What are the precautions for prenatal care?

For the comfort of the mother and the safety indicators of the fetus, there is no need to adhere to the various "iron rules of pregnancy" circulated on the Internet. I have been in an obstetrics clinic for 8 years and have seen too many pregnant mothers who impose the rules but cause problems.

Last month, I gave birth to a girl who was 32 weeks pregnant. She made a short video and said, "You need to walk 10,000 steps a day to have a super fast and normal delivery." Her previous prenatal checkup showed that the lower edge of the placenta was less than 2cm from the cervix. She still gritted her teeth and walked to the park for two hours a day. In the end, she went to the emergency room with frequent contractions, and it took a full week to stabilize the pregnancy.

The first thing many people struggle with is the issue of food. The older generation always said "one person eats two people's supplements" and eats big fish and meat every meal. Nowadays, many young pregnant mothers are afraid of wrinkles and difficulty in giving birth. They are extremely restrictive and do not even dare to touch staple foods. In fact, both views have applicable scenarios: If you were thin before pregnancy and the prenatal check-up showed that the fetus is small, it is not necessary to supplement more high-quality protein, red meat, and milk. The problem is, if you were overweight before pregnancy and had abnormal sugar tolerance, you really need to reduce the amount of milk tea, cakes, and refined rice noodles that raise blood sugar quickly. Last week, there was a pregnant mother who felt that her sugar tolerance was over and gave up. She drank a cup of pearl milk tea every day. The 34-week prenatal checkup found that the fetus was two weeks too big. During the last delivery, she had shoulder dystocia, and the baby's clavicle was slightly fractured. The adult also had to tear and sew a lot of stitches.

In addition to the struggle over eating, there are more controversies over daily behaviors. For example, people often ask whether they can drink coffee or put on makeup. I met a pregnant mother who works in Internet operations a while ago. She was still working on the Double 11 project in her third trimester. She drank half a cup of American milk every day to boost her energy. All prenatal check-ups during the entire pregnancy gave her the green light. This has actually been known for a long time. The correct guideline: daily caffeine intake should be controlled within 200mg, which is about the amount of a medium cup of regular American coffee. As long as you don’t feel flustered or insomnia after drinking it, there is no need to give up hard. If you are sensitive to caffeine and can’t sleep all night long if you touch it even a little, then definitely don’t touch it. The same goes for makeup. Just choose ordinary makeup and skin care products from regular brands. You don't have to throw away everything on the dressing table as soon as you get pregnant. Those who say that "lipstick can cause fetal malformations" have to eat three to five lipsticks a day to reach the harmful dose. Just wipe it off before eating every day.

As for whether sexual intercourse is allowed during pregnancy, which everyone is ashamed to ask, different doctors do have different opinions. Some doctors believe that as long as it is the second trimester, there is no low-lying placenta, no frequent uterine contractions, and no vaginal bleeding, moderate sexual intercourse will not affect the fetus at all. Some doctors, out of caution, will recommend avoiding it during the entire pregnancy. There is no absolute right or wrong about this. It all depends on your own physical condition and just discuss it with your family.

The most worry-free pregnant mother I have ever met is a former dancer. She still led gentle pregnancy yoga classes at 38 weeks of pregnancy. She only gained 22 pounds during the entire pregnancy. The vaginal delivery only took more than two hours from the opening of three fingers to the birth. Her experience is that she never blindly reads taboos on the Internet. After every prenatal check-up, she always asks the doctor "What is suitable and inappropriate for my situation" and just follows her own pace. To be honest, the most important thing to pay attention to in prenatal care is not to be too tense. Only when you feel comfortable can the baby in your belly grow well. If you are really unsure about something, don’t search the experiences of netizens. Ask the doctor for a few questions during your next prenatal check-up, which will be more effective than reading ten popular science posts.