'Minimalist' prenatal visits - Anyone else?
hollowstar
member
It seems like everyone has had growth ultrasounds and lots of tests done throughout and at the end of pregnancy. Which I totally get if you're high risk.
Just like with my first, I only had one fetal ultrasound during this pregnancy - Only the anatomy scan. I've had my cervix checked past 3 visits but before that, I didn't have a single pelvic exam through the entire pregnancy. I basically have weight & BP measured, pee in a cup, ask my doc (now midwife) and questions I have, she listens to the heartbeat and I go home.
On one hand, I feel like a later ultrasound would have been nice and comforting to see no problems... But I am also happy because I'm not worried about Baby's size (in either direction) or anything else that could just be nothing.
Anyone else just kind of going along with the bare minimum? 
Mama to Sebastian, born 9/2010
Re: 'Minimalist' prenatal visits - Anyone else?
Yup.
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That's how my doctors appointments were...until i was put in the high risk category, with GD and then with the growth ultrasound discovered i was also high risk for PTL.
I am just 35, so the doctors does an u/s monthly because i'm technically high risk. Other than that, my OB treats me normally. It's nice. i get the benefit of checking out the babe and not really having to do anything else. I did have to start NST at my 32 week visit, but other than that, no cervical checks yet and it's just weight and BP for me. I don't start peeing in a cup again until 36 weeks unless i have a UTI symptom. My health insurance is high deductible, and we've met the deduction for the year, so i pay nothing for the rest of 2013.
eh, this is my 3rd and each one has been different. I will probably not have ANY internals with this one since it's a scheduled section and really, I have no questions. I pee in a cup and get weight and bp done and leave. My appointments take about 5 min total. I did have a couple early u/s since my babies are all IVF. We do the NT scan and blood, and I did the GD test. I was a practice model for sonogram students at our local community college but their numbers were so far off it was laughable. It's just the way it is, nothing special about having simple appointments or anything. I'm 38 and not treated as high risk as I'm not.
Im 37 weeks 3days and i have had the anatomy scan and one other ultrasound at 12 weeks that was literally 5 minutes for genertic screeening purposes. I have had one pelvic exam and absolutely no other testing besides the strep b swab. I feel concernd at times because i feel like i dont know whats going on in there, maybe thats why i want this baby to come out now! Even after 6 hours of contractions 10 minutes apart my docotor still didnt do a pelvic exam when i went yesterday. Just BP, pee in a cup and weight. Im a nurse and its killing me not knowing every medical dedtail (like how dilated or effaced i am now)!!
Yep, mine have been like that with both pregnancies. With this one we got a dating ultrasound because it was a surprise and we weren't sure when we got pregnant.
First one we only got the 20 week ultrasound.
I've never had a pelvic exam except during labour.
Monster Truck (It's a GIRL!) is due 19/02/2015!
My visits are minimal also but I don't mind. I am 38 years old but not considered high risk. I only did the 20 week US, diabetes test but no internal exams since my first visit and no genetic testing. During my visits lately my hospital-based midwife and nurses:
At my 36-week visit I am going to get the strep b test. I am going to ask if she plans to check my cervix going forward but I am not sure. Because of my age I can opt to have more ultrasounds because of the higher risk of still birth but I don't plan to do that unless I experience reduced fetal movement.
What you're doing isn't minimal, it's normal! Youre one of the lucky ones who doesn't need extra testing because everything is progressing okay.
LFAF Summer 2016 Awards:
I agree with this. It sounds fairly normal rather than minimal. With my first two this is pretty much how it went other than having the NT screen which I choose to have. I think that's pretty much all most women have.
With this pregnancy I have had so much more due to issues that needed to be watched.
Maybe it seems to you like others are having so much more done because women needing more tests might have more questions while women who have the usual/minimal testing don't usually post to say I only had minimal/usual testing.
I'm low risk and my visits are just like yours. I had two ultrasounds (one at 8 weeks and one at 20), but besides how cool it is to see the baby I would have preferred not to have the later one because I had to pay for it out of pocket!
The fewer tests and interventions, the better. If my doctor has no reason to suspect that anything is wrong, then I am very thankful that all I have to do is pee in a cup and get my blood pressure taken.
Exactly the same here! I had my 20 week ultrasound, and that's it for scans. Each appointment is "pee in a cup, blood pressure, listen to heartbeat, ask questions, leave."
Part of the reason I love my doc so much is that he is so "hands off" for non high risk pregnancies. He told me at my first appointment that my body knows what to do, so he doesn't like to interfere too much unless there are issues. I've had a few issues with contractions around 21 weeks and some bleeding around 13 weeks, and was seen basically immediately both times. As long as I'm fine though, it's just the standard stuff.
Mama to Sebastian, born 9/2010
DD2 8.22.13
MMC 1.4.17 at 16w
Expecting #3, EDD 1.29.18
Me too! I think that every time!
I think that's the norm. I've had two u/s (an anatomy scan and then a follow-up because of placenta previa) and that's really it. No cervical exams at all and actually won't be having any. I pee in a cup, weigh myself, get my blood pressure checked, chat with my midwife, listen to the heartbeat, then go home.
I haven't even had blood drawn except for the blood sugar tests I had to do since week 14! Personally, I'm happy with that. I feel like all those tests just find things that are "problems" that really aren't and cause people to freak out. Like my anatomy scan which showed I had a giant baby and placenta previa, but just 8 weeks later I have a normal sized baby and no placenta previa.
B born 7/15/13, C born 3/2/15, #3 on the way May '17
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