Antenatal care still a far cry as mothers skip check-ups

Hyderabad: Although 94 per cent of their deliveries have been in institutions, only 45 per cent of women had antenatal care for their entire term of pregnancy.  

Gynaecologist say that this is the most worrying aspect. Dr Pallavi Sinha says, “Regular check-ups during all trimesters are essential to ensure the health of both the mother and baby. A lot of diseases can be detected during scanning and the prenatal diet each mother follows, varies. Some mothers need more of a certain kind of vitamin and we chalk out a diet for them.” 

She added that without proper check-ups and suggestions by a consulting gynecologist, the chances of a risky delivery arise. 

“The position of the baby, the mother’s health and everything else are determined towards the last stage through scanning and it cannot be ignored. A lot of women from rural areas still count on midwives. This practice is leading to stillborns,” said Pallavi. 

Gynaecologist are calling for an upgradation of neonatal units to ensure that there are enough facilities for infants. The cause of the neonatal death in UP was Japanese encephalitis, which doctors say can only be combated with adequate health facilities in hospitals. 

Dr Sudhir Kumar, a neurologist says, “Japanese encephalitis is a brain fever. The disease has been rampant for three decades and is commonly found in coastal areas such as West Bengal, Orissa and AP because of the high number of mosquitoes.” 

The district medical officer said that infant deaths would be taken seriously and more awareness regarding prenatal care would be raised.  Senior paediatricians say that the age of the mother is also crucial. Around 30 per cent of women were married before the age of thirty in Telangana. 

Dr Hima Bindu Singh, head of neonatology, Niloufer Hospital,  says, “Teenage pregnancy is very problematic and we often see such cases. These girls are not responsible enough, are anemic and their BMI is also very low, especially girls from rural areas. Their pelvic bones are also not fully developed, causing pelvic disruption during delivery.” She added that there is a higher risk of premature delivery, low blood flow, lack of development of the fetus in the womb and other issues which makes survival for the infant very challenging. 

Most infants born out of teenage pregnancy need to be immediately taken care of with treatment such as phototherapy which requires adequate facilities.