Pregnancy Care
Because pregnancy care is so important for your health and the health of your baby, it is free for all NZ citizens, residents and many other visa holders. Your midwife will give you advice on keeping yourself healthy in pregnancy and you will be offered regular appointments so your midwife can monitor your progress. Your midwife will be looking out for any signs that you or your baby are becoming unwell. Some conditions in pregnancy may not be obvious to the untrained eye, so attending appointments is vital. Your midwife will order blood tests and ultrasound scans as required. Please make sure you undertake these tests promptly so that any problems can be detected early. If any problems are indentified you will be referred to a hospital specialist, who will make a plan of care with you and your midwife.
Your midwife will talk to you about what you want for your pregnancy and will plan your care with you. You will be asked to think about the kind of labour and birth you would like and your preferences will be recorded. It is a good idea to attend a childbirth education course, especially if this is your first baby.
How do we look after you and your baby?
The Diabetes in Pregnancy Service holds clinics at Manukau SuperClinic (Module 10).
You will be invited to attend a group meeting where the Midwife and Dietitian speak with you about:
- How the clinic works and how often you will be invited to attend the clinic or scans
- How the diabetes may affect you and your baby
- Making diet and lifestyle changes to manage your diabetes in pregnancy
- How to test your blood sugars at home
- How to manage your diabetes with medication when diet changes are not enough
You will then have an individual appointment with the rest of the diabetes in pregnancy team to plan the care for the rest of your pregnancy to keep you and your baby well.
The diabetes midwife will continue to keep in touch with you to help and support you to manage your blood sugars.