Your healthcare provider is a hugely valuable resource for you as you head down the homestretch of pregnancy – make sure you get your questions ready!
It’s almost time for those weekly appointments as your due date draws closer and closer, but not quite yet. This will be another one of those routine visits, simply to make sure that all is running smoothly with you and Baby, and allow you the opportunity to ask your healthcare provider any questions you may have. Like always, your healthcare provider will take your weight, blood pressure, and have you provide a urine sample that will be screened for elevated levels of protein and sugar. He or she will also record Baby’s heart beat with a fetal doppler, measure your womb to get a good gauge on their size, and discuss the frequency and intensity of their movements with you.
As you approach your due date, your healthcare provider will also check to make sure that Baby is turning themself headfirst towards the birth canal. Although most babies will make the turn toward the headfirst delivery position (and can still even if they have not yet), some will remain in a vertical, bottom-down posture. Most babies that are breech require a C-section to keep mom and baby as healthy as can be.
Reviewed by Dr. Jamie Lo
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Sources
- Mayo Clinic Staff. “Fetal development: The third trimester.” Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic, 7/11/2014. Web.
- “Prenatal care in your third trimeser.” U.S National Library of Medicine. MedlinePlus, 6/11/2014. Web.
- Mayo Clinic Staff. “Prenatal care: 3rd trimester visits.” Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic, 7/30/2015. Web.
- Familydoctor.org editorial staff. “Breech Babies: What Can I Do if My Baby Is Breech?.” FamilyDoctor. American Academy of Family Physicians, 11/2015. Web.
- Mayo Clinic Staff. “Third trimester pregnancy: What to expect.” Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic, 5/5/2014. Web.
