Prenatal Visits
Your Prenatal Visits Schedule
| Confirmation of pregnancy with ultrasound | Typically done between 7-8 weeks from your last menstrual period. We perform an ultrasound which will help determine your baby’s estimated due date. Review your medical, surgical, genetic, and family medical history. You will also have a physical exam and lab work drawn. |
| 12-week visit with ultrasound | Ultrasound to see early fetal anatomy. We will review your initial prenatal labs. We will also perform genetic screening, if desired. |
| 16-week visit | Measure your uterus size and baby’s heart rate. We will also schedule a 20 to 21-week ultrasound to check the baby’s development. |
| 20-week visit with ultrasound | Measure uterine size and baby’s heart rate. Your ultrasound will be done around this time by our ultra sonographer to look at the growth of the baby and an anatomy review. |
| 24-week visit | Measure your uterine size and check the baby’s heart rate. You will be given a sugar drink and then have blood work to check for gestational diabetes and anemia. Start signing up for classes now. |
| 28-week visit | Measure uterine size, check baby’s heart rate. If you are Rh negative, we will also draw blood for antibodies and give you your Rhogam injection. You will also be offered the Tdap vaccine and influenza vaccine at this time. Required labs: CBC, Syphilis, and GH. This is also a good time to tour the hospital’s labor and delivery. |
| 32-week visit with ultrasound | Measure uterine size and check the baby’s heart rate. If you are considering permanent sterilization, this is a good time to discuss with the provider, if you have not already done so. (Medicaid requires papers to be signed at least 30 days before your due date.) |
| 34-week visit | Measure uterine size and check the baby’s heart rate. |
| 36-week visit | Measure uterine size, check baby’s heart rate, and we will collect a vaginal swab to check for GBS. We will discuss your birth plan around this time. |
| 37-week and weekly until delivery | Measure uterine size and check the baby’s heart rate. If you would like us to check your cervix, let us know (although this does not have to be done routinely). We will be asking about labor signs. |
Ultrasounds
We generally do a dating ultrasound at your first visit to confirm the pregnancy and to help determine your estimated due date. We will order a second ultrasound to be done at 20-weeks gestation. This ultrasound is used to make sure your baby is developing as expected and is done by a trained ultra-sonographer. Often, you will be able to find out the gender of the baby at the 20-week ultrasound. If there are no complications in your pregnancy, a third ultrasound at 32 weeks may be recommended for growth.
Fetal Movement
If this is your first baby, you might start feeling the first flutter of movement around 20-weeks gestation. Some women, particularly those who have had a child in the past, will feel the baby move sooner, perhaps around 16-weeks gestational age. Some women may feel the baby move later than 20 weeks. Movements can be described as rolling, punching, kicking, or stretching in your uterus.
Once you have reached 28 weeks of pregnancy, you should be feeling the baby move, regularly, every day. Feeling fetal movement is a “low tech” way to tell you that the baby is doing well. Most babies have a certain time of day when they are more active (such as just after dinner, just after you go to bed, or first thing in the morning). Once you reach 28 weeks of pregnancy, we would like you to take time each day, during your baby’s active time, to notice his or her movements. If you feel that your baby is not moving normally, please give us a call right away.
Daily Fetal Kick Count: Sometimes we ask women to do a fetal kick count. If you have been instructed to do this daily count, we ask that you count the number of times your baby moves in two hours during his or her active time of the day (often after dinner). If the baby moves at least 10 times in two hours, there is no need to call us. If your baby moves less than 10 times in two hours, we would like you to give us a call right away.