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Birth With Power

Ep46: A Guide to Prenatal Testing and What to Expect from Tests in Each Trimester

Birth With Power

Dr. Nicole C. Rankins

Parenting, Kids & Family

4.9 • 637 Ratings

🗓️ 19 November 2019

⏱️ 30 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Have you ever felt confused about prenatal testing and why your doctor is running so many tests on you during your pregnancy?

I realized that a lot of OBGYNs don't do a great job of explaining all of the tests we do during pregnancy, so I thought I'd walk you through the recommended ones. Thank you to Julie, who suggested this topic in the All About Pregnancy & Birth Facebook Group!

You'll have most of your testing done at the initial appointment, which includes a full blood count and some tests for various infections, too. Then we'll talk about some of the tests you can expect to receive in the second and third trimesters and why we do each test that we do. 

And don't worry about taking notes today - you can download a companion guide to this episode, with all the information about prenatal testing we'll cover today, right here.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

  • What tests you can expect to get at your initial appointment and throughout the first, second, and third trimesters.
  • Why we do each test and how it helps your doctor monitor your health and the health of your baby.
  • A brief overview of some genetic tests you can receive.
  • Why and how we test for gestational diabetes, which is fairly common in the third trimester.
  • Why many doctors don't do an ultrasound in the third trimester.
  • Some of the infections that doctors test for and how they can affect your pregnancy & birth.

Links Mentioned In The Episode

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Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Have you ever gotten confused about all of the tests that are done during pregnancy?

0:06.4

Well, this episode is for you.

0:14.1

Welcome to the All About Pregnancy and Birth Podcast.

0:17.8

I'm your host, Dr. Nicole Callaway Rankins, a board certified OBGYN and physician,

0:23.1

certified integrative health coach, and creator of the birth preparation course, an online

0:28.4

childbirth education class that will leave you feeling knowledgeable, prepared, confident,

0:34.2

and empowered going into your birth. Quick note, this podcast is for educational purposes

0:38.9

only and it's not a substitute for medical advice. See the full disclaimer at ncr coaching.com

0:44.7

for its slash disclaimer. Pregnancy can be overwhelming, but your inbox doesn't have to be.

0:51.7

The Birth with Power Brief is my free weekly newsletter with expert tips,

0:57.3

real talk, and support you can actually use. No pressure, no preachy advice, just a breath of fresh air

1:06.2

in your inbox every Thursday. Come join me at Dr. Nicole Rankins.com forward slash email.

1:14.1

Hey, hey, hey, welcome to another episode of the podcast. This is episode number 46. I hope you are having a

1:23.5

great day today. I'm having a great day because you are here with me. So today's episode

1:32.0

of the podcast was inspired by Julie. Julie is a member of my Facebook group, all about pregnancy

1:39.3

and birth. And Julie asked if I had a resource about what to expect regarding test done during prenatal visits.

1:47.4

And I thought, hmm, that would be a great episode for the podcast. So here we are.

1:53.4

Now, I know this is not something that we as OBGYNs often do a good job of explaining.

1:59.2

I think oftentimes it ends up being, hey, it's time to get

2:02.8

some blood work. Here's the slip to go to the lab without a good explanation of what tests are being

2:08.4

done. And then there's often a lack of follow-up about the results afterwards other than, hey,

2:14.7

everything was okay. I know I was probably guilty of doing that myself

...

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