Prenatal appointments towards the end of pregnancy...

[Dreamer]

Prenatal appointments towards the end of pregnancy...

How often do you see your hb mw towards the end of pregnancy? I was 37 weeks yesterday and the midwife & her assistants came out and did the home visit/prenatal at our house and said they'd see me again on my due date...?? I had seen them at 36 weeks and 32 weeks before that but I guess I'm just used to going to the OB every 1-2 weeks as I get closer to the end of pg as my last dc was a hospital birth with an OB.

I don't feel like anything is *wrong* with not being seen but I would like my blood pressure and urine checked weekly, just to be safe this close to the end, yk?

Is it ok not to be seen every 1-2 weeks towards the end or what is standard procedure for your midwife?

TIA!!

Alayna

[pixie2225]

I am 40 weeks and have been seeing my mw weekly and will continue to do so as long as little one stays on the inside. I think weekly visits are probably important at this point like you said for blood pressure and urine checks. You should also let your mw know if you have any blurred vision/changes in vision, sudden weight gain, decreased baby movement or any other abnormal not-quite-right happenings. Can you talk to your mw and ask her to see you more regularly?

[yeahwhat]

3 weeks at the end seems kind of far apart, but I know I'm comfortable with every 2 weeks. Maybe they're overbooked or figure since this isn't your first that you're comfortable with less visits? If you want to see them sooner, let them know.

[cheeseRjedi]

At 28 weeks, I start going in every 2 weeks.
36 weeks is the home visit and we meet weekly after that.

Can you go to a pharmacy or something to check your BP on your own?

[birthgreeter]

You should contact your midwife and ask her about this. Most do see their clients every week at the last of pregnancy.
I would call her and ask to reschedule the next week.

[AugustLia23]

Maybe they feel that you are doing so well that you will be okay until then. You should address that with your midwife. With my last baby we also had weekly visits from 36 weeks on.

[Peony]

I didn't do weekly appointments with DD2. I don't see the need and my MW knew that, we just scheduled them whenever. Sometimes it was 2 weeks or so, I honestly never payed attention, we just would pick a day after a while.

[SublimeBirthGirl]

A woman having a normal pregnancy in U.S. has 14 prenatal appointments, on average. In Japan, where outcomes are much better, a healthy woman has an average of 6 prenatal appointments. As with most things, Americans go way overboard on this. Weekly appointments, IMO, are excessive.

[Peppamint]

At the end of my 3rd pregnancy it was every 1-2 weeks.

I was fine with that but it was my 3rd time and I'm an aspiring midwife so I was trying to check my own cervix and all that. I would have been checking my own urine if I would have thought to buy urine strips when I ordered my birth stuff.

[Dreamer]

Thanks for the replies guys... I contacted my midwife and she said she was thinking the same thing as she left, that she'd just come out and see me next week or have me come to her assistant's house... I think we just mis-communicated because we had another mama at my house (she lives right down the road from me) getting her 22wk prenatal done and I think when the assistant was scheduing her next appointment she was like, "is 10:15 ok for you, Alayna?" and I was playing with babies and toddlers and just said yes! : I do confess to having preggo brain!!!!!

Alayna