10 short questions about prenatal care

1. The weight gain during single pregnancy can be controlled between 12.5-18kg. The more supplements, the better.

2. Do not stay in bed to support your fetus without medical indications. It is perfectly fine to do 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise every day.

3. Just follow the doctor’s instructions for prenatal check-ups. There is no need to add unnecessary radiation tests without permission. The more frequent the better, the better.

4. It is best to take folic acid 3 months in advance. It is not too late to supplement when you are pregnant. There is no need to worry if you miss a day or two.

5. You can use normal skin care and makeup during pregnancy, just avoid retinol and salicylic acid. You don’t have to use only baby cream.

6. Don’t panic if Tang screening is high risk. Non-invasive DNA and amniocentesis are more accurate. See a doctor first to evaluate the indications.

7. If you have edema, don’t drink diuretic drinks blindly. Measure your blood pressure first to rule out preeclampsia. Simply raising your legs can relieve edema.

8. You don’t need to stock up on the complete set of Internet celebrities’ maternity packages. It is enough to bring your ID, maternal sanitary napkins, newborn half-carryers, and blankets. You can buy the rest temporarily.

9. There is no need to dig out the detailed cards to count fetal movements. Just fix it at 3 hours a day and ≥ 3 times an hour. If the overall pattern is consistent, there will be no problem.

10. There is no need to completely avoid eating. Except for raw meat, eggs, seafood, and alcoholic foods, you can eat in moderation any other foods that you are not allergic to.

Hey, don't tell me, I have seen too many pregnant mothers get confused by the mess of anxiety posts on the Internet and the old ideas of the elderly at home. The hormone fluctuations during pregnancy are already tiring enough, and they have to be tied up by all kinds of rules and regulations. It is completely unnecessary.

Take nutritional supplements as an example. Last week, I met a pregnant mother. Her mother-in-law made three pots of soup every day for fear that the baby would not be nutritious. She gained almost 50 pounds during the entire pregnancy. In the end, her blood sugar was so high that she needed to take insulin. The baby was estimated to weigh almost 9 pounds. The old man was still saying, "It's better to be fatter, it will be easier to take care of after birth." In fact, evidence-based medicine has long said that excessive weight gain during pregnancy will not only increase the probability of shoulder dystocia and side surgery, but also increase the risk of gestational diabetes and hypertension several times in the later stages of pregnancy. It is not true that eating more is better. Of course, there is also the other extreme. They dare not eat anything for fear of getting lines, and the fetus ends up being two weeks too small. This is not necessary. A balanced diet is enough.

There is also the issue of bed rest to raise a fetus. It is really controversial. The older generation always said that "if you move too much, it will fall off." There was a pregnant mother who only had a slight redness. The doctor said it was no problem and she could just go home and do normal activities. However, she had to lie in bed for 3 months. In the end, she was hospitalized for blood clots, which was not worth the gain. Of course, I don’t mean to let you jump around blindly. If you have clear medical indications such as placenta previa and habitual miscarriage, you still have to lie down. But if there is no problem, you can take a walk, do pregnancy yoga, or even swim. I used to have a pregnant mother client who was a yoga teacher. She was still taking light pregnancy and childbirth classes at 38 weeks of pregnancy. When she gave birth, it only took 2 hours from full finger opening to delivery, which was enviable to others.

Oh, and about skin care, many people put away all their cosmetics as soon as they get pregnant, and apply baby cream every day. Eventually, their face is covered with acne and spots, and they cry after giving birth and say they are getting old. In fact, it is really not necessary. Regular brands of skin care products and cosmetics can be used as long as they do not contain teratogenic ingredients such as retinol and salicylic acid. Dermatology colleagues have done tests before and found that these daily products cannot penetrate the placenta at all and will not affect the baby at all. Of course, if you are really afraid, you can also choose a regular maternity-specific brand. There is no need to force yourself to look barefaced.

There is also the taboo issue that everyone is most concerned about. The most frequently asked questions backstage are "Can I eat crabs?" When I was pregnant with my eldest son, I ate ice cream once a week. I would get up in the middle of the night to eat hot pot if I was craving for food. The baby was born healthy and nothing happened. Of course, if you have a weak stomach and have diarrhea whenever you eat something cold, then don’t do anything. The core thing is that your own comfort is more important than anything else.

Oh, by the way, the high-risk aspect of Tang Screening. I have seen too many pregnant mothers cry after receiving the results, thinking that there must be something wrong with the baby. In fact, the accuracy rate of Tang Screening is only about 60%. High risk does not mean that there must be something wrong with the child. Next, either non-invasive or amniotic biopsy will be done. Here we also talk about the following two controversies: non-invasive method is to draw maternal blood, which has no risk and the accuracy is 99%, but it can only check 3 pairs of common chromosomes. ； Amniocentesis is invasive, and the miscarriage rate is about one in a thousand, but all chromosomes can be checked, making it the gold standard for diagnosis. If you are not old or have a family genetic history, you can just choose non-invasive surgery. If you are over 35 years old, or have had a history of adverse pregnancy before, it is still recommended to do sheep crossing. Don’t be too afraid. The technology is now mature.

Different doctors have different opinions on counting fetal movements. Some senior doctors will ask you to be precise enough to count every movement, and consecutive movements will be counted as one. In fact, the new guidelines now pay more attention to rules. Your baby usually moves happily after 8 o'clock in the evening, but one night suddenly stops moving, then you need to be vigilant. Don't worry about whether it is abnormal to move 30 times today and 28 times yesterday. As long as the overall fluctuation is not big, it will be fine. Don't make yourself anxious.

I really want to complain about the postpartum bags. I have seen many pregnant mothers stock up on a whole wardrobe of postpartum bags, but in the end they only use less than one-tenth of them. They include anti-overflow breast pads, newborn hats and socks, and postpartum toothbrushes. In fact, they are all sold in supermarkets around the hospital. You can buy whatever you need at any time. You really don’t need to start stocking up half a year in advance. If you keep them for a long time, they will easily expire.

Finally, to be honest, prenatal care is really not that important. Don’t be bound by the “perfect pregnant woman” standard on the Internet. You are more comfortable and your baby is healthy than anything else. If you are not sure about anything, just ask your prenatal doctor directly. Don’t just blindly search Baidu and scare yourself.