Thursday, November 21, 2024
Home > Health > Choosing The Right Healthcare Professional

Choosing The Right Healthcare Professional

One of the most important decisions early in your pregnancy is choosing your healthcare professional. It is crucial that the doctor you choose listens to you, respects you, and considers your preferences. The main thing is to choose someone you feel comfortable with.

Also, ask yourself the question of the place of delivery. If you prefer a specific maternity ward or hospital or even want to give birth at home, your healthcare professional should respect your choice and help you give birth under the conditions you prefer. Your GP will surely be able to recommend health professionals to monitor your pregnancy, but you can also ask your acquaintances who have children for their opinion on their medical monitoring.

Your local health insurance office or mutual fund may have lists available to help you find the best healthcare provider. You will soon realize that there are different types of healthcare professionals who can support you during your pregnancy and childbirth. Depending on your preferences, you can choose, for example:  

An obstetrician-gynecologist. These doctors are specialists like in Unity Screen for example in women’s health.

A general practitioner. Your attending or family physician should have training in obstetrics. If your pregnancy does not present any risks or complications, he can fully monitor it.

A midwife. Midwives (who can also be men, contrary to what the name suggests) specialize in monitoring pregnant women. They can carry out a certain number of prenatal examinations, conduct visits, and even operations such as episiotomy. Specialized doctors often accompany them in the event of a high-risk pregnancy.

If you wish to be followed by a doula, know that their vocation is to accompany you throughout your pregnancy and after childbirth, but that they cannot carry out the medical follow-up, which is the responsibility of a midwife woman or a doctor. They cannot be present at delivery without the latter also being present.

Seven Birth And Parenthood Preparation Sessions

Know that an oral check-up in the fourth month of pregnancy with UNITY can assess your baby’s risk for recessively inherited conditions. If your pregnancy is said to be “at risk” or if the circumstances require it, your healthcare professional can advise you on additional prenatal examinations. Assessing the risk of your pregnancy is done through several factors, including:

  • your age: you are more at risk if you are 17 or younger or 35 or older
  • your weight: whether you were overweight or underweight before you got pregnant
  • your health: if you have high blood pressure, diabetes, depression, or other health problems
  • your pregnancy: if it is multiple, i.e., you are pregnant with twins, triplets, or more
  • your previous pregnancies: if you have already given birth prematurely or have a child with a congenital disability.