Pregnant Patients
We ask that you arrive a few minutes before your scheduled appointment time so that we have time to weigh you and update your information before seeing the physician.
Typically, we ask our pregnant patients are seen every 4 weeks. Around your 32nd week, the frequency of visits increases to every 2 weeks. At 36 weeks, the frequency of visits increases again so that the patients are having appointments every week.
At various points in your pregnancy, your doctor will order some tests to make sure that your health and the health and well being of your baby is on target and doing well:
11 to 13 weeks: for those that opt in for prenatal screening, the first part of IPS is completed. This is a detailed ultrasound and a set of bloodwork
16 to 18 weeks: for those that opt in for prenatal screening, the second part is done, and this is onl a blood test.
20 to 22 weeks: this is the anatomical survey ultrasound of your baby, which will show us all of the parts and see how things are developing. If you want to know the sex of your baby, then you will need to let your doctor know before they order the test so they can put it on the requisition.
25 to 27 weeks: your doctor will do some additional blood work to make sure that your thyroid and iron stores (ferritin) is within normal limits. You will also get a test for gestational diabetes where you need to drink a sugary drink and then wait in the lab for an hour. At this point, they will draw another blood test. This is a screening test. If this test comes back positive, your doctor will ask for another sugar drink test to be done, and this is a 2 hour test, and you need to arrive fasting since the night before, as this is the diagnositc test.
35 to 37 weeks: you will be asked to self swab for group B streptococcus in your vagina and rectum. If it is positive, you will need to receive antibiotics during labour and delivery.
38 weeks: your physician will start internal exams to see how low your baby’s head is, and what your cervix is like with respect to dilation, location, length and consistency.
When you are at the hospital, you are currently only allowed one dedicated support person due to COVID restrictions. There are a number of other things to advise you about your hospital stay, and the Huntsville District Memorial Hospital has put together a great handout with a lot of information.
You can read this handout by clicking here.