Antenatal care, often referred to as pregnancy care or maternity care, is the healthcare support you receive from medical professionals throughout your pregnancy journey. Typically, this involves regular appointments with a midwife or, in some cases, an obstetrician – a doctor specializing in pregnancy and childbirth. Initiating antenatal care as soon as you confirm your pregnancy is crucial for both your health and your baby’s well-being. Often, your first step into this journey involves contacting your General Practitioner (GP) or directly reaching out to local maternity services. In many regions, self-referral to maternity services is streamlined through online forms available on local hospital or NHS trust websites. This initial contact sets the stage for your antenatal care, which may include vital procedures like your Gp Care Pregnancy Scan.
What Encompasses Antenatal Care?
Antenatal care is designed to ensure you and your baby maintain optimal health during pregnancy. The healthcare provider overseeing your antenatal care, whether a midwife or a doctor, plays a pivotal role in:
- Monitoring the health of both you and your developing baby.
- Providing essential information and guidance for a healthy pregnancy, including advice on healthy eating and exercise.
- Discussing the various options and choices available to you for care during pregnancy, labor, and birth, including the role of GP care pregnancy scans.
- Addressing any questions or concerns you might have throughout your pregnancy.
In England, pregnant individuals are generally offered a structured program of antenatal care appointments. Furthermore, you might be offered antenatal classes, which can include valuable breastfeeding workshops. It’s always recommended to discuss the availability of such classes in your area with your midwife. Understanding the role of your GP and procedures like the GP care pregnancy scan is a key part of this process.
Commencing Your Antenatal Care and the Role of Your GP
Upon discovering you are pregnant, it’s important to book an appointment with your GP or directly with a midwife as soon as possible. You may be advised to self-refer to your local maternity service to schedule your initial appointment. Your GP, midwife, healthcare professional, school nurse, community center, children’s center, or refugee hostel can all assist you in getting referred to your nearest midwifery service. Local council websites often provide resources to help you locate your nearest children’s center.
Seeking early antenatal care is highly beneficial as it ensures you receive timely information critical for a healthy pregnancy. Certain screening tests, such as screening for sickle cell and thalassaemia, are ideally performed before you reach 10 weeks of pregnancy. Your GP plays a crucial role in these early stages, often initiating the referral process for these tests and for your GP care pregnancy scan if deemed necessary or as part of standard early pregnancy protocols.
For individuals with specific health needs, a shared responsibility model of maternity care might be adopted, involving your midwife, GP, and obstetrician. This collaborative approach ensures comprehensive care throughout your pregnancy. It’s essential to inform your midwife about any disabilities that might necessitate special accommodations for your antenatal appointments or during labor. Similarly, if English is not your primary language, informing your midwife will help ensure appropriate support and communication are in place. Your GP often acts as a central point of contact in these cases, coordinating different aspects of your care, including referrals for your GP care pregnancy scan and other specialist services.
Frequency of Antenatal Appointments and Pregnancy Scans
If you are expecting your first baby, you can anticipate up to 10 antenatal appointments throughout your pregnancy. For subsequent pregnancies, the number is typically around 7 appointments, although this may increase if any medical conditions develop. Early in your pregnancy, your midwife or doctor will provide you with a written schedule outlining the expected number and timing of your appointments. This schedule should also include information about when you can expect to have your GP care pregnancy scan, or referral for a scan if not directly provided by the GP practice. You should have the opportunity to discuss and understand this schedule of antenatal appointments with your healthcare provider. If you need to reschedule an appointment, it’s important to notify the clinic or midwife as soon as possible.
Locations for Antenatal Appointments and Pregnancy Scans
Antenatal appointments can be scheduled at various locations, including:
- Your home
- A Children’s Centre
- A GP surgery
- A hospital
Typically, hospital settings are reserved for pregnancy scans, including your GP care pregnancy scan if it is performed in a hospital setting. However, some GP surgeries are equipped to perform early scans. Regardless of the location, antenatal appointments are designed to provide a confidential and comfortable environment where you can openly discuss sensitive issues such as domestic abuse, sexual abuse, mental health concerns, or substance use.
To ensure you receive the best possible pregnancy care, your midwife will ask detailed questions about your health, your family’s health history, and your personal preferences. Routine antenatal checks and tests will be conducted throughout your pregnancy, such as urine tests and blood pressure checks. The results from these tests, and from your GP care pregnancy scan, can influence decisions made later in your pregnancy, making it crucial to attend all scheduled appointments. Your midwife will also inquire about any social care support you might be receiving or require.
Questions You Might Be Asked During Antenatal Appointments
During your antenatal appointments, your midwife or doctor may ask questions about:
- The date of the first day of your last menstrual period.
- Your overall health status.
- Any past illnesses or surgeries you have undergone.
- Previous pregnancies and any miscarriages.
- The ethnic backgrounds of you and your partner to assess the risk of inherited conditions in your baby.
- Whether there is a family history of twins.
- Your occupation, your partner’s occupation, and your living situation to evaluate any potential impacts on your pregnancy.
- Your emotional well-being and if you have experienced depression.
These appointments are also a valuable opportunity for you to inform your midwife or doctor if you are in a vulnerable situation or require additional support due to issues like domestic abuse or violence, sexual abuse, or female genital mutilation. Your GP, as part of your antenatal care team, can also be a point of contact for discussing these sensitive issues and directing you to appropriate support services, which is especially important in the context of holistic GP care pregnancy scan follow-up.
Antenatal Appointments and Checks After 24 Weeks, Including Growth Scans
From approximately 24 weeks of pregnancy onwards, antenatal appointments typically become more frequent. However, if your pregnancy is progressing without complications and you are in good health, your appointment schedule might be less frequent compared to someone requiring closer monitoring. Later antenatal visits are usually shorter, lasting around 20 to 30 minutes.
During these appointments, your midwife or doctor will:
- Check your urine and blood pressure.
- Palpate your abdomen to assess the baby’s position.
- Measure your uterus to monitor the baby’s growth, often correlating with findings from earlier scans including your GP care pregnancy scan.
- Listen to your baby’s heartbeat, if you wish.
These later appointments also provide an opportunity to ask questions or discuss any concerns you may have. Openly communicating your feelings is as important as the physical examinations and tests. You should receive information regarding:
- Creating your birth plan.
- Preparing for labor and birth.
- Recognizing the signs of active labor.
- Induction of labour if your baby is overdue.
- Postnatal depression and the “baby blues”.
- Infant feeding options.
- Vitamin K administration for your baby.
- Newborn screening tests.
- Self-care and newborn care.
Find out more about your schedule of antenatal appointments and what to expect at each one
From 24 weeks onwards, your baby’s growth is monitored at each antenatal appointment. This is done by measuring the fundal height – the distance from the top of your uterus to your pubic bone. These measurements are recorded in your maternity notes and are often compared with growth patterns established from your GP care pregnancy scan and subsequent scans.
Monitoring Your Baby’s Movements Post-Scan
It is important to be aware of your baby’s movements throughout your pregnancy. If you haven’t felt any fetal movement by 24 weeks, contact your midwife immediately for a heartbeat check. After 24 weeks, any decrease in the frequency, slowing down, or cessation of your baby’s movements (reduced fetal movement) should be reported to your midwife or doctor without delay. Do not wait until your next scheduled appointment. Your healthcare provider will assess you and your baby and measure your bump. An ultrasound scan might be offered if there are concerns about your baby’s growth and development, potentially as a follow-up to earlier findings or as a more detailed assessment than a GP care pregnancy scan might provide, depending on the initial scan’s findings and the equipment available.
Learn more about your baby’s movements in pregnancy.
Your Maternity Notes and Digital Access
During your initial booking appointment, your midwife will begin compiling your maternity notes, which will be updated at each subsequent appointment. These notes serve as a comprehensive record of your pregnancy journey. Maternity notes may be provided in a physical record book, which you will be asked to bring to all antenatal appointments. It’s advisable to carry your notes with you at all times in case you require medical attention away from home. Increasingly, maternity notes are becoming electronic, offering you digital access to your pregnancy records. If anything in your notes is unclear, don’t hesitate to ask your maternity team for clarification. Information from your GP care pregnancy scan will also be recorded in these notes.
Planning for Your Antenatal Appointments
Clinic waiting times can vary, and prolonged waits can be particularly challenging, especially if you have young children with you. Planning ahead can make your appointments smoother. Consider these suggestions:
- Prepare a list of questions you want to ask and bring it with you.
- Ensure all your questions are answered and any worries are addressed.
- If possible, have your partner accompany you to appointments to enhance their involvement in the pregnancy.
- While some clinics offer refreshments, bringing a snack is advisable in case refreshments are unavailable.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) antenatal care guidelines provide valuable information on the timing of antenatal visits and what to expect at each stage, including the typical timing and purpose of scans beyond the initial GP care pregnancy scan.
Stay Informed with Start4Life Pregnancy and Baby Emails
Sign up for Start4Life’s weekly emails to receive expert advice, videos, and tips on pregnancy, birth, and early parenthood.
