Prenatal care routine

It is a non-standardized care plan that focuses on ensuring the health of pregnant women and fetuses and is dynamically adjusted based on individual physical status and gestational progress. The core covers four directions: regular prenatal check-ups, daily care, emotional support, and emergency response. There is no "perfect nursing template" that suits everyone.

I have been in the obstetrics clinic for 6 years, and every week I meet pregnant mothers who come for consultation with a thick stack of Internet celebrity care guides. They even check how many milliliters of water they drink every day and whether they can drink cold water. On the contrary, they make themselves nervous. Let me first say that we are not going to talk about the rigid rules of “must do/absolutely cannot do” in this article. They are all practical experiences gained from clinical practice.

Take the prenatal check-up that everyone is most concerned about, for example. Don’t take it seriously, and don’t be overly anxious. I once met a 30-year-old pregnant mother who had her second child. She felt that her first pregnancy went smoothly, but she skipped two routine prenatal check-ups for her second child. At 36 weeks, she went for fetal heart rate monitoring and found that her blood pressure had soared to 150/100, her urine protein increased by two, and she was diagnosed with preeclampsia. She had an emergency cesarean section on the same day, and the baby was born prematurely and had to be kept in an incubator for a week, which is a pity. Of course, there is no need to rush to the emergency room at the slightest sign of trouble. Last week, a pregnant mother who was 32 weeks pregnant had her stomach tightening twice in the night. The whole family rushed over and queued for two hours to get the examination done. It was just ordinary false contractions. She went home and took a nap and she was fine. Let me also mention the current consensus difference in the industry: some European and American guidelines recommend that low-risk pregnant women can appropriately extend the interval between prenatal checkups and have 8 to 10 prenatal checkups throughout pregnancy. However, most domestic tertiary hospitals still recommend once every 4 weeks before 28 weeks of pregnancy, once every 2 weeks from 28 to 36 weeks, and once a week after 36 weeks. You can choose flexibly according to your physical condition and the medical resources in your area, and there is no need to rigidly apply a certain standard.

There are even more misunderstandings about diet. A while ago, a pregnant mother ate a sea cucumber every day in order to supplement DHA. As a result, her blood cholesterol was twice as high as normal at 30 weeks, so she had to control her fat extra. In fact, as long as you have no special nutritional needs, eating deep-sea fish two or three times a week, drinking enough 300ml of milk every day, and eating more fresh vegetables can completely meet your nutritional needs without spending a lot of money on various supplements. There is also what the old people often say, "You can't eat ice or spicy food during pregnancy." It's really not that mysterious. I've seen pregnant mothers who ate half a popsicle every day in the summer during the third trimester of pregnancy. The baby was born fat and white. As long as you don't have diarrhea or stomachache after eating, you can eat whatever you want. It's easy to have a poor appetite during pregnancy, so there's no need to do it like a self-cultivation. Of course, if you are a pregnant mother diagnosed with gestational diabetes, you must strictly control sugar. High-sugar foods such as milk tea and cakes must be temporarily put away. This point is the same point of view of both traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine.

Let’s talk about sports, which is also the most controversial sector. Many obstetricians in Europe and the United States will recommend that pregnant mothers without contraindications can do moderate-intensity exercises such as jogging and light weight strength training in the second trimester. I have also met pregnant mothers who were originally fitness coaches and were still doing bodyweight squats at 34 weeks of pregnancy. The entire prenatal check-up went smoothly. However, many domestic experts and elders will think that "you should rest more when you are pregnant." In fact, both opinions are correct. It all depends on your personal constitution: if you have exercise habits before pregnancy, and you have no abdominal pain, bleeding, placenta previa and other problems after pregnancy, you can definitely keep exercising. ； If you don't like to move to begin with and you feel tired every now and then after pregnancy, then taking a walk is enough. Forcing yourself to do yoga or climb stairs may cause problems.

Many people ignore emotional care. To be honest, this is the most difficult part for many pregnant mothers. Our clinic now routinely conducts mood scales for pregnant mothers who are over 28 weeks pregnant. Almost one out of every five pregnant mothers will experience varying degrees of anxiety, either because they are afraid of the pain of giving birth or because they are worried that the child will be unhealthy. Some of them feel like crying for no apparent reason due to fluctuations in progesterone. Don't think this is "hypocritical". I have met several pregnant mothers whose family members feel that she doesn't have to do anything at home and still has tantrums every day. In fact, this is an early manifestation of prenatal depression. At this time, even if you stew less soup for her and chat with her more and take a walk, it will be more effective than any supplement.

Finally, let’s talk about some practical emergency skills. Don’t wait for something to happen and get confused. If you find that your water has broken at home, don’t stand and pack your things. Lie down quickly and raise your buttocks. Call 120 and go to the hospital. Otherwise, umbilical cord prolapse will really cause trouble. ； If you have stomach pain, note the time first. If the pain lasts for more than ten seconds and then stops, and only comes once every half an hour or so. If it does not get worse, it is most likely false contractions. You can observe it at home first. ； If you see redness, no abdominal pain, and your water doesn't break, you can take a shower, pack your things, and go to the hospital instead of rushing to the emergency room.

In fact, to put it bluntly, the core "routine" of prenatal care is that you are comfortable and your baby is healthy. Don't be bound by messy rules. If you have any uncertain questions, asking your prenatal doctor will be more effective than asking ten netizens.