Pregnancy is considered a turning point in women's lives during an average lifetime. As in all matters, consulting experts during pregnancy will be useful in preventing all risks that may occur in terms of mother and baby health.
By starting prenatal counseling planning before conception, a healthy pregnancy process is achieved and it is aimed to facilitate the moment of birth.
Every couple considering pregnancy should consult an obstetrician on average 3 months before the planned date of pregnancy. In this way, the mother's history and medical condition can be examined under the doctor's control and all disorders that may interfere with the birth process can be detected. A comprehensive examination and treatment process is carried out, from the completion of missing vitamins and minerals to genetic disorders carried by the mother.
If a problem is foreseen in the examinations, the treatments recommended by the doctor will begin to be applied. These treatments include dental treatments because the expectant mother will be subjected to medication and operation limits during pregnancy. It is very important to get support from relevant institutions and people in order to manage this process correctly. Safe motherhood should be considered as a unique key to safe delivery and a healthy baby.
What is the biggest fear of pregnant women?
A research was conducted with 150 pregnant women in Turkey on the most curious issues related to pregnancy. As a result of this research, the percentage distribution of the issues that pregnant women need counseling services was as follows;
- Birth pain (76.6%)
- Breastfeeding and burping (67.3%)
- Postpartum pain (28%)
- Problems experienced during pregnancy and situations to be considered (15.3%)
When the aforementioned research results are evaluated, it is predicted that health anomalies that will negatively affect the birth may occur due to the fears experienced.
How to deal with prenatal and postpartum contractions?
Mothers who receive prenatal counseling are protected from the information pollution circulating on the internet and are informed in advance about the possible situations they may encounter. If necessary, the authorized doctor will guide and encourage the mother to seek psychological support. The professional group called 'birth psychologist' entered the literature for the first time in Turkey.
What is a Birth Psychologist/Doula? How does a birth psychologist help mothers?
It is important to remember that the psychology of pregnancy is not only limited to the mother but also affects the baby. Assuming that the mother experiencing pregnancy is affected in the womb, there is a psychological transmission that covers 3 generations. It is very important to identify the traumas and fears that have settled in the subconscious and to avoid the problems caused by these concerns during the birth process, and in this context, it should be noted that the work of the birth psychologist is a slightly different situation than the psychological support received before and after pregnancy.
Doulas help to reduce stress in the mother, ensure privacy and alleviate tension in family members by putting the mother at the center during the birth process. Since they will be working together, they are in contact with the doctor and the team who will deliver the mother. It is also among the duties of doulas to use non-pharmacological relaxing techniques during labor. Birth psychologists do not have any medical responsibility and are not authorized to recommend medication.
Due to the increase in mothers who are both physically and mentally prepared for childbirth, there has been a decrease in cesarean deliveries. As much as doulas prepare pregnant women for birth, they also contribute to the natural process in the most comfortable way by reducing indecision in birth preferences.
Thanks to the quality support received by the doula, the postpartum sadness syndromes that may occur in the mother after birth will be alleviated and the goal of meeting the baby with life in normal health has been achieved.
