Obstetrical care is critical for all expectant mothers, as it involves the care of a woman during pregnancy, labour, childbirth, and after the baby is born in the postpartum period. This includes understanding and interpreting signs that a woman is approaching labour. Although most women report that they feel like they are going into labour when they have contractions, contractions are not always signs that a woman will be going into labour soon. With obstetrical care, a woman will know when she is going to give birth, and would therefore be prepared when her “water breaks” and she goes into labour.

In some cases, we will recommend that the labour be induced. This may be because complications have developed as a result of other high-risk factors such as hypertension, preeclampsia, heart disease, gestational diabetes, or abnormal bleeding. Labour may also be induced when the foetus is at risk of not getting enough oxygen and nutrients, the water breaks but the labour does not start within 24 to 48 hours, or the pregnancy goes beyond 42 weeks.

Obstetrical care is also necessary for pain relief during labour, as an obstetrician may give the expectant mother analgesics and anaesthetics. Analgesics offer effective relief of pain without the total loss of feeling or muscle movement, while an anaesthetic can block all feeling, including pain.

An obstetrician may also deliver a baby through a caesarean section (also known as a c-section), which is necessary when a woman is unable to have a vaginal birth. A caesarean delivery is the delivery of a baby through a surgical incision made through the abdominal wall and the uterine wall.

In addition to pregnancy and labour care, we provide obstetrical services which encompasses the care for a new mother immediately after childbirth and for the following six weeks.