What is antenatal care?

Once your pregnancy is confirmed, it’s important to see your doctor or a midwife as soon as possible. They will help you to plan the appointments you will need during pregnancy. Appointments during your pregnancy are called your antenatal appointments or antenatal care.

Antenatal care is offered during pregnancy to help support your wellbeing and the health of your baby.

Why go to antenatal appointments?

Antenatal care allows your doctor or midwife to help you and your baby stay healthy. Even if your pregnancy is going well, it’s important to have antenatal care. This helps your healthcare team identify and manage any risks.

You will be offered recommended antenatal tests. You can decide whether you would like the tests or not. This is called informed consent.

Antenatal appointments are a great chance to ask questions about your pregnancy such as:

• discuss any physical pregnancy symptoms
• understand what's happening during each trimester
• talk about the birth itself
• learn how to care for your baby after the birth

You can also get support to help you with your lifestyle, including:

• mental health
• dietary advice
• quitting smoking
• support to avoid drinking alcohol

You may want to talk about any problems you are having at home.

FIND A HEALTH SERVICE — The Service Finder can help you find doctors, pharmacies, hospitals and other health services.

Who will I see at my antenatal appointments?

You may want to see your own doctor first. You may then chose a midwife or obstetrician. It’s up to you.

It’s important to find healthcare professionals that you feel comfortable with. You will be working together to make decisions about your care.

It can also depend on whether you’re planning to give birth at a public hospital. If so, it’s likely that you will see a doctor or midwife at the hospital.

If you’re planning to give birth at a birth centre, you will probably have appointments with the midwife at the birth centre.

If you intend to have your baby at a private hospital, your appointments will most likely be with your obstetrician in their rooms.

If you’re planning to have a home birth, your antenatal care will probably be provided by a midwife. This may happen in your home, the hospital or elsewhere in the community.

What will happen during antenatal care appointments?

The antenatal care you get throughout your pregnancy depends on:

• your health and any risk factors you or your baby may have
• your stage of pregnancy
• any problems you may be experiencing

Your doctor or midwife will ask you questions, such as:

• when the first day of your last period was — they will use this to calculate your due date
• finding out about your medical history, general health and how any previous pregnancies were
• discussing any medicines you are taking
• providing advice on healthy eating and lifestyle changes
• checking about any physical symptoms that may be bothering you

They will also ask you about your home and work environments and what support you have. If you are experiencing family violence, this is a good opportunity for you to discuss it.

They will also arrange a number of checks, scans, tests, such as:

GLOSSARY OF PREGNANCY AND LABOUR — Glossary of common terms and abbreviations used by health professionals in pregnancy and labour.

How many antenatal appointments will I have?

If this is your first pregnancy and you’re not having any problems, you’ll likely have about 8 to 10 appointments. Your doctor or midwife will give you an appointment plan during your first antenatal visit.

If you have had previous uncomplicated pregnancies, you’ll probably have 7-9 antenatal appointments.

The number of visits can change depending on whether your pregnancy becomes complicated. If it does, your midwife or doctor may need to increase the number of appointments you have. You may also need more tests and scans.

You can also organise to see your doctor or midwife if you have any problems or concerns.

Can my partner come along too?

Yes. It’s a good idea for your birth support partner, family member or friend to come to your appointments with you. Especially if you are discussing your birth plan and how you want them to support you during the birth.

Resources and support

The Royal Women’s Hospital has a range of pregnancy fact sheets in several languages. They also offer videos explaining what to expect at your pregnancy appointments.

Find more resources at The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists Resource Hub.

If you have any questions about antenatal care or concerns about your pregnancy, speak to:

• your doctor
• your midwife
• the hospital where you're planning to give birth