8 Weeks Pregnant: Preparing for Your First Prenatal Visit | HealthInfi

If you could see your baby, you’d notice that she has teeny webbed fingers and toes and perhaps even small eyelids that will soon cover her sensitive eyes. The very tip of her nose may also be starting to form, as well as the upper lip. Behind the face, nerve cells are beginning to connect with one another and form what will eventually become complex neural pathways.

A little farther down, your baby’s breathing tubes are developing to reach her lungs. Moreover, her very important aortic and pulmonary valves in her heart have formed, helping the muscle to beat at an amazing 150 pulses per minute.

If your pregnancy is considered high risk, you’ll likely have already been to see your health care provider. However, for many pregnancies, the first prenatal visit takes place somewhere between now and week 10.

At your first appointment, your health care provider will complete a comprehensive health history. He or she will ask whether you have any medical or psychosocial issues, the date of your last menstrual period, your history of birth control methods and other medications, if you’ve previously been hospitalized, whether you have any drug allergies and about your family’s medical history. You may want to write down these details if you think you could have trouble remembering everything.

The visit will include measuring your blood pressure, height and weight, as well as a breast and pelvic exam, with a pap test if you haven’t had once recently. They’ll also likely take blood to test for your blood type,anemia and other medical and genetic conditions. It’s still a little early to hear your baby’s heartbeat, so this exciting milestone may have to wait until your next visit.

Your health care provider may also talk to you about more extensive genetic testing and offer you screening tests that can give you some information about your baby’s risk for Down syndrome as well as other chromosomal problems and birth defects. Read More..