Prenatal visits are a big part of your pregnancy. Prenatal visits are necessary to check the developement of your baby and to make sure no complications occur during your preganancy.
Your first prenantal visit will be longer than the others. This is because your doctor will do a physical exam, record all your past medical history, lab test, set up a schedule to visit him every so often, and figure out your due date.
Your physical exam will involve the following:
Check your thyroid glands
Check your ears, eyes, nose, and throat
Check your breast for lumps and unusal things
Check your heart and lungs
Check your back and abdomen
Check your arms and legs
Check your skin
After all that is done, your doctor will then do a pelvic exam.
A pelvic exam is done to chek your ovaries, cervix, uterus, vagina, and fallopien tubes to make sure they are in good health. Your doctor will use a device called a speculum to look at your cervix and vagina and remove cells with a q-tip to test them.
After all that yor doctor will then insert two fingers into your vagina and press down on your abdomen at the same time with the other hand. This procedure is done to check the size of your pelvis. Also the doctor will check the size, shape, and position of your uterus and ovaries while checking your pelvis.
Next will be your lab test. Your lab test will involve the following things:
Pap Test - The cells collected from your cervix during the pelvic exam will be tested for cancers, infections, or other stuff.
Urine Test - Your urine is checked for sugar, bacteria, and protien.
Blood Test - Your blood will be drawn to check for bacteria and anemia.
Next your doctor will figure out your due date.
Only about five in a hundred women have their baby on the due date. Due dates are just an estimated date of delivery. Most women give birth within two weeks before or after their due date. There are many ways to figure out your due date. Here are just a few.
The date of ovulation.
The date of menustration
The size of your uterus.
The baby's heartbeat.
By doing a ultrasound.
It is very important that you have prenatal vists. Even if you are very healthy you should have visits. Anything could pop up during your pregnancy, like diabetes for example. Prenatal visits can be a little scary at times, but your baby depends on you to take care of him or her. Hearing your baby's heartbeat and seeing the ultrasound of your baby is priceless.