Your First Pregnancy Checkup

At your first pregnancy checkup, your healthcare provider will give you a physical exam, ask you about your medical history (as well as your family’s) and perform blood tests. These tests will identify your blood type and check for anemia and sexually transmitted diseases.

Your healthcare provider will want to know whether you:

are immune to rubella (German measles) and mumps
have been exposed to tuberculosis
have had chicken pox, among other potential risks to your developing baby

You’ll be asked for a urine sample to check your levels of sugar and protein and to identify any potential infection. A pelvic exam will tell the size of your uterus, which helps to estimate your due date. A Pap smear may also be done at this time.

Future Appointments

Prenatal checkups with your healthcare provider will become more frequent as your pregnancy progresses. A typical appointment schedule looks like this:

Weeks 4 to 28: 1 prenatal visit a month.
Weeks 28 to 36: 1 prenatal visit every 2 weeks.
Weeks 36 to 40: 1 prenatal visit every week.

During future checkups, your provider will want to:

take a urine sample to monitor your sugar and protein levels
weigh you
take your blood pressure
measure your uterine growth
check your baby’s heartbeat and activity level
answer any questions and discuss any concerns you may have

In addition to these regular appointments, you’ll be scheduled for specific tests at different stages of your pregnancy to check for possible abnormalities and certain health conditions in you or your developing baby. More about these.

This message is not intended to provide individual medical advice. Always seek the advice of a physician or qualified healthcare provider for any questions you have about your health or medical condition, your breastfeeding issues and your infant's health. Never disregard, avoid or delay contacting a doctor or other qualified professional because of something you have read in our emails, webpages or other electronic communications.