Starting with your antenatal care
You can begin your antenatal care as soon as you know that you’re pregnant by making an appointment with your physician. It is best to see us as early as possible to obtain the information you need to have a healthy pregnancy from the beginning. Let your doctor know if you have any special needs that require attention for your antenatal appointments or labor. If you don’t speak English, let your doctor know and we will make arrangements for you.
What to expect for your antenatal care?
During your antenatal care process, you will be given information regarding your pregnancy about topics such as nutrition, diet, and lifestyle. You will also be asked about your and your spouse’s medical history, as well as having pre-antenatal tests done, such as screening for sickle-cell disease and thalassemia.
Your first antenatal visit should happen when you are 6-8 weeks pregnant. It will take place at our women’s clinics. You will be given information about:
- How your baby develops during pregnancy
- Diet and nutrition
- Exercise
- Screening tests
- Your pre-scheduled appointments with our Fetal Medicine Specialists
- Antenatal classes
- Planning your delivery
On your antenatal visit when you are 24 weeks pregnant, your doctor will:
- Ask for your urine, blood pressure and weight check up
- Check your abdomen
- Measure the baby’s growth
Your doctor will give you information about:
- Your birth plan
- Preparing for delivery and labor
- How to tell when your labor begins
- Post-delivery
- Feeding your baby
- Tests for your new baby
- How to take care of yourself and your new baby
