Depending on when you find out you’re pregnant, you may see your doctor or midwife 10-15 times over the course of your pregnancy. While that might seem like a lot, going to your prenatal appointments is important.

They’re a great chance to ask questions and be reassured you and your baby are doing well. They also give your doctor or midwife a chance to catch and address any warning signs early, so you and your baby stay safe.

What your doctor looks for and talks to you about during your prenatal visits can change depending on the trimester, but there are a few things you should expect every time.

PRENATAL RISK SCREEN

Often called the ”Healthy Start screen”, this list of questions helps identify which risk factors you have that could cause your baby to be born too small or too early. Your doctor or midwife should ask you to fill it out at your very first prenatal visit, but if they forget, be sure to ask them for it! This screen is also your way into home visiting services, like Healthy Start, that can help you manage these risks and have a healthy birth.

YOUR WEIGHT

Weight can be something of a sore spot for pregnant women, especially if you’ve struggled with weight issues your whole life. But keeping track of your weight is an important part of monitoring your health during pregnancy.

Gaining too much or not enough can put you and your baby at risk of complications like low birth weight or preeclampsia. That’s why your doctor or midwife asks you to step on a scale during your first prenatal visit (and on every following visit): They want to make sure you’re staying on track.

Only your doctor or midwife should tell you how much weight to gain during pregnancy (not your mother-in-law or random people in the grocery store), and they often use your pre-pregnancy weight to figure out what a healthy amount of weight gain would look like for you.

Most women of average weight should put on between 25-35 pounds over the course of the 40 weeks, or about a pound (or less) a week during the second and third trimesters. If you were overweight or obese before getting pregnant, however, you might need to gain less: between 11-25 pounds, depending on how much you weighed when you got pregnant.

YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE

High blood pressure during pregnancy can be really harmful to you and your baby. It’s one of the most common reasons people die during the course of pregnancy or childbirth, and it’s a primary cause of babies born too early or underweight.

Your doctor or midwife knows this, which is why they’ll diligently log it on each and every visit. If they see your blood pressure is trending high, they’ll likely talk to you about what you can do to get it back down in order to protect your health and that of your baby’s.

YOUR URINE

Pregnant women get pretty good at peeing in a cup. After all, they get a lot of practice. Doctors and midwives ask for a urine sample at every prenatal visit. Why? It turns out, they can learn a lot from pee.

Large amounts of certain things in urine — like sugar (glucose), proteins, or ketones — can be a warning sign of potentially serious issues. Here’s how:

• Sugars: It’s normal to have a little bit of sugar in your urine, but too much could be a sign of diabetes. Gestational diabetes (which can develop during pregnancy) is fairly common, affecting about 7 percent to 7.9 percent of pregnancies in Florida, in 2020. It’s also potentially dangerous. Having gestational diabetes increases your chances of having complications during your pregnancy and you and your baby having health issues later in life.
• Proteins:  Protein in your urine could mean a lot of things, but when it coincides with high blood pressure or swelling, it could tell your doctor that you might have a serious pregnancy complication called preeclampsia.
• Ketones: Overeating during pregnancy can be problematic, but so is under-eating. When you don’t get enough to eat, your body doesn’t have the carbs it needs for energy, so it starts to break down fats. The whole process results in ketones (chemicals in your liver) being released into your body and urine, signaling to your doctor you might need to eat more. While sending your body into “ketosis” is a trendy way to lose weight, it’s not always healthy and can have negative effects on your baby’s growth.
• Bacteria: A lot of changes happen to your body during pregnancy, and those changes can leave you more susceptible to certain infections like urinary tract infections (UTIs). They’re most common during the first trimester, but they can happen at any point during pregnancy and sometimes more than once. Pregnant women with UTIs don’t always experience symptoms, which is why doctors check for signs of an infection in your urine. If left untreated, UTIs can spread to your bladder or kidneys, which can be life-threatening.

BABY’S HEARTBEAT

Most pregnant women are able to hear their babies’ heartbeats during the very first visit, using either an ultrasound or a small device called a Doppler. Besides being a fun way to connect with your baby, it’s also a method that doctors and midwives use to make sure the baby is still doing well — especially in the first trimester when you might not yet be able to feel your child move.

If the baby’s heartbeat is too fast or too slow, then it could be a warning sign that the baby is in distress.

HOW YOU’RE FEELING

During your visit, your doctor or midwife will likely ask how you’re feeling, checking to see if you’ve experienced things like cramping or contractions, bleeding, or other signs something is amiss.

These check-ins are also a great opportunity for you to share any concerns or questions you might have about what you’re going through, both mentally and physically. Some aches, pains, and feelings during pregnancy are all part of the process.

Your body and brain are changing rapidly to grow and prepare for your baby to be born. But some things could be signs that something else is going on. If you aren’t sure what you’re experiencing is normal, talk to your doctor or midwife about it during your prenatal visits. No one knows your body better than you do. If you feel like something is wrong, speak up.