards the baby and its health. If you’re feeling confused about where to start, then start from:
Taking Breaks
It’s essential to take breaks throughout the day to recharge and rest. Whether it’s a few minutes to meditate, take a nap, exercise, or just read a book where you need to take care of yourself. This will not only keep you happy mentally but also physically fit.
Ⓐ Practice Meditation
To help you reduce stress on the new life that you have adopted, you need to start practicing meditation as it will rest your mind, and soul and help you be at peace. You just need to take a few minutes from your daily schedule to do yoga and help yourself start a day with a positive mindset.
Ⓑ Enough Sleep
Doctors often say that getting 8 hours of sleep is essential for every human being. At the postnatal stage, it’s not possible to balance your sleep schedule. So, to make sure that you get enough sleep, make sure you and your partner decide your respective schedules accordingly. The balanced schedule will let you balance your sleep and avoid anger in the future.
Ⓒ Socializing
Social support is a great strength when you have a good group of friends. Make time to connect with friends and family. They will surely understand what you are going through and help you by giving you ways to deal with it.
Ⓓ Seek Help
If you’re struggling with your mental health, you can always seek help. All you need to do is, talk to an IVF specialist about your concerns.
Also, at this crucial stage, you need to put your mental health and well-being first. Remember, seeking help is a sign to make you stronger and gather your courage to deal with prenatal health.
Postpartum Mental Health
Just after giving birth to your child, you may go through mixed emotions that may be feeling excitement, joy, and gratitude at the same time. Your sense that now you have a great responsibility and need to adapt to greater changes in life will be quite confusing and new to you. You may find that you:
- Have a lot of energy or feel tired
- Emotions that make you happy or sad instantly
- Feeling sad about how your body looks
To deal with postpartum, it’s recommended to have a consultation with an IVF specialist. We at Nimaaya, the maternity care in Surat, strongly believe in a thorough understanding of what parents have been going through and how to deal with the situation.
Conclusion
Nimaaya IVF Center, Surat provides you with one of the best maternity care services. The IVF team at the center possesses the required skill set and advanced technology that will help you to improve maternal health and successfully deliver a baby without any complications involved.
Consult today!