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Prenatal Care Print E-mail

If you are an expat reading this, then you will probably come from a country where the medical system takes a more proactive approach to prenatal care in the the first trimester of pregnancy. In my home country of South Africa a woman is given a pregnancy test and general health advice by her doctor / obs / gynae, and a lot of information to take home and read once the pregnancy is confirmed at 5 or 6 weeks. Usually you are told to register with a midwife and your first appointment is towards the end of the first trimester.

Recently the issue of prenatal care has been given some attention and the government has decided that the costs of prenatal screening will be paid for by health insurance companies if the woman is 36 or over. The costs covered will be:

  • Extensive information pack and advice about prenatal screening
  • Combination test: nuchal fold scan and blood serum test
  • 20 week ultrasound scan

The Royal Dutch Organisation of Midwives website states that you can make an appointment with a midwife after week 6 of your pregnancy, and even before that if you have questions. Read our article about midwives to find out more.

Eating for Two

Even if you're not hungry, chances are your baby is, so try to eat every four hours. And if morning (or all-day) sickness, food aversions, heartburn, or indigestion make eating difficult then you may find that eating five or six small meals (in place of the usual three larger meals) is easier for you.

Summary of Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy
Food TypeReason to Avoid
Shark, swordfish or marlin. Potentially unsafe levels of naturally occurring mercury.
No more than four medium-size cans (140g) of tuna, or two fresh tuna steaks per week Potentially unsafe levels of naturally occurring mercury.
Raw seafood, such as oysters or uncooked sushi. Risk of contamination with coliform bacteria, toxoplasmosis, and salmonella.
Cheeses with a white, 'mouldy' rind (eg Brie and Camembert), blue-veined cheeses (eg Stilton) and unpasturised cream cheeses. These cheeses are more inclined to allow growth of bacteria, such as listeria, which can cause miscarriage, stillbirth or severe illness in a new-born baby.
Unpasturised goats milk. Risk of toxoplasmosis infection can cause serious problems including birth defects.
Pate, raw or undercooked meat, poultry, and eggs (cook all meat until there are no pink bits left and eggs till they are hard). All are possible sources of bacteria such as listeria, toxoplasmosis and salmonella that can harm your unborn child and even cause birth defects.
Liver and liver products (pate, liver sausage) should be avoided They may contain large amounts of the retinol form of vitamin A, too much of which could be bad for your developing baby.
Avoid or cut down on alcoholic drinks Drinking too much alcohol can cause physical defects, learning disabilities, and emotional problems in children. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) recommends that you drink no more than one or two units of alcohol, once or twice a week, when you are pregnant.
Cut down on caffeine. You may want to switch to decaf hot drinks and colas, instead. Research has linked consuming more than 300mg of caffeine a day with an increased risk of miscarriage and low birth weight.
Avoid unwashed fruit and vegetables. These are commonly contaminated with bacteria like E. coli.
Herbal teas. Large amounts of some herbal teas eg peppermint and red raspberry leaf, may cause contractions and increase the risk of miscarriage or preterm labour.
Vitamin Supplements
VitaminReason to take it ?
Folic acid Folic acid is known to prevent neural tube birth defects, such as spina bifida.
Iron If you don't have enough iron to produce haemoglobin for both of you, you may develop iron-deficiency anaemia.

Can I Take Multivitamins ?

ImageDavitamon Fem Natal vitamins contain folic acid and safe amounts of vitamins for use during pregnancy. They are available in Etos and all pharmacies.

 

Sources of information

The information in this article was obtained from the following sources: Royal Dutch Organisation of Midwives, babycentre.com, Pregnancy & Birth (UK magazine).
 
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