Women encouraged to start antenatal classes early

Kwatsaduza – Pregnant women are encouraged to attend antenatal care as soon as the pregnancy is diagnosed.

Medical practitioners say the time at which to start antenatal care should not be no later than 20 weeks.

Student nurse Khutso Motloutsi says if a woman visits a clinic early on in her pregnancy, the information gathered will be more accurate, which means that interventions can take place to identify factors associated with adverse outcomes for the mother and foetus.

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“To identify some of the risk factors that arise during pregnancies, antenatal classes can be beneficial.

“The medical practitioner will do ultrasounds at 12 weeks and 20 weeks to identify most fetal abnormalities.

“The triple test at 16 weeks will screen for open neural tube abnormalities and Down syndrome.

“Other conditions such as HIV, syphilis, multiple pregnancies and anemia can be identified at an early stage of the pregnancy and the appropriate care can be instituted.”

Khutso says through the clinic visits, they will able to measure uterus enlargement greater than the 90 percentile symphysis-fundal (SF) height.

“The uterus growing under the 10 percentile symphysis-fundal height, breech or transverse lie at term, the extensive valval warts that may obstruct vaginal delivery can also be monitored.

“They will also be able to identify pregnancies which go beyond 41 weeks, abnormal glucose screening, glucose tolerance test and reduced fetal movements after 28 weeks,” she adds.

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Another student nurse, Beauty Motsamai, says some of the consequences of pregnancy include, among others, headaches, impaired vision, blurriness, seeing stars or dots, abdominal pain in the epigastric region/fundus, vaginal bleeding, reduced fetal movements, contractions and vomiting.

Beauty adds that some of the benefits of antenatal clinic attendance are to improve the level of contact between the medical practitioners and pregnant women for early identification and management of problems.

“Reduce work load through focused planning and interventions and improve chances of a good outcome of pregnancy through a structural standardised programme that leads itself to auditing the quality of care rendered.

“Free iron supplements, HIV medication provision, antenatal classes, exercises, birth plan physical assessment for early detection of abnormalities and provision of support and appropriate referrals and counseling about abortions and family planning can be done at the clinic.

“Pregnant women will also be educated about a healthy diet for healthy fetal development and the danger signs of pregnancy to prevent maternal or fetal mortality.

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