Day 71 of 280, first trimester
You are 10 weeks and 1 day
Your prenatal care starts with your first appointment, where you'll talk to your ob/gyn about your pregnancy care.
209 days until your due date
You should have your first prenatal appointment around now, although the exact timing depends on when your doctor first sees pregnant patients. Unless your doctor works alone, your prenatal team will probably include several doctors who'll care for you throughout your pregnancy.
The appointment is for the doctor to take your medical history, give you information, and plan your care for pregnancy and birth. It's also your chance to ask questions and discuss the schedule for appointments, blood tests, scans, and prenatal classes. You'll be given booklets, leaflets, and important phone numbers.
The doctor will ask about your medical history, your family's, your partner's and his family's, any previous pregnancies, and how this pregnancy has gone so far.
Your answers help the doctor spot factors that may affect your pregnancy, such as a family history of preeclampsia. You'll also have health checks, such as urine tests, at this and later appointments.
Ask a Doctor
How should I decide which tests I want?
Your doctor will give you plenty of information, and it's up to you whether to have the tests. There are two types: screening tests, which work out the risk of a problem, and diagnostic tests, which you may be offered based on the screening result.
Most women have the screening tests, but think about how far you'd go. If you got a high-risk result, would you have a diagnostic test? And if that was positive, would you continue the pregnancy?
These questions are hard but important. For example, if you know you'd continue the pregnancy no matter what, you might decide not to be tested, or to be tested so you can prepare for a baby who may have problems.
As a matter of fact
Where "midwife" comes from
"Midwife" comes from the Anglo-Saxon "mit wif," meaning "with woman."
A midwife's role is to respect a woman's ability to give birth on her own and to step in only when essential.
Explainer
Routine checks
At your prenatal appointments you'll have routine checks, including your blood pressure. Your doctor's job is to look after your health throughout pregnancy.
Appointments and key dates around now
- Booking appointmentUsually between 8 and 12 weeks
Read the full 10 weeks pregnant guide
This is general information based on NHS guidance, not medical advice, and every pregnancy is different. Talk to your midwife or GP about anything that worries you. If your baby's movements slow down or change, or you have bleeding, severe pain or leaking fluid, call your maternity unit straight away. In an emergency, call 999.