The schedule of care
International guidance now recommends at least eight antenatal contacts, up from four, because more frequent contact reduces perinatal deaths. The first should happen before the end of the third month: it dates the pregnancy, identifies risk factors and triggers screening. Scans are spread across the pregnancy, usually one per trimester, with the second-trimester scan the longest because it examines the baby's anatomy in detail.
What is screened for
Everywhere: anaemia, blood group and rhesus status, immunity to rubella, gestational diabetes, and above all the infections that pass to the baby — HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B. Those three are not formalities. Each is transmitted at birth and each is almost entirely preventable if it is known about in time. Screening for chromosomal conditions is offered, never imposed.
Signs that need immediate attention
Bleeding, fluid loss, regular contractions before term, severe headache with visual disturbance, intense abdominal pain, fever, sudden swelling of the face or hands, and above all a noticeable reduction in the baby's movements. That last one is the most frequently played down and the most significant. None of these waits until morning.
Where to give birth, and with whom
Three models coexist: obstetrician-led care; midwife-led care, which is becoming the norm for uncomplicated pregnancies and produces better outcomes through continuity; and mixed arrangements. Place follows the same logic: hospital unit, midwife-led unit, birth centre or home, depending on risk and on what is available. Continuity — being cared for by the same person throughout — is the single best documented factor for both experience and outcomes.
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Leave: where countries diverge most
Duration, pay and whether leave is compulsory vary enormously. Some countries impose a post-birth period during which working is prohibited; others provide no national paid leave at all. Leave for the second parent varies just as widely, from a few days to several non-transferable months. In practice these differences often matter more than any difference in clinical care.
The riskiest period is afterwards
A large share of severe complications happen after the birth, in the following days and weeks. Heavy bleeding, fever, calf pain, breathlessness, severe headache or overwhelming dark thoughts all warrant immediate advice. The postnatal check is not an administrative formality.
The law country by country
The legal framework, the procedure, the time limits and the costs differ from one country to another. Each country below has a detailed page: governing texts, key facts, the actual procedure, costs, where to go and the traps to avoid.
Select a country to open its detailed page.