Welcome to your third trimester! Your bump is getting bigger and your body feeling heavier, but you’re getting closer to the finish line.
Midwifery visits in this period are approximately every two weeks, and at each I will check your blood pressure and check your urine for protein and glucose. These are important screening tests to watch for pre-eclampsia and gestational diabetes. I will also ask about baby movements at each visit, as these are the most important indicator of baby’s welfare while they’re inside you.
If your antenatal blood tests come back with low ferritin and haemoglobin, then you will be offered oral iron, and if this is ineffective, you may be offered an iron infusion.
What tests will be offered?
- Abdominal palpation, to check your baby’s position, and abdominal measurements, to check baby’s growth. For more information, see my page on foetal growth and GROW charts
- A set of subsequent antenatal blood tests, primarily to check your ferritin (iron stores) and haemoglobin (oxygen-carrying capacity of red blood cells), at about 36 weeks