When Should I Have My First Prenatal Appointment?
QUESTION
I found out that I was pregnant. My doctor set me up with a OB/GYN. My OBGYN isn't going to see me right away. He wants me to be at least 12 weeks along before he sees me.
I'm afraid that is a little to long to wait. This is my first pregnancy and I don't know what I am doing. When is the best time to first see a OB/GYN and get my first ultrasound?
~Brinna~
ANSWER
In my opinion, you should be seen as soon as you want to.
In the unlikely event that you miscarry, it is definitely best if you have established a relationship with your provider in advance, and that your own provider cares for you, rather than just someone in the E.R.
I realize that many women just let their regular doctor choose their care provider for pregnancy, but I would strongly suggest that you get on the internet, figure out what your options are, do some interviewing, and CHOOSE your provider yourself. Who you choose (and WHERE you choose to deliver, incidently) is a VERY important decision, one that you need to make yourself after doing some research, in my humble opinion.
Good luck!
~Cynthia
Cynthia Flynn
Cynthia Flynn, CNM. PhD, is the General Director of the Family Health and Birth Center which provides prenatal, birth, postnatal, gynecological and primary health care to underserved women and their families in Washington, D.C. Recently Cynthia served as Associate Professor of Nursing at Seattle University. There she not only taught, but remained in full scope clinical midwifery practice at Valley Medical Center where she cared for pregnant and birthing women, and practices well-woman gynecology, family planning, and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases.
Cynthia founded Columbia Women's Clinic and Birth Center, where she took care of pregnant women and infants up to two weeks of age and attended both birth center and hospital births. Before Cynthia earned her CNM, she worked as a registered nurse in labor and delivery and postpartum and is a certified Doula and Doula trainer.
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Comments
Hello and congrats on your
Hello and congrats on your first baby, how exciting! I would agree with others on here that you should find a new doctor, don't just stick with this one because you were referred to him by another doctor. A pregnancy is an incredible time in your life and you have to be 100% comfortable with your doctor and trust them the entire length of your journey. I would try asking some friends that have had a baby and see if they would recommend their doc? I am pregnant with my fouth right now and have had the same doc with every pregnancy, and they always see me around 8 weeks, as you need to at the very least be put on prenatal vitamins ASAP. You should be taking folic acid and a multi vitamin until then daily. As far as an ultrasound goes, you normally don't have one performed until around 20 weeks along, when they do the testing and measuring of your baby. I've never been sent elsewhere for my US either, as my docs office has one there (but again, maybe others are different?). You really don't need an US any earlier than that, unless you've had severe cramping and bleeding, or they cannot find the heartbeat. Hope this puts you at ease! Good luck!
Hello and congratulations!
Hello and congratulations! With both of my pregnancies, my first appointment was at the 6 week mark and neither were or have been considered high risk pregnancies. Also, my doctor performed ultrasounds at both of my 6 week visits inside his office so I was never sent elsewhere for any of my ultrasounds. Maybe I have a really good doctor? I would switch doctors and find one who will see you sooner than later and also one that will perform an ultrasound to make sure you have a healthy pregnancy and that it's not ectopic. Good luck!
It varies by doctor, but it's
It varies by doctor, but it's pretty standard for the first appointment to be at the 10-12 week mark if there is no reason to suspect that your pregnancy is high risk. As for ultrasound--it's only in the movies that you get one at your first appointment. Most OB/GYNs don't perform them in their offices, they give you a slip to have it performed at the local hospital or other location with the right facilities. If you have concerns, call your doc and ask questions. Also, pick up a reliable pregnancy book such as the Mayo Clinic guide to a Healthy Pregnancy. (What to expect when you're expecting actually gives wrong info about drinking alcohol).