The Antenatal Care Team
While you're pregnant you will normally see a small number of healthcare professionals, led by your midwife or doctor, on a regular basis. They want to make you feel as comfortable as possible with your care while you're pregnant and when you have your baby.
Below are the people you’re most likely to meet. Some may have students with them who are being trained, and you'll be asked if you mind them being present.
Screening and Routine Tests
Screening tests and routine tests aim to detect a disease or condition in the early stages before it causes significant problems, and where treatment can be offered. The potential benefits of a screening test should outweigh any possible risks from the test. I have included screening and routine testing in the same category is because whilst doing my research I found that screening tests and routine tests had the same information with a few exceptions.
If you are otherwise healthy, other physical examinations are not routinely done. For example, routine vaginal or breast examinations used to be done in the past, but are not necessary.
A repeat blood test at about 28 weeks is usually offered to re-check for anaemia and red cell antibodies.
An ultrasound scan is a safe and painless test which uses sound waves to create images of structures inside your body such as an unborn baby.
Diagnostic Testing
What is involved in diagnostic test in early pregnancy and what does it involve?
This is a diagnostic test which can tell you for certain whether your baby has Down’s syndrome or another genetic abnormality. The test can’t tell you whether your baby has spine bifida.
This is also a diagnostic test. It can tell you for certain whether your baby has Down’s syndrome or another genetic abnormality or spine bifida.
Positives and Negatives of Testing
There are many positives and negatives in all different types of testing. I have included them because then you can choose yourself if you think the benefits or the tests outweigh the risks of the tests or the other way round.
Problems that occur during pregnancy
Rhesus Negative
Early in your pregnancy your blood will be tested to determine your blood type and your Rh status — that is, whether you have the Rh (Rhesus) factor, a protein that most people have on the surface of their red blood cells. If you do have the Rh factor, as most people do, your status is Rh-positive. If you don't have it, you're Rh-negative, and you'll need to take certain precautions during your pregnancy If you're Rh-negative, there's a good chance that your blood is incompatible with your baby's blood, which is likely to be Rh-positive. You probably won't know this for sure until the baby is born, but in most cases you have to assume it, just to be safe.
Pre-eclampsia
Pre-eclampsia is a condition that pregnant women can get. It is marked by accompanied with a high level of protein in the urine. Women with preeclampsia will often also have , and hands. Preeclampsia, when present, usually appears during the second half of , generally in the latter part of the second or in the third trimesters, although it can occur earlier.
Anaemia
Anaemia is a condition of too few red blood cells, or a lowered ability of the red blood cells to carry oxygen or iron. Tissue enzymes dependent on iron can affect cell function in nerves and muscles. The foetus is dependent on the mother's blood and anaemia can cause poor foetal growth, preterm birth, and low birth weight. There are different types of anaemia.
What is recommended throughout the pregnancy?
Diet
Eating a balanced diet during pregnancy can help to protect the health of you and your baby. It's also a good idea to eat healthily if you're trying for a baby because a healthy pregnancy starts well before conception. The average weight gain in 10 to 12 kg and the women should only increase the number of calories per day to 300.
Pregnant women should drink about 1.2 litters of water and fruit juices very day.
Folic Acid
Folic acid is important to protect your unborn baby from neural tube defects such as spine bifida. Folic acid is a B vitamin. It occurs naturally in foods such as beans and pulses (e.g. chickpeas, lentils), green vegetables, and yeast and beef extracts. Some foods are also fortified with folic acid (this means they have folic acid added to them), such as certain breads and breakfast cereals. Check the labels on the packaging. Products with extra folic acid should display a round symbol with the letter F in the centre.
Analysis and evaluation of secondary research
After doing my secondary research i have learnt that there are three different types of antenatal tests: routine screening and diagnostic tests. At the front of my research pack I shall include a brief summary of what antenatal care is, the antenatal team and what expectant mothers should expect. The main purpose of antenatal care is to reduce maternal and infant deaths and to know the antenatal care is positive experience during the pregnancy where the mother and father can bond with their child.
I think that routine tests are the most important tests because they are carried out on all pregnant women and are more regular. The routine tests that I found were: uterus test, urine test, blood test, height and weight test and blood pressure testing. I researched these routine tests in depth and have therefore included this in my research pack.
Having the uterus checked is the most important for pregnant women in my opinion, this is because the doctor can check how big the foetus is and from finding out how big the foetus is, this can tell you a lot of things; when the baby is due and if it has any problems while developing. The urine test is also important as the tests that are done can show potential problems that may occur or that may have already occurred whilst carrying the baby. Blood tests can show a variety of information and a number of problems or general genetics/DNA can be found. Finally, to check the height, weight and blood pressure of the mother. There are a number of reasons why these are all done: to make sure the foetus is growing at a healthy rate and the mother is gaining weight healthily. During these tests pre-eclampsia can be detected if the mother has high blood pressure. I think all of this information is necessary and important in caring for a expectant mother therefore I have included it in my information pack.
Researching screening tests showed me that there is four types of tests done this include: ultra sound, alpha-fetoprotein, and Nuchal fold and serum test. I found that only someone women will receive these tests however all women receive ultrasound. I felt it was important to include all of the tests still because I believe the expectant mother should be aware of what tests she is receiving.
I believe the ultrasound is one of the most important tests that can be done; this is because lots of important data can be gathered. During the experience of having and ultra sound it allows the mother and father bond with their child, especially at the first test, where they will see the child for the first time.
Even though I found that not all women have to diagnostic tests, I still felt it was important and necessary to include the information. The diagnostic test that I found was the most common out of the diagnostic tests was the amniocenteses. By having this test lots of information can be discovered about the baby, at a reasonably early sage 16-18 weeks.
As I gathered all the secondary information I researched I found that all of the testing that can be done is necessary and will be included into my research pack. I would like to offer pregnant women as much as information as possible about antenatal care and therefore any information that I found, I included in a lot of detail. It is important that the expectant mother and father knows about antenatal care and the befits to help them have a healthy and happy pregnancy so they can have a healthy child.
Primary research
The primary research I have done has been useful to help me find out about what mothers think of antenatal care, the different types of testes they received during the antenatal care visits and the care that was offered to help the expectant mother through her pregnancy. The reasons I am including why and how I have done Primary research is because this makes it clear I have used different types of methods to explore antenatal care.
The research I found was by mothers that have experienced the care first hand.
I visited doctor’s surgeries to look at booklets and magazines.
I interviewed mothers so I could get full information on what they experienced.
I also did a questionnaire as a quick method to get an overview of what the mother experienced whilst having antenatal care.
Interview by a mother
Visit to Doctors Surgery
Questionnaire
Please circle you answer
1. How old were you when you had a child?
Under 20 20-25 25-30 30-35 over 35
2. Did you decide to have antenatal care?
Yes / No
3. If you received antenatal care, where did you go?
4. Did you receive useful information about being pregnant?
Yes/ No
5. How often did you receive the care?
Every week
6. Who were you seen by?
Midwife/ Doctor/ Other
If other please state
7. Which of the following screening tests did you receive? Please tick
Blood pressure Urine Test
wi Weight Uterus Checked
8. Did you receive any screening tests? If so please state
9. Were the outcomes accurate?
Yes No
9 part 2. If problems were detected, did you receive any diagnostic test? If so please state.
10. Would you recommend antenatal care? If so why?
Analysis of the Questionnaires I took
I am analysing this data by using a graphs to represent what information I have found whilst doing the questionnaires. Below are the graphs, you can now see what information I gathered. I gave out 5 questionnaires the mothers of different ages and opinions. This is what they thought.....
Question 1
This graph tells me that the most common age to have a child would be 25-30 years old.
Question 2
All of the women I gave a questionnaire to decided to have antenatal care.
Question 3
By analysing this graph, I found that most of the women went to both hospital and doctors, the rest just went to hospital.
Question 4
I would have expected all of the women to receive useful information about pregnant. However one of the women I gave a questionnaire to did not receive useful information.
Question 5
It is apparent to me now the you receive antenatal care every 4 weeks. Unless it has been told otherwise by the midwife or doctor.
Question 6
It is normal to see both doctor and midwife however the small percentage of women who seen other asked who.
The outcome was; paediatrician.
Question 7
This shows me that it is very common to have all of these tests.
Question 8
This tells me that to most common screening test to have is regular scans.
Question 9
This shows me that there is more positive outcomes than negative outcomes.
Question 9 part 2
I asked the women to state what type of diagnostic test they received if anything was detected.
The outcome was; amniocentesis.
Fortunately most of the women o gave a questionnaire to, did not have to have diagnostic test bar 1.
Question 10
All of the women I asked recommended antenatal care. They wrote in there answers that it was reassuring to know both herself and the baby was ok. They also said that I helped them have a happy and healthy pregnancy.
Analysing Primary Research
Analysing a leaflet
Above I printed a copy of a leaflet and annotated it by labelling and explain the aspects of the leaflet. I did this so it would help me construct my leaflet.
By annotating this leaflet about scans it helped me with ideas that I can include in my leaflet. The ideas that I can include are to make sure that I make the information precise and clear. I want to make the information accurate and correct information and make an easy read so that it won’t take much time to read. I would like to interact with the readers and whilst being formal and use language that any ability can use. The font I use has to be easy to read and make sure the colours are constant.
What I will include in my leaflet
