What to Expect at Your First Prenatal Appointment

Prenatal care is a gift you can give yourself and your growing baby. With this type of focused pregnancy care at Modern OBGYN Care, experienced OB/GYNs Dr. Marcela Torres and Dr. Miguel Torres can help you have the healthiest pregnancy possible. 

Your first prenatal appointment is usually your longest visit during pregnancy because it covers a lot of ground. In this blog, we explain what you need to know about prenatal care, how it can help you and your baby, and what you can expect during that first visit. 

Why prenatal care matters 

Prenatal care is essential for the health of both you and your growing baby. By scheduling your first visit early, we can begin monitoring your health and the baby’s development right from the start. 

Through prenatal care, we can detect health problems and potential issues in their earliest stages and treat them before complications arise. Prenatal care also includes crucial education and counseling about important aspects of your pregnancy like nutrition and lifestyle. 

In this way, we can help your baby develop properly and help you avoid dangerous conditions during pregnancy, such as preeclampsia.

Prenatal care saves lives. Infants born to mothers who had no prenatal care have a five times higher death rate. 

What happens during your first prenatal visit?

Your first prenatal visit includes:

• Medical history review
• Calculation of your due date
• Physical exam, including height and weight check, blood pressure, and other basics
• Pelvic exam and breast exam
• Pap smear test
• Sexual transmitted disease testing: Herpes, syphilis, hepatitis B, and possibly others
• Blood tests to check blood type, hemoglobin levels, and other factors
• Urine tests to check protein and glucose levels, infections, and other problems
• Ultrasound to evaluate your baby’s heartbeat and confirm gestational age 

Your first visit isn’t just about tests though. We prioritize patient education at Modern OBGYN, so our appointments allow time to explore the things you need to know. 

Some of the important topics we cover at this time include nutrition, exercise, prenatal vitamins, pregnancy symptom management, and genetic testing. 

We also welcome questions from our patients. There’s no such thing as a silly question. Pregnancy is complex, and growing a baby is a big job, so you need all the information you can get to make sure it goes as smoothly as possible. 

At the end of your first visit, we discuss your prenatal care schedule with you. 

How often are prenatal care visits?

After your first visit, your appointment intervals depend on factors unique to you. In general, most women visit our office once a month until 28 weeks, twice a month until 36 weeks, and then weekly until having the baby. 

However, your pregnancy risk factors, health, and other things all play into how often we recommend prenatal care visits. For high-risk pregnancies, visits are often more frequent so we can monitor your health more closely. 

Our team guides you through your entire pregnancy with empathy and steady support, and that all starts with your first prenatal visit. The Drs. Torres and our dedicated team look forward to welcoming you and your baby to our patient family. Call 754-217-4181 to arrange your prenatal visit now.