Why Is Prenatal Care So Important?

There are women who go through pregnancy with no professional care, and then they end up giving birth with no complications. However, there are no guarantees that your pregnancy will go this way. A lot of women do experience problems, some big and some small, during pregnancy. As such, prenatal care is always recommended. Here are some more specific reasons why prenatal care is so important for every woman and baby.

You’ll Ensure You’re Getting Proper Nutrition

Your nutritional needs do change during pregnancy, but not always in the ways you'd expect. You'll need more of certain nutrients like vitamin B12 and folate. You'll need more calories, but not enough for two whole human beings as some people might jokingly suggest! Your nutrition during pregnancy will impact your baby's health and your own. Nutritional counseling is an important part of prenatal care, as is prescribing any vitamin and mineral supplements you might need.

Problems Will Be Noticed Early

Mothers-to-be often assume that if something is wrong, they'll know. Sometimes this is true, but not always. Sometimes symptoms you assume mean something are actually normal during pregnancy. Other times, you might assume symptoms are normal when really they indicate an issue. There are so many little problems that can develop in pregnancy, from high blood pressure to slow fetal heartbeat. Some of them can only be noticed by a doctor who runs specific tests. If you have good prenatal care, these problems will come to light early when they are easier to treat and manage. If you don't have good prenatal care, the consequences of something treatable — like high blood pressure — can be deadly and dire.

You’ll Be More Confident When You Deliver

Having a baby is not easy. Labor is different for everyone, but it's good to know what to expect. An important part of prenatal care is preparing you, as the mother, for the delivery. You'll learn the signs that you're going into labor, things to do and not to do when you're in labor, and so forth. As such, you are likely to have a smoother experience giving birth if you've had good prenatal care along the way.

Prenatal care might seem trivial when everything is going well in your pregnancy. However, in the long term, you are better off having this care so that you can ensure problems are diagnosed early and you and your baby receive proper nutrition. 


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