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Your First Prenatal Visit


Getting early and regular prenatal care helps to ensure a healthy pregnancy and baby. Your prenatal visits are designed to serve and help you, your partner, and your health care provider. That's why it's important to prepare a list of any questions or concerns you have before each appointment. Although visits to your health care provider will be scheduled throughout your pregnancy, the first visit is a time when your health care provider will want to:
  • Estimate your due date.
  • Determine your general health, including a review of your immunization records.
  • Learn about your family health history, including physical and genetic disorders.
  • Get information about the health history of the baby's father.
  • Find out about your gynecologic health and history of sexually transmitted diseases (including genital herpes, gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia, and HIV/AIDS).
  • Obtain a history of any past pregnancies.
Your health care provider should also talk with you about health and lifestyle issues such as nutrition, exercise, smoking, stress, exposure to hazards in the work place, and domestic violence.

If you have an existing medical condition such as asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, heart disease, high blood pressure, and/or mood disorders such as depression or anxiety, it's important to see your health care provider before you get pregnant or as soon as you think you may be pregnant to discuss your medications and coordinate with your other health care providers. Working together with your health care provider will help ensure the best care for you and your baby.




Continue to "Routine Procedure Tests" journey to parenthood

Most recent page update: 9/9/2010
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Childbirth Connection is a national not-for-profit organization founded in 1918 as Maternity Center Association. Our mission is to improve the quality and value of maternity care through consumer engagement and health system transformation. Childbirth Connection promotes safe, effective and satisfying evidence-based maternity care and is a voice for the needs and interests of childbearing families.
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