How do I know my baby is okay in the first trimester?

During pregnancy, especially in the first trimester, it is completely normal to feel a certain amount of anxiety about the development and growth of your baby. At any time, you miss any of the milestones or your medical reports are at slight variance from what you have read or been told about, you begin to jitter and get nervous.  But you must remember that every pregnancy is different. There will be slight variations from one to another. So do not stress.

Prenatal care, also known as antenatal care (ANC), is recommended for pregnant women during the first trimester. It is a type of preventive healthcare and entails a series of tests to ensure the health and safety of the mother and foetus. Here, the most crucial tests and self-care are mentioned to keep yourself and your baby healthy.

Antenatal Check-up includes a complete urine profile, to help detect any abnormal secretion of proteins or sugar as well as the presence of any Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs). Complete Blood count helps in detecting anaemia, infection, or any abnormality in the blood count. Other tests like Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) are also included in to ensure safety.

Here are some signs that can indicate that your baby is doing well in the first trimester –

• Ultrasound Test – Ultrasound (also called sonogram) is a prenatal test commonly used tool to evaluate the status of pregnancy. First-trimester ultrasonography may be performed for a variety of reasons. It uses sound waves to show a picture of your baby in the uterus (womb). Ultrasound helps your doctor check on your baby’s health and development.
• Vaginal bleeding – Bleeding and spotting in pregnancy don’t always mean there’s a problem, but they can be a sign of miscarriage or other serious complications. Light amounts of vaginal bleeding early in your pregnancy can occur. In most cases, it’s not serious. So, you should relax as your pregnancy is doing alright.
• Pregnancy Symptoms – if you are experiencing the typical symptoms of pregnancy like breast tenderness and enlargement, nausea and vomiting, fatigue, passing urine frequently – these are all testimony of a healthy pregnancy.
• Balanced Diet – A well balanced diet consisting of a variety of food helps in the growth of the baby and prevents anaemia.
• Folic Acid – Taking one Iron Folic Acid (IFA) tablet a day keeps anaemia away in mothers and ensures delivery of a healthy baby.
• Rest – Adequate rest gives you physical and mental relaxation which is good both for you and the baby.
• Personal hygiene – Expectant mothers are more susceptible to various viral, bacterial and other types of infections compared to others. Personal hygiene prevents acquiring infection such as malaria, rubella, urinary tract infection, etc and also prevents it from transmitting and infecting your baby.
• Family support – Care and support by close family members gives emotional comfort and confidence during pregnancy and in child bearing.

It is important that you consult your doctor in time for proper management and safety of your pregnancy – it protects your life as well as the baby’s. The World Health organization (WHO) recommends that pregnant women should all receive at least eight antenatal visits to spot and treat problems and give immunizations.