Prenatal Checkup: Klinik Kesihatan Ibu dan Anak

After much (much) consideration, we decided to go to the government clinic to get the infamous 'red book', although we're planning to deliver at a private hospital. Reason being;

• Government clinic offered (very) comprehensive antenatal care 
• Private hospital tends to transfer the patient to government hospital in case of complications. At least, if that happens I will have my full pregnancy medical record with me.

So I googled the website for the state health department to look for the nearest 'Klinik Kesihatan' which offers prenatal care. In my case, it's Klinik Kesihatan Muhibbah. So the procedure is to get an appointment for your first visit. Different government clinic operates differently. Some accept telephone booking but KKIA Muhibbah requires your physical presence in order to book an appointment. 😅

Parking here is a breeze, though the clinic itself is very small. So I came to book a slot and was given a date 3 weeks away, at 11am. During registration (I was already 14 weeks pregnant), I was asked to bring original IC and copies for both me and N, copy of marriage certificate and original utility bill (to ensure the KKIA is actually responsible for your area as they will visit you at home after delivery).

The nurse interviewed me for basic details; age, education level, employment status, husband's health and medical history to complete the registration of the ''Buku Merah''. FYI, it will take a while because there are 2 copies of the book; one for the mother and one for the clinic. So the nurses/doctors will have to painstakingly re-write everything on both copies of books.

So during the routine checkup, you'll only meet with the same nurse who's responsible for your case. She will also be the one who does house visits later after you deliver. Appointment with the doctor will only be made on the 14th, 20th, 28th and 36th weeks of pregnancy where they'll do the ultrasound as well. Btw, I'm so satisfied with the doctor's explanation here. Much better than my experience at Columbia Asia 😁

The routine checkup includes haemoglobin test, glucose test, urine test, blood pressure monitoring, weight monitoring, blood test (if needed) and consultation with the nurse (based on the pre-determined syllabus). This ensures the mothers are getting continuous knowledge throughout the pregnancy.

All in all, throughout my pregnancy, I've been to the KKIA a total of 15 times. I stopped going after my 33rd week as I have to do the bi-weekly checkup at Andorra and the nurses said I could continue at Andorra for good. But I still have to inform the clinic when I give birth, so they can do the house-visit later to monitor me and the baby. 

I had no issue with the services provided at the KKIA as the nurses are efficient and rarely do I have to wait for a very long time. Sometimes, I had to wait longer at the private hospital/clinic 😂


Modified Glucose Tolerance Test and Gestitational Diebetes Melitus (GDM)
I had to do the Modified Glucose Tolerance Test (MGGT) on my 14th week of pregnancy. For the test, you'll need to fast from 10pm the night before. The nurse then took a blood sample early in the morning - 8am. Then I had to drink a cup of warm orange glucose for the test. Two hours later, I came back for another blood test. While still fasting, ya. After the second blood draw, you are free to eat and drink. Honestly, the test was not as bad as I thought. For me, the fact that the glucose was warm completely threw me off. But no worries, you have 10 minutes to finish off the ''syrup''. I chowed everything in 4 minutes haha. The results will only be available after 2 weeks (understandable for a public clinic).

So the result.

Ideally, the glucose reading while fasting (for a pregnant lady) should be a maximum of 5.3 and 7.8 for the second blood test. 

Mine was 5.5 and 6 accordingly which exceeded (barely) the threshold for fasting glucose level. These numbers are considered normal for non-pregnancy cases but the government clinic is very strict when you're pregnant. 

The thing with Gestitational Diebetes Melitus (GDM) is, you may be perfectly healthy before pregnancy and still, you can have GDM. During pregnancy, glucose will build up in the blood instead of being absorbed by cells due to the hormone produced by the placenta. As a result, your glucose reading may go up (Even with a strict diet and all). Most of the time, GDM will disappear once you gave birth.

As a result of the MGGT, I had to do the HVA1C blood test to determine the average level of glucose for the past 3 months. And my result was A-okay which meant my glucose level pre-pregnancy was healthy.

For my whole visit to KKIA, I've only paid RM5 and that's for my session with the specialist during my 29th week of pregnancy. That's it. Talk about value for money. Oh, I've also met with a dietitian in one of the sessions and had my tetanus injection here. 

I usually take my Obimin supply here since it's free 😂

So, I highly recommend KKIA's service especially for first-time mothers!

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