What to expect at your antenatal appointments

What are antenatal appointments for?

During your pregnancy, it’s important to go to regular appointments with your doctor or midwife. These are called antenatal appointments (antenatal means ‘before birth’) and they’re for checking your health and the health and development of your baby [1].

Antenatal appointments are a chance to look at information about your health and pregnancy with your doctor or midwife and make decisions about your pregnancy care. This might include decisions about screening tests and where you’ll give birth. Some of these appointments and tests need to happen at certain times in pregnancy  [2].

National antenatal care guidelines from the Australian Government Department of Health are designed to support Australian maternity services to provide high-quality, evidence-based antenatal care to healthy pregnant women. The guidelines are intended as a standard reference for health professionals who contribute to antenatal care and its recommendations cover a wide range of care including routine physical examinations, screening tests and social and lifestyle advice for women with an uncomplicated pregnancy [3].

next – Your choice of medical care during pregnancy

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Your choice of medical care during pregnancy

Public

If you’re planning to give birth at a public hospital, your appointments will probably be with a midwife or doctor at the hospital or in the community. If you’re in shared care, some of your appointments will be with your GP or a midwife or hospital doctor. If you’re planning to give birth at a birth centre, your appointments will probably be with a midwife at the birth centre [4].

Private

If you’re planning to give birth at a private hospital, your appointments will probably be with your obstetrician at the obstetrician’s consulting rooms. Many private obstetricians employ a midwife in their rooms, whom you’ll see during your pregnancy as well. If you’re planning a home birth, your appointments will be with a midwife in your home, hospital or in the community [5].

next – Schedule of antenatal appointments

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Schedule of antenatal appointments

It is a good idea to go to your own doctor (GP) as soon as you think you may be pregnant. At this visit, you and your GP can discuss what type of care you would like to have, and when and where you should have your next visit. Your GP will also be able to arrange for some tests (blood tests, scans) that can be done before your first antenatal visit [6].

The number and timing of pregnancy appointments could be more or less than this, depending on your health and your baby’s. For example, if you have a high-risk pregnancy you might have more pregnancy appointments. Your doctor or midwife will discuss what appointments you need and why [7].

Below is a very general guide on when you can expect your antenatal appointments to occur during your pregnancy. These may vary according to your situation so please refer to your medical practitioner for details specific to you and your baby [8]:

next – Your first antenatal appointment

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Your first antenatal appointment

Your first antenatal appointment is usually with the caregiver (or group of caregivers) who will be providing your entire pregnancy care (or the majority of it). The first visit is generally timed to happen around 10 to 14 weeks of the pregnancy. Depending on who you are seeing, you will need to ring up and book this appointment early in the pregnancy because most caregivers and places are booked up for at least a month in advance [9].

You can expect the following at your first antenatal appointment [10]:

Your first antenatal visit usually takes quite a while compared to subsequent pregnancy visits. On average, a first pregnancy visit will take from 45 to 90 minutes (or more) [11].

next – Subsequent antenatal appointments

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Subsequent antenatal appointments

Antenatal appointments following your first consultation will be scheduled at fairly regular intervals. However, the frequency of your pregnancy visits up until 28 weeks can vary, depending on when you had your first visit, your individual needs and your caregiver’s preferences [12].

Depending on your choice of caregiver, an average antenatal visit will last from 10 to 30 minutes (or more). However, the length of time can vary depending on how many questions you have, what you and your caregiver need to discuss and if there are any specific health concerns that require attention [13].

next – Prenatal tests during pregnancy

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Prenatal tests during pregnancy

At all visits you will have your blood pressure checked. The doctor or midwife will palpate (feel) your abdomen to see how much your baby has grown and listen to your baby’s heartbeat. On some occasions you may be weighed, have blood taken for tests and may have your urine checked. Your antenatal visits are a great way to learn about how your baby is growing and what is happening to your body [14].

Some prenatal tests are offered to all women as part of routine care in pregnancy. Other prenatal tests might be done because there is a greater chance that the baby could have a problem (e.g. physical or intellectual difficulties). Prenatal testing is a choice and you may choose not to have any sort of testing [15].

Pregnancy screening tests may include [16]:

next – Antenatal care for high-risk pregnancies

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Antenatal care for high-risk pregnancies

About one woman in 20 is told that there may be a complication in her pregnancy. The decision to have further tests to confirm the abnormality is up to you and your family after discussion with your doctor and/or midwife. Tests for a higher risk pregnancy may be worthwhile even if you have already decided against termination. For example [17]:

Specific factors that might contribute to a high-risk pregnancy include [18]:

High-risk pregnancies will require additional care and observation. Please refer to your medical practitioner for information specific to your situation.

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