here - Health Promotion Agency

Antenatal care and antenatal classes
56
L ATER VISITS
Later visits are usually shorter. Your
urine and blood pressure, and often
your weight, will be checked. Your
abdomen will be felt to check the
baby’s position and growth. And the
doctor or midwife will listen to your
baby’s heartbeat. You can also ask
questions or talk about anything that
is worrying you. Talking is as much
a part of antenatal care as all the tests
and examinations.
From now on, antenatal checks
will usually be every four weeks
until 28 weeks, every two weeks
until 36 weeks, and then every
week until the baby is born. If
your pregnancy is uncomplicated,
you may be offered the option of
less frequent antenatal appointments.
If you can’t keep an antenatal
appointment, let the clinic, GP or
midwife know, and make another
appointment.
ULTRASOUND SCAN
This test uses sound waves to build
up a picture of the baby in the
womb. Most hospitals will offer
women at least one ultrasound scan
during their pregnancy. An
ultrasound scan can be used to:
•
check the baby’s measurements –
this gives a better idea of the
baby’s age and can help decide
when your baby is likely to be
born – this can be useful if you
are unsure about the date of your
last period or if your menstrual
cycle is long, short or irregular;
your due date may be adjusted
according to ultrasound
measurements;
•
check whether you are carrying
more than one baby;
•
detect some abnormalities,
particularly in the baby’s head or
spine;
• show the position of the baby and
the placenta – in some cases, for
example, where the placenta is
low in late pregnancy, special care
may be needed at delivery or a
Caesarean section may be advised;
•
check that the baby is growing
and developing normally (this is
particularly important if you are
carrying twins or more).
The scan is completely painless, has no
known serious side-effects on
mothers or their babies (although
research is continuing), and can be
carried out at any stage of pregnancy.
Most hospitals scan all women at
18–20 weeks to check for certain
abnormalities.
You will probably be asked to drink
a lot of fluid before you have the scan.
A full bladder pushes your womb up
and this gives a better picture. You then
lie on your back and some jelly is put
on your abdomen. An instrument is
passed backwards and forwards over
your skin and high-frequency sound
is beamed through your abdomen into
the womb. The sound is reflected back
and creates a picture which is shown
on a TV screen. It can be very exciting
to see a picture of your own baby
before birth, often moving about inside.
Ask for the picture to be
explained to you if you can’t make
it out. It may be possible for your
partner to come with you and see
the scan. Many couples feel that this
helps to make the baby real for them
both. Ask if it’s possible to have a
copy of the picture (there may be a
small charge for this).
If you feel doubtful about having
a scan, talk it over with your GP,
midwife or obstetrician.