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Routine Checks

routine checks

You will visit your Doctor or midwife regularly throughout your pregnancy. These are some of the common tests that they may perform during the course of your pregnancy.

Blood Test

This will identify your blood group, and see whether your blood is Rhesus positive or negative (if you are Rhesus negative and your baby is Rhesus positive, this might mean you or your baby need treatment), and check for illnesses or conditions that could affect you, or your baby’s health. Blood tests are quick and easy, and don’t involve more than the equivalent of a spoonful of blood taken with a syringe. You may have blood tests later to check you are not anaemic, and to check for a substance called AFP, which may indicate a raised risk of your baby having spina bifida.

Blood Pressure

Your blood pressure is checked at most antenatal appointments, with a fabric cuff wrapped round your arm, which is then inflated with a little pump. The cuff is linked to a device that measures the blood pressure. Using a stethoscope, the midwife also listens to the changes in the sound of your pulse while the cuff is deflating. The test checks your blood pressure isn’t too high, which could affect your health and your baby’s (the placenta doesn’t work as efficiently if blood pressure is too high). High blood pressure is also one of the signs of pre-eclampsia, a disorder of pregnancy which can be serious for mother and baby, and which needs monitoring.

Urine Test

Your urine is tested for protein and sugar. You’ll be asked to provide a sample at the time of the appointment, or you can bring it in with you in a jar. Sugar in the urine can mean gestational diabetes, a particular sort of diabetes that occurs in pregnancy. Protein may mean pre-eclampsia

Palpation

All this means is your tummy is felt to see what size the baby is, and how he is lying in the uterus.

Weighing In

Most mothers are weighed at the start of their pregnancy, but these days you’re less likely to be weighed every time. This is because we now know the information doesn’t really say much about the baby’s growth and health, and the weighing itself can make some women anxious.