A Schedule of Visits
Once you have had a positive pregnancy test, you need to schedule visits with the team of providers who will care for you throughout your pregnancy. The following describes the schedule of prenatal care — care during your pregnancy — that you will get as a member of BMC HealthNet Plan.
Remember: write down any questions you have and bring them to your visits.
YOUR FIRST VISIT (please allow 1-2 hours)
You will meet with a nurse who will:
- Discuss your pregnancy and what kind of labor and delivery you would like.
- Review your overall health and medical history. The nurse will ask you about past or current medical conditions.
- Give you a prescription for prenatal vitamins. These are good for your overall health and may help prevent birth defects in your baby.
- Schedule an appointment with an obstetrician (a doctor who delivers babies; this may be an OB/GYN or a family doctor), nurse-midwife or nurse practitioner.
- Schedule lab tests that will check your urine and blood. This is an important part of the care you get during pregnancy.
- Give you educational materials about a healthy pregnancy.
VISIT WITH A SOCIAL WORKER OR OUTREACH ADVOCATE (within two weeks of your first visit if needed)
The social worker or outreach advocate will:
- Ask about your current housing situation and refer you to someone who can help if you need to find housing.
- Ask about any problems you may be having with family members, your spouse or your partner and connect you with counseling.
- Ask about your need for child care and connect you with information on child care options. Remember: it is important that you address your child care needs at the beginning of your pregnancy.
- Refer you to someone at the Plan or at your doctor's office who can help arrange transportation to and from your prenatal visits. It is important that you come to all your prenatal visits.
- Help with education. If you are a student, the social worker can help you arrange to stay in school throughout your pregnancy and after your baby is born.
- Refer you to one of the Plan's Community Resource counselors, who may be able to arrange financial help in the form of rent or fuel assistance or food stamps.
VISIT WITH A NUTRITIONIST (within two weeks of your first visit)
The nutritionist will discuss:
- The amount of weight you can expect to gain during your pregnancy.
- The kinds of foods you should eat.
- The kinds of foods that your baby needs.
- The Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program, which can provide your family with nutritious foods.
Note: This is a good time to ask questions about the role nutrition plays in your health and your baby's.
Remember: The nutritionist can direct you to a food pantry in your area where you can get certain kinds of food.
YOUR SECOND DOCTOR VISIT (please allow one hour)
At this visit, which will be one or two weeks after the first one, you will meet for the first time with your obstetrician, nurse-midwife or nurse practitioner. If you are at least 12 weeks pregnant, your visit will be scheduled as soon as possible.
Your doctor will:
- Talk with you about your pregnancy. Perform a complete physical exam, including a pelvic exam.
- Perform a pap smear and check for possible infection.
- Discuss what will happen at your next visit.
- Discuss any additional services that may be helpful to you.
YOUR FOLLOW-UP VISITS
After your first visit with your provider, your visits will be once a month until you reach the 32nd week of pregnancy. Then you will need to see your provider every two weeks until the 36th week of pregnancy. After that, you need to see your obstetrician, nurse-midwife or nurse practitioner once a week until your baby is born.
If you cannot keep an appointment, please let your doctor know by calling the office at least 24 hours in advance. They will schedule another appointment for you. Any time you call or come for an appointment, please be sure to let the secretary know you are pregnant. Every prenatal visit is important for your health and that of your baby. Please come to every appointment!
