Unassisted Pregnancy: Designing a Prenatal Self-Care Routine

There are a few things that a pregnant woman can't do for herself, but usually they aren't necessary. Most of the tests professionals perform can be done at home, affordably, and certainly women are capable of measuring their vitals. Most of a prenatal visit is spent answering and asking questions about the pregnancy, but most answers can easily be found by picking up a book or doing an internet search. More and more women are choosing not to see pregnancy as a medical condition needing treatment, and they are foregoing formal prenatal care unless high risk. Some women have none at all, and many more monitor and test themselves. It's not hard to develope a prenatal self-care routine.

In an earlier piece I discussed routine prenatal testing that may be harmful or unnecessary. First you must decide which tests, if any, you will have. STD testing includes Hepatitis B & C, Syphilis, and HIV, all blood tests. The Pap Smear checks for chlamydia, gonorrhea, and cervical cancer (which is usually caused by HPV.) It can also locate cervical abnormalities such as an incompetent cervix, as well as vaginal infections. Your blood work usually includes a blood type check, a Cystic Fibrosis and Tay-Sachs screening test, the Triple/Quad Screen, Anemia check, and a check for German measles and chickenpox. CVS and Amniocentesis may be done to check for deformities and defects. GBS tests for group B streptococcus, which can (rarely) cause infection in the newborn.

35 weeks pregnant

Credit: Hilde Vanstraelen

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