Pregnancy is a blessing. When a woman expects, she invites changes, and these changes are related to an infant that is soon to be in her life. Certainly, every woman wants that this phase is comfortable and she faces no health-related complications. This is actually possible if she goes for shared pregnancy care. A consultation with a female doctor can inform her about multiple things that are crucial, but she was unaware before.
This post will help in understanding pregnancy care, its alternatives, and caretakers.
Pregnancy care alternatives
Multiple alternatives can be available if you look for its care plan. Certainly, your medical history and risk factors like overweight, age, and previous pregnancy will be crucial for caretakers. Here, we’re going to see what alternatives are accessible for care.
Well, you can opt in for a midwife, general practitioner, obstetrician, or a combination of any of these healthcare professionals. Let’s figure out what you can expect from these alternatives.
Midwives
A midwife is a specially trained and skilled helper who knows how to care for women during pregnancy, labor, and birth. These midwives are seriously considered to be appointed to take care of newborn babies in the initial weeks after birth. Put simply, she is an absolute angel for the lactating mother.
A midwife can be helpful in the following cases:
- Guiding, caring for, and suggesting everything during your pregnancy
- Assisting the new mother during the baby’s birth
- Taking care of mother and baby during pregnancy, labor, and after the birth
- Examine if the delivery is likely to be normal and if the baby is fine during all phases.
- Taking emergency measures, especially when the mother is suffering and the specialist is not there to help,
Obstetricians
This term is used for medical doctors who are qualified and trained doctors. They are skilled in taking care of the mother and the baby during pregnancy, birth, and after birth. These specialists are no less than a vital asset that is available for care at any public hospital or antenatal clinic.
You can meet them at the time of your consultation with a male or female doctor in a hospital who is checking the level of risk during this phase. Doctors suggest their care when your pregnancy is difficult.
Overall, these healthcare specialists are able to provide these solutions.
- Maternity care (obstetrics).
- women’s reproductive health (gynecology).
General practitioners
A general practitioner (GP) is a certified doctor who is medically trained in general practice. Consulting with him or her is also a must to care for women when they are likely to give birth. Some of these professionals are completely trained and certified in obstetrics, gynecology, or other related courses.
Care before and after pregnancy
Ideally, the expected mother should consult with a certified doctor prior to conception so that he or she can optimize her health for gaining pregnancy. His or her consultation can help reduce any preventable health-based challenges or risks.
These doctors make informed decisions and also discuss the health condition, medical history, and cost of care with the appointed obstetrician, midwife, and GP. Overall, the doctor should be able to:
- To provide end-to-end support and vital information.
- To monitor health to ensure the wellbeing of the mother and the baby.
- To discover special medical and personal requirements that require additional assistance by a trained professional.
These healthcare specialists can assist in making informed decisions when:
- The lady needs emergency care and is unable to convey her needs.
- It is required to opt for an ‘elective caesarean’, although it is not necessary. They help her understand what pros and cons are associated with the procedure.
Pregnancy care
As aforementioned, a midwife, a GP, or an obstetrician can be needed for pregnancy care, which is also called antenatal care. These specialists suggest a shared plan according to your health, risks or complications, the area where you live, and the type of care you are likely to go on with.
You must be regular with your antenatal appointments so that the wellbeing of your baby and you can be assured through monitoring. The doctor will check your health, blood pressure, and the growth of your baby in the womb. These types of antenatal visits provide opportunities to ask all the burning questions that are bothering you.
Typically, a pregnancy with low risk requires 7–10 checkups over the course of the pregnancy. But if you are recognized for extra care because of the higher risk, the caregiver will decide how many times you have to visit the clinic. He will customize the plan accordingly.
Types of antenatal care
There are certain types of healthcare that the doctor may suggest. These can be the following:
Public antenatal clinic care
It depends on the hospital you choose. It can be a public hospital or a community clinic where your antenatal care will take place. You have to visit there to leverage its facilities for birth care and postnatal care. In these hospitals, midwives and doctors will be changed every time you visit.
Public midwifery care
This is the second type of care that a midwife provides in a public hospital. If you opt in, the same midwife or group of midwives will attend to you throughout your pregnancy until the baby is delivered.
This care is also available at home, which means a midwife will be aligned to take care of you if you go home early, usually within 48 hours after the birth.
This care is recommended for those who have a healthy pregnancy and are low-risk. If there is any complication, the doctor recommends an obstetrician’s care.
Shared pregnancy care
This is related to the voluntary selection of healthcare professionals (GP, midwife, or obstetrician). Under it, you will be intensively cared for.
Besides, the doctor recommends just a few visits to the hospital, provided there is any complication or the delivery time has come. For care, a specialist is appointed who lives near your home. It helps in fulfilling cultural needs. In a nutshell, shared pregnancy care is provided,
- For personal care during pregnancy and after the birth.
- For visits to the hospital at specific points during that phase.
- For convenience during labor and the birth of the child.
- For accompanying the doctor at the time of delivery and after the birth.
- For imparting childbirth education at the hospital and some community healthcare centers.
Midwifery group practice
This is a little different from the aforementioned care. A group of midwives in a public hospital provides care during pregnancy, labor, and the postnatal period. When one or more midwives are aligned for it, it is called primary midwifery.
So, you become familiar with midwives who will be available during your entire pregnancy period and postpartum.
Team midwifery care
This model is similar to the aforementioned practice, which involves one or two midwives. In this case, about eight midwives are appointed to provide care during this phase until the postnatal period. Typically, this facility is available in metropolitan cities.
Pregnancy care for women with extra needs
There may be some sensitive cases where additional care is required. It can be related to medical, cultural, societal, and emotional needs.
For instance, your baby may require close monitoring, an interpreter to convey your requirements, financial and accommodation requirements, home-based assistance, overcoming mental health problems, drug or alcohol issues, etc.
In these cases, you may have to receive specialized care from trained staff members.
Specialist pregnancy care at the hospital
The frequent medical checkups are arranged to see if there is any complication that requires attention. Let’s figure out some of the most common issues:
- A woman expecting twins or more requires shared pregnancy care by a group of obstetricians and midwives.
- The next is related to community-based clinics, which public hospitals run. They provide special care midwifery services in a healthcare center near your home, which can be a community health center. Here also, trained midwives and doctors are appointed who work full- or part-time there.
- For those who have a history of miscarriages, they require the intensive care and attention of trained obstetricians and midwives. They frequently monitor and prevent reoccurring miscarriages.
- This is another case wherein a woman had significant complications related to pregnancy. For her care, a group of obstetricians and midwives are employed to detect, track, and treat significant complications.
- The next step is related to women with diabetes. No matter if they are gestational or pre-existing, Specialized care is provided by a group of experts.
- Another type of medical support can be required when an unborn baby has a medical condition. The group of experts tracks the health of the unborn baby with a medical condition and provides the requisite medical support.
- The last type of care is related to pregnant women who are likely to have a vaginal birth after a previous caesarean birth.
Intrapartum care during labor and birth
Intrapartum care refers to assistance during labor and the birth of a child. This kind of maternity care focuses on guiding a woman through the painful process of a child’s birth. This stage is a journey from the onset of labor to the birth of the child and the period thereafter.
Doctors adopt a multidisciplinary approach, which involves the deputation of obstetricians, midwives, nurses, and other healthcare professionals. This ensures the safety and wellbeing of the mother and the baby.
A woman requires central to intrapartum care continuously until the delivery happens. It requires emotional support, relentless encouragement, and the reassurance of being there for her when she is struggling with the physical and emotional challenges.
Doctors also take some supportive measures, such as massaging, positioning, and relaxation techniques, so that her pain and discomfort can be reduced and labor can progress.
Pregnancy care ensures proper monitoring of maternal and fetal well-being, which is actually key. The doctor closely monitors every phase of the progressing labor, which includes the cervical dilation examination, fetal heart rate, and maternal vital signs.
Considering the vitality of fetal monitoring, doctors do it for the early detection of fetal distress. This kind of problem requires healthcare specialists’s attention.
The next crucial part of intrapartum care is pain management. Doctors provide a range of pain-relief alternatives, which can range from non-pharmacological techniques like breathing, hydrotherapy, and acupuncture to pharmacological alternatives such as epidural anesthesia or intravenous analgesics.
Actually, the selection of these pain management methods depends on the patient, her medical history, and the progress of labor.
Another crucial phase of this care is to smooth the process of childbirth. It requires assistance during the pushing of the child. The doctor offers end-to-end guidance on how to effectively push and also provides perineal support so that the perineal trauma can be minimized.
But in some cases, complications can be present, which can be associated with fetal malposition or shoulder dystocia. During this phase, obstetric assistance and support from midwives will be required to ensure safety.
Once the delivery occurs, the woman requires immediate postpartum care. The doctor appears in a key role as he assesses the health of the baby and the mother and checks if there are any signs of complications.
If he or she sees any necessity, he or she provides medical support. If everything seems fine, the mother is encouraged to provide skin-to-skin contact before breastfeeding. It encourages bonding and also leads to the transition to parenthood.
Conclusion
Shared pregnancy care actually requires a comprehensive approach, which is associated with prenatal care. It requires healthcare providers, which can be obstetricians, midwives, and general practitioners.
This collaborative model is associated with care that different providers share. It allows pregnant women to learn and receive personalized attention with medical support throughout their pregnancy period.
This is not a one-time checkup but a continuous approach to care that the healthcare specialists provide together so that the pregnancy can be successful and the baby will be healthy after delivery.
In a nutshell, shared pregnancy care encourages healthy pregnancy and child delivery while building a strong provider-patient relationship. It enhances the wellbeing of both the baby and the child.
