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What happens during prenatal visits is different depending on how far along you are in your pregnancy. You should schedule your first prenatal visit around 6 to 8 weeks of pregnancy (2-4 weeks after a missed period). Early and regular prenatal visits help your midwife or doctor will check your health and the growth of the fetus.

Jade Elliott spoke with Emily Hart Hayes, a certified nurse midwife and women’s health nurse practitioner with Intermountain Healthcare, about what you can expect at these prenatal appointments.

1. Your first prenatal visit will be one of your longest, so be sure to allow plenty of time. During the visit, you can expect your midwife or doctor to:

•  Answer your questions. This is a great time to ask questions and share any concerns you may have.
•  Check your urine sample for infection and to confirm your pregnancy.
•  Check your blood pressure, weight, and height.
•  Calculate your due date based on your last menstrual cycle or ultrasound exam.
•  Perform tests to check for blood type, do a blood count, and check for infections that can affect pregnancy including hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV, rubella, syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhea.
•  Ask about your health, including medical conditions, surgeries, and previous pregnancies.
•  Ask about your family health and genetic history.
•  Ask about your lifestyle, including whether you smoke, drink, or take drugs.
•  Ask about your home environment and safety.
•  Discuss exercise and diet.
•  Discuss immunizations and recommend a flu or COVID vaccine if you haven’t already received these.
• Do a complete physical exam, which may include a pelvic exam.
•  Do a Pap test or test for human papillomavirus (HPV) or both to screen for cervical cancer risk if you are due for this screening.
• Do an ultrasound, depending on the week of pregnancy.
•  Offer genetic testing: screening for Down syndrome and other chromosomal abnormalities, cystic fibrosis, other specialized testing depending on history.

2. If your pregnancy is healthy, your health care provider will set up a regular schedule for visits that will include a visit every month during the first and second trimesters, and every 2 weeks from 28 to 36 weeks, and weekly from 36 weeks until your birth.

3. As your pregnancy progresses, your prenatal visits will vary greatly. During most visits, you can expect your health care provider to check your blood pressure, measure your weight gain, measure your abdomen (“fundal height”) to check your baby’s growth once you are about halfway through your pregnancy. Your provider will also check the fetal heart rate, feel your abdomen to find the fetus’s position (later in pregnancy), and possibly do tests, such as blood tests or an ultrasound exam.

4. Later in your pregnancy, some of your visits will include tests to check for gestational diabetes (usually between 24 and 28 weeks) and other conditions, depending on your age and family history. In addition, pregnant women should receive a booster of whooping cough (pertussis) vaccine between 27 and 36 weeks of pregnancy.

5. After your baby is born, your midwife or doctor will have you set up postpartum appointments, usually at 2 and 6 weeks postpartum. At these visits, your provider will check your blood pressure and do a physical exam to ensure your postpartum recovery is normal. They will also do screening for postpartum mood disorders, such as postpartum depression or anxiety, help you with breastfeeding, and discuss birth control (contraception) and family planning.

To listen to the Group B Strep episode mentioned in this podcast, click here.

For more information about pregnancy or to find a midwife or OB/Gyn visit intermountainhealthcare.org

The Baby Your Baby program provides many resources for all pregnant women and new moms in Utah. There is also expert advice from the Utah Department of Health and Intermountain Healthcare that air each week on KUTV 2News.

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There’s a whole range of emotions that women experience when they decide to do a home pregnancy test and it comes back positive. Women may feel nervous, surprised, excited, relieved, afraid, happy, overwhelmed or any combination of those all at once. You might not know what to do first!

Jade Elliott spoke with Emily Hart Hayes, CNM, DNP, Intermountain Healthcare, about what you need to do.

After sharing the news with your partner, what should you do to help ensure you have a healthy pregnancy?

1. Schedule an appointment with your midwife, OB/Gyn, or primary care provider.

Studies show that good prenatal care helps ensure healthier pregnancies, safer labor and deliveries, and stronger babies. Your first prenatal visit should happen between 6 and 8 weeks of pregnancy (when your menstrual period is 2 to 4 weeks late).

At your appointment, your provider will do another pregnancy test or blood test to confirm the positive results. They will also order routine blood tests and may do an ultrasound to confirm your due date. At this visit, you can discuss any questions or concerns you have and learn of the importance of going to prenatal visits throughout your pregnancy.

2. Check with your doctor if you are taking any prescription or over the counter medications to find out if you should continue taking them.

If you can’t get to see your provider right away, call or send a message to your provider about any current medications you’re taking.

3. Don’t smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, or use marijuana or illegal drugs, they are harmful to your baby. If you need help quitting any of these, talk to your midwife or doctor and they can help you with resources.

There’s no “safe” number of cigarettes or drinks, and many common medications can harm your developing baby.

4. Protect yourself from COVID-19.

The COVID-19 vaccine is recommended for pregnant women by the two national organizations of obstetric physicians, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine. The American College of Nurse Midwives also recommends the immunization.

Pregnant women are at a higher risk for developing severe complications from COVID-19, and there is preliminary evidence that severe disease from COVID can cause pregnancy complications, too.. Wear a mask, practice social distancing and good hand hygiene.

5. Start taking prenatal vitamins.

Prenatal vitamins are available over the counter. Look for prenatal vitamins with at least 400 micrograms (0.4 mg) of folic acid. Taking folic acid before and during a pregnancy can reduce the risk of a child born with serious birth defects of the spinal cord or brain.

6. Get enough sleep and exercise.

Balancing activity and rest will help you nurture your developing baby – and will help you feel good, too. Both rest and exercise help you cope with the mood swings of pregnancy, ease aches and pains, and manage morning sickness. Talk with your provider if you have any questions about exercise and what’s safe for you and your baby.

7. Eat nutritious meals and stay hydrated

What you eat can affect the health of your growing baby. So, make every bite count. Limit high-sugar and high-fat foods (like sodas and ice-cream and other desserts, and fatty meats like sausage or fried chicken). Instead, eat more fruits and vegetables. Choose whole-grain foods like whole-wheat bread and brown rice. Go for low-fat protein foods like low-fat milk, skinless chicken or turkey, and beans. Avoid fish that contains mercury. Drink eight glasses of water every day.

8. Wear a seatbelt.

It may not always feel comfortable around your growing waistline, but right now a seatbelt may save two lives. And if you want a head start on a safety seat for your baby, check out this car seat safety information from Intermountain’s Primary Children’s Medical Center.

9. Be informed. Learn about pregnancy, childbirth, recovery, parenting, etc. Intermountainhealthcare.org has many patient education resources for pregnant women.

10. Be aware of any mood changes, depression or anxiety during pregnancy or after childbirth and talk with your provider about your concerns.

Your provider can refer you to a behavioral health provider if needed.

For more information about pregnancy or to find an OB/Gyn or midwife visit intermountainhealthcare.org

The Baby Your Baby program provides many resources for all pregnant women and new moms in Utah. There is also expert advice from the Utah Department of Health and Intermountain Healthcare that air each week on KUTV 2News.

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Toddlers and tantrums go hand in hand. As children grow, however, some tantrums teeter into aggressive behavior.

“Parents often wonder how they can address a toddler’s biting or hitting, or help calm severe emotional outbursts,” said Dr. Peter Lindgren, a pediatrician with Intermountain Healthcare. “A good starting point is to address the specific behavior, help children calm themselves, and when they’re behaving, praise them.”

Jade Elliott spoke with Dr. Lindgren about tantrums and aggressive behavior and how to address them on this episode of the Baby Your Baby Podcast.

Here are four tips to address aggressive behaviors:

Teach children to say how they feel. Parents can say things, like, “Mommy is feeling really frustrated right now.” They also can observe their child may be feeling, such as, “It looks like you’re feeling sad.”

Model positive ways to calm down. The American Association of Pediatrics suggests a parent frustrated about being stuck in traffic could say something like this: “Daddy is really frustrated right now. Please help me calm down by taking 10 deep breaths with me.”

Pay attention to what you pay attention to. If you direct your attention only to misbehavior, you’ll get more misbehavior, Dr. Lindgren said. Pay attention to the behaving child, and point out specific positive behaviors, such as “Good job on using your inside voice.”

Take a time-out in a safe place without toys. “It’s important that time out doesn’t become a punishment, or something you do when angry. Take a few deep breaths, remain calm, and tell the child, ‘time out – hitting,’” Dr. Lindgren said. “Once the child is calm, even for a moment, praise him and invite him to come out.”

Here are some additional ways to help children improve behavior, according to The American Academy of Pediatrics:

•  Build structure and routines in your children’s day, and make sure they’re getting enough sleep
• Use discipline strategies to guide and teach instead of punish.
• Be calm and consistent when disciplining your children.
• Understand a child’s negative behaviors have benefited them in some way in the past.
• Reinforce good behavior with praise and repetition.
• Anticipate and plan for situations and your children’s behavior.

If things aren’t getting better, make sure you and your child are getting enough sleep. Recognize family changes, a new house, a violent event in the community may create stress in the child’s body that makes him unable to focus or control his emotions. In such cases, respond in a nurturing way instead of with discipline, and return to a routine to help him find a sense of safety and control.

“Talk to your pediatrician if behaviors continue to escalate or you have additional concerns,” Dr. Lindgren said. “We will work with children and help connect families to additional resources they may need.”

For more information visit intermountainhealthcare.org.

The Baby Your Baby program provides many resources for all pregnant women and new moms in Utah. There is also expert advice from the Utah Department of Health and Intermountain Healthcare that air each week on KUTV 2News.

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With school starting next month, experts are concerned that COVID-19 cases could rise among children, especially with the prevalence of the Delta variant which transmits much more easily.

While COVID vaccines are available to kids ages 12 and up, it’s not yet available to younger children.

Jade Elliott spoke with Katrina Jensen, a pediatric nurse with Intermountain Healthcare about the vaccine and keeping your kids healthy.

Pediatric experts from Intermountain Healthcare, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Utah Department of Health all agree, a layered prevention approach can minimize the impact of COVID-19 exposures and outbreaks in school settings.

“Parents can protect young children against the disease by doing what has been shown to work well: having them wear masks indoors and practice social distancing. It’s important to use every tool in our toolkit to safeguard children from COVID-19,” said Katrina Jensen, a pediatric nurse with Intermountain Healthcare.

The CDC is also recommending even vaccinated people wear masks in indoor public settings in areas of heightened transmission, so parents should model that behavior, even if they’re vaccinated. While Utah law doesn’t allow schools to require students to wear masks, parents can choose to have their children wear masks to help keep them safe.

COVID-19 can severely disrupt learning, school attendance, and involvement in extracurricular activities. Children can and do get COVID-19 and are at risk for severe illness from the virus. Even with mild illness, children can spread the virus to other people. This is why using layered prevention strategies in schools are so important.

“Elementary school-aged children did an excellent job wearing their masks last school year,” said Jensen. “Masking minimized outbreaks and the challenges that come with them, including quarantines, missed school days, and the risk of infecting younger siblings and vulnerable family members.”

COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations have been rising among Utah residents, including children. Children have been hospitalized with the disease, experienced long COVID lingering symptoms, and in some cases, contracted Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C), a severe inflammation of organs including the brain and heart that can result in death.

Here are some ways to protect young children against COVID-19:

• Vaccinate family members ages 12 and up as soon as possible. Doing so can help ensure full immunity close to the time school starts, minimizing risk.
• Wear masks in indoor public settings.
•  If you have questions about the vaccine, masking or related matters, ask your medical provider.

“Your family’s doctor or nurse practitioner knows you and your children, and is happy to have a conversation with you about your questions and concerns,” Jensen said. “Your primary care provider can provide factual information to help you make an informed decision about the vaccine, and other steps you might take to keep yourself and your children safe.”

More information: intermountainhealthcare.org.

The Baby Your Baby program provides many resources for all pregnant women and new moms in Utah. There is also expert advice from the Utah Department of Health and Intermountain Healthcare that air each week on KUTV 2News.