English 2

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In today’s society, teens showing up pregnant isn’t much of a surprise anymore. Many of them party and drink, and when they get drunk, they make stupid decisions. Sometimes they end up pregnant because of it. Teenagers are not ready for children. They think about all of the high school fun they’re going to be missing out on, and even the thought of abortion crosses their minds. Others don’t even consider it being a big deal. Having a baby is a huge deal, and going through all the prenatal care is extremely important. Prenatal care benefits not only the baby, but also the mother because their health is just as critical as their child’s. The chances of a baby having complications during birth or even just in the womb are way higher if the mother doesn’t go through prenatal care than if a mother did. Many mothers don’t even have to think twice about not going to get prenatal care, but the ones that don’t receive care that will regret it in the end. Gynecologists can help influence mothers to seek prenatal care and recognize the benefits, the negative outcomes that can come without prenatal care, and beneficial outside activities for pregnant moms outside of appointments.

Prenatal care is so much more than just checking up on the baby’s health, but the mom’s health is just as important as the baby’s. The benefits that come from the trips to the doctor are so great, that every appointment scheduled is beneficial to the mother. According to Banner Health, one of the greatest benefits that come from prenatal care is the fact that even the smallest defect in your baby can be spotted in an appointment. If it’s nothing too extreme, the defect can be treated or even fixed before the child is born (Benefits of Prenatal Care). All mothers should want to keep up with how the baby’s health and development is coming along. Through prenatal care, they can get all of that information and more. First of all, what exactly is prenatal care? It’s a series of doctors appointments with an OB/GYN throughout a mother’s pregnancy that lets moms know the health of their child, how they are developing, the gender of the baby, and almost everything you need to know about staying safe and healthy before birth. Prenatal care ensures mothers that themselves and their baby are healthy. These appointments will normally include weight checks, urine samples, sometimes a physical exam at the beginning, discussions over the health of the mother, the infant’s health, blood tests, ultrasounds, and even listening to the baby’s heartbeat (What is Prenatal Care). Babies without prenatal care are actually 5 times more likely to die than the ones whose mother’s seek care from their obstetrician/gynecologist (Schmitt). Dr. John W. Schmitt explains that most doctors are able to “spot health problems [earlier] when they see mothers regularly.” The National Institute of Health supports mothers who seek prenatal care, and claims that “having a healthy pregnancy is one of the best ways to promote a healthy birth.” Also, from the Overlake Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the 5 major benefits from prenatal care are:

“ 1. Mother’s overall health really depends on it

They will get accurate nutritional information that they need
They can keep track of their child
They can find out aspects about their child through scheduling the appropriate testing
Mother’s get to learn inside and out about labor and delivery.”

Lastly, how many times should mothers try to see their doctor? According to Dr. Schmitt, mothers should see their doctors “once every month from weeks 4-28, twice a month from weeks 28-36, and weekly from week 36-birth.” Through these examples, moms of all ages can really get a feeling for what prenatal care really is and how it can be extremely beneficial to her. Prenatal Care is important, not only for the baby’s health, but the overall being of the baby and the mother.

In order for mother’s to fully benefit from prenatal care, they have to do everything they can that their doctor suggests for them to do outside of the appointments. For example, eating healthy, participating in appropriate exercises for a pregnant woman, and not making childish decisions like smoking or drinking alcohol. According to Prenatal Services, prenatal care is more than just going to the doctor every so often, but also taking care of yourself as a mother and the mother’s baby before the delivery. Especially young mothers. From the CDC: Teen Pregnancy, in 2014 alone, 249,078 babies were born to mothers between the ages of 15 to 19. In addition, many young moms who are still teenagers can barely take care of themselves. That’s why it’s important that when they get pregnant, they completely understand that they now have a living, tiny human being inside of them that they absolutely have to take care of. The moment the mother hears the baby’s heartbeat, it all becomes real. Young mom’s need to realize that eating right, exercising appropriately, and making the right choices are extremely important for the safety and well being of the baby. There are many conditions that can affect the baby from the beginning, such as, high blood pressure, diabetes, kidney disease, autoimmune disease, thyroid disease, infertility, obesity, and HIV/AIDS. Lifestyle factors such as drinking, smoking, or doing other drugs can affect the baby tremendously (What Are the Factors That Put A Pregnancy at Risk?). Age also puts a big impact on how the pregnancy will turn out. According to Tween and Teen Health, “A pregnant teen can improve her chances of having a healthy by taking good care.” She would need to seek prenatal care, get tested for sexually transmitted infections, eat a healthy diet, stay physically active, gain weight wisely, avoid risky substances, and even take some childbirth classes to fully understand what they are going to go through with their new child. Overall, there are several aspects that can affect a mother’s baby, but going through the proper prenatal care and doing everything she can outside of the appointments, she and the baby are well benefited.

I personally want to become a Obstetrician. The thought of being able to bring a child into the world is just heart-warming. As an OBGYN, I want to influence young mothers to seek prenatal care by showing them the benefits for their baby and explain the high risks of them not getting the proper care they truly need. For mothers to genuinely achieve a healthy delivery, they need all the prenatal care they can get, and I want to help them get that.

Works Cited

“What Is Prenatal Care and Why Is It Important?” What Is Prenatal Care and

Why Is It Important? National Institute of Health, 19 Mar. 2013. Web. 19 Apr. 2016.

www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/pregnancy/conditioninfo/pages/prenatal-care.aspx

Schmitt, John W., M.D. “EPublications.” Prenatal Care Fact Sheet. Womenshealth.gov, 6

July 2012. Web. 20 Apr. 2016.

http://womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/prenatal-care.html

“Prenatal Services.” Prenatal Services. U.S. Department of Health and

Human Services. Web. 20 Apr. 2016.

http://mchb.hrsa.gov/programs/womeninfants/prenatal.html

Overlake.”5 Important Benefits of Prenatal Care – Overlake.”Overlake.

Overlake Obstetricians and Gynecologists, PC, 17 June 2014. Web. 20 Apr. 2016.