Office Visits During Pregnancy

From your beginning visit to your last, we want you to have a positive experience at Western. This is a short but helpful guide to let you know what you can expect at your visits.

All Visits

We are going to collect a urine sample to check for any protein or sugar. We will check your weight and blood pressure at every visit. You’ll only need to get undressed at your first visit and your visits in the last 3-4 weeks of pregnancy unless you are having any contractions, bleeding or leaking fluid. You will have visits every 4 weeks until you are about 30 weeks, then every 2 weeks until you are 35 weeks, then you will be seen weekly.

Your first visit (usually after you've missed your second period)

It is usually the longest appointment and may take about an hour.  Be prepared for a complete physical exam. The doctor will likely perform a breast exam, a pelvic exam, a pap smear if you have not had one in the last year, and test for some common sexually transmitted diseases that may pose a risk to your baby. Have some questions ready when you meet with one of our nurses. They will provide some education to help promote a healthy pregnancy. We’ll need to draw some blood for routine labs and will discuss the results of the tests at your next visit.

Some of the many tests you can expect during your visits

Around 18-20 weeks we will schedule a complete ultrasound where you can choose to find out the gender of your baby.

We will test for gestational diabetes around 24-28 weeks with a glucose tolerance test. You will be given a sugary liquid to drink about an hour before your appointment.

A Group B Strep test is done around 35-36 weeks. This is a common bacteria found in the vagina that doesn't normally cause any problems except in pregnancy.