Name : Susan Parker Test Taken on : 10 March 2004
Personalized		Report on Prenatal Care

Susan, your knowledge of pre-natal care is quite good. The beginning of a pregnancy is the most critical time for both the mother and the developing baby. This is the time to seek early contact with a physician to initiate prenatal care including a physical examination, blood testing, vitamins and dietary counseling, and ultra-sonography if indicated. Lack of early prenatal care is associated with a greater incidence of complications for both the mother and baby. Good prenatal care is one of the most important ingredients in making a healthy baby. So don't delay. As soon as you suspect you might be pregnant, or have a positive home pregnancy test result, call your practitioner to schedule an appointment. Look for a physician or a mid-wife who will make decisions based on his or her experience and knowledge as well as your medical best interest, but will always include you and your wishes in the process. Be prepared with the following information at your first visit. The doctor will ask about: Your reproductive history Any inherited disorders Any current and past illnesses The date of your last menstrual cycle in order to plot the due date Report Continues... You Scored : 16/20 Answers to the questions asked in the test 1. Which is the safest sugar substitute you can use during pregnancy? Saccharine. Fruit juice concentrates. Aspartame.   2. Could a few drinks you had before you knew you were pregnant have harmed your baby? Yes. No. Not sure.   3. Diagnostic X-rays can pose a threat to the embryo or the fetus. True. False. Report Continues... Ideal Answers 1. Which is the safest sugar substitute you can use during pregnancy? It is wise for the expectant mother to proceed with caution while making a choice for sugar substitutes. First of all because so many commercially prepared items sweetened with sugar substitutes are nutritionally unworthy, you should be selective when choosing them. Second, research on some of these sweeteners, particularly on pregnant women is inadequate. Aspartame is used in beverages, yoghurt, and frozen desserts and not in baked goods or cooked foods. Industry funded studies have shown no harmful effects from the use of aspartame during pregnancy, but some experts question the quality of these studies and suggest that, until more is known, pregnant women be cautious in their use of this sweetener. Adding a packet to a cup of tea or coffee or downing a dish of aspartame-sweetened yoghurt is probably fine. Regular consumption of diet soft drinks or aspartame-sweetened desserts isn't. Report Continues... 2. The diet of a pregnant woman should be: The only kind of diet that is appropriate during pregnancy is a well-balanced one- one which is high in protein as well as carbohydrate. Diets that limit carbohydrates (including fruits, vegetables and grains) limit the nutrients that growing fetuses and (their growing mothers) need, and are inherently unwise. In fact, such programs have been linked to low birth weight. It's very important that an expectant mother should never diet for weight loss. Pregnant women should increase their usual servings of a variety of foods from the four basic food groups to include the following: Four or more servings of fruits and vegetables for vitamins and minerals. Four or more servings of whole-grain or enriched bread and cereal for energy. Four or more servings of milk and milk products for calcium. Report Continues... Detailed explanations of what you should do in each of the situations asked in the test...all this and more only in your Personalized Report on Prenatal Care. Report for: Susan Parker