Antenatal Information
Healthy babies start with healthy pregnancies.
YOUR PREGNANCY, YOUR WHANAU
So you're pregnant! Congratulations! It can all feel so overwhelming at the start- what do you need to know, what choices will you need to make, what will you need to do? Don't worry- we have it covered! As we journey together through your pregnancy I will provide you with the opportunity to learn about the right things at the right time. We will break it down and answer any questions you might have.
Some people love lots of information, others not so much. I think the more you learn about your health and choices, the more options you have and the more informed those decisions will be.
At each appointment I will give you a link to one of the important pages below for you to read and look through. These pages will support your learning and decision making and hopefully build your confidence as you make the right choices to suit you and your whanau.
Congratulations! What an exciting (and sometimes scary and overwhelming) time of your life!
I will welcome you with a comprehensive appointment where we get to know each other and build a health and pregnancy history for you and figure what tests or screening you want or need.
We will have discussed how this practise works, back up midwife, how and when to contact, referral pathways, that you can change LMC at any stage, your HDC rights, confidentiality, electronic records, partnership and open communication. We have also discussed frequency of antenatal appointments, general timing of screening/decision points, birthing options in Gisborne, & postnatal care.
Fantastic- you are now in your second trimester! Hopefully most if not all of the early pregnancy symptoms have left now (although it is not unusual for the nausea to persist for some women). You will be eagerly awaiting the first feelings of baby moving... its such a special moment! We should have the results from your first bloods tests back now and I would have discussed any concerns. If you did the first trimester screening then we will also have the results back from that.
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WOW! 20 weeks means technically half way through your pregnancy, that's wonderful. Movements are being felt regularly by most women now and energy has returned. This is a great time in pregnancy- the early discomforts have mostly subsided and the end of pregnancy discomforts and several months away from starting. Enjoy this time!
If you chose to have a 20 week anatomy scan then you will have seen some pretty amazing pictures of your little person. We have the 2nd routine antenatal blood test coming up & I will offer you screening for gestational diabetes. We will also discuss baby's expected normal movements in pregnancy, pre-eclampsia, & the MoH flu vaccination info.
Your bump is starting to grow and movements are becoming regular each day now. Your baby is beginning to hear your voice and your partners voice. I will offer you the second blood tests to check your iron levels among other things. Its really important to take the time to care for yourself with a good diet and plenty of water each day. If you haven't already, think about booking into antenatal classes.
You are almost into your final quarter of pregnancy! Its getting a bit real now & we are starting to look towards your birth and baby arriving. In the meantime its still really important to keep taking care of yourself, eating well, drinking plenty of water & getting some light exercise each day.
We will have your results back now from your second antenatal blood tests and gestational diabetes screening. Baby's movements should be regular each day. We have now start plotting your "fundal height" on your customised growth chart. This is getting exciting!
You've got that pregnancy glow thing happening now! There's a few things you need to start thinking about now like metabolic screening & hearing screening for baby and breastfeeding. Theres also some really important topics on keeping your baby safe like caring for your baby at night, coping with crying baby, safe sleeping, baby danger signs, childhood Immunisations.
Its getting real now! Your bump is much bigger and you might already be wanting to slow down a bit. The struggle is real with getting socks on! And on that note we need to think about a birthplan!
