Find out what you should expect from your first visit to the hospital.
Every mother hopes for an uncomplicated, healthy pregnancy. Your chances of having one have never been better because medical advances constantly improve the quality of antenatal care. The provision of close monitoring for you and your baby means that now 95% of pregnancies result in the birth of a healthy baby.
Booking In
Once your doctor has confirmed your pregnancy, they'll give you a date for your ‘booking appointment’. This happens between your eighth and twelfth week of pregnancy. Very often this and subsequent appointments are with your community midwife. If you have private health care or a complicated pregnancy your antenatal care may be overseen by a doctor or consultant obstetrician.
At this appointment, the midwife will calculate the length of your pregnancy by using the date of the first day of your last period. She will want to know if you were using any contraception when you became pregnant, as the contraceptive pill or IUD can interfere with the dating of your pregnancy.
Twenty Questions The doctor will ask about your medical history: if you have any conditions or allergies or have had any long stays in hospital or operations. They'll ask about your general health – your diet, how much you exercise, and whether you smoke, drink or take recreational drugs. If you've had any previous pregnancies, they will take some details about them, and they'll want to know if you plan to give birth at home or in hospital so you can book a bed at the hospital if necessary.
Some questions can feel a bit intrusive or irrelevant, for example, what your job is, where you live, and your ethnic background. However, such questions are only asked with the health of your baby in mind - some ethnic groups are predisposed to certain chromosomal abnormalities, some jobs are hazardous for pregnant women, and having somewhere permanent, safe and clean to live is vital when you have a child.
An M.O.T For Mums-To-Be You'll also undergo a thorough physical examination to assess the state of your health. You'll be weighed in to see if you are over or under weight, as overweight women are more prone to gestational diabetes, and if you are underweight, the growth of your baby may be affected.
You will have blood and urine samples taken for various tests and your blood pressure will be measured for a 'base reading' that any fluctuations of blood pressure throughout your pregnancy can be measured against. Before you leave, you'll be given a maternity record where all test results will be recorded for the rest of your pregnancy.
Following up If you have an uncomplicated pregnancy, expect an antenatal check up every month or so until the 28th to 32nd week, when they'll take place every one or two weeks. At these check-ups you'll have your blood pressure and a urine sample taken.
From 35 weeks onwards, the size of your bump is measured so the midwife can estimate the size of your baby, and from week 16, your baby's heart rate is measured, too. From 35 weeks, she'll check the position of your baby to see if it is head down and 'ready to go'. If it isn't she may suggest ways in which you can encourage your baby to adopt the correct position.
There will be other tests to undergo periodically, such as your 20 week ultrasound, your blood test for anaemia at 28 weeks and the third trimester rhesus status test.
Find out what you should expect from your first visit to the hospital.
