Pregnancy Care
Picking names and shopping for baby clothes are fun, but there’s a lot more to do to prepare for your special day:
- Register online through MyChart to have your baby with us
- Fill out a Birth Preferences Plan (download below) to let us know your wishes for your labor and delivery
- Sign up for classes in childbirth, baby care, and breast feeding
- Become familiar with the Behavioral Health Depression Screening called the Edinburgh Scale
- You will take the screening after giving birth, but if you’ve been feeling unusually blue or anxious, consider whether you need support now
- Pregnancy hormones can affect mood — if you feel like you might need help and support, our Behavioral Health team has experts who specialize in pre- and post-partum depression
Stay on Top of Your Doctor Visits
Visits to your provider’s office typically occur every four to six weeks until you reach 32 weeks of pregnancy. Between 32 and 36 weeks, your visits are typically every other week, and then weekly until delivery.
Testing
During pregnancy, a series of routine tests are prescribed to monitor your health and that of your baby. Your first visit will include a series of blood tests and screenings, as well as a routine Pap test if you are due for one. The following screenings and/or tests may be prescribed in the first and second trimesters to detect fetal abnormalities:
- 10 – 15 weeks
Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS), an earlier alternative to amniocentesis usually reserved for women over 35 or families with a history of genetic conditions
- 11 – 14 weeks
A blood test that screens for Down Syndrome and Trisomy 18 and a targeted sonogram called a Nuchal Translucency
- 15 – 20 weeks
The AFP blood test, which screens for Down Syndrome, Trisomy 18, and neural tube defects
- 16 – 18 weeks
Amniocentesis is usually reserved for women over 35, families with a history of genetic conditions, or as a follow-up to a genetic screening
- 24 – 28 weeks
Screenings for anemia and gestational diabetes in the mother
- 35 – 37 weeks
A cotton swab test for Group Beta Strep (GBS), bacteria that are present in 20 percent of men and women. If you test positive for GBS, you will be prescribed antibiotics during labor to keep you from passing GBS on to your baby.
If you will be 35 years or older by your due date, and if you or your partner have a family history of genetic condition, genetic counseling is available through UC San Diego Health.
Birth Preference Plan
We encourage you to fill out the Eisenhower Family Birth Center Birth Preference Plan so we can best provide an environment that will make you most comfortable, physically and emotionally. The birth plan is an opportunity to let us know your wishes about pain management, visitors, cultural or religious practices, and more. Fill out the Birth Preferences Plan online or download and print out the form. This plan is not a contract and can be modified at any time. You can share it with your prenatal care team and bring it to the Birth Center when you arrive in labor.
