Why Prenatal Care is Super Important: A Guide to St. George Prenatal Care

Whether this is your first baby or your 6th, we’re glad you are taking the time to learn why prenatal care is important for you and your baby. We’re going to be covering the many reasons why finding a provider is important and how you can find a St. George Prenatal Care physician. 

Catching the Little Hiccups Early On:

St. George Prenatal care helps to spot if anything’s off track with the baby or the pregnancy. And the sooner you know, the better you can handle it. Some women love to get an appointment scheduled as soon as they see those 2 positive pregnancy lines. Other women will sometimes wait until 12 -16 weeks. There is no right or wrong time but you really need to have that prenatal care so that your provider can make sure everything is going good with your pregnancy.

Some providers will also get full and not be able to take new patients. So if you’ve had your eye on a certain physician, you might want to call as soon as you can!

Eating Right (And Why It’s Not Just About Ice Cream Cravings):

Pregnancy is basically the ultimate growth spurt! You are growing a whole human! The first 12 weeks (and sometimes longer) can be hard to make sure you’re getting all the nutrients your body needs because you have morning sickness. 

Your provider should be able to help you navigate that but here are some helpful tips:

1. Make sure you’re each meal has protein
2. Eat little meals throughout the day
3. Try to eat a little something as soon as you wake up

If you suffer from hyperemesis (severe morning sickness) you will work with your provider to assess if you need medication or frequent hydrating IVs. They will guide you on how to still get the nutrients your body needs to grow your baby. 

It’s also important to take a prenatal vitamin. A lot of the time we think we’re taking a prenatal vitamin so that our baby gets good vitamins, it’s actually for OUR body. The baby will get the vitamins and minerals it needs but it’s taking it from YOU! So make sure to replenish those vitamins so you feel good Mama!

Keeping Tabs on Your Little One

With prenatal care, you get to see and hear your baby even before they arrive. Each appointment your St. George Prenatal Care provider will check for the baby’s heartbeat and check the growth of your belly, which is also called fundal height. It is the measurement from the pubic bone to the top of the uterus. If anything looks or sounds off with the baby, your provider can call for further tests.

Another way to keep tabs is Ultrasounds. Sometimes doctors will confirm a pregnancy with ultrasounds and then there is also a 20 week anatomy growth ultrasound to just make sure the baby is growing correctly and at the right pace. They might change your due date based on these ultrasound results.

Educating for delivery and postpartum

Your provider should point you to ways you can prepare for labor. Whether that be books or articles or even local classes! If you have any questions about procedures (like delayed cord clamping or vaccines) your provider should provide you with resources so that you can educate yourself and make an informed decision!

They can also address any common concerns or fears and then also talk to you about postpartum care and how you can prepare for successful breastfeeding if that’s what you want. 

If your provider is NOT answering your questions with this, please reach out so that we can help you be educated and informed in these decisions!

You should also talk to your provider about your birth plan and birth preferences BEFORE you are in labor! They should be able to know what is important to you and how they can support you in those things, and also speak to you about possible scenarios that you might have to deviate from the birth plan a little. 

Prenatal Care monitors the risk of Pregnancy-Related Health Issues

Because being pregnant puts our body into high gear, prenatal care is super important to make sure our bodies are functioning at their best. Sometimes when we are pregnant our body may develop certain chronic conditions like gestational diabetes or high blood pressure. It’s important to monitor things like this. We want to have a healthy mama who is ready to deliver her baby. Some providers may prescribe medication, but that’s why you need to talk to your provider about options available to you!

Conclusion:

Regular Prenatal check-ups are so important for both Mama and Baby. When you do regular prenatal care you are prioritizing not only your health but also the health of your baby!

We encourage you to seek guidance from healthcare professionals in the area for your St. George Prenatal care. If you want further info on choosing a provider, please read our blog post “Choosing a Provider”. It has detailed questions you can ask your provider so you can find the one that is a best fit for you!