About Your Prenatal Checkups

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My Philosophy

I view pregnancy and childbirth as a natural part of a women’s life. It is not a medical event and should not be treated as such. My job as your obstetrician is to help guide you through your pregnancy. I will attempt, as much as possible, to support all that you are doing to ensure the healthiest outcome possible for both you and your baby. It is also my job to order all the necessary tests and investigations but without making the process arduous or anxiety provoking. It is also my responsibility to detect any variances in your pregnancy so that they can be dealt with and to answer any questions and concerns that you or your partner may have.

Pregnancy, especially the first one, is a very special time in a woman’s life.  Although nine months seems long, it will fly by faster than you can imagine.  Your job description during this time is to be the life support system for another human being and this is the biggest job description out there.  This responsibility will stay with you for as long as you are a parent.    It is also a time where you will focus a lot of attention on yourself, both in the way that you look, feel, what you eat, how you exercise and cope with all the changes that are going to happen to your body. 

Over the course of the next nine months, pregnancy will be a torture tunnel for your body. There will be incredible changes, both visible and internal changes that will affect how you look, feel and function. It may also change the way other people relate you. Some women may have a very easy and relatively asymptomatic pregnancy while other women may have a more difficult time.  

Each woman will experience pregnancy in her own unique way. Try not to compare yourself to other pregnant moms and try to, as much as possible, not to take comments from friends, family and passersby to heart. Any concerns you may have should be directed to me.

Medical Tests
Beware Dr Google

Doctor's Visits

In a low risk pregnancy I would usually see you for your first visit in your second trimester. Your family doctor will see you until then and they will make the referral and book all the first trimester tests and ultrasounds. 

In a healthy and uncomplicated pregnancy, I will usually see you every four weeks until 34 weeks and after that I see you every 2 weeks till 38 weeks and then weekly until you deliver. The schedule of these visits can be adjusted according to how you are feeling and I am happy to see you more frequently if you would like me to or need to, especially if there are complications or issues, which need to be dealt with.  

At each visit, I am happy to answer any questions that you have. I usually inform you of the changes that should have occurred up to that point and what to expect from that visit until the next. I check your urine for sugar and protein. Weighing you is optional. 

I check the growth of the baby by measuring the distance from your pubic bone to the top of the uterus. This is an indicator of the growth of the fetus and the measurements in centimeters should correspond to the number of weeks you are pregnant, e.g. 26 weeks of pregnancy should correspond to approximately 26 cm. I then check the position of the baby, check the amount of amniotic fluid and listen to the fetal heartbeat. I also may do an ultrasound to check the wellbeing of your baby. At the end of each visit, please make sure that you have an appointment for the following visit. I do not rush you during these visits and I like to give you as much time as possible. Please understand that I try to be as punctual as possible but delays are inevitable and I tend to run a little over time, especially towards the end of the day so if you are in a rush, please phone my office before to make sure that I do not keep you waiting unnecessarily.  

I am usually happy for you to have your partner and other family members accompany you to your prenatal visits but unfortunately due to the Covid pandemic only your partner can accompany you. Please wear a mask during the entire visit and wash your hands before and after your visit.