What are the aim and objective of antenatal care?

A) Aims of antenatal care are:

1. to monitor the progress of pregnancy in order to ensure maternal health and normal fetal development.

2. to recognise the deviation from the normal and provide management or treatment as required.

3. to ensure that the woman reaches the end of her pregnancy physically and emotionally prepared for her delivery.

4. to identify high risk pregnancy and for their proper management.

5. to reduce or prevent maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity

6. to help and support the mother in breast feeding and parenting.

7. to offer family welfare advices on parenthood.

B) The objective of Antenatal Care:
Antenatal-care refers to the care of pregnant women. The main objectives of antenatal-care are:

Maintenance of health of the mother during pregnancy.
Promote physical, mental, and social well being of mother and child.
Ensure delivery of a full-term healthy baby.
Early detection of high-risk cases and minimize risks by taking appropriate management.
Prevent the development of complications through health education, adequate nutrition, exercise, vitamin intake, and appropriate medical and pharmaceutical intervention.
Screening for conditions and diseases such as anemia, STIs, HIV infection, mental health problems, and domestic violence.
Teach the mother about child care, nutrition, sanitation, and hygiene.
Decrease maternal and infant mortality and morbidity.
Remove the stress and worries of the mother regarding the delivery process.
Provide safe delivery for mother and educate mother about the physiology of pregnancy and labor by demonstrations, charts, and diagrams so that fear is removed and physiology improved.
Advice family planning and motive the couple about the need for family planning.
Predict possible problems during pregnancy and provide appropriate treatment.
Provide information on pregnancy and birth and discuss with the couple about the place, time, and mode of the delivery provisionally and care of the newborn.
Ensure continued medical surveillance and prophylaxis.
Advice the mother about breastfeeding, postnatal care, and immunization.
Advice and support to the woman and her family for developing healthy home behaviors.