Experts' advice for a healthy pregnancy
06/02/2022
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Prenatal care is an essential process to ensure health for mother and baby before giving birth. It is a great experience that enhances the significant responsibility for parents in their life. Therefore, let’s prepare for the best prenatal care with a few helpful notes from Dr. Tran Thi Minh Tam, Former Head of Reproductive Health Department, Health Center at Soc Son District, Hanoi, an expert of “For Mother and Baby, For Vietnamese stature” project.
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Parents should prepare expertise and experience carefully for pregnancy
Before pregnancy
The first thing that needs to prepare when parents are planning to welcome a new small member of their family is to get vaccinated before pregnancy. Some necessary vaccinations including hepatitis B, influenza, chickenpox, white blood cells, pertussis, tetanus, measles, mumps virus and rubella, can prevent birth defects.
It is necessary for women, who are pregnant for the first time, to injecting two tetanus shots: The 2nd shot is given at least 1 month apart from the 1st one and must be given at least 20 days before giving birth. In the next pregnancies, mothers only need one injection to prevent tetanus.
In addition to providing sufficient nutrients for the body, mothers also necessarily maintain an appropriate BMI, as well as regular prenatal visits to detect and treat general gynaecological diseases early.
According to Dr Tam, to ensure and improve reproductive health, mothers should also get cervical cancer vaccinations, have a gynaecological examination every from 3 to 6 months, and see a doctor immediately when there are abnormal symptoms.
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It’s necessary to regular prenatal visits during pregnancy
The first trimester of pregnancy
The first trimester of pregnancy (the first 3 months) is calculated from the first menstrual day of the last menstrual period until a fetus is 12 weeks old.
At any trimester, going regular prenatal visits supports parents have more understanding of the development of fetuses, necessary nutrition, and health advice. Especially, it also helps prevent, minimize the lowest level of complications for mother and baby.
Parents should actively monitor the health of fetuses. Also, they should see a doctor if they have these following cases: The delay of their menstrual cycle for 2 weeks, no gestational sac visible in the uterus; the retardation grow of fetuses; blood pressure at 140/90mmHg. If mothers have abdominal pain and vaginal bleeding (red or black blood), they should immediately go to the medical facility for examination.
Then, morning sickness can occur, the essentiality of pregnant women at this time is to divide meals, eat smaller and more frequent meals throughout the day that will make their body feel comfortable, and never leave with an empty stomach.
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Thanks for “For Mother and Baby - For Vietnamese stature” project, thousands of workers in Hai Phong receive health care advice.
The second trimester of pregnancy
From week 13 to week 28 of pregnancy, most pregnant women feel the decline of morning sickness symptoms. This is an appropriate time for mothers to supplement more nutrition to ensure having good health for mother and baby. However, weight management should also be concerned. During pregnancy, mothers’ body needs to gain at least 10-12 kg. In particular, mothers gain 1 kg in the first three months, and from 4 to 5 kg in the next three months after. If mothers’ weight is less than 3 kg in the second trimester, they need to eat and foster more nutrients to put on weight in the last 3 months.
The fetal movement also has more pronounced movements. At this moment, parents should monitor their children's daily activities more often. If mothers do not see fetuses kicking, or have symptoms of headache, dizziness, nausea, bilateral pedal oedema, or severe eyelid surgery, they should go to see a doctor more frequently for timely consultation.
Some abnormalities should also closely supervise during this trimester, such as blood pressure at 140/90mmHg, vaginal bleeding, and ultrasound that indicate irregular heartbeat in a fetus.
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Dr Tran Thi Minh Tam is talking about health care for workers in Hai Phong
The third trimester of pregnancy
The remaining weeks in the mothers’ uterus are also crucial for the fetal development. At this trimester, we don’t need to over-focus on diet as the most important thing to the development of fetuses like in the first 3 months of pregnancy. Mothers can eat a little less food than the 2nd trimester, and fetuses still receive the necessary nutrients.
Pregnant women should gain about 0.5kg per week in the last 3 months and can put on a little weight in the last weeks. However, gaining more than 2 kg or putting on weight more than 1 kg per week can cause several diseases such as edema, hypertension. Besides, mothers should drink plenty of water (at least 2 litres of water a day) to avoid dehydration and prevent constipation.
Going regular prenatal visits will help mothers know if fetuses are smaller than the gestational age, does not kick, or have the fetal cardiac ultrasound, the fetal tachycardia, severely dehydrated fluids, calcification of the placenta demonstrable. They will receive support timely assistance from doctors, especially when having the symptoms of vaginal bleeding.
Pregnancy has a great many of happiness, but it is also a stage of life that can happen unpredictable complications (5 obstetric complications). Therefore, it is immensely necessary to have knowledge of safe motherhood and follow the instructions of a doctor.
The above measures are a part of the healthcare communication sessions of “For mother and baby - For Vietnamese stature” project - phase 4 (2020) in Hai Phong. The project has been implemented by For Vietnamese Stature Foundation in collaboration with Hai Phong Labor Federation, Hai Phong Women Union.
The project continues to receive sponsorship from TH Group, DKT International and Golden Choice Co., Ltd. with the products of Newchoice contraceptive pills & OK condoms and gifts from Hoa Linh Pharmaceutical Company.
To achieve the optimal and comprehensive effect for the project, Golden Choice Co., Ltd. - the contraceptive pill distributor, has officially launched a new contraceptive application called “New Choice Reminder”. During 25 years of accompanying consumers, Newchoice always understands and wishes to bring safe and effective contraceptive solutions to the community. The investment and construction of the Newchoice Reminder Application are one of the new steps in the brand's development strategy, helping women to have safe and simple contraception.
Currently, Newchoice Reminder Application is available on IOS and Android. Let’s check the user guide and download it here.
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