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Day 59 of 280 · 8 weeks + 3 days

What the first blood test looks for

Last reviewed · 3 min read · 11 sources · Plain-text version

The first-visit blood panel, item by item, so no result surprises you. Plus the one line you need about being Rh-negative.

Size this week
about the size of a raspberry
Length this week
around 16 mm from head to bottom
A white woman in a denim jacket sitting in a clinic chair with her sleeve rolled up, chatting with a nurse in plain scrubs, bright morning light, no labels in view.

Eight weeks and three days. The first visit comes with a blood draw and a cup. Today you read the list once, so the words on the results page are already familiar.

Your baby

A single ripe raspberry on a plain pale wooden table, close up, soft window light.

Around 16mm, about the size of a raspberry (NHS). The Office on Women's Health describes the baby at 8 weeks as nearly 1 inch long, weighing less than one-eighth of an ounce, with a heart that beats with a regular rhythm (OWH). The head is starting to uncurl (NHS).

Your body

The first-visit panel, per MedlinePlus: a complete blood count, blood typing with an Rh screen, and tests for rubella, hepatitis, syphilis and HIV, plus a cystic fibrosis carrier screen; there is also a urine analysis and culture (MedlinePlus). The urine is checked for sugar or protein, which may indicate gestational diabetes or pregnancy-related high blood pressure (MedlinePlus). The Office on Women's Health lists the same ground: blood type and Rh factor, anemia, several infections, and immunity to rubella and chickenpox (OWH).

None of it is a judgment. All pregnant women should be screened for syphilis at the first prenatal visit (NICHD), and HIV testing in pregnancy is now common, preferably early, and babies born to HIV-positive mothers receive preventive medication (AAP). All women are offered genetic screening too (MedlinePlus); that's a conversation for next month.

Try today

  1. The blood-panel preview

    Time: 5 minutes

    1. Read the list once: complete blood count, blood type and Rh, rubella, hepatitis, syphilis, HIV, cystic fibrosis carrier screen (MedlinePlus).

    2. Write your blood type if you know it, from donating or a previous pregnancy. If not, leave the line blank to fill in later.

    3. Note anything the panel touches that you're unsure of: whether you had chickenpox, whether anyone in the family carries a genetic condition (OWH).

    4. Ask at the visit how results come back, and who calls if something needs following up.

    Make it work:

    Expect the cup as well as the needle; the urine test is part of the same visit (MedlinePlus).

Watch for

  • Normal

    nausea that comes and goes at any time of day (NICHD).

    Call your provider

    if you vomit blood or material that looks like coffee grounds, or lose more than 2 pounds (1 kilogram) in a week (MedlinePlus).

  • Normal

    being thirstier than usual as your blood volume rises (NHS).

    Call your provider

    if you can't keep any fluids down for over 12 hours, or feel lightheaded (MedlinePlus).

  • Normal

    extreme tiredness, which the Office on Women's Health lists as common in the first trimester (OWH).

    Call your provider

    for fever or chills (MedlinePlus).

For you

One line on Rh, no fear attached. Rh incompatibility can develop when a pregnant woman is Rh-negative and her baby is Rh-positive, and MedlinePlus's summary is that it is "almost completely preventable": Rh-negative women get RhoGAM during the second trimester when the father is Rh-positive or unknown, again within a few days of delivery if the baby is Rh-positive, and are followed closely by their providers (MedlinePlus). The Rh screen on today's list is how your provider knows which group you're in.

If you're the partner and you know your own blood type, write it on the same page; it's part of the Rh picture (MedlinePlus). Then take the needle off the list of things she has to think about: book the lab slot and drive.

Sources

This guide is general education that summarizes published research and guidance from groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the CDC, and the WHO. It isn’t medical advice, and every child develops on their own timeline. Your pediatrician knows your child; if something feels wrong, call them. In an emergency, call 911.

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