Definition, Objectives and Benefits of Antenatal Care (ANC)

1. Definition of Antenatal Care (ANC)

Antenatal Care (ANC) is antenatal care provided by a midwife or doctor to the mother during pregnancy to optimize the physical and mental health of pregnant women, so as to face childbirth, postpartum, preparation of breastfeeding, and the return of RH reasonable (Manuaba, 1998) , Also find common maternal health, disease early enforce that accompanies pregnancy, upholding early pregnancy complications, and define the risk of pregnancy (Manuaba, 2009).

2. The purpose of Antenatal Care (ANC)

1.      Assist the progress of pregnancy to ensure the health of mother and infant growth.

2.      Improve and maintain physical, mental, social, mother and baby.

3.      Recognize the early abnormalities or complications that may occur during the mother's pregnancy, including disease history in general, obstetrics, and surgery.

4.      Prepare term labor, childbirth safely mother and baby with a minimum of trauma.

5.      Preparing for post partum mothers to walk normally and exclusive breastfeeding.

6.      Preparing for the role of mothers and families in accepting the birth of the baby.

7.      Recognizing and addressing the earliest possible complications are during pregnancy, at delivery, and postpartum stage.

8.      Identify and deal with diseases that accompany pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum stage.

9.      Provide advice and guidance relating to pregnancy, childbirth, when parturition, lactation, and aspects of family planning.

10.  Reduce morbidity and maternal and perinatal mortality. (Manuaba, I.B.G, 1998)

3. Benefits of Antenatal Care (ANC)

The benefits of early antenatal care is to obtain a basic overview of the physiological changes that occur during pregnancy and disorders that accompany pregnancy early, so it can be calculated and prepared measures to aid childbirth (Manuaba, 2009). Antenatal also provide benefits for the mother and fetus, among others:

1)      For the mother

a.       Reduce and enforce early complications of pregnancy and early treatment of complications affecting pregnancy.

b.      Maintain and improve mental and physical health of pregnant women in the face of labor.

c.       Improving the health of mothers after giving birth and to breastfeed.

d.      Provide counseling in choosing a contraceptive method (Manuaba, 1999).

2)      For the fetus

The benefit to the fetus is maintaining women's health, thereby reducing preterm birth, low birth weight, also improve the health of the baby as a starting point the quality of human Suber (Manuaba, 1999).