Prenatal Care

The care you receive during pregnancy can make a difference in your health and the health of your baby. At 黑料福利社 Langone, our team of providers carefully monitors your pregnancy and provides you with the support you need. You typically visit your doctor once a month in the first six months of your pregnancy and more frequently as it progresses.

We have several types of providers at 黑料福利社 Langone who can provide care during your prenatal appointments:

  • Midwives care for people who have low-risk, uncomplicated pregnancies.
  • Midwives and general obstetricians can work together to care for those with low- to moderate-risk pregnancies.
  • Maternal鈥揻etal medicine experts offer care to people who have high-risk pregnancies. Midwives and general obstetricians consult with them as needed. Partnered care between a midwife and maternal鈥揻etal medicine specialist is also available.

As part of your prenatal care, your provider monitors your blood pressure and may encourage exercise, eating a healthy diet, and taking prenatal vitamins. They may offer you help to quit smoking. Our providers also routinely screen and rescreen for mental health disorders that may occur during pregnancy.

Based on genetic testing, your provider may review how certain health conditions, including adult congenital heart disease, lupus, kidney disease, and some orthopedic conditions, may affect pregnancy. They can also provide referrals to specialists as needed.

Types of Prenatal Tests

During the first trimester (the first three months) of your pregnancy, your provider may order the following tests:

  • an early transvaginal ultrasound, which uses sound waves to determine where the pregnancy is located
  • a cell-free fetal DNA test, to screen for certain genetic conditions by analyzing fetal DNA in the mother鈥檚 blood
  • a chorionic villus sampling, which tests for chromosomal abnormalities and genetic disorders by taking a sample of placental tissue, if blood tests or imaging suggest an abnormality
  • blood screening tests to check for conditions such as anemia, infections, and blood type issues
  • urine tests to check for diabetes, preeclampsia, or a urinary tract infection

During the second trimester, your provider will order the following tests:

  • routine ultrasounds to monitor the baby鈥檚 health and development
  • an amniocentesis to detect chromosomal abnormalities, genetic disorders, and neural tube defects by analyzing amniotic fluid, if blood tests or genetic tests suggest an abnormality
  • a urine test to screen for gestational diabetes, which affects the pregnancy and the baby鈥檚 health

For the third trimester of your pregnancy, you may have these tests:

  • routine ultrasounds to monitor the baby鈥檚 health and development
  • fetal monitoring tests, to evaluate the baby鈥檚 heart rate and movement to ensure wellbeing
  • a test to check for group B streptococcus, to prevent infection during delivery

Your test results help your doctor create the right care plan for you and your baby.

Care for Pregnancy Complications

If preterm labor or other pregnancy complications develop, your care team manages your health and your baby鈥檚 health more closely. If you have adult congenital heart disease or another heart condition, experts in our Cardio-Obstetrics Program can monitor your health during pregnancy.

Maternal鈥揻etal medicine specialists and subspecialists manage conditions that the baby may have that can affect delivery. These include a genetic irregularity that can result in conditions such as spina bifida, in which the baby鈥檚 spine does not form normally; a baby that is too small or too big; or a baby that is in the breech position, so that the baby鈥檚 head is not facing the birth canal prior to birth. In these situations, the doctor may perform additional ultrasound tests or other testing throughout the pregnancy and provide medical care.

Support During Your Pregnancy

During routine visits, your doctor can answer any questions you may have about pregnancy and delivery. We also offer parent education classes and support groups on pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and parenting newborns, infants, and toddlers. We can also connect you with our obstetric social workers, other social work services, or to mental health providers at the Reproductive Psychiatry Program at 黑料福利社 Langone Psychiatry Associates or 黑料福利社 Langone Obstetrics and Gynecology Associates.