Real Alternatives provides pregnancy support through offices in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Indiana. They encourage pregnant women to seek prenatal care to help ensure the health of both mother and baby. There are five key aspects of prenatal care: 1) receiving nutritional information and dietary advice, 2) tracking the baby's growth and development through measurements and ultrasounds, 3) learning about the labor and delivery process and creating a birth plan, 4) reducing risks of complications by receiving health information and advice, and 5) testing for medical conditions and genetic disorders.

1. Five Important Aspects of
Prenatal Care
By: Real Alternatives

2. Five Important Aspects of Prenatal Care
Real Alternatives provides pregnancy and parenting support to women across the nation
through offices and programs in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Indiana. Accredited by the
Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations, Real Alternatives encourages
pregnant women to seek prenatal care in order to help ensure their babies’ health as well
as their own. The following are five benefits and important aspects of prenatal care:

3. Five Important Aspects of Prenatal Care
1. Acquire nutritional information. Prenatal care doctors can provide accurate information
about the importance of proper nutrition and how to choose a diet that ensures you get
the vitamins and minerals you need. This may include dietary suggestions and foods to
avoid, the number of calories to eat per day, and advice on vitamin supplements.

4. Five Important Aspects of Prenatal Care
2. Track the baby’s development. Growth rate serves as a critical indicator of the baby’s
health and development. Your prenatal doctor will take measurements of your baby’s
growth during visits to ensure that development is progressing in a healthy manner.
Ultrasounds will also provide an indicator on the baby’s gender.

5. Five Important Aspects of Prenatal Care
3. Learn about labor and delivery. A prenatal care provider can help you learn about what
to expect during labor and your options for delivery, including natural and cesarean
deliveries. Prenatal visits allow you to ask questions about delivery procedures and
express your concerns, in order to help you create a labor and delivery plan.

6. Five Important Aspects of Prenatal Care
4. Reduce risk of complications. The information and care you receive during a prenatal
visit can help reduce the risk of pregnancy complications. Your doctor can provide
information on how to reduce risks and the harm caused by exposure to substances such
as alcohol and tobacco.

7. Five Important Aspects of Prenatal Care
5. Test for certain conditions. Prenatal care doctors can test for some medical and
genetic conditions and provide information on treatment.