You're Pregnant! Now What? What to expect from your first prenatal appointment
Congratulations on your positive pregnancy test!
Whether you were trying to get pregnant or not, finding out that you are pregnant will always be life’s biggest shock and surprise. But as the shock wears off and you are able to survey your surroundings, the Big Question comes to the forefront of your mind:
Now What?
Now what, indeed! On one hand, you have a LOT of things to do and learn before your baby arrives. On the other hand, it feels a lot like a “hurry up and wait” situation. But what is the first thing you should do? I mean, after telling your partner, of course (telling anybody else is completely optional until you are good and ready).
You are going to want to find an OB or midwife to establish care with!
If this is your first pregnancy, then you may not know what you are looking for in a medical provider. But don’t stress! If you choose one and you just don’t click with them, you can totally switch during your pregnancy. As you figure out what you are wanting out of your birth experience and what matters the most to you (Natural birth? Informed consent? Being treated like a person with feelings? Not being over medicalized?) you will be able to find a provider that aligns with your needs & core values.
What does the first appointment look like?
The first visit will mostly be very routine, like a normal checkup, except the questions will be more in-depth. Health history, gynecological history, family health history, reproductive history will all be asked about - usually in the form of paperwork to fill out. All of these questions are to determine your health risk and to make sure you get the care you need throughout your pregnancy. They will likely have you pee in a cup every time you go in. This is to confirm your pregnancy (the first time, obvs) and to keep an eye out for any UTI or bladder infections (these can happen often during pregnancy because as your uterus grows, it puts more weight on your bladder making it difficult to empty).
Your provider will then do a physical exam to make sure everything is in good working order. And yes, this also includes a pelvic exam to ensure there aren’t any abnormalities or infections. It’s just like getting a simple pap smear done! They may or may not try to hear the baby’s heartbeat with a doppler. You can request it, but it can be tricky to hear it so early, so try not to be anxious if you don’t get to hear your peanut’s heartbeat at that first visit. Same goes for ultrasounds! You will get one during your first trimester (unless you decline. You can decline them all the way through your pregnancy, if you prefer), but that’s usually done at your second visit.
After all of that, your next scheduled appointment may not be until you are between 8 and 10 weeks. “But why so loooooong?” you may be asking. Well, until then, hearing your baby’s heartbeat with a doppler can be tricky. The good news is that even though you *just* got your positive test, 8-10 weeks isn’t that far away!
(Get ready for some period math) Your pregnancy weeks are counted from the first day of your last actual period. Which means, when you were *about* 2 weeks “pregnant” you were actually ovulating and the egg was being fertilized *wink wink*. Your late period that made you go “hmmm” and buy that fateful pregnancy test would’ve happened when you were 4-ish weeks pregnant and by the time you see your OBGYN to confirm your actually pregnant, you are probably 5-6 weeks! So, YAY! You only have 2-4 weeks before your next appointment. You’ve got this.
“So often will you see my OB or midwife throughout my pregnancy anyway?”
Between now and 28 weeks you will see your provider about once per month, from 28-36 weeks, you will see your provider every 2 weeks, from 36-40 weeks you will see them every week. If you fall into a high risk category (remember all those questions at your appointment?) you may need to see your provider more often to keep an eye on things.