Prenatal Care
If you discover you’re pregnant, visit a doctor as soon as possible to begin receiving prenatal care (medical care during pregnancy). The sooner you begin receiving medical care, the better the chances that both you and your baby are healthy in the future.
If you can not afford the expense of visiting a doctor or pay for the consultation in a clinic for prenatal care, social service organizations exist that can help. Ask your parents, school counselor or another trusted adult to help you find resources in your community.
During the first consultation, the doctor will make a lot of questions, such as date of your last period. Thus, you can calculate how long you pregnant and your due date your baby.
Doctors measure the length of pregnancy in weeks. The due date is estimate, but most babies are born between 38 and 42 weeks after the first day of last menstrual period of women, or between 36 and 38 weeks after conception (when the sperm fertilizes the egg). Only a small percentage of women giving birth at the estimated delivery date.
The pregnancy is divided into three stages, or trimesters. The first trimester is from conception until the end of week 13. The second trimester is from week 14 to 26. The third trimester is from week 27 until the end of pregnancy.
The doctor will examine you and perform a pelvic exam. The doctor also will order blood tests, urine tests and tests to check for sexually transmitted diseases (STD by its acronym in English), including HIV testing, an increasingly common condition in teenagers. (Because some STDs can cause serious health problems in newborns, it is important to get appropriate treatment to protect the baby).
The doctor will explain what are the physical and emotional changes you can expect during pregnancy. We also learn to recognize the signs of possible problems (complications) during pregnancy. This is especially important because teens are more at risk for certain complications, such as anemia, hypertension and give birth before the expected date (preterm birth).
Your doctor will want to start taking prenatal vitamins containing folic acid, calcium and iron away. Your doctor may prescribe vitamins or can recommend a brand you can buy without a prescription. These vitamins and minerals help ensure the good health of baby and mother, while avoiding certain birth defects.
Ideally, you should see your doctor once a month during the first 28 weeks of pregnancy. Then you should visit every 2 weeks until 36 weeks and once weekly thereafter until delivery. If you suffer from any disease such as diabetes that needs careful monitoring during pregnancy, it is likely that your doctor wants to see you more often.
During the consultation, your doctor will check your weight, blood pressure and urine, and will measure your abdomen to keep track baby’s growth. When the baby’s heartbeat can be heard with a special device, the doctor will listen every time you visit. Most likely your doctor also send you other tests during pregnancy, such as an ultrasound, to ensure that the baby is in perfect condition.
Also part of prenatal care to attend classes where women who are expecting a baby learning how to have a healthy pregnancy and delivery, as well as what are the basic care for the newborn. It is likely that these classes are offered at hospitals, medical centers, schools and universities in your area.
If adults can be difficult to talk to your doctor about your own body, this is even more difficult for adolescents. Your doctor’s role is to help you enjoy a healthy pregnancy and have a healthy baby … and it is likely that there is nothing that a pregnant woman has told him no. So do not be afraid to ask about everything you need to know.
Always be honest when your doctor will ask questions, even if they are embarrassing. Many of the issues that your doctor wants to cover could affect the health of your baby. Think of your doctor as someone who is not only a resource but also a friend in whom you trust to talk about what is happening to you.