Are you feeling fatigued and weary during pregnancy? Does it not seem like the magical time of your life? The various bodily changes and innumerable doctor visits could be overwhelming and daunting at times. As soon as the pregnancy test at home shows positive results, there are a number of decisions to be made and too much information to absorb. As you begin to comb through maternity blogs week by week, you will find tons of information on what to eat, how to exercise, not to mention, the number of tests and examinations that you must undergo to give birth to a healthy child. The mother’s wishes are often drowned out by the influx of often unsolicited information offered by neighborhood aunts and relatives, as soon as the positive pregnancy test at home is made public.
Tests and Examinations to be Conducted
The plethora of tests and examinations to be conducted may seem daunting at first. Read on to know a compilation of mandatory tests that should not be missed. Apart from tests, you must try to be cheerful. Too much stress could harm your baby.
Pre-Conception Tests
If you are struggling to get pregnant, consider an online fertile window calculator. It calculates the time of the month when you are most fertile to speed up the pregnancy process. When you are planning to get pregnant, or have just detected pregnancy, please get a genetic prognosis. It is also known as carrier genetic testing. It is done to detect if any of the parents are carriers of any serious disease. The most crucial indicators in CBC test results are haemoglobin, hematocrit, and platelets. Anemia results would have to be treated with medicines and a proper diet. The platelet count is essential to determine that there won’t be too much blood loss during pregnancy.
Early First Trimester Tests
The Rhesus factor (Rh factor) test looks for a protein in red blood cells. If the father has it, while the mother lacks the protein, there would be complications, as the babay’s blood mixing with the mother’s would fight with that protein. The condition is termed as hemolytic anemia. It is also important to test for sexually transmitted diseases like HIV/AIDS, syphillis, herpes, chlamydia, gonorrhea, Hepatitis B and C, and so on.
Testing at 8 Weeks
Your baby must build immunity against the Rubella virus, that is responsible for causing German measles. It could lead to a number of birth defects. You could get tested before contraception, or around 8 weeks of pregnancy. Chromosomal Microarray (CMA) tests are also done during this period.
Testing at 10-12 Weeks
CVS testing is recommended for women above 35. It helps to detect chromosomal abnormalities. There is a chance of miscarriage, if such defects are detected.
Testing at 12th Week
A fetal ultrasound test is crucial to check the baby’s heartbeat and plan the gestational age of the baby. It helps in planning pre-natal care and calculating the baby’s arrival. It also detects whether the baby is housed in the uterus. If the baby is placed in the fallopian tube, it would lead to an extremely dangerous pregnancy called ectopic pregnancies. These tests would also determine if the baby and mother has any other conditions and whether the parents can expect more than one birth.
Testing at 16 Weeks
Amniocentesis helps to detect neural tube defects like spina bifida. It also detects other chromosomal abnormalities. It is usually recommended for women above 35. Most women opt for it. The technique employs a needle that uses ultrasound to extract amniotic fluid. It is then, detected for genetic defects.
Testing at 20 Weeks
Alpha Fetoprotein (AFP) is found in the amniotic fluid and the mother’s blood. If it is present in abnormal levels, it o=could cause complications like still birth. When the test results are combined with the mother’s age and weight, doctors can find out the risk of developing neural tube defects like anencephaly or spina bifida.
Testing at 28 Weeks
Gestational diabetes is a common occurence. Glucose tests to detect diabetes are done around this time. If detected, the doctor develops a diet and insulin supplementation plan.
Testing at 36 Weeks
Group B Streptococcus test is done around 36 weeks. It determines if the baby would need antibiotics to be kept free from infections at the time of birth.
Blood Pressure Tests
Blood and urine tests are done often to detrmine if the patient has Preeclampsia. It affects 7% of all pregnant women. During labor, the flow of oxygen to the baby’s heart and mother’s heart has to be monitored meticulously to ensure a safe delivery.
Signing Off
Birthing a child is no easy feat.After pregnancy confirmation through a pregnancy test like the Pregakem pregnancy test strip, there is the worry of combing through maternity blogs week by week. From an online fertile window calculator, if needed, to the Pregakem pregnancy test strip, the journey is arduous. However, Pregakem maternity blogs has your back at every step.