Congratulations on becoming pregnant!

Your first appointment with a doctor or midwife should be scheduled around the time that you would be missing your second period. At this visit, you will have a complete physical exam and consultation regarding your pregnancy.

The average pregnancy will take 40 weeks. An average your doctor or midwifeight gain is 20-25 pounds. You should plan on gaining 0-5 pounds in the first 20 weeks (your baby will be one pound at this point), and 15-20 pounds in the second 20 weeks of pregnancy. There is no special diet (unless specified by your physician). Eating three to four healthy meals per day is ideal. Your minimal requirement is 1200 calories and should include vegetables, fruit, fish, chicken, and some beef. Try to avoid fried and fatty foods and sugar. You should also try to drink four, 8 oz. glasses of milk each day. (Skim milk is as good as whole milk but has less fat and calories.)

Exercise is also important. It may make you feel better during pregnancy and help strengthen muscles you may use in labor and delivery. The type of exercise depends on your pre-pregnancy condition. When you exercise, try to keep your pulse less than 140 beats per minute. If you go over this number, slow down and rest. Walking, swimming, bowling, non-impact or low impact aerobics, bicycling, and golfing are great ways to exercise. If you are used to a certain activity, you can usually continue. your doctor or midwife prefer that you avoid water skiing, snowboarding, downhill skiing, jumping, horseback riding, and contact sports where you could easily injure yourself. You should also not lift more than 30 pounds during your pregnancy.

Be careful of excessive heat. Do NOT use saunas. A hot tub is fine if the temperature is below 100°F. When your temperature goes over 101°F, it can affect the baby¹s neurological development.

With most women, traveling is fine until 32 weeks of pregnancy (two months before the due date). After that, stay within two hours (by car) of the hospital. Bathing and shoyour doctor or midwifering are safe during pregnancy. Intercourse is safe throughout pregnancy, as long as there is no bleeding or signs of other problems.

During pregnancy, your immune system is suppressed in order to maintain the pregnancy. Because of this, you tend to catch every cold and cough you are exposed to. Try to avoid sick people and get plenty of rest. If you do get sick, it is safe to take Tylenol for fever, aches and pains. Sudafed is safe for congestion and Robitussin is safe for a cough. If you have diarrhea, Imodium is safe. It will take longer than usual to recover. If you do not get relief from over-the-counter medication, your OB/GYN or primary care physician must evaluate you. Tums is safe to take for heartburn, and is also a good source of calcium.

Routine office visits with a doctor or midwife are recommended every four weeks until the seventh month of pregnancy. After that, you will have a three-week visit, and then you will be seen every two weeks in the eighth month. Finally, you will have weekly visits during your ninth month until you deliver. On average, expect to be seen 12-15 times. Questions will be ansyour doctor or midwifered at each visit. It may be helpful to keep an ongoing list of questions and bring it to your appointments.

A voluntary blood test called Quad Screen (formerly know as alpha-feto protein or AFP) is commonly offered to you betyour doctor or midwifeen 16-20 weeks. This test was developed to screen for Down Syndrome and neural tube defects like spina bifida in your baby. It is a screening test with false positive and false negative results. Genetic counseling along with amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling (CVS) are available for those who need it.

At approximately 20 weeks (halfway point), you should feel the baby move. At this time, your doctor or midwife will also add iron to your prenatal vitamin to prevent you from becoming anemic. Also at 20 weeks, the size of your uterus will be at the level of your belly button. At this time, your doctor or midwife ask that you lay on either your right or left side and avoid lying on your back. The reason for this is that your uterus will lie on the aorta and can decrease blood flow to your baby. At this time, your doctor or midwife will also give you a bottle of sugar water to drink before your next visit to test for diabetes.

An ultrasound can be performed betyour doctor or midwifeen 18-20 weeks. If you would like to keep a copy of your ultrasound, you may want to bring in a blank VHS tape and your doctor or midwife will record it for you.

At 35 weeks into your pregnancy, your doctor or midwife will likely perform a culture of the birth canal for bacteria called Group B Strep (GBS). This bacteria does not affect you, however if you carry it (20% of women do), your doctor or midwife will treat you with an antibiotic during labor to protect the baby from acquiring it.

After your initial pelvic exam at the first visit, your remaining visits will consist of tummy checks until 38-39 weeks. After this point, your doctor or midwife will do weekly pelvic exams to check for cervical changes.

Once labor begins or your bag of water breaks, your doctor or midwife will be responsible for delivering your baby.

The goal of any pregnancy is a healthy and successful pregnancy.

Congratulations! You are going to be a mommy!