ROUTINE ANTENATAL CARE IN PREGNANCY

Question 1

whats the social model of pregnancy?

Answer 1

that pregnancy/childbirth are normal, physiologic events that occur in most women’s lives and therefore do not normally need medical intervention.

Question 2

what is the medical model of pregnancy?

Answer 2

childbirth is potentially pathological and so every women is potentially at risk when pregnant so should deliver in hospital with experts around

Question 3

what is classified as a high risk pregnancy?

Answer 3

being under 17 or over 35, multiple births, history of complicated pregnancies, history of genetic conditions, having epilepsy/kidney disease/PCOD/Rh sensitisation or having structural problems with uterus, cervix or placenta

Question 4

what are the leading causes of maternal death?

Answer 4

heart disease, epilepsy, stroke, sepsis, thrombosis and thromboembolism

Question 5

what is pre-eclampsia?

Answer 5

characterized by the onset of high blood pressure and often a significant amount of protein in the urine- thought to be caused by the placenta not developing properly

Question 6

what is constituted a normal pregnancy?

Answer 6

a singleton pregnancy of 37-42 weeks

Question 7

how do you work out estimated date of delivery?

Answer 7

Naegele’s rule- take date of LMP, subtract 3 months and add 7 days

Question 8

what are some aims of antenatal care?

Answer 8

monitoring the pregnancy, developing a relationship with the parents, delivering info that promotes choice, recognising deviations from the norm, preparing the parents for birth, raising awareness of public health issues

Question 9

whats the difference between primiparous and multiparous?

Answer 9

primiparous is when its their first born

multiparous is when you have given birth in the past

Question 10

what will an abdominal examination involve in an antenatal care check up?

Answer 10

inspection
palpation - measure symphysis-fundal height measuremenet
auscultation of foetal heart

Question 11

what do we screen for in the antenatal period?

Answer 11

10 weeks - infectious diseases e.g. HIV and syphilis

12 weeks - Down’s syndrome, Edward’s syndrome and Patau’s syndrome

before 10 weeks - sickle cell anaemia and thalassaemia

20 weeks - foetal anomaly screening programme looks for 11 physical conditions

Question 12

what is an early miscarriage?

Answer 12

foetal demise before 14/40

Question 13

what is a late miscarriage?

Answer 13

foetal demise between 14/40 and 23+6

Question 14

what is a spontaneous abortion?

Answer 14

when the body itself discontinues the pregnancy naturally before 20 weeks

Question 15

what is a missed miscarriage?

Answer 15

when the foetus demises but the body does not recognise the pregnancy loss

Question 16

what are recurrent miscarriages?

Answer 16

3 or more miscarriages occuring consecutively

Question 17

whats an inevitable miscarriage?

Answer 17

diagnosed non-viable pregnancy in which bleeding has begun and the cervical os is open, but pregnancy tissue remains in the uterus. The pregnancy will proceed to incomplete or complete miscarriage.

Question 18

whats a molar pregnancy?

Answer 18

when there’s a problem with a fertilised egg, which means a baby and a placenta do not develop the way they should after conception

Question 19

whats a stillbirth?

Answer 19

when the foetus is born after 24 weeks with no signs of life

Question 20

what is early neonatal death?

Answer 20

death of neonate born after 20/40 that dies within first 7 days of life

Question 21

what is a late neonatal death?

Answer 21

neonate born after 20/40 that dies between 7-28 days of life