Birth, Antenatal and Postnatal Care Sexual Reproduction Birth, Antenatal and Postnatal Care

Importance of Ante-natal /Pre-natal Care A woman’s health and behavior in pregnancy affect her baby. A poor diet, smoking, intake of alcohol, certain drugs, and severe illnesses can hold back the baby’s development. Hence during pregnancy, you should not only take good care of your own health but also go for regular checkups with your doctor. This is antenatal care and it is absolutely necessary because it makes sure that you and the baby are fit and well. Read more: 

Importance of Ante-natal /Pre-natal Care During regular doctor visits, the expectant mother is advised to: Have a healthy diet Exercise to stay fit Take health precautions such as : Avoiding infections Using tobacco, alcohol and drugs

Importance of Ante-natal /Pre-natal Care Effect of Viruses e.g. German Measles Rubella, or German measles, is most dangerous to your baby if you catch it during the first 16 weeks of pregnancy. Rubella can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, or birth defects in unborn babies, such as: deafness, brain damage, heart defects, and cataracts.

Importance of Ante-natal /Pre-natal Care Effect of Viruses e.g. HIV If a pregnant woman is infected with HIV, she can transmit the virus to her baby during pregnancy, labour and delivery, or breastfeeding. Modern drugs are highly effective at preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV

Importance of Ante-natal /Pre-natal Care She will also receive : Regular blood test Blood pressure measurement Urine analysis Weight gain measurement Measurement of size of uterus.

Importance of Ante-natal /Pre-natal Care Regular blood test will : Detect any harmful pathogens. Show if the mother is anaemic (as a lack of iron may reduce haemoglobin in the blood and hence reduce the mother’s oxygen to the fetus.) Detect presence or absence of rhesus factor

Importance of Ante-natal /Pre-natal Care Regular blood test will : Rhesus (Rh) factor refers to a specific protein found on the surface of red blood cells. If you have the protein, you're Rh positive. If do no, you're Rh negative. Although Rh factor doesn't affect your health, it can affect pregnancy, if you are Rh negative and your baby's father is Rh positive. The Rh factor test is a basic blood test given during one your first prenatal visits. It used to determine if you're Rh positive or Rh negative.

Importance of Ante-natal /Pre-natal Care Regular blood test will : During pregnancy some of your baby's red blood cells may mix with your blood. If you're Rh positive, Rh incompatibility isn't a concern. If you're Rh negative and your baby is Rh positive, however, your body may produce Rh antibodies after exposure to the baby's red blood cells. The antibodies are often not a problem during the first pregnancy. However, if you have a subsequent pregnancy with an Rh positive baby, your Rh antibodies may cross the placenta and attack the baby's red blood cells. The Rh positive baby then may develop HAEMOLYTIC DISEASE, a life-threatening condition that causes jaundice and anemia or other serious problems

Importance of Ante-natal /Pre-natal Care Weight checks will : Ensure growth of mother and child is normal. Any abnormalities can signify that the mother may be retaining water or overeating the wrong foods.

Importance of Ante-natal /Pre-natal Care Blood pressure checks will : Help identify Hypertension which could lead to kidney damage. Urine Test will: Show the presence or absence of sugar , which if present will show the onset of diabetes.

Importance of Ante-natal /Pre-natal Care Cervical/Pap Smear will : a prenatal Pap smear screens for infections, including sexually transmitted diseases such as gonorrhea, Chlamydia, and HPV (human papillomavirus, the extremely common virus with certain strains that can cause genital warts or cervical cancer)

Importance of Ante-natal /Pre-natal Care Measurement of Pelvis and Uterus The size and shape of the pelvis are measure to : Give an indication of time of birth Whether a caesarean operation will be needed.(An incision through the abdominal and uterine walls for extraction of the baby)

BIRTH Birth is divided in THREE STAGES. Together these stages are called LABOUR.

STAGE 1 Contractions begin Started by the hormone oxytocin secreted by mother’s pituitary gland. 2. Amnion breaks, releasing amniotic fluid. Caused by contraction. Contractions cause more oxytocin to be secreted. (positive feedback

STAGE 2 Increased contraction of the uterine muscle push the baby through the cervix and then the vagina.

STAGE 3 1.The baby is expelled head first . This is aided by having the mother bend forward, holding her breath, and pushing on the diaphragm so it pushes on the uterus. 2. The umbilical cord is cut and tied. 3. Soon after the afterbirth (placenta and membranes) is expelled.

Postnatal Care What is Postnatal care? Postnatal care means the care of the mother and baby in the days and weeks following childbirth. The aims of postnatal care in the first hours and days after delivery are: To give the mother sufficient rest and support after the physical exertion of the labour itself and ensure healthy development of the baby. This involves allowing the new mother to rest as much as she feels she needs to whilst providing comfort, food and plenty of drinks in order for her to recover and to produce plenty of breast milk if she is considering breast feeding.