Questions to ask at your first prenatal appointment
Questions to ask at your first prenatal appointment
Your very first prenatal appointment is here — you must be excited! With so much going on, it helps to have a list of pregnancy questions on hand to ask your healthcare provider.
Checklist
- Ask about any risk of health problems or complications.
- Ask about any upcoming screenings.
- Ask about your pregnancy diet. What to eat and what to avoid.
- Ask about pregnancy exercises on allowed exercises and how often you should do.
- Ask about sex during pregnancy.
- Ask about travelling during pregnancy.
- Ask about beauty products. There may be things to avoid.
- Ask about sun safety during pregnancy.
- Ask about medications while pregnant. Show a list of any you are taking as there could be a few no-no’s.
- Ask about the best antenatal vitamins and supplements.
- Ask about antenatal classes. When do they start and where?
- Ask about pregnancy weight gain. What to expect on the scales and when?
- Ask about gestational diabetes (GDM).
- Ask about safe sleeping positions.
- Ask about common pregnancy symptoms and which ones call for medical attention.
- Ask about your birthing plan and when to start it.
- Ask about delivery options.
- Ask about pelvic floor exercises.
- Ask about a maternity certificate, for when you go on maternity leave, depending on where you live. Find out what you’ll need to do when it comes to organising maternity leave and maternity pay with our handy checklist.
- Ask about booking in your 12-week scan. See our checklist of Questions to ask at your 12-week scan to get prepared.
Related articles
Morning Sickness in Pregnancy: Causes, Coping Tips, and When to Get Help
Despite the name, morning sickness rarely keeps polite hours.
4 mins to read
3-Week pregnant: Development and diet
3 weeks pregnant: what's happening at the cellular level, debunking eating for two, and the key nutrients and food safety rules for early pregnancy.
3 mins to read
20-Week pregnant: Development and diet
There’s so much going on in your belly this week that you may want to take a little nap after reading about it! Read more about this week.
3 mins to read
9-Week pregnant: Development and diet
9 weeks pregnant: understanding early exhaustion, your baby's heartbeat and growth, smart sugar swaps, and guidance on alcohol and hydration.
3 mins to read
14-Week pregnant: Development and diet
14 weeks pregnant: entering the second trimester, your baby's coordinated movements, healthy fats for brain development, and safe travel tips.
3 mins to read
8-Week pregnant: Development and diet
About the size of a robin’s egg, your little one measures about 30 mm long. Learn more about this week.
3 mins to read
7-Week pregnant: Development and diet
At 7 weeks, your baby is about 9–13mm long — roughly the size of a small blueberry.
3 mins to read
6-Week pregnant: Development and diet
At 6 weeks pregnant, your baby's major organs are already beginning to form, even though bump changes aren't visible yet.
2 mins to read
Noticing the early signs of pregnancy can help you plan ahead, whether you're trying to conceive or simply paying closer attention to your body.
2 mins to read
C-sections: What you need to consider
How you bring your junior into the world is a very personal decision, with different factors at play. Here are a few things to consider about an elective caesarean, also known as a C-section.
4 mins to read
3 Tips to Reduce Stress for Mothers
The journey of motherhood is a joyful adventure with ups and downs. Though it is rewarding, there are times when you will feel stressed.
3 mins to read
Not sure what to pack in your hospital bag? We have put together a simple hospital bag checklist with all the essentials. Forget packing light, it’s about packing right.
Danial Ahmad, Author
3 mins to read
Giving birth is less daunting if you have an easy birth plan in mind to help the day go as smoothly as possible. See our birth plan guide below.
2 mins to read
What exercise can I do and when?
Exercising while you’re pregnant is important for you and your child’s health. Physical activity can help you control your weight gain, lift your mood, and even help labour go more smoothly.
3 mins to read
5 ways to reduce your child’s chances of having allergies
Find out how breastfeeding from birth and beyond and taking certain probiotics may also help reduce your child’s allergy risks
Shen-Li Tan
5 mins to read
Pregnancy Symptoms Week By Week: Week 1 – 12
Pregnancy is a joyous (sometimes tiring) journey of your body’s development for your newborn to enter the world. At times you’ll be excited, at other times you’ll be tired.
3 mins to read
Pregnancy Symptoms Week By Week: Week 26 - 40
You’re almost there! This is the part where you’re really getting in the mood for motherhood.
5 mins to read
Pregnancy: The Start of Loving and Protecting
The moment you know another being is growing inside your body, your maternal instincts are awakened.
Danial Ahmad, Author
4 mins to read
How to cope with pregnancy pains and discomfort
As your body changes, pregnancy pains and discomfort can occur, especially in your back, legs and feet. The good news is, there are ways to ease your pregnancy aches and pains.
2 mins to read
Related tools
Determine when you are likely to ovulate can improve your chances of conceiving.
Find out what changes you can expect in your body, your emotions, your life and your little one.