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Prenatal care: Third-trimester visits
Pregnancy and prenatal care go hand in hand, even as your due date approaches. During the third trimester, prenatal care includes vaginal exams to check the baby's position.
By Mayo Clinic staffPrenatal care is an important part of a healthy pregnancy, especially as your due date approaches. During the last month of pregnancy, expect weekly checkups.
Repeat the usual drill
Your health care provider will continue to monitor your blood pressure and weight, as well as your baby's heartbeat and movements. Your health care provider may ask you to keep track of how often you feel the baby move — and to alert your health care team if the baby stops moving as much as usual.
Test for group B strep
Most pregnant women are screened for group B streptococcus (GBS) during the third trimester. GBS is a common bacterium that's usually harmless in adults — but babies who become infected with GBS can become seriously ill. If swabs from your vagina and rectal area test positive for GBS, you'll be given intravenous antibiotics during labor to protect your baby from the bacterium.
Next page(1 of 2)
- Lockwood C, et al. The initial prenatal assessment and routine prenatal care. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Feb. 17, 2010.
- You and your baby: Prenatal care, labor and delivery, and postpartum care. American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/ab005.cfm. Accessed Feb. 19, 2010.
- Cunningham FG, et al. Prenatal care. In: Cunningham FG, et al. Williams Obstetrics. 22nd ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Companies Inc.; 2005. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=6052187. Accessed Feb. 19, 2010.
- Puopolo KM, et al. Group B streptococcal infection in pregnant women. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Feb. 19, 2010.
- Harms RW (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. March 3, 2010.
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