First Time Mom with Questions Regarding Doctors Appointments

I believe I went everyone week at 30 weeks, however, my sister went every other week at 24 weeks. I think it just depends on the dr. If you are concerned I would ask the dr why every other week so soon? Drs all do things differently so maybe it is just his/her style
Good Luck and Congrats!
Jenn.....

Usually it's once a month till the last month but it's clear they have concerns and just want to monitor you better so let them and congrats!

Hi Lori. I am a doula (among being a mom, audiologist and crafter) and thought maybe I would fill you in a little. Normally you don't see your OB every two weeks until around 32, 34, 36 weeks and then weekly thereafter. However, you have a few reasons that they want to monitor you more. You are a first time mom at 35, which makes you slightly higher risk (don't panic, this is just statistics). Second you already have slightly elevated blood pressure and they need to closely monitor this to be sure you don't have preclampsia, otherwise known as toxemia. This is extremely dangerous to you and the baby, so they just want to stay on top of it. Thirdly you are dropping keytones in your urine. This could be another sign of preeclampsia or a sign of gestational diabetes, or it could just be you had a banana and slightly sugary cereal before your appointment. OB's have to error on the side of caution. Remember they have both you and your baby's best interest at heart. That being said, don't panic. Being informed is good, and staying on top of things necessary, but always remember to bask in the wonder that you and your husband will soon be parents! Good luck.

You have a very good doctor, it sounds like. My doctor threatened to take me out of work with a blood pressure of 135/90. It can cause stress on the child and cause problems with you health later on.

Sure you don't usually go to appointments biweekly until later but your blood pressure is high. I have had friends with high blood pressure during their pregnancies. And yes, they went more often, sometimes weekly, early on until the doctor felt he could see them biweekly. Better to be safe than sorry. Anything to make sure the baby is healthy. Go to your next appointment and discuss this. But I think the doctor has you and your baby's best interest at heart. If you panic about this, however, you will make your blood pressure go up!

I pretty much agree with what everyone is saying. I had the same thing happen with my pregnancy. My blood pressure was a little high so I had to start having visits more often earlier on. It is hard, but just try to relax and know that they are just keeping a closer eye, which is a good thing! It sounds like you have a wonderful doctor, trust him and concentrate on the wonderful baby you will have soon!!

This is earlier than ususal. You usually don't go for appts. every other week until the 7th month, but I wouldn't be too alarmed. It sounds as if they are on the lookout for pre-eclampsia. I was put on bed rest 2 weeks before due date for the same thing. Watch your salt intake, and look for symptoms of your blood pressure rising like the "swirlies." Don't be too alarmed. They are airing on the side of caution which is for the best. With my 2nd child, I had weekly appt.'s and ultrasounds from the 5th month on because they thought something was wrong with her. She is more than perfect now! Good luck w/ your 1st baby!

I would consider your doctor is being safe. You are only 22 weeks along and your doctor is concerned about your blood pressure already. That would be a good reason to need you to check in more often as it is. It sounds like there are other reasons for your doctor's concern and wanting to see you bi-monthly doesn't sound too unreasonable. I was 20 for my first, now 30 and have three. I do have a birth defect in my stomach area. The first I was considered high risk and had many ultrasounds and dr. visits. During the second pregnancy I had less ultrasounds and visits. By the third one I was pretty much a pro, it seemed, and there were less visits and only two ultrasounds. Each pregnancy is different as is every doctor. Sounds like your doctor wants to make sure you and your baby are healthy throughout the entire 9 months. Good luck and Congratulations!!

hey lori congrats

if they find something that they wan to keep an eye on yes they will have you come ever other week and remeber ever body is different and i had a high glucose so they had started seeing me more making sure that i stay at a good rate for my baby and to get your bp down stay stress free u migh wont to think about cutting back on some hrs and see how your body take different things good luck hope that helps

HOw fantastic that you have a doctor that wants to go the extra mile to keep you and that baby safe! Sometimes moms can get a doctor that sees so many patients and has gotten so used to doing what they do that it's like herding cattle through a chute.

It sounds like he just wants to keep a close watch so that if you are experiencing any kind of complications he can head them off at the pass. Just go with it. Don't worry until he tells you to.

Congratulations on your impending arrival. What joy you have in store for you!

L.

I think its normal. If you have high blood pressure he will want to monitor you for something called preeclampsia. It is swelling, high blood pressure and I think can cause preterm labor.. Its routine that he will want to keep an eye on it.

Hello,

If your blood pressure was normal and urine was normal he probably wouldn't up the visits yet...You may want to ask more questions...remember doctors treat you as if you go through this as many times as they do?? Ask,,what is he looking for, what dose it mean when your blood pressure changes, what is normal or abnormal in you urine and what could those things elude to? The more you know the more you may understand why he request you come more often.

Good luck to you,
A. B

You usually don't start bi weekly appts until about 34 weeks, but you are borderline preeclampsia with blood pressure that high and protein in your urine, so you are becoming high risk. Do everything you can to take care of yourself because your baby isn't ready to be in our world yet. Drink TONS of water, that helps alot with blood pressure issues. Also, there are some great herbal rememdies for high blood pressure in pregnancy if you are open to alternatives to pharmaceuticals.

With high blood pressure you are at higher risk for having preterm labor and possibly other issues. (It is normal for blood pressures to be lower than their normal during pregnancy but not higher) The higher risk is why he would want to see you more often. I was a "high risk" pregnancy for other reasons and that is about the time that my doctor started to see me bi-weekly. He started seeing me once a week earlier than "normal" pregnancies and in the third trimester I went twice a week the whole time. It just means he wants to watch you more closely to catch anything that could happen earlier.

Yeah... it's normal for bi-weekly appointments at 6 months, then you go to weekly usually the last 1 to 2 months of the pregnancy. You can ask the OBGYN if you can go to the fire department or health clinic like Redi-Med to have the blood pressure checked for free to avoid paying for multiple appointments when a doctor's assessment may not be needed. Then you can call into the office with the blood pressure. If it's too elevated, she may request you be admitted to the hospital birthing department.

This is pretty normal if you've had some problems with your pregnancy. Especially blood pressure!! I started with pre-term labor around week 22 with both kiddos. Once that started, I too had to go twice a month. It's definitely not uncommon. Can be a pain at times, but just remember that he's doing what is best for your little one!! Don't fret too much and enjoy your next 20ish weeks!!

Sounds like you have some issues that need watching. I wouldn't worry too much. When you get closer (was that way when I had my kids), you will be going every week. It's better to be watch than to have any surprises that need worrying about. My daughter has had a few medical problems with this pregnancy and they are taking her in early. Everything is fine, but they feel this is the best way to go right now. It will only be about 2 weeks early, which will not hurt a thing.

As a first time mom at age 35, OB/GYN tend to keep a closer watch on them. Your blood pressure is getting up there in the high blood pressure range. It is always better to be extra careful during your pregancy. You definitely want to take care of that wonderful gift that you have. Relax and enjoy this time. Remember to get plenty of rest and exercise wisely.

It's been 6.5 years since I had my youngest so I don't quite remember when the bi-monthly appointments began. But what I wanted to tell you is that you definitely want to pay attention to the blood pressure. And since this is your first pregnancy I'm thinking that is why your doctor is suggesting the increased frequency. I had pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH) with my first and it wasn't pleasant, but mine wasn't detected early. I don't want to scare you but just be sure to pay close attention to your doctor and ask as many questions as possible to ensure your fears (if there are any) are subsided. Good Luck!

I wouldn't worry about the doctor wanting to see you every two weeks. Each pregnancy is different. You mention your blood pressure is elevated, there has been a Bell's Palsey recheck, and keytones.
I think he is doing the right thing and you should be happy with the concern, care, and attention he is displaying with you.
You are a little older than most first time moms and the physician is doing his job to see that you and the little one are getting the best care possible. My sister-in-law started weekly visits with her OB-GYN at 20 weeks when she was in her mid-to late 30's with her second child. She was a surgery nurse and on her feet a lot and her blood pressure had elevated, she also rode horses.

I was 38 when I had my son and I had some slight problems with elevated blood pressure and also borderline gestational diabetes, so it is perfectly normal for your OB to want to see you more often. Mine did the same thing to me. I found that laying on my left side as often as i could would help drop my blood pressure. I monitored mine at home with an automatic blood pressure cuff. Just be careful of the sodium intake drink lots of water and watch the sugar. I made it through just fine and I know you will too. Good luck it will be well worth all this in the end when you are holding that baby. :)

Lori, I'm sure it's the combination of the BP, ketones, and age. I had gestational diabetes, slightly elevated BP, and was 41yrs old with my 1st little darling. I was seeing the OBGYN bi-weekly, the high-risk OBGYN monthly, and went for fetal monitorings 2x weekly. I was controlled by diet with the diabetes and had a perfect blood sugar an hour after she was born. What was nice about my DR is that each appointment was with a different DR in the practice so that I was very comfortable with all of them and it didn't really matter which one showed up for the delivery. Just as him...I'm sure that he's just being cautious.

With both of my pregnancies, my dr. wanted to see me about every month, but I wasn't happy with that - so we compromised on every 3 weeks.

It is fantastic he's wanting to have more appointments - high blood pressure during a pregnancy isn't good, and that's the cause for increased appointments.

To me - it's very normal to have that happen (increase the appointments for that reason).

Good luck!

I had PIH (pregnancy induced hypertension) and pre-eclampsia with my daughter. Your doctor wants to keep an eye on your blood pressure and the ketones in your urine. I believe ketones are a symptom of gestational diabetes. Make sure you get your glucose done on time! It's not that bad, just try to schedule it as early in am as possible. You can't eat before your test, so the earlier the better. If you have any questions on PIH or pre-eclampsia, let me know. After my first hand experienc, I'm quite knowledgable! ;)

I am pregnant now and with both my first one and this one my doctor started visits every two weeks at 32 weeks. It sounds like he just wants to keep a closer eye on you for a couple of reasons. Be happy that he wants to monitor you closely if your blood pressure is rising a little. Try not to worry too much...It is always better to be on the safe side! Congratulations and enjoy the rest of your pregnancy!

By the way, the glucose test really isn't bad at all!

People! It's not nice to freak out a pregnant lady!!

Lori,

Don't spend time thinking and worrying about it. I would drink extra water, cut out as much extra white sugar as you can a spend some time with your feet up relaxing. You may be 35 but you are not "elderly". For the love. I had friends who were 25 when they got pregnant who had issues with high blood pressure and they were fine. They delivered the baby when it was time with no problems. As far as sugar and stuff is concerned exercise is the best idea. Now don't go to a gym and start running and lifting but you can start by walking (if you haven't been active till this point). They say a mile a day is a good goal. You can break it up if you haven't walked until this point. Just start out slow. That will help with your sugar levels and blood pressure. Then drink water all day everyday. Cut out (or back) Caffine (as it can have a negative effect on your blood pressure). You are going to be just fine as long as you don't stress about it. Stress increases blood pressure. Take a warm bath (not hot). And spend some time walking and relaxing. You are going to be just fine.

Seeing the doctor every 2 weeks is not a big deal. The doctors have to cover their butts so they will jump to worst case senerio even when nothing big is going on. The first pregnancy I cried alot because I was sure my baby had problems. The third I told them to "cool it" and stop being so negative. All three of my babies were fine and yours will be too. Don't stress about it.

HUGS,
M.

No, your doctor is watching you for pre-eclampsia, aka pregnancy induced hypertension. The reason they watch you is that you are showing signs that it will become a problem. The other thing they will watch is how much you swell and whether you develop headaches or blurry vision. The reason is that if they don't watch you, you could have a seizure or even a stroke if your blood pressure gets too high. The other part they don't really mention, is that your uterus could quit growing and cause you to have a small baby - that is called intra-uterine growth retardation.

The reason I know all this - I developed full blown eclampsia and delivered my son 3 and 1/2 weeks early by emergency c-section after having a seizure. About the same time gestationally as you are at now, I was being watched every two weeks and within I would say 4 weeks, I was going every week. My blood pressure never went up, but I had incredible amounts of swelling and my urine was what they called "triple +". I was put on bedrest twice. The second time was when I developed an intense headache after gaining 13 pounds of water weight in one week, yes, one week. The hospital admitted me immediately and put me under observation. By that time, my blood pressure, which had been consistently 120/80, was now 180/110. The next morning I seized and my son was born. He weighed 4 lbs 5 oz and was 18 inches long. My uterus had stopped growing, but because only one ultrasound had been done throughout my pregnancy, the doctor did not know that. I was measuring fine throughout. I was then put on magnesium to get my blood pressure down.

The end of the story - other than the trauma of the delivery and the fact that now I have had a seizure, me and my son are both fine. I had a successfully, uneventful second pregnancy without complication.

The reason I tell you all this, and it is not to just scare you, but to get you prepared - if you are showing these signs, make sure to tell your doctor and request an ultrasound to make sure everything is going okay. You may also ask about an additional blood test to check your liver as it could be affected. The reality is my story is a bit extreme and most pregnant women are started on magnesium much earlier that I was so as to prevent what happened to me from happening at all. You may also want to do some research on pre-eclampsia - I found most of my information in the What to Expect When You are Expecting book and it is pretty much right on the money. This will help you prepare for something that is common amoungst first-time pregnancies.

Congratulations, Lori! Isn't pregnancy a beautiful thing?! I bet your doctor just wants to keep an eye on your ketones (gestational diabetes), and maybe they also want to make sure your BP stays normal (pregnancy induced hypertension). In the meantime, eat healthy, stay away from high sugar foods, and drink lots of water. Good luck!!

With your blood pressure going up its normal. If there are problems then they like to check things out a little more. If the blood pressure stays up then they might eventually see you every week to check on meds they might give you. Good luck with everything!!!!

He's wanting to see you more often because of your blood pressure and keytones, he probably wants to make sure you don't develop diabetes while you are pregnant.

Remember, because you are 35, you are as my doc called me an "elderly pregnancy". We (I was 38 with my first and just had my second at 40!) are automatically considered high risk and are at a higher risk for pre-eclampsia. Pre-eclampsia is where your blood pressure goes out of control. If your blood pressure is high, then the baby's blood pressure is higher. Also, if your blood pressure continues to climb, you are susceptible to seizures. You are right, normally you don't start bi-weekly appointments until 33-35 weeks but obviously, your doctor feels there is a reason at this point in time. Just remember, roll with the punches and if you truly don't feel right with what your doctor is saying go see one of his partners or a nurse practitioner.

When i was preg. with my 2nd son I developed diabetes. They saw me every other week and saw a gestational diabetes ob and also did a non-stress test on the baby until i hit 30 weeks, then I went every week. I was a little annoyed with all the visits at first but was glad that he was making sure we both were ok. And it was cool to hear the heart beat for 20 minutes each week:)

Good luck & take it easy this 2nd half:)

Lori,
It sounds OK to me considering your blood pressure issues. You certainly don't want to be pre-eclampsic or worse. Don't risk losing the baby, do what they ask.

Take care,
R.

He is keeping an eye on you for your blood pressure. I had pre-eclampsia during my first pregnancy. Do what he tells you and you will be fine. You should probably try to take it easy. My blood pressure got even higher because I was moving.
If you have any questions let me know. I had to take blood pressure meds during my second pregnancy, but I did not get the preeclampsia with that one. I am thinking the keytones tell if you have the pre-eclampsia.
Good luck and take it easy.

Hi lori,
I was 37 when I had my son and he is my first and last, I would love to have another but I am a single mom. I wish I would have started earlier. Any how, it is normal. You are high risk pregnancy because of bering 35 or up and it is your first. I had weekly checkups to. but you have had keytones, that is something they watch very closely. I did get gestational diabetes and had to check my blood 3 times a day, and I had high blood pressure my 4th month and up. When you get closer they will do alot of ultrasounds too. I loved that it was cool to see him have hickups and move away from the tool. I did not like the heart monitor thing because my son hated to be heard, everytime they would find him he would move away so it took forever. Be happy, since you are considered high risk they really check everything out that is the best for the baby and you. I was becoming toxic in my 36 week so my doctor put me in the hospital and that night came in and said we are taking you at 8:30am and you will have your baby. I was scared all night but after he was born I knew he was my greatest accomplishment ever and my blessing. Dont fret it is one good thing about being older, another is you will find you have alot more patience. GOOD LUCK! & Congratulations!!!

Hello Lori!
Yes, it is usually later in pregnancy that a doctor wants to see you every week. I would advice you to listen to him/her since your blood pressure is a litte higher plus pregnant women 35 and older are at risk for other things and also unhealthy babies so that is why your doctor is taking extra precaution. Don't worry you'll be fine...and CONGRATULATIONS MOMMY:)

Hi Lori
This is very normal, your doctor appointments will continue to become more frequent. All doctors are a little different in this area but with your blood pressure and the keytones in your urine it is a good thing that your doctor wants to see you more frequently. Take care and happy pregnancy to you!

well it all really depends...i started my bi-weekly appointments in my 8th month which is typically normal but i think i should have started earlier because i was somewhat high risk and later found out i had pre-eclampsia a little too late(when i went to deliver) i had it severely and therfore had to deliver via c-section so if anything don't worry that you are being seen bi-weekly at 22 weeks be happy that way things can be caught earlier if anything needs to be treated and that way you won't end up like me..swollen as a hot air balloon high blood pressure and delivered via emergency c-section..

i had the same problem as u are now, mine was much earlierthey just want to make sure that it dont turn into preaclampsia. that could be very dangerous for both of you. i was taken out of my job 3 months before my baby was born. my blood pressure had spiked. be very careful& good luck.

Speaking from experience and not to scare you but it sounds like you have gestional diabetes. My wife had 2 pregnancy with gestional diabetes. Both our children are great. My wife had to qwatch her diet and monitor her sugar. Now remember everyone is different so that doesn't mean it will happen to you. They are probably concerned with gestional diabetes and want to get it controlled before it gets out of hand. Becaue undiagnosed it can cause problems. My wife was 35 yr wih her 1st pregnancy.

I have 3 children, 10, 7 & 5, and had my first child at age 32. I'm assuming your OBG is moving you to biweekly apptmts. early because of the ketones in your urine, elevated blood pressure and your age. My 7 year old has Type I Diabetes and ketones is an indicator of diabetes. I never had ketones in my urine during my pregnancies and the test for gestational diabetes always came back negative. Ketones can show up in your urine in different amounts-trace, small, moderate to large. You may want to ask your doctor if they have that info. Most doctors err on the side of caution if they move your apptms. closer together sooner than the 32-34 wk. mark (that's been the case with me). Good luck with your pregancy! Debbie

Lori,
I am 27 and I have a little girl that is almost 3.I always had normal blood pressure up until the time I had my little girl. It went from 119/72 all the way to 189/99. The good news is that if they were worried you would be on bed rest but they are just keeping an extra eye on you to make sure everything works out just perfect and that you and your baby stay healthy. During the delivery process there are drugs that they can give you to keep your blood pressure in the normal range but it is always better for them to want to see you too soon too much than not enough. Good luck!

This is normally when a doctor wants to start seeing you every 2 weeks. It is a very good idea since your Blood Pressure is up. It may be an early sign of Toximia.

In a normal pregnancy it would be a little early, but if he's noticing an upward trend in your blood pressure as well as the presence of ketones in your urine I think is a good reason to see you more often. Ketones indicate that your body is burning fat. It can indicate diabetes (your body is not able to utilize sugar so it burns fat instead) although during pregnancy this isn't always as clear.

Normal blood pressure is 120/80. You're considered high at 140/90. Pre-ecamplsia begins after the 20th week so I would say be glad your doctor is paying close attention to this.

Doctors will start seeing you bi-weekly if there are issues such as blood pressure and keytones or other issues. They do this because they want to keep a closer eye on you to make sure that everything is ok. They usually don't start the bi-weekly appts. until later on around 7 months. I had to go more often than usual through my pregnancies because I had 3 miscarriages before I finally had my oldest boy. The doctor just wants to be sure that you and the baby are both ok and they will want to keep a closer eye on you and the baby should something arise. It is possible that they could be worried about you developing pre-eclampsia because of your blood pressure having gone up. Good luck and I pray that everything will be fine. Don't get worried though just be sure to go to all of your appts.
D.

I am 31 and have been married for almost 12 yrs. My husband and I have 3 boys ages 10,7, and 4.