Prenatal care

• Prenatal care is the care you get while you’re pregnant.
• Regular prenatal care helps keep you and baby healthy.
• A doctor, midwife or other health provider gives this care.

You’re having a baby! It’s important to take very good care of yourself so that both you and your baby are healthy. Taking good care of yourself includes getting prenatal care. You can get prenatal care from an obstetrician, a family practice doctor, a certified-nurse midwife, a family nurse practitioner or a women's health nurse practitioner.

Regular prenatal care helps you and your health care provider monitor how your pregnancy is going. It also helps your provider spot any potential health problems before they become serious. Some pregnant women may have complications like gestational diabetes or preeclampsia. But with regular prenatal care, you can better manage any health issues that may come up.

During your prenatal care checkups, your provider checks your weight, blood and urine. You can find out your due date and check if there are any vaccinations you need. You also get to experience the exciting moment of seeing your baby for the first time with an ultrasound. Many providers offer ultrasound to all pregnant women.

Your provider gives you prenatal tests to ensure your baby is growing and healthy. Some of these tests include:

• Amniocentesis (test for certain birth defects)
• Chorionic villus sampling or CVS (test for certain birth defects)
• Glucose screening (monitor blood sugar)
• Cystic fibrosis carrier screening (check for cystic fibrosis gene)
• Maternal blood screening (check for neural tube defects)

See also: Your first prenatal care checkup, Later prenatal care checkups