Prenatal Care in Raleigh

Prenatal care is the regular health visits that pregnant women have during pregnancy to make sure both mom and baby are healthy. Scheduling regular visits and following your provider’s advice is important for a healthy pregnancy!

Your prenatal care provider will help you schedule all your prenatal visits. NeighborHealth follows national guidelines which suggest prenatal visits:

• Every four weeks through 28 weeks (7 months) of pregnancy;
• Every two weeks 28 through 36; and
• Weekly for weeks 36 through birth.

If you are older than 35 years old and/or have a high-risk pregnancy, you may need to see your prenatal care provider more often.

The first appointment is about getting to know each other. We will listen to you as you share your medical history and we will share with you how our prenatal practice runs and what we can offer you.

During this visit, we will review healthy pregnancy habits and practices to avoid during pregnancy. Your next appointments will include an ultrasound for confirming your due date and a complete physical exam including breast and pelvic exam as well as comprehensive lab work.

Ideally, your first prenatal visit will occur before you’re eight weeks pregnant but we can see you no matter how far along you are in your pregnancy For more information about your first prenatal appointment, give us a call at (984) 222-8000.

Prenatal appointments that occur later in your pregnancy are generally shorter than the first one. At each checkup, your provider will ask how your feeling and help answer any questions you may have.

During your checkup, they will also:

• Check your weight, blood pressure, urine, and perform routine lab work.
• Listen to your baby’s heartbeat and measure your baby’s growth.
• Perform ultrasounds— including the 20-week anatomy scan where we assess the baby’s growth and many times can determine the gender of the baby.
• Provide appropriate vaccinations to protect you and your baby against whooping cough and flu.
• Share important health education during each stage of pregnancy and help prepare you for these changes.

There are four important things you can do before becoming pregnant:

• Taking a prenatal vitamin with 400 mcg of folic acid and iron every day to reduce the risk of birth defects.
• Stop smoking cigarettes, marijuana, and vaping as well as drinking alcohol. If you need assistance quitting, schedule an appointment with one of our providers to discuss your options.
• Talk to your healthcare provider about medications and over-the-counter supplements you might be taking. Some medicines are not safe during pregnancy, though stopping medicines you need can also be harmful.
• Avoid contact with toxic substances or materials in your daily life.