Prenatal visits can help a doctor find—and treat—harmful health
conditions that can affect a woman and her baby. A doctor can
also advise the mom-to-be on ways to stay healthy. During the
first prenatal visit, a woman can expect her doctor to:
›
Take a complete medical history
›
Do a physical exam, including a pelvic exam and a Pap test
›
Calculate her due date
›
Check her blood pressure, height and weight
›
Take her blood and urine for lab work
›
Answer any of her questions
Plan to see your doctor once a month during the first six
months and more often as your due date grows near.
To find an OB-GYN near you, visit
askAAMC.org/
FindaDoc
. For information about AAMC’s Safe, Smart
Place to have your baby, visit
SafeSmartPlace.com
.
Why Is Prenatal Care so Important?
Sometimes there are medical reasons
for a woman to deliver her baby before
naturally going into labor. For example, if
a week or more passes after the due date,
doctors may need to start, or induce,
labor. Or if the woman or her baby is at
risk, doctors may need to deliver the baby
since it may not be safe to continue the
pregnancy.
“These types of deliveries may
significantly benefit the mother and baby,”
says Michael Lantz, MD, maternal-fetal
medicine specialist. “But to hurry a baby’s
birth—just to make it convenient for you
or your doctor—can increase the risk of
serious problems for both you and your
baby.” Here’s why:
Full-term is ideal
A full-term pregnancy lasts at least
39 weeks. Of course, some babies naturally
Delivering
Your Baby
Why it’s not a good idea to schedule an early delivery
arrive sooner. And
complications during
pregnancy can make an
early delivery the safest
choice. But most babies
need 39 weeks to develop fully. Induced
or planned delivery before that time—
without valid medical reason—is not in
the best interest of the baby or the mother.
Carrying an infant the full 39 weeks has
important health benefits for the baby and
the mother. For example, during weeks
37 and 38, the baby’s lungs and brain are
still developing. The baby’s body also gains
fat during this time, which helps the baby
keep a healthy body temperature.
Babies induced or delivered by
C-section before 39 weeks are more likely
to have problems breathing and feeding,
have severe jaundice, and need intensive
care after birth. They also have a higher
chance of having cerebral palsy and an
increased risk of death.
When should you induce labor?
To prepare for birth, the cervix softens and
thins and the opening gets bigger, or dilates.
But if your cervix has not changed, even if
you’re in the 39th week of your pregnancy,
you should not induce labor without a
medical reason. If your body is not ready,
your delivery is less likely to go smoothly.
“Having a doctor start your labor is
justified when there’s a medical reason,
such as your water breaking and labor not
starting,” says Dr. Lantz. “You may also
need labor induced if you are a week or
more past your due date.”
Choosing Wisely
®
is a national
initiative that encourages
conversations between doctors and
patients about what is appropriate
and necessary treatment. For more
information, visit us online at
askAAMC.org/ChoosingWisely
.
Michael
Lantz, MD
10
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Choosing Wisely
Pregnant? Sign up for
Safe, Smart U
, our healthy pregnancy e-newsletter, at
askAAMC.org/Email
.
