If you just found out you are pregnant and wondering what the next step is, you’re not alone.
It’s likely that you are 4 weeks (or more) pregnant if you just got a positive pregnancy test. Pregnancy begins on the first day of your last menstrual cycle, which is considered to be “Day 1”, not the date of conception or ovulation. You can use a Due Date Calculator to determine your expected due date based on your Day 1 and menstrual cycle length. Menstrual cycle length refers to the number of days between menstrual cycles, again using your first day of your period as Day 1. So if you get your period again 29 days after your last period began, your cycle is 28 days long. Pregnancy also lasts for 40 weeks, which is more like 10 months, instead of the commonly thought 9!
One of the very first things I googled when I found out I was pregnant was: “doctor’s appointments during pregnancy”.
I wanted to know what to expect. With the exception of being a high risk patient, here is a round up of the 7 major doctor’s appointments you can expect to attend as a pregnant mom-to-be.
7 Appointments You Can Expect During Pregnancy
1. 6-10 weeks: First OB Appointment! Time to confirm the pregnancy with a blood test and ultrasound.
You find out you’re pregnant! What now? They typically won’t schedule your first appointment until 6-10 weeks of pregnancy. Take the time to research and select a local obstetrician (OB) and call to make an appointment. Nowadays you can find reviews about other people’s experiences with doctors to help you narrow down your selection. If you have a friend with kids who lives close to you, ask them if they liked their OB and consider seeing the same one.
Some doctors have private practices and others are located right at the hospital. The nice thing about selecting a doctor who works at the hospital where you will be delivering is that you become used to the parking situation before delivery, comfortable finding your way around the hospital, and if any concerns arise at any of your OB appointments, they can walk you right to the Labor & Delivery floor or ER for further testing.
2. 10-12 weeks: Testing to make sure baby and mama are healthy. Optional gender results too!
You may get blood taken to look for any possible abnormalities in your baby and yourself. They will offer Non Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT). It’s a screening test offered during pregnancy to see if the fetus is at risk for having a chromosomal disorder like Down syndrome (trisomy 21), trisomy 18 (Edwards syndrome) and trisomy 13 (Patau syndrome). (source: Cleveland Clinic) The test can also determine the sex of the fetus if you are interested in finding out! Prepare to wait a few days (possibly 14!) for all of these results. You can also wait to find out the sex from the ultrasound technician at the anatomy scan around 20 weeks.
3. 16 weeks: More testing
They will test your blood again to monitor for any possible abnormalities in you and baby.
4. 20 weeks: Anatomy scan!
The 20-week anatomy scan is a big milestone – you’re officially halfway there! This appointment can be particularly nerve wracking while also extremely exciting, hopefully bringing about a great deal of relief. They will measure all organs, limbs, amniotic fluid levels, and your cervix length to ensure baby is growing on the right schedule. You will likely see baby’s little face and go home with cute ultrasound photos.
5. 28 weeks: Glucose tolerance test for gestational diabetes
Gestational diabetes (GD) can occur in pregnant women and is a common, manageable, and temporary condition. They will give you a sugary liquid to drink within the span of 3 minutes, then test your fasting blood sugar level (glucose) an hour later to see how your body processes the sugar. If your levels are normal, no GD! If they are high, they will ask you to repeat the test but for the duration of 3 hours instead of 1. This is typically done at a lab such as Labcorp or Quest Diagnostics. Bring some work, a book or your laptop to watch a movie. It can feel like forever! If you have GD, there are many resources available to help you navigate the condition. Read a blog from a mom who navigated GD during pregnancy here.
6. 36 weeks: Group B strep test
This test is to determine if you have a bacteria called Group B Strep. This is also common and if you have it, they will administer antibiotics during your delivery.
7. 40 weeks: Due date!
Either you’ve had the baby or you’re counting down the minutes! Every baby and mama is different, so baby’s arrival will vary for everyone. Remember the due date is an estimate, not the baby’s birthday. It can be hard to remember this in those final weeks of pregnancy, but babies will arrive when they are meant to.
Bumpdate App: A Pregnancy Tracker for Friends
Want an easy way to remember and share these special appointments and milestones with friends and family? Bumpdate is the first-ever app made for expecting parents to privately share key details about their pregnancies and growing families with their loved ones. Expected due dates, an easy-to-read trimester meter, real-time pregnancy calculations by weeks and days, children’s ages and birthdays, product recommendations and more – all in one place and only accessible by selected friends and family. With Bumpdate, loved ones can check in when it matters most and be the friend who remembers. Free to download, click here.
Resources:
https://www.healthpartners.com/blog/pregnancy-appointments-timeline/#visit3
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