What do I need to know about the second prenatal visit?

Your 2nd prenatal appointment occurs between your 10th and 12th week of pregnancy. Starting now, you’ll realize that almost every prenatal appointment starts with a nurse taking your weight and blood pressure and with a urine sample. The urine test looks for bacteria and high levels of sugar and protein in your system, which could indicate diabetes, urinary tract infection, kidney disease, or preeclampsia (high blood pressure). Preeclampsia typically occurs later in pregnancy if it occurs at all. During the second prenatal appointment, the doctor will discuss all the results of the pap, blood, and urine testing completed at your first prenatal appointment. It’s also the time when you’ll discuss the results of the cystic fibrosis test (if administered), the Rh factor test, and the notes from your genetics counseling visit. If you choose to have a nuchal translucency screening (also called an NT scan) to test for the possibility of Down syndrome, this will be administered during your second appointment.