First visit
At your first visit, our specially trained staff and practitioners will get to know you by talking with you about your past history and addressing any questions you have about the future. We will also help to orient you to the practice. We understand how much of a special time this is for you and your family to be, and we are here to take care of any concerns or questions you may have. We will take your complete history to ensure that all the important aspects of your health history in regard to a healthy pregnancy have been addressed. A vaginal ultrasound may also be performed at this visit, depending on how far along the pregnancy is. We will also assign your due date and discuss important medications including prenatal vitamins and iron. Additionally, special bloodwork will be ordered to ensure that all is going well with the pregnancy. We will also perform your physical exam to be certain that all is going well from a complete health standpoint, ensuring that all will go as well as possible with your pregnancy. Several things will be checked, including a Pap smear and cultures to be certain there is nothing present that could harm the baby. We will also give you a plastic cup with a lid to collect a first morning urine sample just before each scheduled visit.
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1st trimester
There will be many new and exciting things happening at this time and we will be here to answer any questions that arise in the office or by phone. At every visit we will be checking your blood pressure, weight, and urine (with the first morning urine collected in the plastic cup you received at your first visit). We will also be listening for the baby's heartbeat! We recommend reading about pregnancy through whatever sources you may find, so that you can know what to expect as your pregnancy progresses. Information can be found through various books, by reviewing this website, or visiting any of the links provided for additional information. Be sure to write down any questions as they arise while at home, and be certain to bring this list with you to every visit so that your practitioner can discuss and answer them. Your visits during this time are designed to be as easy on you as possible, while giving us the information we need to ensure that all is going well with the pregnancy.
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2nd trimester
During the second trimester, we will continue to follow your weight, check your urine, measure your tummy, and several other evaluations to be certain all is going well. We will also be performing an ultrasound for fetal anatomy, usually at about 5 to 6 months. If you are interested in learning more about scheduled ultrasounds, then please click here to go to page 2. We will also discuss Cystic Fibrosis and Quad Marker screening. You may also receive a special medication called Rhogam if necessary depending on your blood type, and also receive a sugar test to screen for diabetes in pregnancy. If you are interested, this is also a great time to sign up for Lamaze at the delivery hospital of your choice. Both hospitals in Bloomington have their own individual websites, if you'd like to visit them click here.
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