The following visits to the doctor during pregnancy

Compared with the first prenatal thorough and lengthy doctor's visit, the following will contrast sharply with it: short and fewer checks of

If for some reason you can not visit a doctor at the appointed time, arrange for another day. Do not be tempted to miss the exam, even if you are feeling well, since regular checks are the best way to watch you and your growing baby.

At each visit, the attending physician will be interested in how you feel, thereby giving you the opportunity to discuss any pregnancy-related complaints or issues that interest you. As with the first visit, some checks will be conducted, one each time, the other at key moments, to closely monitor the state and development of your child.

Screening tests

Today, doctors can detect a disease or a problematic organ without obvious signs or symptoms indicating a malfunction in the body. There are many screening tests, including ultrasound examination, screening( scanning) of the back of the neck, histological examination and other tests. Details of these tests are described in the antenatal index.

Blood pressure and protein in urine

Each time you visit a doctor, you will be able to measure blood pressure and check urine for protein or ask you about the results obtained at home to detect signs of pre-eclampsia. Preeclampsia is almost not manifested until 20 weeks and usually does not develop until the third trimester. If your blood pressure rises or if a protein is found in your urine, the doctor will send you for further examination, you may have to go to the hospital. It may be necessary to donate blood to check for abnormalities that may occur with pre-eclampsia, such as a low platelet count and abnormal liver function.

Fetal development and its position

To monitor the development of your child, the attending physician will palpate your abdomen at each visit and measure the size of the fetus. This value is the distance from the upper part of the uterus to the pelvic floor. This distance increases with the growth of the child and therefore gives an idea of ​​its size and age. If the attending physician believes that the child is too large or too small, you will be advised to undergo an ultrasound examination to obtain more accurate data. If the child grows poorly or grows too fast, for example,

if you have gestational diabetes, you may need to give birth earlier. In the case of twins or triplets, the growth of children will be determined using an ultrasound scan every four weeks.

At every visit to the doctor after 35 weeks, your stomach can be checked for the baby's position. Usually the child takes up a position head down in the last few weeks. However, during pregnancy, he somersaults and can take different positions until he takes the "final".Because of natural limitations - the shape of the pelvis of a woman and the shape of a child's head - more than 95% of children are born head first. For children, it's natural for the 36th

not to be head down, but after that moment it becomes more unusual, and the doctor can advise taking measures to try to deploy the child in the right position and you could give birth normally.

Fetal movements

You will be asked about your baby's movements, how often you feel them and how strong they are. At each visit after the 16th week the doctor will listen to the baby's pulse. Perhaps you will be given a hit counting table in which you will register the movements of your child.

This is the first important ultrasound examination conducted by a specialist in a hospital. You will be shocked and enchanted, watching how the child moves inside of you and how his tiny heart beats. Perhaps for the first time you will feel that your pregnancy is "real", especially if you are lucky enough and you did not have nausea in the mornings and other obvious signs of pregnancy.

In addition to a miracle to show you a child, the purpose of scanning is to make sure that it develops normally and that no problems arise. Several measurements will be carried out to test the development. Depending on the period of pregnancy, the anatomy of the child can be checked to identify problems such as nerve tube disorders.

Approximately to the 1 st week, you can assume the sex of the child, but this is

will be only a guess, and do not rely on it in decorating the nursery.

At the end of the examination, the doctor must confirm the approximate date of delivery or give a more accurate estimate of the gestational age based on the size of the child. As with all other doctor's visits, bring your partner, a close friend or relative close to

, this is important not only for support, but also for sharing with you the joy of the first "communication" with the child. Almost always you will be offered a photograph of an ultrasound examination.