Review the basics

Your health care provider will check your blood pressure and weight at every visit. Share any concerns you have. Then it's time for your baby to take center stage. Your health care provider might:

• Track your baby's growth. By measuring the distance from the pubic bone to the top of your uterus (fundal height), your health care provider can gauge your baby's growth. After 20 weeks of pregnancy, this measurement in centimeters often matches the number of weeks you've been pregnant, plus or minus 2 centimeters.
• Listen to your baby's heartbeat. At second trimester visits, you might hear your baby's heartbeat using a Doppler instrument. The Doppler instrument detects motion and conveys it as sound.
• Assess fetal movement. Tell your health care provider when you begin noticing flutters or kicks. Keep in mind that mothers notice these movements at different times, and movement at this time in pregnancy is typically unpredictable. You'll likely notice flutters for the first time around 18 to 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Also, talk to your health care provider about any vaccinations you might need.