Having proper pregnancy care is essential for your health and the health of your baby. Good prenatal care can have an impact not on just this first nine months but on the rest of your child’s life. To give you an idea of how important these precautions are, you’ll find ten of the dangers of having bad or no pregnancy care.

Increased neonatal death risk

Research conducted using data from between 1995 and 1997 found that women who did not have any kind of prenatal care were 40% more likely than women who did to have their newborn baby die within the first 27 days of life. The results were controlled for other factors, such as premature birth and the age of the mother. African American mothers who had no pregnancy care faced a greater risk of neonatal death than Caucasian mothers. There is a clear correlation, therefore, between having a healthy child and having good prenatal care.

Problems with the baby’s position

Ideally, the baby will emerge from the uterus head first. This is the easiest way for both the mother and the baby. Remember that after the baby needs to get out of the womb quickly once your water breaks. Unfortunately, you have not had prenatal care you and the delivering physician may not know if your baby is in a different position. If the baby has turned, you could have complications that could have been prepared for and reduced with advanced knowledge. For example, the physician may have been able to turn the baby or may have scheduled a C-section.

Undiagnosed health problems for the mother

Although pregnancy care is usually considered to focus on the baby, it also includes concerns about the mother’s health as well, including disorders such as preeclampsia. This condition, if left untreated, can actually cause the placenta to receive inadequate blood flow which can result in stillbirths. Other serious problems can also occur. Prenatal care can recognize these problems in the mother and in the baby.

Rh factor problems

The term Rh Factor refers to proteins found on our red blood cells. The majority carries these proteins and is known as Rh positive. The others are Rh negative. When the mother is negative and the father is positive, complications can occur in the second and subsequent pregnancies that can result in serious health problems in the newborn and even the death of the fetus. Prenatal care can recognize these problems and prevent them.

Presence of congenital birth defects

Another important part of pregnancy care are prenatal tests that can be performed early on to determine the presence of these defects so the parents can make the appropriate decision about the situation. Although these decisions may be controversial, parents need to know what to expect so they can be prepared. Without prenatal care, these defects can go undiagnosed until after birth. If these defects are life-threatening, physicians can be prepared to treat the baby immediately after birth. When the problem is not known ahead of time, that is not possible.

No one to contact if problems arise

Having a physician who knows your condition and your health history is important during a pregnancy so if complications or problems do arise you can contact someone about what to do. For example, if you are running a fever of more than 101 degrees your obstetrician may need to be informed because this can be a sign of a serious problem.

Risk of infecting baby

Part of pregnancy care for the new mother is being tested for a wide range of health problems, including sexually transmitted diseases and other conditions that could be contracted by your baby during delivery. If discovered early enough, some of these conditions can be treated in advance and problems can be averted.

Premature labor

Today, a growing number of babies are born prematurely. While this can put a child’s life at risk, it can also lead to ongoing health problems for the child as he or she grows older. If you have good prenatal care, however, you can minimize your risks. Your obstetrician will be able to recognize danger signs and can take actions that can delay labor until the baby is ready.

Untreated gestational diabetes

Every year, about 8% of pregnant women develop gestational diabetes. The condition is marked by high levels of blood sugar in the body during pregnancy. Without getting gestational diabetes under control, complications can be more common and the baby can also suffer from potential problems, including physical damage thanks to the increase blood sugar levels being passed onto them through the placenta.

No sound medical advice

Part of good prenatal care is receiving medical advice, including what to eat for a healthy baby and normal weight gain. Without this advice, you may end up facing many problems and having questions with no reliable answers.