First doctor/midwife visit 

The doctor or midwife will monitor your whole pregnancy to ensure your baby is growing properly, and support your future family. All parents-to-be are welcome at the clinic, whether you are carrying the baby or an expectant partner.

When is your first prenatal appointment?

Your first prenatal appointment will usually be at some point around week 6, but it could be earlier or later, depending on the available times. But do contact your clinic as soon as you have a positive pregnancy test to schedule a time.

While it may vary from country to country, usually the first appointment is a discussion of health: you’ll talk about how the pregnant person is faring and what to consider regarding food and lifestyle habits. You may be meeting with the doctor or midwife who will monitor your entire pregnancy, and in that case, it’s important that you click. If it doesn’t feel good, then switch to someone else. If you have a partner, it’s a good idea for both of you to attend. At the first prenatal appointment, you will likely schedule a time for your next one a few weeks later. The things you address and discuss at these first two prenatal appointments can vary a bit depending on where you live and which clinic you go to.

What will you talk about?

At this and all future prenatal visits, you will have the chance to ask all the questions that have been spinning around your head, so be prepared by writing down anything that comes up. Your doctor or midwife will also run some tests to check that everything is as it should be.

Common tests early on:

• Blood pressure, urine and blood samples.
• You will be weighed. The reason your midwife or doctor will want to check your weight is because being overweight or underweight both entail some risks during pregnancy.
• Review any history of illness and medications you might be taking – to see if there is anything that could complicate the pregnancy or if the midwife or doctor needs to keep extra track of anything.
• Discuss feelings and expectations, health and your situation in life. Whether you need extra support with anything.
• Your healthcare provider will also give you information about foetal diagnostics.
• A maternity record will also be drawn up.

If anything at this first prenatal appointment is uncomfortable for you – for example, if you’re afraid of needles or tests, or if you are uncomfortable with being weighed – then let your doctor or midwife know. It’s important that you have the opportunity to explain these things to your healthcare provider so that you can handle them together in a way that feels good for you. If you have any special needs requiring a doctor or specialist, you will plan for a meeting with that person as well.

The maternity record will be with you throughout your pregnancy

At this first appointment, a maternity record is drawn up. The record is maintained and updated every time you have an appointment throughout your pregnancy. It keeps track of information about your health: your weight, blood and sugar levels, blood pressure, and later on, how your baby is growing and how its heart is beating – all the essential information during your pregnancy.
Measurements of your belly begin around week 25, because you want to see that the baby is growing as it should be at that point. Everything that happens during the pregnancy and with your baby is collected in the record, so that it’s available at the delivery ward when it’s time for your baby to be born.

When you’re expecting a baby, it is exciting and educational to follow everything that’s going on – both with your body and with the baby, week by week. One great way to do so is with a pregnancy calendar; for example in the Libero Club app, you can follow your pregnancy and the baby’s development.

Which weeks do you have prenatal visits?

You will likely have 8 to 10 prenatal appointments during your pregnancy, as long as you are healthy and the pregnancy is complication-free. After your initial appointment, the next will probably be the routine ultrasound. That might feel like a long way off and you may be wondering where your healthcare provider went! But you can always call your clinic if you have any questions, concerns or thoughts.

Towards the end of your pregnancy, you will usually have appointments at more frequent intervals. First-time parents will have a few extra visits to make sure everything is going as it should be. At your appointments, the midwife or doctor will ask about your health and well-being, and it’s an opportunity for parents to ask any questions that have come up since last time. In addition to talking and answering questions, your doctor or midwife will check that your pregnancy is progressing as expected.

Please note that all information above is based on Swedish recommendations.