quick clicks

pregnancy today articles

pregnancy today q&a

message boards

research baby names

prepare a birth plan

content channels

ip channel rss feeds

read birth stories

read parenting stories

recommended books

e-newsletters

safety recalls

ip diaries

ip store

mom of the month

dad of the month

editor's letter

letters to the editor

Trimester Talk

What Questions to Ask Your Doctor and When to Ask Them

By Suzy Feine

Congratulations! You're pregnant with your first child. I'll bet you're feeling elated, scared and nervous, all at the same time. Feeling elated over your first pregnancy is a wonderful emotion. Feeling scared and nervous can make you a wreck. But one word can quickly squelch those fears: knowledge.

Knowledge about what to expect, what to do and what not to do can take away those feelings of fear and ease you into this time in your life that should be enjoyed. "I believe that women who are informed and aware of what to expect are more confident and less worried about how their experiences will play out," says Jeannette LeBlanc, a doula at Birthrite Doula Services in Phoenix, Ariz. "Less stress generally equals less pain and a more positive experience."

When Amy Fisher of Minneapolis, Minn., became pregnant with her first child, she attended her first prenatal appointment armed with questions. "I prepared for the meeting by bringing a list of questions I hoped to use to determine what sort of birth experience I was likely to have," she says. "However, during the meeting I started worrying that I wouldn't have the nerve to ask the 50 questions I'd brought with me."

Fisher made it through most of her questions, which helped her make decisions about her health care and the type of medical provider that she wanted. "The caregiver a mother chooses to assist her throughout her pregnancy probably makes a bigger difference than anything else does in how her delivery will go," she says.

Asking your health care provider questions that are important to you can help ease your pregnancy fears, but you need to know which questions to ask – and when to ask them – to understand the do's and don'ts of a first-time pregnancy. Each trimester comes with a variety of tests, possible complications and guidelines. Knowing this information up front can make the entire nine months more enjoyable.

Want to see more?

• Choosing a Pregnancy Health Care Provider
• Managing Group B Strep
• Gestational Diabetes and You: The Facts About This Misunderstood Condition
• Talk about it!

Post As:
Enter your comment below:
Title
Comment Text
CAPTCHA
Please note that any comments submitted become the property of Disney Family / iParenting and can be edited and posted at our discrection.