Prenatal care is the health care that a pregnant person receives throughout their pregnancy, provided in the form of medical checkups. It is a type of preventive healthcare that helps keep both the mother and the baby healthy by preventing potential health problems throughout the course of the pregnancy. Prenatal care includes recommendations on managing a healthy lifestyle, such as prenatal nutrition, including prenatal vitamins, and the provision of medical information such as maternal physiological changes in pregnancy and biological changes. The availability of routine prenatal care, including prenatal screening and diagnosis, has played a part in reducing the frequency of maternal death, miscarriages, birth defects, low birth weight, neonatal infections, and other preventable health problems.

Prenatal care is usually provided by a doctor, nurse, or midwife, and the frequency of visits depends on how far along the pregnancy is and how high the risk is for complications. The typical prenatal care schedule for someone who is 18-35 years old and healthy is:

• Every 4 or 6 weeks for the first 32 weeks
• Every 2 or 3 weeks for the 32nd-37th weeks
• Every week from the 37th week until giving birth

However, if the pregnancy is high-risk due to health problems like diabetes or high blood pressure, the doctor or midwife will probably want to see the patient more often.

Prenatal care visits usually include a physical exam, weight checks, and providing a urine sample. During these visits, the health care provider checks on the pregnant person and the growing baby, monitors the babys development, and does routine testing to help find and prevent possible problems. These regular checkups are also a great time to learn how to ease any discomfort the pregnant person may be having and ask any other questions about the pregnancy and the birth of the baby.