Once pregnant, Beyond IVF’s antenatal care services are here to provide the best care for you and your growing baby. Our Doctor will schedule ultrasounds to monitor your baby’s progress, along with dispensing the necessary medications and supplements to support your pregnancy.
What is antenatal care?
Antenatal care (ANC) involves visiting your obstetrician regularly to monitor your pregnancy and it starts from when you find out you are pregnant.
The doctor will give you instructions on caring for yourself during pregnancy, answer any questions you have, examine both you and your baby, and prescribe vitamins and supplements as appropriate for your pregnancy.
The importance of antenatal care
Our Doctor will be with you through every step of your pregnancy, which makes regularly scheduled antenatal care appointments an important part of you and your baby’s health.
In addition to ultrasounds and blood tests, our Doctor will continually provide advice and encouragement every step of the way, including through delivery at one of our partner hospitals.
Regular antenatal care begins with establishing a relationship with an obstetrician who will support you through your pregnancy to ensure that you and your baby are healthy. If any problems are discovered, your obstetrician can treat them as quickly as possible. Furthermore, if an emergency should arise, you know that you have a trusted doctor on your team.
Your doctor will monitor your baby’s health as well as yours, both physical and emotional.
1. To ensure that your pregnancy is progressing normally
Your obstetrician will ensure that your pregnancy is progressing normally while screening for certain complications, such as preeclampsia, anemia, syphilis, AIDS, etc. The doctor will also use ultrasound to check on your baby’s health. This allows the doctor to plan treatment if needed. For example, if you are anemic, the doctor that can prescribe supplements to increase your hemoglobin levels.
2. To prevent or manage complications for both you and baby
With regular antenatal care, complications can be prevented or managed so both you and your baby are as healthy as possible during pregnancy and through childbirth. (In some cases, this may include preventing or treating infection or postpartum hemorrhage.)
3. To decreases the occurrence of miscarriage
Regular antenatal care also decreases the occurrence of miscarriage, premature birth, fetal death, and stillbirth, as well as infection in the baby after birth.
4. To monitor your baby’s growth
Antenatal care is also about monitoring your baby’s growth to ensure that they are growing well and gaining optimal weight.
The documents required for antenatal care
Before Your First Visit
To begin antenatal care, please bring your ID card or passport and any relevant medical records, especially if you have been pregnant before.
Your doctor will also ask you about your health and pregnancy history, including any allergies you have and all medications and supplements you are currently taking.
It is important you choose a hospital or clinic that is close to your home for convenience in traveling for appointments and in case of emergencies. Choose a doctor that you feel you can trust while making sure they have the qualifications and experience to support you through both a healthy pregnancy and a high-risk one.
Finally, depending on your budget and your preference, you may choose between a public hospital, a private hospital, or a medical clinic.
How to prepare for 1st antenatal visit?
It is important you see a doctor as soon as you suspect or realize you are pregnant as the first trimester is an important and vulnerable period during pregnancy. Your obstetrician will not only confirm pregnancy, but make sure the fetus is growing where it should. Early antenatal care will help you plan for the healthiest pregnancy possible.
When should I start antenatal care?
Expectant mothers should schedule an antenatal care appointment the moment they know they are pregnant, or no later than 12 weeks after conception, especially for mothers’ entering advanced fertility age (34 and beyond).
Antenatal care procedure
1. Doctor Consultation
An initial consultation will provide our Doctor with a clear picture of your medical and reproductive history.
2. Prenatal Checkup
An initial health check, along with key blood tests (glucose, various hormones).
3. Ultrasound
An initial ultrasound to monitor the baby’s health, growth and development.
4. Prescribe Medications and Supplements
If required, the doctor will prescribe required medications and may recommend antenatal-specific supplements.
5. Schedule Follow-up Appointments
Depending on the results of the first check-up, the doctor will schedule follow-up appointments as required.
Follow-up antenatal care plan
1. The 1st trimester of pregnancy
First Trimester (0-14 weeks)
At your first appointment you will have an ultrasound to confirm your pregnancy and ensure that the fetus is in your uterus. (An ectopic pregnancy—a pregnancy outside your uterus—is life-threatening and must be treated immediately.)
The doctor will also visualize the other organs in your pelvis, such as your uterus and ovaries. At about 10-13 weeks of gestation, another ultrasound is done along with blood tests to screen for chromosomal abnormalities in the fetus and preeclampsia in you.
2. The 2nd trimester of pregnancy
Second Trimester (14-28 weeks)
Between 18-22 weeks an important ultrasound is done (anomaly or anatomy scan) to examine the following:
- Skull and brain
- Facial features: eyes, palate, lips
- Lungs, chambers and vessels of the heart, circulatory system
- Stomach, intestines, kidneys, bladder
- Sex
- Skeletal system, including the spine, bones of the arms and legs, bones of the fingers and toes
- Amount of amniotic fluid
- Baby’s weight
- Location of the placenta and umbilical cord
Abnormalities that can be detected in the second trimester include cleft lip and palate, problems with the brain and heart, and a low-lying placenta. If your obstetrician suspects any issues with you or your baby, additional testing will be recommended, such as amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling (CVS).
These tests are highly accurate in diagnosing chromosomal abnormalities in the baby. You will also need to see a maternal-fetal medicine specialist who is an expert in high-risk pregnancies as well as other specialists (as appropriate) for more specific antenatal care and support and planning for childbirth and the postpartum.
3. The 3rd trimester of pregnancy
Third Trimester (28 weeks-birth)
In the third trimester the doctor will assess the baby’s weight and their position in the uterus as well as amniotic fluid volume and the position of the placenta. These factors help the doctor recommend the best plan for birth.
The doctor will also continue assessing the baby’s health for any complications that may arise in the third trimester.
Tips for choosing your antenatal clinic
Choosing Your Antenatal Clinic
It is recommended that you choose a hospital that is close to your home or work for convenience in traveling and in case of emergencies.
If you can have antenatal care at a hospital where your medical records are, that’s even better, as your doctor will then have access to your medical history, including any conditions you have been treated for, any allergies you have, and any medications that you are taking.
If you have been pregnant before you may choose to see the obstetrician that you are already familiar with.
Antenatal care services at Beyond IV
Antenatal Care at Beyond IVF
Before we established our clinic for the treatment of infertility, we thoroughly studied pregnancy. We also have an experienced obstetrician in our resident doctor, Dr. Phunsak Suchonwanit, who has more than 20 years of experience supporting families through pregnancy and childbirth.
He is not only a specialist in infertility, but he also provides antenatal care and support birth at some of Bangkok’s leading international hospitals.
Beyond IVF is well equipped to provide antenatal care that meets international standards and includes all recommended ultrasounds and blood tests, be it for gestational diabetes, anemia, and preeclampsia. We also offer the most current genetic screenings in pregnancy to rule out chromosomal abnormalities in the fetus.
Antenatal care at Beyond IVF does not follow a standard package and we tailor our care so it is specific to our clients, depending on their health needs. You may need or choose closer monitoring or opt for a more standard approach—Beyond IVF is here to help you navigate pregnancy to make sure that you and your baby are healthy and happy.
FAQs
How many antenatal visits do I need?
Throughout your pregnancy, on average, you will see your doctor 10-11 times. You may see your doctor more often if complications arise or additional monitoring is required. Your obstetrician will determine the appropriate number of visits required, as well as how they are scheduled, to ensure that everyone is healthy.
What if I don’t see a doctor during my pregnancy?
Without antenatal care you are unable to monitor your baby’s growth and health and you will not receive screening for complications that can occur during pregnancy that can impact your health and your baby’s health as well as childbirth. Some of these complications are life-threatening for you and/or your baby.
To learn more about antenatal care
Antenatal care is an essential part of pregnancy and is more than simple examinations of the pregnant person and baby. There are detailed tests and scans involved that help monitor the health and growth of the baby as well as the health of the pregnancy.
If you have any questions or concerns about your pregnancy or if you would like to know more about the antenatal services at Beyond IVF, please contact us on Line at @beyondivf