What Happens at Your First Prenatal Visit

January 4, 2023 /

*I am not a medical provider or healthcare worker. This is a retelling of my doctor’s appointment & the reasons for the decisions are explained to the best of my knowledge.*

Congratulations mama! You have scheduled your first prenatal visit! You may be wondering what to expect or what is going to happen. I am here to tell you that your visit may look different based on your age, medical history, care provider, and more; however, I want to share with you what happened at my first prenatal visit. I found that I couldn’t find anything online other than very generic information that didn’t really apply to my first visit. I hope this helps you, and I’m curious if your appointment will be like mine. At the end of the blog post, leave a comment and let me know!

Background About My Pregnancy

A little background may help you know if this post will be helpful to you. I am 30 years old. This is my first pregnancy. I have had no health concerns related to previous blood work, vitamin deficiencies, or organ functioning problems. For all accounts this is so far a normal, healthy pregnancy and considered low risk.

When is the Visit

Your visit will take place between Week 6 and Week 8. You probably found out you were expecting around week 4, so I’m sure you are itching to go! I’d recommend scheduling the appointment for a time when you and your spouse/partner can go. My doctor told my husband if he can’t make all of the appointments to come to the first visit, Week 12, Week 20, and later ones closer to labor and delivery.

What They do at Your Appointment

The first thing that will happen is you will fill out patient medical history information. They will ask about family history from both the mom and dad’s side of the family. This is one reason you may want to tell your parents you’re pregnant before Week 12, so that they can discuss family medical history with you. Of course, when to announce your pregnancy is a personal decision. Next they will take your weight and a urine sample.

Then off you’ll go for your fist ultrasound (YAY)! In the ultrasound room, the technician will give you paper to place over the lower half of your body. They’ll give you privacy as you undress your lower half and climb onto the table. What I had not realized was that the first ultrasound is a vaginal ultrasound. This was information that was missing from the blogs I had read before my appointment. The ultrasound is not uncomfortable and you are very focused on your little baby anyways. To compare it to a pap smear, the ultrasound feels way less invasive and more comfortable than that. The baby is TINY and looks like a rubber chicken or a shrimp, but it’s so comforting to see it there. You will not yet be able to hear the heartbeat, but you can see it which is a beautiful moment. Aside from the importance of seeing the heartbeat, the ultrasound technician will be able to confirm if your pregnancy is in the uterus as opposed to an ectopic pregnancy. Lastly, the technician will measure the size of your baby & use that information as well as the date of your last period to determine your due date.

I expected to have a pap smear and blood work done, but at my first appointment I didn’t have either. I was told that all of that would take place at visit number 2!

Next we went to speak with the OBGYN in his office. He reviewed my medical history and said we were treating this pregnancy as a low risk, typical pregnancy unless things change during the course of the pregnancy. We talked prenatal vitamins, current medications, food to avoid, pregnancy symptoms, travel restrictions, and then I had my opportunity to ask questions. I recommend that you write out a list of questions to ask your OBGYN before your appointment because otherwise you’ll forget. Harry and I began doing this in the notes of my phone almost as soon as we got our positive pregnancy test. Lastly I was sent away with a big folder and book of information about delivering at my hospital, birthing classes, common questions, and more. It was about an hour worth of reading information & very helpful.