You can book an appointment with your GP or directly with your midwife as soon as you find out you're pregnant and get started on your antenatal care. This could mean scheduling NHS pregnancy appointments with your midwife or doctor and getting important paperwork such as your family's medical history in order.
Your GP surgery or a children's centre can put you in touch with your nearest midwifery service.
You can find your nearest children's centre through your local council.
It's best to see a midwife or GP as early as possible to get the information you need about having a healthy pregnancy.
Some tests, such as screening for sickle cell and thalassaemia, should be done before you're 10 weeks pregnant.
If you have special health needs, your midwife, GP or obstetrician may take shared responsibility for your maternity care.
This means they'll all be involved in your care during pregnancy.
Let your midwife know if you have a disability that means you have special requirements for your antenatal appointments or for labour.
If you do not speak English, tell your midwife.
As soon as you find out you are pregnant, contact a GP or midwife and they will help you book your first appointment.
Your first midwife appointment (also called the booking appointment) should happen before you're 10 weeks pregnant. This is because you'll be offered some tests that should be done before 10 weeks.
If you're more than 10 weeks pregnant and have not seen a GP or midwife, contact a GP or midwife as soon as possible.
You'll still have your first midwife appointment and start your NHS pregnancy journey.
Antenatal care is the care you get from health professionals during your pregnancy.
It's sometimes called pregnancy care or maternity care.
You'll be offered appointments with a midwife, or sometimes a doctor who specialises in pregnancy and birth (an obstetrician).
You should start your antenatal care as soon as possible once you know you're pregnant. You can do this by contacting a midwife or GP.
What is antenatal care?
This is the care you receive while you're pregnant to make sure you and your baby are as well as possible.
The midwife or doctor providing your antenatal care will:
If you’re pregnant in England you will be offered:
How many antenatal appointments will I have?
If you're expecting your first child, you'll have up to 10 antenatal appointments.
If you have had a baby before, you'll have around 7 appointments, but sometimes you may have more – for example, if you develop a medical condition.
Early in your pregnancy, your midwife or doctor will give you written information about how many appointments you're likely to have and when they'll happen.
You should have a chance to discuss the schedule of antenatal appointments with them.
If you cannot keep an appointment, let the clinic or midwife know and rearrange it.
Questions you might be asked
The midwife or doctor might ask about:
Your antenatal appointments are an opportunity to tell your midwife or doctor if you're in a vulnerable situation or if you need extra support.
This could be because of domestic abuse or violence, sexual abuse or female genital mutilation.
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