Chorevia

Day 104 of 280 · 14 weeks + 6 days

What a checkup checks

Last reviewed · 3 min read · 7 sources · Plain-text version

Fourteen weeks and six days. Every follow-up visit checks the same four things. Today you make the card you'll fill in after each one.

Size this week
about the size of a kiwi fruit
Length this week
around 8.5 cm from head to bottom
A Black woman in a loose blouse seated in a bright clinic room while a midwife in plain scrubs wraps a blood-pressure cuff on her arm, both relaxed, a window behind them.

Fourteen weeks and six days, the last day of week 14. Visits from here on are short and look routine. Today is about knowing what they're measuring, so the numbers are yours and not just the chart's.

Your baby

A whole brown kiwi fruit on a plain white ceramic plate, soft daylight.

Around 8.5cm long from head to bottom, about the size of a kiwi fruit (NHS). A midwife may be able to hear the heartbeat with a handheld monitor (NHS), which is the third line on today's card.

Your body

Follow-up visits check four things: your blood pressure, your weight, the baby's heart rate, and the measurement of your abdomen (OWH). NICHD's description of a typical visit adds a physical exam and a urine sample, with blood tests and ultrasound depending on the stage (NICHD).

The rhythm is monthly from weeks 4 through 28, twice a month from 28 through 36, then weekly until birth; high-risk pregnancies are seen more often (OWH). Between visits, MedlinePlus's list of reasons to call right away this trimester is short: any bleeding, fever or chills, pain when urinating, or moderate to severe cramping or low abdominal pain (MedlinePlus).

Try today

  1. The checkup card

    Time: 5 minutes to make, 2 minutes after each visit

    1. One index card. Four rows: BP, weight, heartbeat, bump. Those are the four things a follow-up visit checks (OWH).

    2. Add a column for each visit's date. Monthly until week 28 is the usual pattern (OWH).

    3. After each visit, ask for the numbers and write them down before you leave the building. They'll tell you; you just have to ask.

    4. One line underneath for the question you didn't get to ask. It goes first next time.

    Make it work:

    Photograph the card after each visit so it survives being left in a coat pocket.

Watch for

  • Normal

    swollen hands and feet, on the NHS's list of common symptoms (NHS).

    Call your provider

    for sudden swelling in the hands or feet, or rapid weight gain, which may signal preeclampsia (OWH); extreme swelling of your hands or face is on the CDC's urgent list (CDC).

  • Normal

    a question you forgot to ask (MedlinePlus).

    Call your provider right away

    , between visits, for any bleeding, fever or chills, pain when urinating, or moderate to severe cramping or low abdominal pain (MedlinePlus).

  • Normal

    darker patches on your face and greasier skin (NHS).

    Call your provider

    for changes in your vision; it's on the CDC's list of urgent warning signs (CDC).

For you

MedlinePlus's instruction for this trimester is one sentence: "Tell your doctor or midwife if you have any problems or concerns" (MedlinePlus). The visit is short, and the card is how you get your money's worth from it. The question on the bottom line is as much a part of the appointment as the cuff.

You're also allowed to ask what the numbers mean. The baby's heart rate, the bump measurement, your blood pressure: each one has a range, and a provider who's measuring it can tell you where you sit.

If you're the partner: come to the visit with the card and be the one holding the pen. She's on the table with a cuff on her arm; writing is your job.

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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