As soon as her pregnancy is revealed, the mother-to-be must organize the next nine months to welcome her baby in the best conditions. Medical follow-up, lifestyle and administrative procedures: the pregnant woman must think of everything. A precious ally, the maternity notebook accompanies it for clear and complete information.

The maternity health record (1) is a booklet available to pregnant women and which enlightens them on all aspects of the progress of their pregnancy.

Medical follow-up during pregnancy.

The maternity notebook contains a detailed schedule of the medical examinations of the mother-to-be: the seven antenatal consultations, the three ultrasounds and the postnatal consultation. The maternity health record is a support for annotations both for doctors and for the mother-to-be, ensuring good communication between them.

Rights, reimbursements and benefits.

From the declaration of pregnancy to the coverage of care by the Health Insurance, the maternity card guides the pregnant woman in all her administrative procedures. He also informs her about her rights to personalized support during pregnancy – individual or couple interview and childbirth preparation sessions. The maternity health record also takes stock of the assistance available to young mothers after childbirth – the PAJE system set up by CAF in particular. It also reminds the mother-to-be of her rights to maternity leave.

The hygiene of the pregnant woman’s life.

For a serene pregnancy and a healthy baby, the maternity notebook provides advice and recommendations. They concern in particular the consumption of alcohol, cigarettes and drugs, the diet to favor and the list of physical activities to avoid. The maternity health record reassures the mother-to-be by explaining the changes involved in pregnancy: mood swings, nausea, fatigue and weight gain, for example. He also indicates to her in what alarming situation it is preferable for the pregnant woman to consult a health professional without delay, and mentions his various interlocutors. Finally, the maternity notebook evokes the post-partum period and deals with questions of nutrition and care to be given to the newborn.

The maternity record has 2 objectives:

• Provide the pregnant woman with exhaustive information on the progress of her pregnancy to support and reassure her.
• Facilitate the communication of the mother-to-be with health professionals and health professionals among themselves, before and after childbirth.

The maternity card is sent by the department during the 1st trimester of pregnancy. Some doctors or midwives issue the maternity health record directly to the patient after her first compulsory prenatal examination.

The maternity health record is free.

The maternity notebook consists of 3 parts.

• In the flap of the front cover: information sheets and practical advice.
• In the center of the booklet: the booklet accompanying pregnancy. This part of the maternity notebook includes annotation spaces to be filled in by the pregnant woman and by the professionals who follow her. This is the opportunity for the mother-to-be to write down all of her remarks and questions she asks herself.
• In the flap of the last cover page: the prenatal medical record. It contains all the medical reports. This file makes it possible to make the link between the various health professionals who accompany the pregnant woman throughout her pregnancy. In practice, many doctors and hospitals have their own model of an antenatal medical record, which they use in the absence of that of the maternity record.