Prenatal care is the best way to make sure you enjoy a healthy pregnancy, birth, and newborn child. Proper, regular prenatal care can help prevent complications before they occur and help you understand what’s happening with your own and your baby’s health.
Dr. Parisa Pourzand and her staff can guide you through your pregnancy, giving you the power of knowledge and confidence. When you know what to expect and why, you have less stress and better outcomes. We can answer your questions, provide resources, and serve as a trusted source of medical information during your regular prenatal visits at our clinics in Glendale and Los Angeles, California.
When you see your doctor regularly during your pregnancy, you reduce the risk of complications for your baby and yourself. For example, with good prenatal care, you’ll be aware if you develop gestational diabetes, or if your blood pressure rises. These are complications that can be managed, but that can cause serious health issues without the right care.
When you’re pregnant, it seems like everyone you encounter has advice or a scary story to tell. Your cousin’s best friend’s aunt told you deodorant isn’t safe during pregnancy, so should you stop using it? Dr. Pourzand can answer those kinds of questions for you so that you don’t have to worry about everything you hear.
Even if you’ve already experienced pregnancy — even multiple pregnancies — you’re likely to have questions. Each pregnancy is unique, and if something happens this time that didn’t happen last time, having an expert to talk to is very helpful!
If you are a tobacco user, you may feel like you have a steep mountain to climb. We can offer numerous resources so that you don’t feel like you’re climbing that mountain alone.
In fact, we can refer you to resources for all sorts of challenges, whether you need to discuss mental health issues, alcohol dependency, or other issues. We can help you find the right community resources or programs to fit your needs.
Even if you have a solid nutrition and exercise routine prior to your pregnancy, you may have questions about what to eat, or what exercise is safe to do. Dr. Pourzand can help you understand your own nutritional needs and what kinds of movements are safe for you and your baby.
Prenatal care is important throughout your pregnancy, but it can also help you reduce risks after your baby is born. For example, if you learn about the dangers of tobacco smoke during your pregnancy and quit, you are lessening your baby’s risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), which has been linked to tobacco and alcohol use during pregnancy.
Even if your diet is rich, nutritious, and appropriate for a healthy pregnancy, you likely need supplements during pregnancy. For example, taking 400 micrograms of folic acid each day during your pregnancy can reduce the risk of certain neural problems by 70%. Dr. Pourzand can suggest which supplements are right for you, and in what amounts.
If you regularly take medications, you need to know if it’s safe to continue taking them during your pregnancy, and prenatal care can help with that. Just as you may need certain supplements, you may need to avoid others, and it’s important to know which medications, supplements, and treatments could cause harm.
If you’d like to learn more about our prenatal services, schedule an appointment today. Even if you’re not pregnant yet, but plan to be soon, a discussion of the value of prenatal care can be helpful.
