PREGNANCY AND CHILDBIRTH: YOUR FIRST VISIT TO THE DOCTOR
Your doctor will probably go into considerable detail in taking your medical history. He will question you closely about previous pregnancies, whether you have had a miscarriage or premature birth, and whether your previous labours and deliveries were normal. Your family history will tell him what the chances are of your having twins or triplets. Answer the doctor’s questions as fully as you can, but do not be reluctant to admit that you do not know or cannot remember. On the basis of the information you give him, he can tell you with a fair degree of accuracy when your baby will arrive.
The doctor will examine you from top to toe, listen to your heart, and determine your blood pressure. He will check your breasts carefully and examine your abdomen. Your doctor will be very thorough with the vaginal, or pelvic, examination. It is very important for him to know the size and shape and position of your uterus — whether it is normal or turned (retroverted). If it is turned, he will give you exercises to bring it back to its proper position. The examination will also tell him whether there are any tumours in the uterus, or if there is any venereal or other disease. Any marked abnormality such as a tubal pregnancy will be revealed. He will probably take your pelvic measurements. This helps him to decide whether the hard bony structure through which the baby must pass at birth is large enough to let the average child through. If it is too small or otherwise abnormal, he will consider the possibility of a caesarean operation. Several laboratory tests usually accompany the first interview. The doctor will test your urine, mainly to discover whether it is free of sugar and albumin; sugar may be an indication of diabetes, and albumin is sometimes a sign of kidney damage. He will test your blood for syphilis and for anaemia. He will also type your blood to see which group you are, since you might need a blood transfusion at some time during your pregnancy or at the time of delivery. Whether or not you are Rh negative will also be determined. He may want you to have a chest X-ray, if you have not had one in recent months, to make certain there is no tuberculosis of the lungs.
After that, your doctor may .want to see you every three weeks; in the last two months, he may ask to see you every two weeks.
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