Worldwide, and typically inAfrica, the period of childbirth brings moments of joy and pride to women,their families and society.
Every mother should be safe throughout delivery, thepostpartum period and beyond. (Morantz-Sanchez, 2005; Baffour-Awuah et al., 2015).Antenatal carerefers to the care that that a pregnant woman receives from the time thatconception is confirmed until the beginning of labour (Team et al.,2010; Onasoga et al.
, 2012;Tsegay et al., 2013). Progress on the trends of the useof antenatal care has been seen in developing countries during the 1990s.In certain health facilitiesin Ghana and other health facilities in Ghana, the practice of focusedantenatal as recommended by WHO is being implemented.
Focused antenatal care is an approach to ANCthat emphasizes: individualized care, client centered, fewer but comprehensivevisits, disease detection not risk classification and care by a skilledprovider (Kinzie and Gomez, 2004). Antenatalcare services provided in many parts of the world fail to meet the standards thatWHO requires (WHO,2003; Unicef, 2007). In Sub-SaharanAfrica, use of antenatal care has hardly changed over the past 10 years,although levels are high compared to Asia. A number of challenges that womenin developing countries face such as financial constraints, poor road network,lack of transport facilities, shortage of health workers and prevent them fromaccessing available obstetric facilities.(Unicef,2007; Lee et al., 2009; Chang et al., 2010; Moyer et al.
, 2014)Moreover, the outcomeof pregnancy depends on many factors including the health and age, nutritionalstatus, prior pregnancy history and the spacing between the mother’s previousbirth, as well as her education and ability to access health services. Moreimportantly, risk factors for maternalmortality are low educational level, increased parity and age below 20 or above35 (Unicef,2007; Gonzales et al., 2009;Karlsen et al.
, 2011).Most life-threatening obstetric complications can beprevented through antenatal care. There is ample evidence that care duringpregnancy is an important opportunity to deliver interventions that willimprove maternal health and survival during the period immediately precedingand after childbirth (Maine and Rosenfield, 1999; WHO, 2006; Kerber et al.
, 2007). Also, if the antenatal period isused to tell pregnant women about danger signs and symptoms and about the risksof labour and delivery, it may provide the route for ensuring that they deliverwith the assistance of a skilled health care provider. A vital way to connect a womanwith the health system is through antenatal care which if functioning, will becritical for saving the woman’s life in order to prevent any complication.
