Pregnancy For Dummies
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Once you find out you’re pregnant, follow a recommended schedule of prenatal visits and review the tests you can expect for each doctor’s visit. Learning a few medical abbreviations used by your doctors and hospital staff will help you keep up with what's going on all the way through your delivery.

Keeping tabs on your baby’s growth is exciting, especially when you have a helpful growth chart to follow. Keep a bag packed towards the end of your pregnancy and have important phone numbers handy ahead of time.

Phone numbers and addresses to have on hand

Be prepared for your baby’s arrival (or in case you have questions or concerns during your pregnancy) by printing this list and filling out the information. Keep this list in your purse or on the fridge for easy access.

Your practitioner:

Name        ______________________    

Phone number            ________

Address        ________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

Your pediatrician:

Name        ______________________    

Phone number            ________

Address        ________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

Hospital or birthing center:

Name        ______________________    

Phone number            ________

Address        ________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

Consultant (ultrasound, internist, maternal-fetal medicine, and so on):

Name        ______________________    

Phone number            ________

Address        ________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

What to take to the hospital when you have your baby

  • Your partner/labor coach

  • A bathrobe and nightgown

  • Toiletries

  • Sturdy underwear that you don’t mind soiling with blood

  • A change of clothes to wear home, including comfortable, roomy shoes

  • Baby clothes

  • Infant car seat (your partner can bring this item on the day of discharge)

  • Sanitary napkins (if you don’t want to use the archaic ones that most hospitals provide)

  • A camera

  • Telephone numbers of family and friends you may want to call

  • Insurance information

  • Lollipops or sucking candies

  • Any device with the ability to play music

  • Change for parking, or vending machines

  • Cell phone

A typical schedule for prenatal visits and tests

To ensure the health of you and your baby, you’ll need to schedule regular visits to your doctor during your pregnancy. Use this guideline for making your appointments and understanding common procedures for each visit:

Weeks Possible Tests
6–8 Blood type, rubella titer, blood counts, hepatitis screen,
ultrasound.
10–12 Doppler detection of fetal heart, CVS, if planned.
11–14 First trimester screen/Nuchal translucency (11–12 weeks
is best) cell-free fetal DNA test is appropriate.
15–18 Second trimester serum screen (sometimes called quad screen);
amniocentesis (if planned).
18–22 Ultrasound to evaluate fetal anatomy.
24–28 Glucose screen to check for gestational diabetes.
28–36 Every-other-week visits to check blood pressure, weight, urine
protein, and fetal growth.
36–40 Weekly visits to check all the above and to assess fetal
position. Some practitioners do internal exams to check the cervix;
some do a vaginal/rectal culture for group B streptococcus.
40–?? Twice-weekly visits to assure fetal well-being.

Commonly used medical abbreviations that relate to pregnancy

So you know what’s going on throughout your pregnancy while at doctor’s visits, touring the hospital, and during labor and delivery, learn these medical abbreviations and what they mean.

Abbreviation What It Stands For
AFP Alpha-fetoprotein
AMA/APA Advanced maternal/paternal age
CNM Certified nurse midwife
CRL Crown-rump length
CVS Chorionic villus sampling
EDC or EDD Estimated date of confinement or estimated due date
EFW Estimated fetal weight
EGA Estimated gestational age
IUGR Intrauterine growth restriction
LGA Large-for-gestational age
LMP Last menstrual period
MFM Maternal-fetal medicine
SGA Small-for-Gestational Age

Your baby’s growth

At the eighth week of pregnancy (date of last menstrual period) the embryo is now referred to as a fetus. All organs are formed and the remaining 32 weeks of pregnancy is a time for the fetus to grow and mature. Take a look at this chart to see how your baby’s body weight and length changes during your pregnancy:

Weeks Pregnant (measured from LMP) Average Weight Average Length
8 0.035 oz (1 g) 1.5 in (3.81 cm)
10 0.175 oz (5 g) 2.4 in (6.10 cm)
12 0.7 oz (20 g) 3.5 in (8.89 cm)
14 2.1 oz (60 g) 4.1 in (10.41 cm)
16 4.2 oz (0.12 kg) 6.25 in (15.88 cm)
18 8.0 oz (0.23 kg) 7.8 in (19.81 cm)
20 12.0 oz (0.34 kg) 9.75 in (24.77 cm)
22 1 lb (0.45 kg) 11.0 in (27.94 cm)
24 1 lb 8 oz (0.68 kg) 11.7 in (29.72 cm)
26 2 lb (0.91 kg) 12.5 in (31.75 cm)
28 2 lb 12 oz (1.25 kg) 13.7 in (34.80 cm)
30 3 lb 10 oz (1.65 kg) 14.8 in (37.60 cm)
32 4 lb 6 oz (2.00 kg) 15.6 in (39.62 cm)
34 5 lb 3 oz (2.35 kg) 16.4 in (41.66 cm)
36 6 lb (2.72 kg) 17.5 in (44.45 cm)
38 6 lb 12 oz (3.10 kg) 18.7 in (47.50 cm)
40 7 lb 8 oz (3.40 kg) 19.5 in (49.53 cm)

lb = pounds    cm = centimeters
oz = ounces    g = grams
in = inches    kg = kilograms

About This Article

This article is from the book:

About the book authors:

Joanne Stone, MD, and Keith Eddleman, MD, are Board Certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology, and are Associate Professors at Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

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