Antenatal care, also known as prenatal care or pregnancy care, is the professional medical care you receive while you are expecting a baby. It is a very important part of any pregnancy and has its roots in organised attempts to fight infant and maternal mortality. Your antenatal care includes all your antenatal midwife and obstetrician appointments in pregnancy. In the UK, your antenatal care will be documented in your pregnancy notes, a folder you receive at your first NHS midwife appointment. Your antenatal (prenatal, parentcraft, childbirth preparation, or Lamaze) classes may or may not be given by your own midwife, but they can help with learning to look after yourself in pregnancy, as well as with planning for labour and birth. Different antenatal courses cover different elements of pregnancy, labour, birth, and the postpartum period. You can also incorporate complementary and alternative therapies in your antenatal care, provided your midwife and/or doctor say this is safe and you’ve ensured the professional who will be working with you is appropriately accredited and registered. Alternative therapies usually won’t be covered by the NHS or your health insurance. Antenatal care begins as soon as you tell your doctor you are pregnant and book an appointment, which you should aim to do as soon as you know or strongly suspect that you are expecting!

Your antenatal (prenatal or midwife and obstetrician) appointments

Keeping your antenatal appointments is extremely important, as is complete transparency with anyone who is looking after you. Your doctor or midwife has heard and seen more pregnancy-related weirdness than you can imagine, and none of them are there to judge you—their role is to ensure the health and wellbeing of you and your baby. It’s worth remembering that if you ever feel the need to disagree with them, they are only doing what they’ve been trained to do for countless women, all of whom are entitled to raise concerns as and when they have them.

What’s the difference between what a midwife does at my antenatal (prenatal) appointments and what an obstetrician does at my antenatal appointments?

Midwives are healthcare professionals who specialise in pregnancy, labour, and birth, and obstetricians are doctors who specialise in pregnancy. Pregnancy care in the UK is midwife-led. What this means is that, unless there’s a problem with your health, your baby’s health, or the pregnancy, you will probably be seeing a midwife at most of your antenatal appointments and, depending on where you give birth, throughout your labour and delivery. This doesn’t mean that you can’t ask to speak to a doctor if you want to or can’t check something that you have heard from the doctor with your midwife at any time. All of these professionals are used to collaborating with one another, as well as with the other professionals you encounter on your pregnancy journey. The places they work can vary. For example, midwives may work privately, in birthing centres, in hospitals, or in midwife-led units attached to hospitals. An obstetrician will almost certainly see you in a hospital, whether you’re seeing him or her in their clinic throughout your antenatal care or for the first time on the labour ward when you’re getting ready to give birth. Exciting!

Your pregnancy care.

Every pregnancy is different. At your booking appointment, which should last around an hour, you will be asked a large number of questions about your personal, professional, and medical profiles, as well as those of the baby’s father and the health histories of your respective families. This information will be used to determine how your pregnancy care proceeds, from whether you are deemed high-risk and will need extra antenatal appointments to what type of specialist you may have to see or whether you need to be checked for gestational diabetes and other problems. This doesn’t mean everything is set in stone at appointment one. Pregnancy is a dynamic process, and things can change day to day. The most important thing is that you are open with those caring for you and give them as much information as possible. Even things you think are unserious or from which you recovered a long time ago can be material to someone who is caring for you in pregnancy.

Does antenatal care cover antenatal mental healthcare?

Antenatal or perinatal mental health is extremely important to your overall health, as well as that of your pregnancy and your baby. If you do have known mental health problems, you need to explain that to your healthcare team, who may refer you to a perinatal psychiatrist. Antenatal mental health problems—including anxiety and depression but also lesser discussed changes, such as obsessive-compulsive behaviour—can develop even in women who have no history of such troubles and must be treated as soon as possible. Don’t dismiss them or wait for them to go away by themselves. Reaching out to someone who can create a clear path towards feeling better is important for you and your growing child.

Does antenatal care cover antenatal specialised care?

Specialised antenatal care cover depends on your case. If your baby is measuring small, for example, you may be referred to a foetal medicine specialist, which just means extra doctor appointments for you that will almost certainly happen in a hospital. Dietary problems may be treated by a registered dietitian, pelvic problems by a pelvic health physiotherapist, and so on. Broadly, all of these people do form part of the antenatal care for every expectant mum they look after. Whether their services are covered by the NHS, you, or your insurance depends on what they do and what is available in your area or under your policy. As with everything else in pregnancy, it’s important to bring a list of questions to your next appointment or just get on the phone and ask.

Does antenatal care cover antenatal self-care?

This depends on what self-care means to you! For example, your doctor or midwife can advise on pregnancy-safe ways to manage stress, eat, drink, and care for your skin, teeth, and nails if you have specific questions. Some people consider private counselling, gym membership, or massages as self-care, and they’re certainly useful in pregnancy. NHS trusts offer aromatherapy and reflexology close to your due date. Your favourite spa treatments, however, will probably have to be self-funded, as will any babymoons or other luxuries.

For more advice on taking care of yourself in pregnancy, labour, and birth, check out Unii’s Antenatal Classes, with prenatal video episodes taught by senior NHS midwives, an award-winning obstetrician and gynaecologist, and six other leading healthcare experts. Only at unii.com.

For more information on taking care of yourself when you are pregnant, check out Unii’s Pregnancy Journey with Dr. Shree Datta.

Definition: What is antenatal (prenatal) care?