What To Wear To First Prenatal Appointment

Women are generally excited when they go to their first-ever prenatal appointment. However, they may also be anxious, as they cannot wait to hear the sound of their baby’s heartbeat. If you’re going to be a first-time mommy, you may be nervous during the prenatal appointments because you may not have any idea of what to wear or what to expect.

What to wear to first prenatal appointment? Usually, a two-piece outfit should be good enough for the ultrasound or prenatal appointment. This outfit will enable you to lift the shirt if the doctor wants to examine your stomach. Avoid jumpsuits and dresses if you feel that the doctor will check out your tummy. 

For more information about what you need to wear for the appointment, read on.

What to Wear to Prenatal Appointment?

Your safest bet is a two-piece outfit that is comfortable and stretchable. This outfit will allow you to undress with the shirt on easily. This outfit will also help you out if you don’t need to undress and expose the belly for the doctor to examine it.

Ultrasounds need access to the stomach, especially in the case of a pregnant woman. Having a two-piece outfit on will allow you to lift your shirt, which you won’t be able to do if you have a dress on.

What happens during your First Prenatal Appointment?

These appointments generally take place to assess the health of the mother and the unborn baby. During your pregnancy, you will have these appointments frequently. However, the examination will be simple and straightforward.

What to expect at First Prenatal visit?

In these appointments, the doctor can ask for a urine sample, check your blood pressure and assess your weight. The first appointment will be very comprehensive as the doctor will enquire about the family and medical history. 

In the first appointment, the doctor will also take a health assessment and examine the pelvis to see if there’s anything that can potentially hurt the infant. During this appointment, prenatal labs will also be drawn.

The following prenatal appointments will usually consist of the doctor assessing the baby’s heart rate, the fundal height of the uterus, and the growth of the baby. You also have a gestational diabetic analysis during week 28 of your pregnancy. You can also get genetic testing done during the 12th week. 

Do you need to undress during Prenatal Appointments?

The first appointment is always a little exciting and stressful for new mums, but take it easy, try to calm yourself down. The first appointment and the last one will consist of the doctor analyzing your pelvic. For this assessment, you will need to take your clothes off, so please be mentally prepared.

The rest of the OBGYN appointments will typically consist of the doctor doing belly scans with the help of a Doppler machine to check the heart rate of the baby. During these scans, the doctor will also check the uterus. During these scans, you will need to lift your shirt.

Dressing for your Prenatal Appointment

Usually, you will visit your doctor once every four weeks. These appointments will continue till week 28. From week 28 to 36, you will visit the doctor once every two weeks. From week 36 onwards, you will visit the doctor only on a weekly basis.

Ideally, you should wear a two-piece outfit for the appointment because the doctor will check your belly and pelvis. In the first prenatal appointment, your pelvic will be assessed, and for this, you will need to undress. These assessments will also take place during the end of your pregnancy.

The appointments that will occur during the middle stage of the pregnancy will consist of the doctor listening to the infant’s heartbeat. The doctor will do this with the help of a Doppler machine, which will scan the belly and the abdomen. For this assessment, you will need to lift your shirt up.

What you should wear for the Prenatal Appointment?

You should probably go dressed in a button-down t-shirt or a t-shirt and put on a pair of comfy pants. A t-shirt will be perfect since you will be able to take it off easily. On most occasions, you won’t have to undress, but it’s always a good idea to wear an article of clothing that you can easily undress and redress as soon as the exam is over.

What you shouldn’t wear for the Prenatal Appointment?

Although most pregnant women like to wear loose clothes, especially during the latter stages of their pregnancy, however, these clothes are not practical and should not be worn during a Prenatal appointment.

Avoid wearing jumpers, jumpsuits, dresses, rompers, and other types of one-piece attires. If you want to put on a dress for the appointment, then wear leggings. 

What happens during an ultrasound on First Prenatal visit?

When you are going through pregnancy, you can only observe your unborn child through an ultrasound. Ultrasounds are sound waves; they don’t have radiation and create different images through a transducer.

The transducer is typically placed on top of the abdomen or the vagina to take pictures. However, how many times will you have an ultrasound during your pregnancy? That depends on your health, the health of your baby, and the doctor’s preference.

Usually, a pregnancy that is healthy only requires a pair of ultrasounds. One ultrasound takes place in the trimester to determine the birth date. The second ultrasound takes place in week 20, also known as an anatomy scan, to determine the baby’s sex and measure the internal organs.

However, if your pregnancy has been difficult and anything but healthy, then you will undergo several ultrasounds. This is known as a high-risk pregnancy, in this, the woman’s blood pressure can fluctuate, and the baby could be diagnosed with a genetic disorder.

8 week prenatal visit

The first ultrasound doesn’t take place until after the 6th-week mark of your first trimester. That’s because you can’t hear the heartbeat of the baby before week 6, so no ultrasounds or scans are required. This ultrasound will scan the pelvic, and a probe will be going into the vagina. This probe will scan the fetus and uterus. 

During this ultrasound, you will have to lay down on a stretcher, and your feet will be in the stirrups position. Scanning the top of the belly will give you clear pictures of your baby. However, you need to understand that during this ultrasound, your baby might not have the shape of a typical baby, so no need to panic.

With the help of this ultrasound, the doctor will confirm the measurements, amount of fetuses in the womb, and the birth date.

12th-week ultrasound

This is the twelve to fourteen-week ultrasound, and it will assess the progress of your baby and look for genetic disorders. If you want to have a genetic check done, labs will also be drawn. This scan will also analyze your ovaries and uterus, the location of your umbilical cord and placenta.

The ultrasound will also check the amount of fluid surrounding the baby. Usually, this ultrasound can examine the anatomy of the baby as well. The ultrasound might also be able to visualize the baby. However, not all doctors ask you to get this twelve-week ultrasound done.

20-week ultrasound

This ultrasound is also known as an anatomy scan, and it assesses and measures all the internal organs and body parts of your infant. This ultrasound will also determine the gender of the baby. While the eight and twelve-week ultrasounds can also determine the gender, the twenty-week ultrasound is more accurate.

During this ultrasound, your baby will appear totally normal, and you will be able to make out the features of the infant. You might even catch a glimpse of the baby’s face. The baby might move during this ultrasound since this scan will be done over the belly or transabdominally. 

During a twenty-week ultrasound, the baby might feel a bit of pressure due to the transducer, but it will not cause discomfort or harm. 

3D ultrasound

Some mothers want to have a three-dimensional ultrasound, along with a regular ultrasound. These ultrasounds are typically chosen by parents to determine the baby’s gender before the twenty-week ultrasound.

Another reason for this ultrasound is that three-dimensional images are better than two-dimensional images and are more detailed. Medically, doctors can use these ultrasounds to determine neural tube defects or facial abnormalities in the baby. The process of obtaining a three-dimensional ultrasound is similar to a regular ultrasound.

Should you undress for an ultrasound?

That depends on the type of ultrasound, but in most cases, it is best to wear a two-piece outfit. Wearing a jumpsuit or a dress would mean that you will need to undress and put a gown on. If you are getting a pelvic ultrasound done, which means the transducer will venture into the vagina to obtain images, you might be asked to remove your clothes and underwear.

Conclusion 

By the time you are done reading this article, you will have a general idea of what you need to wear for a Prenatal interview. Wearing a two-piece outfit is better than a jumpsuit or dress simply because it can come off so easily.

This article also details the different ultrasounds that you probably will go through if you are pregnant. While women get nervous before a Prenatal appointment, there is no need to; stay calm.