Your care during pregnancy
Antenatal visits
Your antenatal visits are a great way to learn how your baby is growing and what is happening to your body.
Due to COVID-19, prenatal visits might be different. Some doctors and midwives are using telehealth to see pregnant women. More information: COVID-19: information for pregnant and breastfeeding women.
During visits:
- your blood pressure will be checked
- the doctor or midwife will palpate (feel) your abdomen to see how much your baby has grown and listen to your baby’s heartbeat
- sometimes you may be weighed, have blood taken for tests and may have your urine checked.
Your due date
A normal pregnancy lasts 37–42 weeks.
The average length of pregnancy is 280 days or 40 weeks, from the first day of your last menstrual period.
The medical term for the due date is ‘estimated date of delivery (EDD)’.
Did you know that only about 4% of women give birth on their baby’s due date!
More information: Better Health Channel – Baby due date
When do I see my doctor or midwife?
At your first appointment with your doctor or midwife, you will plan on who to see and when. Your appointments will generally follow the recommended antenatal schedule, shown in your Pregnancy Health Record.
Due to COVID-19, prenatal visits might be different. Some doctors and midwives are using telehealth to see pregnant women.
Things to ask at your visits
Ask your doctor or midwife about:
- results of tests and investigations
- smoking, alcohol and drug use
- managing back or pelvic pain
- premature labour - what to look out for
- who and when to call when you’re in labour
- labour and birth - what to expect and making a birth plan
- planning for your hospital stay and going home with your baby.
For after your baby is born, ask your doctor or midwife about:
- tests for your baby – including the Healthy Hearing and Neonatal Screening Tests
- Vitamin K injection for newborns
- immunisations for yourself and your baby
- breastfeeding
- the importance of ‘rooming in’
- skin to skin contact
- where to get help with breastfeeding.
Who can I call to ask questions?
Your doctor, midwife, or obstetrician is usually the best place to start.
Other contacts:
- 13 HEALTH: 13 43 25 84
- Child Health Services, Queensland Health
- Pregnancy, Birth and Baby Helpline: 1800 882 436
- True Relationships and Reproductive Health
- Australian Breastfeeding Association: 1800 686 268
- Lifeline: 13 11 14
More contacts are listed in your Pregnancy Health Record.
In this guide:
- Antenatal visits
- Routine tests during pregnancy
- Ultrasounds during pregnancy
- Common discomforts in pregnancy