Your antenatal care

Excellent antenatal care should be rewarded with healthy mothers and babies. The routine tests you'll have will usually pick up any problems as soon as they arise, and there are special tests for mothers and babies with particular needs. At your antenatal clinic you'll also have the chance to ask questions about your pregnancy and to meet other women going through the same experiences as you.

The first antenatal visit

Most pregnancies are perfectly normal, but it's vital to have antenatal checks to make sure all is well and to spot possible problems early before any harm is done. You'll have consultations, check-ups, and tests throughout your pregnancy to make sure you and your baby are doing fine.
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Understanding your antenatal notes

When you go for your first antenatal visit you may be given your “hand held” antenatal notes or these may be given to you when all the results are available.
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Ultrasound scan

Ultrasound scans are used during pregnancy to check your baby's general wellbeing and position, or guide doctors when they're carrying out any special tests and operations.
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Special antenatal tests

During your antenatal care you may have a number of special screening and diagnostic tests to check for various complications or defects that can affect the baby.
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Miriam's casebook - Testing for abnormalities

At 26, Daniella was particularly keen to have her babies while she was young and fit. After Daniella had missed two periods and a home pregnancy test had proved positive, she and her partner Will visited their doctor, who referred them to the antenatal clinic at the local hospital. They both...
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Amniocentesis

Amniotic fluid contains cells from the baby's skin and other organs which can be used to diagnose his condition. Amniocentesis is the name given to the procedure that withdraws this fluid from the uterus.
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Routine antenatal checks

While you're pregnant, you'll have some routine antenatal checks to make sure both you and your baby are doing well.
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Pregnancy: when you should call your doctor

Of course, you’ll go for your regular monthly visits, scans, blood tests etc. but some signs do merit a special call or visit to the doctor.
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New screening test for Down's syndrome causes controversy

A new prenatal screening method for Down’s syndrome called PrenaTest® is causing controversy following its launch in Germany, Austria, Lichtenstein and Switzerland.
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