Think you might be pregnant? There are a couple of ways to find out for sure. You can easily do a pregnancy test at home — the kind you pick up at the store — or your doctor’s office can help you with one, too. Once your pregnancy is confirmed, it's time to focus on the best prenatal care you can provide for your baby and yourself.
Prenatal care is for babies and mothers
In addition to checking on the baby, prenatal care is about mothers’ physical and emotional health in every month of pregnancy. This includes regular visits to an obstetrician/gynecologist, ultrasounds, lab testing, screening for medical conditions, monitoring fetal growth and development, and ongoing conversations about nutrition, labor plans, and recovery after delivery.
“One of the most important aspects of good obstetric care is having a team that can recognize when a pregnancy shifts from low-risk to high-risk and respond quickly if complications arise. At the same time, modern obstetric care should absolutely involve shared decision-making. Patients deserve to understand their options, ask questions, and feel like active participants in their care,” said Dr. Amit Bhavsar, a board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist with CommonSpirit Health.
“Pregnancy also means that other chronic medical conditions such as hypertension, chronic pain, migraines, thyroid and other endocrine issues, depression and anxiety, among others, don’t just go away. It is essential that your obstetric provider be an experienced clinician that not only is able to help manage these in pregnancy but also has a good understanding of how such conditions affect the pregnancy.”
Prenatal care includes self-care, too, a very important — yet often overlooked — aspect of prenatal care.
“Self-care includes getting adequate and good sleep, staying physically active, maintaining a healthy diet, staying hydrated, attending prenatal appointments, and paying attention to mental and emotional wellbeing,” Dr. Bhavsar said. “Pregnancy can be emotionally overwhelming at times, especially for first-time parents. Building a support system and communicating openly with healthcare providers about fears, stress, anxiety, or depression is very important. Even simple things like daily walks, reducing stress, and taking prenatal vitamins consistently can make a meaningful difference.”
The doctor is in – with good advice!
Dr. Bhavsar wants you to know:
- Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Pregnancy and parenting come with a tremendous amount of information and advice, and it’s okay not to know everything.
- Try not to compare your pregnancy or delivery experience to someone else’s. Every patient, every baby, and every family is unique.
- Focus on building a supportive team around you — both personally and medically. Good communication and trust between patients and their healthcare providers are incredibly important.
- The ultimate goal is a safe delivery culminating in a healthy mom and healthy baby. Pregnancy and childbirth is a dynamic process. Things can – and do — often change quickly and even the healthiest, “low risk” pregnancies can suddenly develop complications. Delivery plans may be changed without much notice. Healthy, supported parents and healthy babies are what matter most!
The three trimesters of pregnancy
Pregnancy affects almost every organ system in the body. Changes that are most perceptive involve the heart and lungs as blood volume increases, causing the heart and lungs to work harder. Hormonal changes cause a whole host of other changes throughout. Women may experience fatigue, shortness of breath, swelling, heartburn, constipation, back pain, sleep changes, and emotional changes. Many of these changes are normal, but one important part of prenatal care is helping patients understand which symptoms are expected and which symptoms deserve medical attention.
In the first trimester, a baby’s major organs begin forming. Many women experience fatigue and nausea during these months. Your doctor will perform initial lab work, assess for risk factors and develop an early plan for prenatal care. This is also when genetic testing can be performed, if desired.
During the second trimester, many patients begin feeling better physically. The baby grows rapidly, movement is often felt for the first time, and anatomy ultrasounds are typically performed. Lab tests during this ime assess for conditions like gestational diabetes and anemia.
The third trimester focuses on the baby’s growth and preparation for delivery. Prenatal visits become more frequent, monitoring maternal and fetal well-being. Families get prepared for labor, delivery and the postpartum period.
“In higher-risk pregnancies, the third trimester is when closer surveillance takes place, often through regular ultrasounds and procedures called NSTs (non-stress tests) in which the fetal heart rate is monitored,” said Dr. Bhavsar.
Pregnancy do’s and don’ts
Pregnant women should avoid exposure to tobacco and THC, recreational drugs, and alcohol. All of these have been associated with adverse effects in the developing baby. Certain foods also carry increased risks during pregnancy, such as unpasteurized dairy products, raw or undercooked meats, high-mercury fish, and some deli meats unless heated appropriately.
Patients should also speak with their doctor before taking medications, supplements, or herbal products because not everything marketed as “natural” is necessarily safe during pregnancy.
“In general, most women can continue many of their normal daily activities with guidance from their provider,” said Dr. Bhavsar.
It’s a family affair!
The closely coordinated teams at CommonSpirit hospitals, from physicians to nurse practitioners, anesthesia providers to support staff, provide comprehensive care throughout pregnancy and delivery.
“Our role is to guide families through the process step by step. Labor nurses, physicians, and the entire care team work together to help parents understand what’s happening, answer questions, manage pain appropriately, and support safe delivery for both mother and baby, said Dr. Bhavsar. “Childbirth is not just a medical event — it’s a major life event. Families want to feel heard, respected, informed, and safe. Our goal is to combine evidence-based medicine with compassionate care tailored to each patient’s needs and preferences.”
He went on to say that since no two deliveries are identical, flexibility is important. One of the benefits of delivering in a hospital setting is having experienced teams available if unexpected situations arise. Our hospitals are extremely effective at ensuring that care delivery is as seamless as possible … even for the most complex patients.
CommonSpirit facilities like St. Francis Hospital often offer classes for new parents, grandparents and mom and baby. Explore all our birth centers across the Mountain Region here.
