The Impact of Antenatal Care in Maternal and Perinatal Health

Abstract

Every moment, somewhere in our planet especially in low in come country, women of reproductive age group die from problems linked to gestations. The major reason for this enormous magnitude of complication is failure to use antenatal care services particularly in developing countries. The World Health Organization recommends a minimum of four ANC visits. However, global estimates indicate that only about half of all pregnant women receive this recommended amount of care. Antenatal care is one of the evidence-based interventions to decrease the probability of bad health outcomes for mothers and their newborns. Effectiveness of antenatal care, however, relies on the quality of care provided during each antenatal care visits. Antenatal care is an umbrella term used to describe the medical procedures and care that carried out starting from preconception. lt is a care a woman receives throughout her pregnancy and is important in helping to ensure a healthy pregnancy state and safe childbirth. Therefore, antenatal care is to assure that every wanted pregnancy results in the delivery of a healthy baby without impairing the mother’s health. The aim of this chapter is to examine the impact of antenatal care in decreasing maternal and newborn death from preconception through postnatal period.