Pregnancy Care with Your Obstetrician

The first appointment after a positive test is usually a mixture of joy and quiet panic. Both are normal, and you can bring both with you.

Antenatal care at Origia means you see your own obstetrician through the whole pregnancy, not whoever happens to be rostered on.

We'll watch the things that need watching, explain each test before you have it, and answer the question you were saving for the next visit.

The shape of a pregnancy

Antenatal care follows a rhythm refined over decades. It's designed to catch problems early and otherwise leave you alone.

Most pregnancies follow roughly this pattern:

• Weeks 6 to 9, first visit: history, early bloods, a referral for a dating scan, and a conversation about screening
• Weeks 11 to 13, first-trimester screening, whether that's combined screening or non-invasive prenatal testing, alongside the 12-week scan
• Weeks 14 to 26, visits about every four weeks, with the 20-week morphology scan in the middle
• Weeks 26 to 28, glucose tolerance test, repeat blood count and antibody screen, and whooping cough vaccination
• Weeks 28 to 36, fortnightly visits, growth and position checks, and the first proper conversations about birth
• Weeks 36 onwards, weekly visits, a group B streptococcus swab, and planning for labour

Your schedule may look different, and that isn't a bad sign in itself. Twins, a previous preterm birth, high blood pressure, diabetes or a medical condition will mean more visits and more monitoring. We'll always explain why something is being added.

Screening, explained rather than assumed

Screening is offered, not imposed. Before you decide, we'll explain what each test looks for, what a "higher chance" result actually means, and what the next step would be. That covers first-trimester screening and NIPT, the morphology scan, and diagnostic tests such as CVS and amniocentesis if they become relevant. Some people want every test available. Some want very little. Both are reasonable positions, and neither will earn you a raised eyebrow here.

Continuity, and who you'll see

You see your own obstetrician, Dr Joseph Sgroi or Dr Marcus Davenport, at your appointments, and that same person cares for you at the birth. Dr Davenport has a particular focus on high-risk pregnancy and preterm birth prevention, including cervical surveillance and care after an early birth in a previous pregnancy. Vanessa Salerno runs antenatal education and doula support from the same rooms, so the person preparing you for labour already knows your story.

Around that sits the rest of the care you might need: women's health physiotherapy for pelvic girdle pain and pelvic floor work, psychology if the pregnancy is stirring things up, and acupuncture or naturopathy alongside your medical care.

The unglamorous middle

Nausea, reflux, exhaustion, insomnia, constipation, pelvic pain, carpal tunnel, restless legs, and the strange business of not feeling like yourself. All of these are worth raising. Most have something practical that helps, and "everyone gets that" is not a treatment plan.

Some things shouldn't wait for the next appointment. Contact the rooms straight away, at any hour, if you have:

• bleeding, or fluid leaking from the vagina
• persistent or severe abdominal pain
• reduced or changed baby movements after 24 weeks
• a bad headache, visual disturbance, or sudden swelling of your face and hands
• fever, vomiting you can't keep on top of, or burning when you pass urine

You won't be told you're overreacting. We would far rather see you and find nothing wrong.