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[quote=Anonymous]Congrats! I’m also a FTM and 33 weeks pregnant. It’s definitely overwhelming with all the decisions to make to start!

First - 12 weeks is ABSOLUTELY NOT fine for a first appointment. And whoever thinks it is fine is chancing their life. You should be seen at 6-8 weeks for a dating scan (ultrasound) and that’s very important because you need to be sure the pregnancy isn’t ectopic, blighted ovum etc. There will also be quite a few blood draws and it’s important to do those earlier rather than later to establish your baseline which the doctors can compare to later.

By 10-13 weeks you are already in the middle of things with the NIPT, NT ultrasound (checks for gender, genetic abnormalities and physical abnormalities, Down syndrome etc). As well as a blood draw to see if you’re a carrier for any serious genetic conditions.

Second, I agree with PPs who say 1) try to pick a location close to your house if possible. By third trimester I am coming in every week, often multiple times a week for appts.

2) I agree with PP that you want to pick a system, not a specific OB. You don’t know if your preferred OB will be around when you give birth (also you don’t want to be waiting around for them to get there while in labor - I know I don’t!). Pick a good hospital or midwife system with maternal fetal care centers, NICU etc. not sure why people are saying that’s only good for low risk births, as I’m high risk and I think it’s more important that the hospital and system I go to has the resources to handle my condition if things go sideways - rather than just one OB who may or may not be around.

For me personally I first decided on what hospital I wanted to deliver at and then picked an OB (or rather an OB office) based on that. And at my first appointment I pushed to be sure that the OBs would take any and all concerns seriously, not withhold any tests or monitoring I requested, etc. Basically, at your first appointment (which should be between 6-9 weeks) you can gauge your OB office and see if they’re a good fit for you.

Good luck![/quote]

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