Pregnancy and birth

Most of what happens in a pregnancy is ordinary, and I am glad it is. My job is to watch carefully enough to notice when it is not, and to make sure you understand what is happening at every stage rather than being told about it afterwards.

Antenatal care

Regular monitoring through the pregnancy, scans and screening at the right intervals, and management of the things that can develop along the way — raised blood pressure, gestational diabetes, concerns about the baby’s growth. You will have the same doctor at each visit, which matters more than people expect: patterns are easier to see when one person is watching them.

Your pregnancy, visit by visit

People are rarely told the shape of the whole thing at the start, so here it is. This is the usual pattern of care in an uncomplicated pregnancy — yours may differ, and if it does I will tell you why rather than simply changing the schedule.

First trimester, up to about 13 weeks

• Booking visit, usually 8–12 weeks. The long one. Full history, confirmation of the pregnancy and your dates, baseline blood tests including blood group and antibodies, and a conversation about what to take and what to stop.
• Dating scan, 11–14 weeks. Confirms the due date and checks the baby’s measurements. First-trimester screening is offered at the same visit, and it is an offer — you can decline it.

Second trimester, roughly 14 to 27 weeks

• Visits about every four weeks. Blood pressure, urine, growth, and time for whatever has come up since the last one.
• Anomaly scan, 18–22 weeks. A detailed look at how the baby is built. It takes longer than the other scans and it is worth bringing someone with you.
• Screening for gestational diabetes, usually 24–28 weeks, or earlier if there is a reason to look sooner.

Third trimester, 28 weeks onwards

• Visits every two weeks to 36 weeks, then weekly until the baby arrives.
• Growth scans where they are indicated, rather than routinely on a calendar.
• The birth conversation, from around 34–36 weeks. How you would like to deliver, what would change that, and what happens if labour starts at three in the morning.
• Position, and a plan if the baby is breech.

After the birth

• The six-week check, covering bleeding, healing, your pelvic floor, contraception and your mood.
• Anything sooner, if you need it. You do not have to wait six weeks to raise something that is worrying you.

A pregnancy that needs closer monitoring has more visits and more scans than this — see high-risk pregnancy. The intervals above are typical rather than guaranteed, and the plan is always made for the pregnancy in front of me.

Delivery

Where a vaginal birth is safe and right for you, it is usually what I would recommend — shorter recovery and fewer complications. Where a caesarean is the better choice, planned or urgent, the decision should be one you understood in advance rather than one that happened to you. We will have talked about both well before the day.

After the birth

The weeks after delivery get far less attention than the nine months before them. Bleeding, pain, pelvic floor recovery, feeding, and your mood are all things to raise rather than endure. I screen for postnatal depression at the six-week check as a matter of routine, not as an afterthought.

The information on this site reflects current international best practice and peer-reviewed literature, together with Dr Sharma’s own clinical experience. It is general information, not advice for your own situation, and is not a substitute for a consultation.