Your appointment schedule

Your first appointment usually is scheduled between eight weeks and 12 weeks after your last period. Patients older than 35 are scheduled for a visit as soon as pregnancy is confirmed or between eight weeks and 10 weeks after their last period.

If you are new to Park Nicollet Clinic, please bring copies of medical records from your past pregnancies. This information will help us assess your needs.

Please plan on 1-½ hours for your first appointment. You will need to complete a health history before the doctor, nurse practitioner or certified nurse-midwife (CNM) sees you. This will take about 30 minutes.

Your doctor, nurse practitioner or CNM will take a complete health history, conduct a physical exam, complete a high-risk Minnesota Pregnancy Assessment form, perform lab testing and teach you about important self-care and screenings. If your appointment is slightly before or after your 10-week mark, it may be possible to hear the baby's heartbeat then.

Be sure to write down your questions and bring them with you to your first visit.

• Discuss labor classes
• Discuss quickening (baby's movement), round ligament cramping (stomach pain due to the growing uterus), back strain
• Review lab results from first visit
• Discuss indications from cervical checks
• Perform amniocentesis, if necessary (15 weeks)
• Perform a maternal serum quad screen
• Perform a comprehensive (Level II) ultrasound, if needed.

• Establish due date

• Discuss preterm labor
• Review nutrition and weight gain
• Conduct gestational diabetes screening
• Discuss labor and breastfeeding classes
• Discuss using a car seat

• Discuss pregnancy-induced hypertension (high blood pressure), fetal movement and vaginal birth after cesarean, if applicable
• Test blood for hemoglobin (to test for anemia) and glucose (to test for diabetes)
• Register for delivery and hospital stay

• Discuss infant feeding options
• Discuss circumcision
• Perform a fetal movement assessment (assess the baby's movement)
• Discuss pain management
• Discuss Park Nicollet's videotaping policy (if delivering at Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital)

• Discuss labor and delivery, including signs of labor and induction (planned start) of labor
• Review disability and insurance forms
• Discuss postpartum contraception
• Obtain a Group B Strep culture

• Perform a cervical check

• Perform a cervical check

• Perform a cervical check
• Discuss induction indications

• Perform a cervical check
• Perform a nonstress test (measures the baby's heartbeat and movement)