Your healthcare provider is a hugely valuable resource for you as you head into the home stretch of pregnancy – 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 OB provider any questions you may have.
As per usual, your OB provider will generally measure your weight and blood pressure, and have you leave a urine sample that will be tested for elevated levels of protein and sugar. If you’re having urinary symptoms like burning or pain, be sure to let your medical team know. Although you leave a urine sample every time, it’s not routinely tested for infection unless you flag symptoms for them. Your OB provider will also measure your uterus to get a good sense of how Baby is growing, and listen to their heart rate with a fetal doppler. They will also ask about Baby‘s movements, and if their frequency or intensity has changed since your last visit. Finally, there should be discussion of your mental health and any hurdles you’re facing to getting the care and preparation you need for Baby.
As you approach your due date, your healthcare provider will also check to make sure that Baby is head-down. Although most babies will already have made the turn and be positioned in the head-first or “vertex” position, some may take their time! If your baby is bottom- or feet-down, this is called the breech position. Most parents of breech babies opt for a caesarean birth, as risks for Baby are lower with a caesarean when babies are still breech at the time labor starts.
Reviewed by the Ovia Health Clinical Team
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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.
