First Timer Questions

I had a few ultrasounds, only b/c the dr thought my baby wasn't growing adequately. My SIL is prego right now and only gets TWO ultrasounds total, one to verify pregnancy (8 weeks) and one to verify sex of baby (20-something week). She doesn't get anymore unless dr. feels the need to do so.

Each appt - external measurements, urine check, bloodpressure, weight, then towards the end, a check to see if you are effaced or dialated a little.

They will check your urine, measure your belly, weigh you, etc.
Do you have the book "What To Expect When You're Expecting?" It's a great resource for pregnancy!
Also, too many ultrasounds aren't good. I think unless there's a suspected problem, O. is fine.
Congratulations!

You should not have any more ultrasounds after the 20 week one unless there is a problem or suspected problem. I am on baby #3.

You will have your weight checked, blood pressure, measure fundus, urine checked for sugar at each visit, and listen to baby heartbeat on doppler. They will do the Group B Strep swab late like 37 or 28 weeks to make sure you are negative otherwise you have to have antibiotic IV during delivery...and you should have already had the Glucose Tolerance Test at your stage. My doc doesn't start doing internal exams to check dilation until like 37 or 38 weeks unless you are having a problem or contractions that appear to be more than Braxton-Hicks.

Enjoy!

The frequency of the ultrasound depends on your doctor and whether or not they have sonography in-house. Also, are you classified as a high-risk pregnancy? That will also affect the frequency. And insurance, of course, your insurance coverage will play into the whole scenario.

At least for me, there was no big difference in any of my later appointments. Weight check, pee check, blood pressure check, check the baby's heartbeat with the doppler. I went into labor at 37.5 weeks and used a midwife, so there was never any discussion of induction, etc. Your OB/GYN will likely to a cervical check, but you can be dilated and/or effaced for weeks before delivery...so not really sure why they bother with it. My midwife gave me the option of what I wanted to do.

Good luck...write down your questions and have them handy so you don't forget when you go in for your appointment.

Hi there, just reading a few of the responses here and wanted to offer you my experience as it is a bit different. My doctor routinely does ultrasounds at 32 weeks to check the size of the baby. With my first baby, he was able to determine that she was growing 2 weeks ahead of schedule, and wouldn't you know it, she came at 38 weeks! With baby #2, he determined that she was also growing ahead of schedule and when she didn't come on her own by 39 weeks, he induced me to reduce/prevent risk of c-section due to her size.

I realize this is different than what others have experienced but every doctor is different. I had no issues with my insurance covering this ultrasound either time and my pregnancies were not considered high risk, although I was over 35 with #2 so perhaps this was a factor. Not sure. I would check with your doctor on the u/s question since there may be another one out there for you. Or maybe not.

Other than that, my experience with the exams is pretty much the same as everyone listed here. Nothing much exciting until the internals start, which aren't nearly as bad as people will tell you.

Best of luck with your new little one! Congrats!!

They will be pretty much like your monthly appointments. They will take your blood pressure, measure your belly, check your weight. At the weekly appointments, they will start checking you to see if you have started dilating and thinning. You just go more often because it is getting closer, the whole exam takes about 5-10 minutes. You shouldn't have any more ultrasounds unless there is a problem. Good luck and congrats!

Shouldn't need any more ultrasounds... they're not recommended at any point during the pregnancy unless there is a medical indication for one, and the routine ones are proven to not improve outcomes in any way. They'll keep doing the same things at each appointment, just more often now... urine test, feel where the baby is, listen to heartbeat, take your blood pressure. As you get closer some doctors or midwives will do cervical checks to see how dialated you are, but those really don't mean anything... some women walk around at 4 or 5 centemeters for a month before labor, others aren't dialated at all and then have the baby 3 hours later. You can always decline the cervical checks because it could lead to infection for you or baby, and often leads to uncomfortable cramping and spotting for several weeks unnecessarily.

I urge you to talk with your doctor's office about what to expect. Every pregnancy, tho similar, is also different. And there are different ways of managing a pregnancy. We can tell us our experiences but we do not know how you and your doctor will work together. Your question is an important one and should be answered by your ob/gyn. I've found nurses to be knowledgeable and willing to discuss this sort of information.

This will probably depend on you, your doc, and your insurance. I didn't get any other sonos after the 20 week one. But I have friends that got one every week. For the every 2 week visits, they did the same thing, measurements, urine check, heart beat check. Then at 36 weeks, I started having internal exams every week until delivery. Some docs don't do internals at all though. I would encourage you to ask your doc what his or her philosophy is and what to expect.

First off, don't count on another ultrasound. Usually the 20 week one is the last one you will get unless there is a problem. I never had an ultrasound after 20 weeks, and am 32 weeks with #2. The every 2 week appointments do start at 30 weeks and become weekly at 35 weeks. At the 2 week appointments its the usual measuring of uterus and fetal heartbeat, and at the 1 week appointments your doctor will do the group B strep test and start doing internal exams to see if your dilating or effacing. Hope this helps.