The Ultimate Prenatal Appointment Timeline

How many prenatal appointments should one have during pregnancy?

How's your little one doing in there? Regular prenatal appointments will tell you everything.

Congratulations girl! You're going to have a baby. Isn't that awesome and scary at the same time? If your answer is yes: welcome to the mom-to-be life.

As you enjoy all the fun stuff while being a mom-to-be, like choosing a name, the perfect paint colour for your baby's nursery, make sure you're on a prenatal appointment schedule too. Regular visits to the doctor ensure everything is fine and can help spot any signs of problems early on when complications are easier to treat. Here’s what you need to know about prenatal appointments.

How many prenatal appointments should one have during pregnancy?

You'll have a total of about 10 to 15 appointments, depending on when you find out about your pregnancy. In most complication-free pregnancies, you can expect to have a prenatal appointment:

• Week 4 to 28: Once a month
• Week 28 to 36: Every 2 weeks
• Week 36 until birth: Every week

You should see your doctor more often if you have any complications or symptoms that may seem alarming.

What happens at prenatal appointments?

The discoveries at prenatal appointments vary as the pregnancy progresses. Here is how the progress can be noticed throughout the course of your pregnancy!

5-16 weeks:

You must have at least one appointment before 12 weeks of pregnancy. Your health care provider will look at your medical history, take blood samples to check iron levels. They will also ask you for a urine sample, for the traces of protein, and diabetes. A nurse will check your weight and blood pressure too. And you're done, we’re sure you must be waiting, for your second appointment already, weren’t you?

16-20 weeks:

Your doctor will discuss the reports from your previous tests. Feel free to ask questions to your doctor that may be worrying you. Your practitioner will check your blood pressure, urine tests, and other regular check-ups.

20-28 weeks:

It's time for the mid-pregnancy ultrasound to check how your baby is growing. This should generally happen in 18-20 weeks, but it depends on your practitioner. Aren't you feeling that excitement already?

28-31 weeks:

If you're low on iron, your doctor will ask you to take iron supplements. As with every appointment from now, along with your regular checkup, your doctor will check your belly bump with a tape to make sure the baby is growing just fine.

31-34 weeks:

If your mid-pregnancy ultrasound at 18-20 weeks showed that your placenta was lying low in the uterus and overlapping or covering the entrance to your cervix, you will have another ultrasound around this time to check if the baby has moved out of the way.

34-36 weeks:

Along with your usual check-up, your bump will be measured to see if your baby is growing well. Your doctor will also prepare you for labour. You can be a great time to share your birth plan with your doctor and ask for their suggestions.

36-38 weeks:

Your practitioner will do your routine checkup, and if you've had an ultrasound in recent times, to check the position of your baby, they will discuss the report with you and will feel your belly bump to check the position of your baby.

38-40 weeks:

General blood pressure and urine checkup where your doctor will also measure the size of your bump.

41 weeks:

If you haven't had your baby by now, your doctor will give you a membrane sweep to try and kickstart your labour. You'll be offered an induction if you choose not to have a membrane sweep. If your pregnancy continues till week 42 you must go for an ultrasound immediately and have your baby's heartbeat monitor regularly.

This timeline of prenatal visits isn’t set in stone. If you’re planning a vacation or need to miss a prenatal visit, tell your practitioner and reschedule your appointment as per their guidance. If your pregnancy is going smoothly, rescheduling should not be a big deal as long as you get a green flag from your doctor to do so. However, because some prenatal tests have to be performed at specific times during pregnancy, just make sure that skipping an appointment does not affect any of these tests. So are you prepared for your delivery?

How many prenatal appointments did you have during your pregnancy? Share in the comments section and help other moms-to-be to have a better idea.