Trend of Antenatal Bookings in a Teaching Hospital in South Western Nigeria

Introduction: The age-long practice of late booking is gradually changing towards early pregnancy booking because of the benefits. Implementation of new medical guidelines is however often delayed in developing countries. Aim: The study proposes to observe the trend in antenatal booking in respect of booking gestational age, and the relationship with maternal socio-demographic and obstetric characteristics. Methodology: A retrospective study of antenatal bookings between 2016 and 2020 in Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu Ogun State, Nigeria was carried out. Data were collected from pregnant women that had a minimum of 4 clinic attendances and delivered in the hospital. Data analysis was by descriptive statistics and presented in simple frequency tables. Results: Six thousand, eight hundred and ninety-nine pregnancies were booked, with early bookings (< 13 weeks) in 23.9% and late bookings in 64.6% (14-26 weeks) and 11.5% (27-36 weeks). The proportion of early bookings (23.9%) was higher compared with 18.8% reported in 2014 in same centre. Every year, the number of early bookings was initially stable at 20.4%, but rose to 26.7 - 30.8 in the last 2 years of study. Maternal age < 30 years, secondary or tertiary educational level and previous caesarean delivery were the predominant variables among women that booked in early pregnancy. Previous or on-going medical disorders and/or delivery complications were not strongly associated with early booking. Conclusions: The practice of late pregnancy booking is still a major issue, though the proportion of early bookings has continued to increase compared with previous study. Improvement in education, economic empowerment and health education that emphasizes preventive rather than curative role of ANC is advised.