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Prenatal care

During your pregnancy, you'll probably see your health care provider more often than ever before. (See Kinds of health care providers.) That's because regular prenatal care visits help you have a healthier pregnancy and a healthier baby.


Regular prenatal visits

Each health care provider may have slightly different schedules. Generally, here's what to expect:

  1. Your first prenatal visit should be before you are 12 weeks pregnant.
  2. You'll probably be scheduled for an appointment each month until you are at 28 weeks.
  3. Then you may have an appointment every other week or so until you are at 36 weeks.
  4. From then until your baby is born, you'll probably see your health care provider once a week.

You may have fewer visits if your pregnancy is going well. Or you may have more visits if you are having complications.


How to get the most out of your prenatal visits

  • Bring a list of your questions.
  • Don't be shy. Ask those questions or give your health care provider your written list.
  • If you do feel too shy to ask questions of or speak honestly with your health care provider, ask to meet other practitioners in your clinic. You might feel more at ease with someone else.
  • Be honest, even about things that are hard to talk about. Drug, alcohol and tobacco use can be embarrassing to discuss, but for your baby's health, you must tell your health care provider.
  • Don't suffer in silence. If you hurt, if something is uncomfortable, if you think you are feeling contractions or having pain, don't think you are complaining too much if you tell your health care provider. This is precisely the kind of information your health care provider needs to know from you at each visit -- or in a phone call between visits.
  • Write down your health care provider's answers and recommendations. If your partner comes along to your visits, give your partner the pen and paper. It's easy to forget details when you are trying to remember all the questions you wanted to ask.


Kinds of health care providers



Related Links

 

Source: Allina Patient Education, Beginnings: Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond, fourth edition, preg-ahc-90026, ISBN 1-931876-14-2

First published: 10/04/2002
Last updated: 06/01/2003

Reviewed by: Allina Patient Education experts

 

 

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