While you are pregnant everything you eat, drink and even do can have an effect on your baby. It's incredibly important to take care of yourself during this time to ensure that your child is growing and developing and will be ready to take on the world. This is where prenatal care comes in.
Promoting your child's health starts with choosing a doctor. If you've had a baby before, you may want to use the same obstetrician as your last delivery. Or maybe it's your first time and you'd rather see a midwife. Explore your options and decide what's right for your growing family.
During your pregnancy, you'll have the opportunity to take prenatal tests to determine factors like whether your child may have Down syndrome or another chromosomal abnormality. These tests are optional, but many doctors recommend them. If you choose to take blood tests, it's important to know what to expect. You may also undergo amniocentesis tests.
Ultrasounds are a major part of prenatal care that helps health care practitioners study babies' development. Your first ultrasound will likely happen the day you visit a doctor to confirm your pregnancy. You'll have several ultrasounds between then and your due date to keep an eye on the baby. These are exciting appointments where family members get their first glimpses of their little ones and can even hear the heartbeat. Many people keep and frame their ultrasound images as a wonderful keepsake of their pregnancy and birth.
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What Prenatal Tests Should I Expect?
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Amniocentesis Tests: What To Expect
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What To Expect From Prenatal Ultrasounds
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