Prenatal care is a vital part of a healthy pregnancy, but it also plays an equally important role in preparing women for labour and delivery.
The primary focus of your maternity care will be ensuring your pregnancy and your growing baby are progressing normally. Throughout your pregnancy, you will have regular maternity care appointments to monitor the baby’s growth. During these appointments, medical staff will check your blood pressure and weight, listen to the baby’s heart and keep track of growth. They will also monitor your urine for the presence of elevated protein or sugar – both signs of pregnancy conditions that need to be addressed.
In addition to these regular appointments you will also have supplementary tests, screenings, and ultrasounds to monitor your health and that of the baby.
However, your maternity care appointments are also an opportunity to help prepare for your child’s eventual birth. Here are four ways the right maternity clinic in Calgary can help you be ready:
1. Connecting with a Prenatal Information Group
Prenatal classes are a rite of passage for new, and sometimes even experienced, moms-to-be. There is a lot of valuable information provided to both you and your partner in these classes, covering everything from bathing and feeding a newborn, to breathing and relaxation techniques to help during labour. It is also an excellent opportunity to meet other people in your local community who are expecting.
2. Familiarizing Yourself with the Delivery Team
Maternity care in Calgary is most commonly provided through a medical doctor, however, women do have the option of using a midwife instead. This choice will dictate in part who will make up your delivery team – all those who may be present during your delivery.
If you have chosen care through a maternity care clinic, this is your opportunity to meet the doctors who will be delivering your baby.
In addition to the birth team, you may also have a support person(s) present to help you throughout the labour and delivery. Some mothers also choose to hire a doula – a trained labour support partner – to assist. Your maternity care clinic can help advise you of all your options.
3. Creating Your Birth Plan
There will be a lot going on when labour begins, so coming into the process with a plan can make communicating your wishes with staff much easier. Your birth plan will begin with what type of birth you are choosing – at home or in hospital – and will continue to include your delivery preferences, pain relief options, comfort measures you want available, and a backup plan should changes to your original plan become necessary.
4. Preparing for Delivery
Along with creating a plan about how you want your delivery to go, it is also essential to understand the mechanics of how your delivery day will progress. From arriving at the hospital and what the room will be like, to what staff will be present and potential circumstances that may require additional medical intervention, the more you know about the labour and delivery process, the more prepared you can be.
Being prepared can significantly help reduce stress and anxiety the day of delivery. By knowing what to expect, you can fully concentrate on the task at hand – bringing your new baby into the world. Your maternity clinic in Calgary will not only follow you as you progress through your pregnancy, but they will also help to ensure a comfortable delivery.