ANC CHECK UP Second
trimester
Throughout
your second trimester, you’ll continue to visit your doctor once a month—unless
there is a need for you to go more often. Each appointment would probably begin
with you stepping onto the scale to ensure that you are gaining weight
normally.
Monitoring
your weight gain
During
your fourth, fifth and six months, you should be gaining about 250 to 350
grammes a week. By tracking your weight, your doctor can estimate your baby’s
growth and watch for signs of preeclampsia.
Doctors
stress that you should try hard to stay within the proper weight recommended
for your body. Straying too far from this guideline could lead to difficulties.
By
gaining too much weight:
You
put extra stress on your heart, which already is working overtime to pump
increased blood volume
You
put additional stress on your joints, which pregnancy hormones may already have
loosened and made lax
You
increase your risk of developing preeclampsia (a form of high blood pressure);
a serious condition that can be life-threatening
You’ll
be more likely to develop aches in your lower back
You
may make labour and delivery more difficult because your baby will be big
It
is, however, important that you gain about 9-14 kilos depending on your initial
weight.
Second-trimester
tests
Urinalysis.
This test, performed at each doctor visit, measures the protein and sugar in
your urine. It will detect excess protein, which can be a warning sign of
preeclampsia.
Triple-marker
test. This test measures a specific protein, alpha-fetoprotein or AFP, in your
blood. If the AFP levels are high; it may identify a neural tube defect; if AFP
levels are low (combined with abnormalities found in two other tests), this may
identify Down’s syndrome. Initially, this was done in mothers above
35 years of age, but American
College
Rhesus
(Rh)-antibody-level test. This blood test is for rhesus-negative women. Most
people have a specific protein in their blood called the Rh factor. Those who
don’t are called Rh-negative. If a woman tests Rh-negative, the father of the
child also should be tested for his Rh factor because problems arise when an
Rh-negative woman conceives a baby with an Rh-positive man. The tests are done
about halfway through the pregnancy or at once if the woman has a bleeding
problem.
Ultrasound.
This test uses high-frequency sound waves to visualise the unborn baby. An
ultrasound examination can detect a pregnancy as early as six weeks after your
last menstrual period and show the baby’s movements at approximately 12 weeks
of gestational age.
Extra
test for women older than 35
Amniocentesis. This
tests the fluid surrounding your baby to detect chromosomal and other genetic
disorders such as Down’s syndrome, haemophilia, and sickle-cell anaemia. It is
usually performed on women older than 35 during their 15th to 16thweek of
pregnancy and on women who have an abnormal triple-screen result.
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