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!
Now that you’re in the third trimester, the frequency of your pre-natal visits will increase from once every four weeks, to one appointment every two weeks, just so your healthcare provider can make sure that all is going smoothly with Baby’s development. As always, your healthcare provider is going to want to check your weight, blood pressure, and have you leave a urine sample to test for the elevated presence of protein or sugar. In addition, he or she will measure your uterus to get a sense of how Baby is growing, and take their heart rate with a fetal doppler. Your healthcare provider will probably also start asking about Baby’s movement from appointment-to-appointment as a good indicator of their health.
And remember how you were tested for your Rh factor way back at your first appointment? If your test came back Rh-, Week 28 is generally when your healthcare provider will administer a Rhogam shot, a medicine that prevents Rh- women from producing antibodies to Baby’s potentially Rh+ blood. If you tested Rh- back at your first appointment, it’s imperative that you get this injection, otherwise Baby could develop erythroblastosis fetalis, a disorder in which your antibodies will deplete the baby’s red blood cell count.
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.
- “The Rh Factor: How It Can Affect Your Pregnancy: FAQ027.” ACOG. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 9/13/2015. Web.
- Mayo Clinic Staff. “Third trimester pregnancy: What to expect.” Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic, 5/5/2014. Web.
