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If pregnancy is not in itself an illness, it remains a very medicalized period in the lives of women, at least in our Western societies.
Whether we rejoice or regret it, we must make certain medical appointments when we are pregnant, to watch that the pregnancy is going as well as possible.
Most people have heard of pregnancy ultrasounds, moments both dreaded and expected by future parents to finally meet their baby. But pregnancy also involves blood tests, especially if you are not immune to toxoplasmosis, analyzes, consultations with a gynecologist or a midwife, administrative procedures … In short, we do not is not far from a minister’s agenda.
To find your way around, nothing like taking a calendar, in paper or digital form according to your preferences, and to note the appointments and key dates of the pregnancy to see more clearly.
To begin with, it is best to note the date of the last period, especially if we count in weeks of amenorrhea (SA), as health professionals do, then the date of presumed ovulation and the due date, even if it is approximate.
As a reminder, it is considered that pregnancy, whether multiple or not, lasts 280 days (+/- 10 days) if we count from the date of the last period, and 266 days if we count from the date of conception. But the best is to count in weeks: a pregnancy lasts 39 weeks since conception, and 41 weeks since the date of last menstrual period. We thus speak of weeks of amenorrhea, which literally means “no periods”.
Pregnancy calendar: the dates of the prenatal consultations
Pregnancy matters 7 compulsory medical examinations at least. All the medical follow-up of the pregnancy results from the first consultation. The first prenatal visit must take place before the end of the 3rd month of pregnancy. She allows to confirm the pregnancy, to declare the pregnancy to Social Security, to calculate the date of conception and the date of delivery.
From the 4th month of pregnancy, we go to one prenatal visit per month.
The 2nd consultation therefore takes place during the 4th month, the 3rd during the 5th month, the 4th during the 6th month and so on.
Each prenatal visit includes several measures, such as weighing, taking blood pressure, a urine test by strip (especially to diagnose possible gestational diabetes), an examination of the cervix, a measurement of the height uterine.
The dates of the three pregnancy ultrasounds
La first ultrasound usually takes place around the 12th week of amenorrhea. It ensures the proper development of the baby, and includes, among other things, the measurement of nuchal translucency, an indication as to the risk of Down’s syndrome.
La second ultrasound of pregnancy takes place around the 22th week of amenorrhea. It allows to study in detail the morphology of the fetus, and to visualize each of its vital organs. This is also the time when we can find out the sex of the baby.
La third ultrasound takes place approximately at 32 weeks of amenorrhea, and allows to continue the morphological examination of the fetus. Note that one or more other ultrasounds may take place depending on it, in particular depending on the position of the future baby or the placenta.
Pregnancy calendar: when to do the administrative procedures for the pregnancy?
As we have seen, the first prenatal consultation is accompanied by the declaration of pregnancy to Health Insurance. This should be done before the end of the third month of pregnancy.
During pregnancy, you should also consider enroll in a maternity ward. We advise you to get down to it seriously around the 9th week of amenorrhea, or even from the pregnancy test if you reside in Ile-de-France, where maternity hospitals are saturated.
Depending on where you live, it may also be good to book a place in a nursery, because they are sometimes rare.
As for the childbirth preparation sessions, they begin in the 6th or 7th month of pregnancy but you have to choose the type of preparation you want beforehand (classic, yoga, sophrology, haptonomy, prenatal singing, etc.) and register early enough. You can discuss this and make up your own mind during the one-to-one interview with the midwife, which takes place in the 4th month of pregnancy.
Pregnancy calendar: start and end of maternity leave
If it is possible to waive part of her leave, the maternity leave must last at least 8 weeks, including 6 after childbirth.
The number of weeks of prenatal and postnatal leave varies whether it is a single pregnancy or multiple pregnancy, and whether it is a first or second pregnancy, or a third. .
The duration of maternity leave is set as follows:
- 6 weeks before childbirth and 10 weeks after, in the case of a first or second pregnancyEither 16 weeks ;
- 8 weeks before and 18 weeks after (flexible), in case of third pregnancyEither 26 weeks in all ;
- 12 weeks before childbirth and 22 weeks after, for twins;
- and 24 prenatal weeks plus 22 postnatal weeks as part of triplets.
- 8 SA: first consultation
- 9 SA: registration at the maternity ward
- 12 WA: first ultrasound
- 16 SA: 4th month interview
- 20 WA: 3rd prenatal consultation
- 21 WA: 2nd ultrasound
- 23 SA: 4th consultation
- 29 SA: 5th consultation
- 30 WA: start of childbirth preparation classes
- 32 WA: 3nd ultrasound
- 35 SA: 6th consultation
- 38 SA: 7th consultation
Note that these are only indicative dates, to be confirmed with the gynecologist or midwife following the pregnancy.