The Spanish Society of Gynecology and Obstetrics drafted in 2010 some minimum control guidelines for normal pregnancy. Here you will find a summary of the most important points.
Consultations and ultrasound scans
The correct control of pregnancy must be: “early, periodic, complete and of quality”. For this, it is necessary that the first visit is made before the 10th week, and between 7 and 10 visits are recommended on average during pregnancy. They are recommended every 4 to 6 weeks until week 36, weekly until week 40 and from then on, 2 or 3 per week until the end of the pregnancy.
At the first visit, a medical history is taken, a sample is taken for cytology (if the last one is not recent enough) and an inquiry is made about possible risks in the pregnancy. In successive consultations, the growth of the abdomen, the evolution of the mother’s weight, blood pressure and blood tests are evaluated, which will be at least three during the pregnancy.
As for ultrasound examinations, the minimum is one in the 12th week, another in the 20th week and the third around the 34th week. Each of these moments is ideal for assessing different data.
Healthy habits
The times of consultation with the obstetrician for pregnancy control should be used to explain to the woman what precautions she should take. This is the most ideal time of life to establish healthy habits, correct nutrition and moderate physical activity.
The ideal is to have at least 5 meals a day, which are not copious so as not to make digestion more difficult, with 5 pieces of fruit or vegetables daily and abundant fluid intake. It is important to emphasize the need to consume dairy products (between half a liter and a liter of milk daily, preferably skimmed), to control the consumption of saturated fats and oils and, of course, to avoid tobacco and alcohol.
Some women should be especially cautious with animal meats. Those who do not have immunity to toxoplasma should avoid raw meats that have not been frozen for at least 24 hours, including cured meats. Fruit and vegetables should be washed carefully, but it is not necessary to use any specific product. Lastly, fish should always be frozen for at least 24 hours to avoid possible cases of anisakis.
It is important that pregnant women do not forget the flu vaccine during the vaccination season.
Other advice
It is important that the obstetrician informs the pregnant woman of the things that should worry her and take her to seek urgent care. To highlight, persistent headaches, vaginal bleeding that does not disappear with rest, fever or intense pain in the abdomen. In the third trimester, you should be alert if intermittent pain reminiscent of menstruation appears and if you have not felt any fetal movements for 24 hours.
Don’t forget to write down all the questions you have between visits so that you won’t forget any of them when you see your obstetrician again.