You are ready for your first prenatal visit. Or are you? If you are wondering what your first prenatal appointment will look like and what you can expect, you have landed on the right page. Learn more about your first visit to ease yourself into the doctor’s office and leave with a positive experience. Of course, the quality of the experience will also depend on the reliability of your clinic and the healthcare professional. If you are looking for the best experts, we recommend consulting with Dr. White-Videa. Put yourself into good hands and stay on track with all of your pregnancy appointments for a happy and healthy upcoming nine months.
What can I expect from my first prenatal visit? Which clinic is the best? Keep reading to find out.
Which Prenatal Care Clinic is the Best?
You want your first prenatal visit to go smoothly and complication-free. The best way to ensure fantastic results is to choose a prenatal care clinic with credibility and reliability. We recommend Obstetric Services in Coral Springs, Florida. Make sure that the medical professionals at your clinic are highly trained, experienced, and friendly. This way, your first prenatal appointment will be a joyful and memorable experience.
What to Expect from the First Prenatal Visit
Make your first prenatal appointment when you find out you are expecting a child. You will want to reach out to a medical professional at a trusted prenatal care clinic and go through your medical history, possible pregnancy complications, and other questions or doubts you may have related to your condition. During the first prenatal appointment, the healthcare professional will want to gather as much information as possible about the mother’s health, any health conditions that may run in the family, and similar.
Here are some essential things you can expect from your first prenatal appointment.
An Overview of Your Medical History
The healthcare provider will want to check your medical history to get to know you and the baby more. You may be asked about the following:
- Your family and personal medical history.
- Your gynecological history, menstrual cycle, and if you had any pregnancies in the past.
- Your lifestyle, whether you consume alcohol, recreational drugs, tobacco, or caffeine (including coffee and chocolate).
- Whether you have been exposed to toxins.
- Whether you have recently traveled to areas where the Zika virus, tuberculosis, malaria, monkeypox, or any diseases and infections are common.
While answering many of these questions during your first prenatal appointment can be uncomfortable for some patients (due to their personal nature), being honest with the healthcare professional is essential. Provide your doctor with as much information as possible during your first prenatal visit. You may also want to share information about possibly hurtful and sensitive problems like past drug use or domestic abuse. Being honest and upfront with your doctor will ensure that the professional takes care of you and the unborn child.
Determining Your Due Date
Remember that few mothers give birth on their due date. Still, being aware of the estimation is important because it allows you to prepare for the pregnancy. Most importantly, the healthcare professional can monitor the baby’s growth and your pregnancy progress. The due date will also be helpful with scheduling procedures and tests. This way, all of the procedures will be done on time.
To estimate the due date, the healthcare professional will take the date of the start of the last period and add seven days. After this, the professional will count back three months. The due date is approximately 40 weeks from the previous period’s first day. To confirm this date, the provider may utilize a fetal ultrasound. In most cases, ultrasound data is used to estimate the due date more accurately.
You Will Undergo a Physical Exam
When it comes to prenatal care, your medical provider will check your current height and weight and give you a calculation of your body mass index or BMI. By doing this, the expert will uncover how much weight patients need to gain (or lose) for the healthiest pregnancy.
You may also need to undergo a pelvic exam and a breast exam. In some cases, prenatal care also involves taking a Pap test, but this depends on when your last test was done. Depending on the patient’s situation, additional thyroid, lung, and heart exams may be required. All of these steps are essential in prenatal care. Your medical professional will want to gather all the necessary information about your health to help you optimize your pregnancy. It’s normal if you feel shy or uncomfortable. Choose a trusted OB/GYN office and forget about the discomfort.
You May Need Laboratory Tests
Booking regular pregnancy appointments is crucial for a healthy mother and child. Your healthcare provider may recommend laboratory and blood tests. During the first prenatal visit, your medical professional may want to:
- Check the mother’s blood type, including the Rh status: This is a protein on the red blood cells’ surface, and it is inherited. If you are Rh negative and the child’s father is Rh positive, the pregnancy may require added care.
- Measure the mother’s hemoglobin: This protein is abundant in iron and is located in the red blood cells. It allows cells to transport oxygen from the lungs to various body parts. Patients with low hemoglobin levels or low levels of red blood cells have anemia. Since anemia is known to make you feel exhausted, it can also affect the pregnancy.
- Check whether you are immune to some infections: Usually, the medical expert will check if you are immune to chickenpox (varicella) or rubella. That said, if you have evidence of natural immunity or vaccination in the medical history, you won’t need further tests.
- Check exposure to infections like gonorrhea or HIV: You may need to get blood tests to detect common infections such as chlamydia, syphilis, hepatitis B, and AIDS-causing HIV.
Furthermore, the healthcare provider will want to check for any fetal concerns. Prenatal tests are crucial because they provide data about the unborn child’s health. Typically, the healthcare provider will suggest different prenatal genetic tests. For instance, these include blood tests or ultrasounds.
Discuss Your Lifestyle
During pregnancy appointments, your healthcare provider will want to get to know you and learn more about your lifestyle. Since prenatal vitamins and proper nutrition are vital for a healthy and complication-free pregnancy, your doctor will ask if you are taking any supplements, eating plenty of vegetables, and eating quality protein. Make sure to ask questions from your doctor.
For example, you will want to ask about the safety of sexual intercourse while pregnant, vaccinations, exercise, and travel during the following nine months. Your provider may also ask you whether you are working and your work environment. If you are taking any medications or supplements, this is the time to talk to your doctor about whether they are safe for the baby. Mothers who are smokers may receive expert help on how to stop tobacco use.
Other Pregnancy Appointments
The next doctor’s appointments are usually scheduled every four weeks during your initial trimester. However, they can be shorter than your first visit. When you approach the end of your first trimester (which is approximately 12 to 14 weeks in your pregnancy), you can possibly hear the child’s heartbeat. Sometimes, your doctor may offer an ultrasound during the first trimester.
Use these appointments to your advantage and learn more about your pregnancy. Ask away, and make sure to go into details! During the first visit, it is also essential to know how to reach your healthcare provider between the appointments – you will need this information in case you have an emergency.
Book Your First Appointment Today
Give us a call today and receive expert advice and guidance during your pregnancy. Take care of your health and the health of your child. You matter.