Prenatal care is medical care you get during pregnancy. At each prenatal care visit, your health care provider checks on you and your growing baby.
Schedule your first prenatal care checkup as soon as you think you know you’re pregnant. Your provider can make sure you’re healthy and you can find out your due date.
Go to all your prenatal care checkups, even if you’re feeling fine. All pregnant women get blood and urine tests and a blood pressure check at every visit.
Your provider may recommend certain vaccinations or prenatal tests at your checkups. Prenatal tests make sure your baby is healthy and they include amniocentesis, chorionic villus sampling and ultrasound. Your provider also asks you about your family health history to see if certain medical conditions run in your family. Tell your provider how you’re feeling and ask lots of questions so you know what’s happening throughout your pregnancy.