Mom for the first time, Paola da Silva Oliveira is radiant because she will spend her first Mother’s Day next Sunday (5/12), with Gaël in her stomach. The pregnancy of the young woman, aged 23, was planned and very desired and, so that everything goes well until the day of delivery, she does not miss a prenatal consultation at the Clínica da Família Recanto do Trovador, in Vila Isabel, where .

– I am very happy and accomplished. As soon as the test came back positive, I already had my first prenatal consultation in the unit, where my husband and I were very well taken care of and welcomed by nurse Gabriela and the whole team. It was a very memorable moment, because we received the first information about the pregnancy and also answered several questions that arose during this first meeting – recalls Paola, who is 20 weeks pregnant.

Low-risk prenatal consultations are initially alternated between doctors and nurses, in the pregnant woman’s basic referral unit. Community health workers make home visits to their homes during pregnancy, to see if everything is going well and to make sure they don’t miss any appointments. Antenatal care should be started as soon as pregnancy is confirmed and, according to Ministry of Health protocol, there is a recommended minimum number of six appointments. There is no exit from prenatal care, that is, it only ends at the postpartum consultation, after the baby is born.

It is during the first consultation that the first examinations are proposed to the pregnant woman, such as a rapid test for syphilis, HIV and hepatitis B and C. specific to the development of the fetus during pregnancy; nutrition and diet; physical exercises; the patient’s legal rights and benefits; and complete the Cegonha Carioca passport.

During follow-up, it is possible to determine the risk factors for preeclampsia and gestational diabetes, for example, so the gestational risk must be reassessed at each session.

Nurse Specialist in Family Health at CF Recanto do Trovador, Gabriela Medeiros da Conceição reminds us that taking care of the mother and the people around her is a fundamental tool of primary health care.

– When the pregnancy is discovered, one of my main functions as a nurse within the family health team is to welcome the pregnant woman, her partner and the whole family. It must be remembered that a woman is not always prepared to receive the news that she has a baby on the way. Therefore, this support network in the referral unit is extremely important – explains Gabriela, head of the Popular team, which is currently following 23 pregnant women.

Albert Schweitzer Hospital uses chromotherapy to relax, stimulate contraction and relieve labor pain