Pregnancy and Childbirth

Pregnancy Information Article

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Seeing Your Doctor During Pregnancy

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The first step of your pregnancy, after seeing the little positive stick at home, should be to have it confirmed. Call immediately to have a pregnancy test done with your doctor. You may be in luck and get in that same day or you may have to wait a week or two. Patience will become your best friend during this time. Waiting can become a very hard thing when you want to know for sure whether you are or aren't pregnant. More than likely you'll get a phone call a few days later to confirm it.

Set up an appointment to see your doctor or an OB/GYN as soon as possible. If you choose an OB/GYN, chances are you'll be meeting the staff before you meet the doctor. This is the first appointment where your doctor will want to know all your medical history. If you've been pregnant before, what types of sicknesses run in your family, etc. If you can, try making sure you know all of this ahead of time. A good idea is to have it all down on paper so when asked you are prepared.

During the days or weeks leading up to this meeting you may have questions and concerns. Write them down and ask them. Doctors are there to help you, and they've been asked every question you can possibly think of. Before leaving, your doctor may even give you phamphlets all about being pregnant. Read these. They may prove beneficial and they will probably have coupons. Your doctor will have you set up your next appointment before leaving.

Your doctor will probably talk to you about your diet and watching your weight gain. Vitamins is another subject. Make sure that you get your prenatal vitamins. They are very important during pregnancy. If for some reason you can't take them, talk with your doctor. Your doctor may be able to prescribe a lower dosage or something else.

You'll get your first ultrasound, also known as US around week 20. This is normally when you find out what sex the baby is. However some doctors like to call it safe and give you an ultrasound around 10-12 weeks just to make sure the baby is in the proper location and all is going well. You will also be asked to take an orange drink that you must drink in five minutes. You'll wait around for an hour to three hours, at which point your blood gets drawn and you can go home. The test determines if you have or might have a chance of getting gestational diabetes.

At first your appointments will be about 4 weeks apart until you hit the 36th week. At that point it'll be two weeks later and a week later after that until the baby is born. By now you should be preparing to have the baby.

You'll likely have some anxiety towards the end of your pregnancy. This is normal. The best thing you can do for yourself is to try to relax. The end of your pregnancy is near.