After finding out that you’re pregnant, you need to arrange for your first visit with a doctor or a clinic. If you decide to visit a community pregnancy clinic, you’ll receive many of the same services that you would get at an OB/GYN office along with encouragement and support as well as information about resources that can help you while you’re pregnant.
Keep in mind that you need to make regular appointments so that doctors and nurses can monitor the health of you and your baby while also getting you prepared for labor and delivery. When you go to each visit, you’ll be able to listen to your baby’s heartbeat and find out your due date so that you can better prepare for when you’ll likely go to the hospital. Whether you meet with a doctor or a nurse, you’ll learn about the proper things that you should eat to stay healthy and for your baby to grow.
Your first visit at a community pregnancy clinic should occur soon after you have missed your first menstrual cycle or you experience other symptoms that could indicate that you’re pregnant. Until you’re about 28 weeks pregnant, you’ll visit your doctor about once a month or once every six weeks.
After you’ve reached the 28-week mark, you’ll begin seeing your doctor every two weeks. Between 36 weeks and delivery, you’ll visit the clinic each week. If you miss an appointment, try to make a new one as soon as possible. You need to maintain your health and that of your baby so that you have a healthy delivery.
If you don’t seek proper medical care while pregnant, then you might not know if there are any issues that need to be treated, such as gestational diabetes. During the first trimester, your doctor will usually order lab work to look at your blood count levels and will also perform a physical examination to examine the health of your cervix and uterus.
Keep in mind that these are only the recommended times of when you should see your doctor either in an office or at a clinic. If you have any medical issues or if your doctor detects any medical issues during your pregnancy, then you could be scheduled to visit the clinic more often. There could be more tests that need to be completed as well.
If you’re over the age of 35, then you’ll usually be asked to visit your doctor more often. This is because there’s a greater risk of birth defects developing as you get older along with more complications that could develop with your own health. If you have high blood pressure, diabetes, or other medical conditions, then you’ll be asked to make appointments that are a little closer together. Your doctor can monitor your health condition and the health of your baby to determine if there are any signs that your baby has the same condition. Preeclampsia is a common condition that occurs in the later stages of pregnancy and is often the result of high blood pressure. If at any time you notice any spotting or other signs that you could be in preterm labor, you need to visit the clinic or seek medical attention at a hospital. If you make regular appointments at a pregnancy clinic and keep those appointments, then you increase the chance that you’ll have a smooth labor and delivery and a healthy baby to hold in your arms.
