Even if you felt just great before your pregnancy and even if you still feel fine now that you’re pregnant, there are certain conditions that do not show symptoms until they are rather advanced: illnesses that, on the other hand affect us Latinas especially, such as gestational diabetes. Thanks to prenatal visits, your doctor may detect whether there is a problem and give you appropriate treatment.

From the beginning

If you are not yet pregnant, a visit to the doctor is in order. The doctor will make sure everything is fine and will prescribe folic acid and prenatal vitamins so you can prepare your body for pregnancy. However, if you didn’t see your doctor before getting pregnant, it’s never too late to request a prenatal visit. 

Once your home pregnancy test is positive, you can make an appointment for your first prenatal visit, because they will probably schedule it for a few weeks down the road.  In general, the first prenatal visit is usually longer than the others and they may not have such a big time slot available as soon as you would like. 

Medical history

Depending on the type of practice your doctor has, he or she will probably see you in his or her usual room, where patients are assessed, or you will be taken directly to an examination room. The nurse may ask you to undress and wear a smock while you wait for the doctor. Doctors may have several similar rooms, where they see their patients separately, in order to save time. It doesn’t matter where you are seen, because the questions and tests will be the same in any case.

One of the first things your doctor will ask is when you had your last menstrual period. With that date in mind, the doctor can calculate how many more weeks of pregnancy you have ahead of you and then contrast this data with the ultrasound you will get later on.

Besides asking you about your period, your doctor will want to know if this is your first pregnancy or if you have had a previous miscarriage or abortion. She will also ask if you’ve had a serious medical condition in the past, especially diabetes or hypertension: two of the illnesses that most affect us and that may have adverse effects on pregnancy.    

Another important question is if any person in your family was born with a genetic anomaly, in order to determine whether it is advisable to carry out certain genetic testing, in order to rule out the possibility of your baby having that condition. She will also make a note of whether you are taking any medication, if you smoke, drink, or carry out any other activities that could be harmful during pregnancy.  

Urine, blood pressure and weight

Before or after your doctor sees you, she will ask you to urinate in a cup and will also measure your blood pressure and weigh you. These tests enable the doctor to rule out infections or the presence of sugar or protein in your urine.  You will be weighed in order to have a point of reference and monitor your weight gain as the weeks go by.  These controls will be repeated in every doctor visit from now on.

Internal exam

After discussing all these matters with you, the doctor will carry out an internal exam in order to check your cervix. During pregnancy, the cervix is closed and sealed, and your doctor may see this by using a speculum, a device that is used to open the vagina and see the interior clearly.

The doctor will also take a sample of the cells that line the cervix to request a Pap smear, to make sure your cells are normal. The Pap smear will also determine if there are any STDs (sexually transmitted diseases) present, such as gonorrhea or Chlamydia. If your doctor doesn’t carry out theses tests in her practice, she will send you to a place where these samples can be taken.  

Blood tests

Lastly, the doctor will request complete blood work, in which – besides confirming your pregnancy- she will establish whether you suffer from or have suffered from any other illnesses. Your blood tests will determine whether you have had, amongst other conditions, rubella, HIV or syphilis. Besides, the test will also determine your RH factor and type.  If your RH is negative and your baby’s is positive, there could be an adverse reaction in your blood that would affect your baby.   

If your doctor thinks it is necessary because of your medical history, she will also request to know the glucose levels in your blood, to rule out diabetes. If you were to have diabetes, you may be able to undergo treatment to control the condition. Gestational diabetes is diabetes that is specific of pregnancy, and that could have the onset later on, but that a lot of Hispanic women suffer from.

Ultrasound or sonogram

In the event that your doctor has a sonogram or ultrasound machine in her practice, you may undergo an ultrasound in this first visit (if it isn’t much too early in the pregnancy). If she doesn’t have this device, she will refer you somewhere else to have the ultrasound done. The baby’s heartbeat cannot be detected until a few weeks into the pregnancy.  

Vitamins and next appointment

If you are not yet taking folic acid and vitamins, the doctor will prescribe them for you. Before leaving your doctor’s office, don’t forget to schedule your next appointment, as you will have to visit the doctor every month, and your visits will be more and more frequent in the last months.