Pregnancy 101: The Beginning And The End
(continued)
Once you are pregnant, it is important to have your first prenatal visit as
soon as possible if you haven't had a preconception visit. If you have had a
recent preconception visit, are otherwise healthy, and know the date of the
first day of your last menstrual period (LMP), it is safe to schedule this first
prenatal visit at about 8 weeks of pregnancy.
It is important to know your LMP in order to calculate your due date and to
know how many weeks pregnant you are. You can do this yourself by clicking on
the "due date calculator" at www.womenintheknow.com. If you do not know your
LMP, your clinician may want to order an early ultrasound test to see how far
along you are. For this purpose, the ultrasound is most reliable if done in the
first trimester.
Not all pregnant women require an ultrasound test. Prenatal tests that most
women will get in the first trimester (unless some were done at a preconception
visit) include:
physical exam: with breast exam
fetal heart beat check (with Doppler instrument)
weight and blood pressure will be checked at each visit
pelvic exam: with Pap smear and other cervical tests such as those for cervical strep B, gonorrhea, and chlamydia
common blood tests: blood count, rubella screen, blood type and Rh,
varicella screen (if no history of chicken pox), and Hepatitis B screen
urinalysis (urine "dip-stick" may be repeated at each
visit)
Prenatal Care:
General Schedule of Visits
0-27 weeks gestation: | every 4-6 weeks |
28-35 weeks gestation: | every 2-3 weeks |
36-42 weeks gestation: | every week | |
High risk patients may require more
frequent visits.
As long as there have been pregnancies, there have been "old wives tales"
or myths about pregnancy. While many of these are harmless, some may cause
unnecessary stress, and some provide blatantly incorrect health information. This may indeed cause harm
for someone who thought these statements were fact instead of
fiction.
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Receiving early and consistent prenatal care increases the likelihood of a
healthy birth outcome. . .for mother and child.
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