Blood Count: your blood count will be tested at your first visit, and will occasionally be tested again later during your pregnancy to make sure that you are not becoming anemic. If anemia is identified, you will be given iron tablets to take.

Blood Type: your blood type will be checked. A few mothers are Rhesus Negative; usually this is not a worry for the first pregnancy. Some Rhesus Negative mothers may need an injection called Anti D (Rhogam) after the birth of their first baby to protect their next baby from complicated anemia: You will also receive Anti D (Rhogam) during pregnancy if at any time you are bleeding or having a miscarriage, or if you have negative antibody blood screen. (You may receive the Anti D as a prophylaxis during pregnancy, your doctor will explain this to you in detailed).

Hepatitis B: At your screening appointment, your blood will also be checked for hepatitis B infection. Hepatitis B can also be transmitted from mother to baby, so we routinely check all pregnant women for Hepatitis B infection. Your baby will be immunized at birth to prevent infection. You need to inform your doctor if you have ever received the vaccination against Hepatitis B because it can confuse the results of this test.

Hepatitis C viruses infect the liver. Pregnant women who are infected with hepatitis C virus can pass the virus to their fetuses. All pregnant women are tested for hepatitis C virus.

HIV: If a pregnant woman is infected with HIV, there is a chance she can pass the virus to her fetus. HIV attacks cells of the body’s immune system and causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). If you are pregnant and infected with HIV, you can be given medication and take other steps that can greatly reduce the risk of passing HIV during pregnancy, labor, or delivery.

Syphilis: A sexually transmitted infection that is caused by an organism called Treponema pallidum; it may cause major health problems or death in its later stages.

Rubella: (German measles) Your blood will be checked for antibodies against rubella. Rubella is caused by a virus, which causes a mild illness with a characteristic rash in children. It is relatively rare because almost everybody is vaccinated against rubella as a child. However, for some reason you may not have received this vaccination as a child or your body may not have made enough antibodies against the rubella virus when you received the vaccine. If this is the case, then this test will alert your doctor that you are not immune (and therefore susceptible) to the rubella virus. Therefore, if your doctor tells you that this test shows that you are not immune to rubella, they will likely recommend that you avoid exposure to any child that has a rash that has not been properly diagnosed. You will be offered the vaccination after the baby is born if you are not rubella immune.

PAP SMEAR: Even if you have had a Pap smear done in the last year, it may need to be repeated at your first visit. If your Pap smear is normal, then you will not need another one until your postpartum checkup (6 weeks after you deliver your baby).

Urinalysis: At each visit, you will be asked to give a urine sample for a routine urinalysis to check that for presence of protein, kenos or sugar these are indicators to some of your body organ function it may indicate that you are dehydrated, having urine infection or kidney problem. Urine infections are common in pregnancy. For this reason, we screen all women on their first visit. However, the urine samples you provide with each visit are checked for sugar, ketone and protein only. Therefore, if you are having any symptoms of a urine infection (burning with urination, abdominal pain, or fever) let the midwife/nurse know before you provide the sample.

Urine culture: A urine culture tests your urine for bacteria, which can be a sign of a urinary tract infection.

Glucose Screen: For this test, you are asked to drink a sweet beverage then have your blood sugar level tested. Your blood is taken when you are fasting then an hour or two after you have the drink, so plan on your appointment taking longer on the day this is done. Also, since this test is only accurate when you have been fasting, try to schedule an early morning appointment so you can have it done before you eat breakfast. Generally, this is done between the 26th and 28th week of your pregnancy and is a screening test for diabetes in Pregnancy. It is important to know if you have developed gestational diabetes because it can cause the baby to grow abnormally if you have it and don’t get proper treatment during the pregnancy.

Group B Strep: A vaginal culture for Group B strep will be performed during your last month of pregnancy. These bacteria are normally present in the vaginas of up to 40% of women and does not usually cause any infections or problems for them. However, we have found that although the bacteria are not harmful to mothers, it can cause serious infections in newborns that are born to mothers with the bacteria in the vagina. Antibiotics are given to the positive screened mothers whilst in labor.

SUMMARY OF ANTENATAL MATERNAL INVESTIGATION