We at Women's Health Associates would like to congratulate you on your pregnancy...and share with you our plan for Obstetrical care. Once pregnancy has been confirmed, we schedule your first appointment with one of our Nurse Practitioners. During this initial visit, we will review your medical history, pregnancy history and do a complete physical including prenatal lab work.

If any complications arise before your first visit please call the office and we will have you see one of the physicians as soon as possible.

Prenatal Care: What Pregnant Women Can Expect Pregnancy and childbirth change your life. If you are pregnant and plan to have the baby, you must now care for and think for two people--you and your baby. The earlier you get prenatal care, the better your chances are for a healthy pregnancy, birth, and baby. If you're pregnant, you should receive early and regular healthcare by trained professionals. Prenatal care includes regular, routine office visits for physical exams as well as counseling and childbirth education.

Your care may be provided a physician, nurse, midwife, nurse practitioner or, often, a team of healthcare professionals.

The first prenatal visit is usually longer and more involved than subsequent visits. You should schedule this appointment at six to nine weeks from your last menstrual period. At this visit, a detailed history will be taken, including a family history of both parents. You will undergo a physical exam and routine blood tests and the baby's due date will be calculated.

Follow-up visits are usually shorter than the first visit. You will probably visit the obstetrician's office every month until you are seven months pregnant. Then visits will be every two weeks, until the last month, when they will be weekly.

On the first visit, your lifestyle habits and nutrition will be assessed. You will be counseled to not use any over-the-counter medicines, any drugs, alcohol or tobacco. Your previous pregnancy history will be reviewed, and you will undergo a physical exam, including a pelvic exam and Pap smear. Calculating the baby's arrival is called the due date. This is estimated and is sometimes called the EDD, the estimated date of delivery, or the EDC, estimated date of confinement. The due date helps healthcare providers measure the progress of the baby's growth, and it sets the timing for some tests that are performed during the pregnancy.

The average pregnancy is 40 weeks from the first day of the last menstrual period. However, it's considered perfectly normal for babies to be born within two weeks before or two weeks after the due date.

On the first prenatal visit, blood tests are drawn to check your blood type, whether or not you have a positive or negative RH factor, anemia, immunity to German measles, the hepatitis virus or the HIV virus. The pelvic exam includes a Pap test. Cultures of the cervix are taken to check for any infectious diseases. A urine sample is taken to check for levels of sugar or protein in the urine or evidence of any infection.

The subsequent visits during prenatal care are less involved, but just as important. Your weight will be checked to determine whether you are gaining weight too rapidly or not gaining enough weight to provide good nourishment to the baby. At each visit, your urine will be checked for protein and sugar, your blood pressure will be taken, and the baby's growth and position will be checked. When you are far enough along, the baby's heartbeat also will be checked. Some blood tests may be done, but not necessarily with each visit. Depending on your health status, previous pregnancy history and age, you may undergo further special testing.

Learning about the changes your body is undergoing and the labor and delivery process are important aspects of prenatal care. You should know which changes are normal and which are abnormal. Many times, early pregnancy classes can answer these questions. You should also read literature and books about pregnancy and come prepared to ask questions during your office visits. It's a good idea to make lists of questions you wish to ask your doctor or healthcare provider at each visit so you don't forget your questions. Childbirth education classes can be especially helpful for women having their first babies, and they can help to reduce anxiety about the birth process. Education classes about breastfeeding, infant resuscitation and techniques in reducing sibling rivalry also are available.

Prenatal care is a team effort involving you, your spouse, the obstetrician and the other office-based healthcare personnel and the hospital nursing staff. Most hospitals offer a birthing room experience for pregnant women. Newer hospitals provide LDRPs (labor, delivery, recovery and post-partum rooms), where mothers and babies can stay in the same room during labor, delivery and post-partum care.

Prenatal care is a team effort, and you should feel comfortable with your care. You should feel educated about childbirth and be comfortable asking questions of your healthcare team. Above all, it's important to get appropriate care for you and your baby.

Source: The Mayo Clinic