Antenatal, Intrapartum, and Postnatal Care

What is antenatal, intrapartum, and postnatal care?

Antenatal care, also known as prenatal care, takes into account the medical checkups, advice, screening and monitoring of a woman and her baby during pregnancy.

Intrapartum care is given from the onset of labor until the birth of the baby and the delivery of the placenta.

Postnatal care, also known as postpartum care, occurs from the baby’s birth until six to eight weeks after the birth.

Our obstetricians at Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre are available to care for mothers-to-be, pregnant mothers, and mothers with newborns.

What antenatal, intrapartum, and postnatal care services are provided to women and families?

An obstetrician is present throughout pregnancy, birth, and post-delivery to provide medical care and advice.

Antenatal care includes:
– Regular checkups to monitor the health of mother and baby, including ultrasounds, measurements, tests.
– Prenatal testing to identify any complications or defects in the baby’s development or the mother’s health (such as diabetes, high blood pressure or infections).
– Providing advice on diet, exercise, lifestyle changes.
– Listening to your concerns and answering your questions.
– Preparing you for the reality of labor and birth.

Intrapartum care includes:
– Care during labor.
– Monitoring of the mother and baby at regular intervals.
– Delivery of baby and placenta.

Postnatal care includes:
– Follow up care of mother, physical and mental health management.
– Careful monitoring of baby’s development until 8 weeks post-delivery.

When should you see an obstetrician for antenatal, intrapartum, and postnatal care?

A pregnant woman will have the choice of seeing an obstetrician for the duration of her pregnancy. If she is older, or at risk of complications or just prefers to be accompanied by a specialist obstetrician, she will be referred by her primary doctor.

An obstetrician provides personalized care from the very beginning of pregnancy until at least 8 weeks after the birth of the baby.

Did you know?

Higher levels of physical activity before pregnancy or in early pregnancy are associated with a significantly lower risk of developing gestational diabetes during pregnancy. ¹

How can you maintain or improve your reproductive health?

During all stages of your pregnancy, you will need to take extra care of your health. The state of your general physical and mental health will have an impact on your experience of pregnancy, and may also impact your baby. Your obstetrician will advise you on healthy diet and lifestyle changes including vitamin supplements and a sensible approach to staying fit. The following tips are also important to take keep in mind:

– Eat a balanced diet.
– Remain active, without exercising intensively.
– Maintain a healthy weight.
– Avoid smoking, drinking alcohol or other drugs.
– Keep stress to a minimum.
– Drink plenty of water.
– Get enough sleep.
– Avoid hazards such as pesticides, herbicides or industrial chemicals.
– Seek medical advice if you have the smallest concern.

What facilities and technologies do specialists use for antenatal, intrapartum, and postnatal care?

To provide quality patient care and recovery results for our patients, our obstetricians work together with nurses, midwives and potentially other health professionals. This team approach is family-centered and each pregnancy and birth plan is tailored to suit the needs of the mother and baby.

Our specialists also research and adapt the latest techniques to each pregnancy, to be ready for any eventuality or complication.

Through continuous care and management, our obstetricians monitor the mother’s health and the baby’s development. Pre-natal screening is performed to identify any potential problems related to the development or health of the baby.

Our team is dedicated to personalised medical care and to ensuring that our patients feel reassured and comfortable at every step of their pregnancy journey. Our goal is the best possible outcome for mother and baby.

[1] Tobias DK, Zhang C, van Dam RM, Bowers K, Hu FB. Physical activity before and during pregnancy and risk of gestational diabetes mellitus: a meta-analysis. Diabetes Care. 2011 Jan;34(1):223-9.