Prenatal Care

Prenatal care is health care for women and their unborn babies during pregnancy.

Obstetricians at UT Southwestern Medical Center provide comprehensive prenatal health care, which includes prenatal testing, monitoring, and management for any health issues that arise. Our skilled prenatal care doctors and their teams are dedicated to compassionate care to help women have healthy pregnancies and healthy babies.

Prenatal Care Visits for Pregnancy Management

Early and regular prenatal care visits help to prevent health problems or identify them as early as possible.

At UT Southwestern, we recommend that women schedule their first prenatal appointment as soon as they think they are pregnant. We also offer preconception counseling to help women prepare to become pregnant.

Our experienced obstetricians, maternity nurses, and other care providers have years of experience in prenatal health care to keep mothers and their babies healthy during pregnancy and childbirth. For women with high-risk pregnancies, we offer specialized maternal-fetal medicine services to manage chronic conditions or problems that develop during pregnancy.

Prenatal Health Care Services

Our experienced obstetricians provide high-quality care for pregnant women and their babies. Our prenatal services include:

Primary care, such as vaccinations and other services to prevent and treat illnesses and infections during pregnancy
Support for healthy lifestyle habits, such as a nutritious diet, regular exercise, appropriate weight, prenatal supplements, and avoidance of tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs
Maternal-fetal medicine for women with high-risk pregnancies due to medical conditions or certain risk factors
Prenatal genetic counseling and testing for women and their partners who have an abnormal screening or family history of genetic disorders
Free prenatal classes on labor and delivery, breastfeeding, and baby care
Hospital tours to help prospective parents get familiar with the labor and delivery and postpartum units at William P. Clements University Jr. Hospital

What to Expect from Prenatal Health Visits

First Prenatal Visit

At the first visit, we confirm the pregnancy, typically with ultrasound or pregnancy testing. Once confirmed, we provide patients with information about what to expect during their pregnancy, as well as resources they can receive through UT Southwestern.

Obstetrics Appointment

The patient is then scheduled for an obstetrics appointment, which includes:

A complete physical exam
Blood and urine tests

Depending on each woman’s health needs, we might do other examinations, such as:

Breast exam
Pelvic exam to evaluate the uterus

During the visit, our doctors will ask questions about the patient’s:

Menstrual cycle
Use of birth control
Previous pregnancies
Personal and family medical history
Current medications
Lifestyle, relationship, and health habits

Using the exam results, date of the woman’s last menstrual period, and ultrasound imaging, the doctor calculates the baby’s due date. Although few women give birth on their actual due date, this information helps determine how old the baby is and monitor the baby’s growth and prenatal developmental milestones.

Later Prenatal Visits

During most prenatal visits throughout the pregnancy, we check:

Blood pressure
Weight
Baby’s heart rate
Measurement of the uterus to follow growth of the baby

Other tests that women might need include:

Ultrasound imaging to see how well the baby is growing
Fetal echocardiography to evaluate the baby’s heart health and development
Blood tests to determine the mother’s blood type
Amniocentesis to check for genetic disorders or birth defects
Tests to check for sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
Screening for gestational diabetes

We provide medical management for pregnancy-related symptoms such as:

Excessive nausea and vomiting
Diabetes
High blood pressure
Skin problems
Asthma

In the last weeks of pregnancy, our physicians speak with each patient about their options for pain relief during labor and help coordinate a delivery plan.