Prenatal Care

What is prenatal care?

Prenatal care encompasses all of the care you need at every stage of pregnancy, through your delivery, and during the postpartum period. As soon as you learn you’re pregnant, you start a series of routine checkups that occur at specific intervals.  

Most women have visits monthly until they reach 28 weeks, and then they schedule appointments every two weeks. When you reach 36 weeks, you have weekly visits until you deliver your baby. 

If you have a high-risk pregnancy, the team at Providence Women's Healthcare schedules more frequent prenatal visits.

What happens at a prenatal checkup?

During your first prenatal visit, your provider obtains extensive information about your medical history, gynecologic and menstrual history, and previous pregnancies. 

They learn if you may have been exposed to toxic substances and whether you use medications, drink alcohol, or smoke tobacco. Then after you have a pelvic exam, they estimate your due date.

At each checkup, your provider takes your weight and blood pressure and performs a urinalysis and/or blood test. They check your baby’s growth and monitor for common problems that occur during pregnancy, such as high blood pressure, urinary tract infections, and gestational diabetes.

Your prenatal visits are also the time to get advice about taking prenatal vitamins, weight gain, and the normal discomforts during pregnancy. For example, you may need help with morning sickness, swollen ankles, muscle cramps, or back pain.

What tests will I receive during prenatal care?

At specific times during your pregnancy, you have routine blood tests that all pregnant women receive to test for:

• Anemia
• Hepatitis B
• Gestational diabetes
• Bladder and kidney infections
• Rubella and chickenpox
• Chlamydia and other STDs
• HIV (human immunodeficiency virus)
• Standard genetic or chromosomal screenings

Providence Women's Healthcare checks your immunity to contagious diseases and determines if you need vaccinations. The team also tests your blood type and Rh factor to be sure your blood is compatible with your baby’s.

When will I have a prenatal ultrasound?

The team may perform an ultrasound at any time during your pregnancy if they suspect a problem or you have a high-risk pregnancy. 

You may have an ultrasound as early as six weeks to confirm your pregnancy, determine your baby’s gestational age, and find out if you’re carrying more than one baby.

All women have a second-trimester ultrasound to evaluate the baby’s growth and anatomy, verify the placenta’s location, and possibly learn the baby’s sex. Your provider may do a 3D or 4D ultrasound to get better images of the baby’s organs.

If you need a pregnancy test or want to schedule a prenatal visit, call Providence Women's Healthcare or request an appointment online today.