“I am pregnant. What should I do? What care should I get?”
In Malaysia, there are two parallel healthcare systems: Private and public. Both are of high standards and your choice may depend on your financial capability or access to either of the care based on your individual considerations.
If you choose to get public healthcare, go to your nearest klinik kesihatan and make an appointment. There, the nurse will first conduct an interview to get your full medical history, then make your antenatal book (also known as the pink book) and the necessary blood test. After that, you will be seen by a doctor and an initial examination will take place. They will give you a schedule by the end of it. If you choose private healthcare, you can choose a general practitioner who manages antenatal care for uncomplicated cases.
If there are any problems, you should see an obstetrician. If there are any medical complications or problems with your baby, you will then need to see a maternal fetal medicine specialist. This subspecialist manages mother and baby complications during gestation to ensure a safe pregnancy and the best outcomes for both.
Clinic visits during pregnancy
The usual schedule for clinic visits are usually four weekly until 28 weeks of pregnancy – then fortnightly until 36 weeks of pregnancy and weekly until delivery. However, if there is a need, for whatever reason, these appointments could be changed to suit your needs.
You will usually need a haemoglobin level check every month. This is because your blood volume increases from 5 to 7 litres during the pregnancy.
However, for some people, the red blood cell count does not increase proportionately and may cause anaemia, which needs to be treated.
During your pregnancy, you will also undergo a sugar test to check if you have diabetes. The protocol varies from place to place, so please ask your doctor.
As the rate of diabetes is very high in Malaysia, this test is now routinely done to exclude those who have diabetes complicating their pregnancy and those that develop gestational diabetes during their pregnancy.
Some centres will offer you a Non-Invasive Pregnancy Test. It is a screening test for chromosomal abnormalities. It is for low risk cases but due to the cost, it is not offered universally.
