You are finally in the last stretch of your pregnancy! How exciting and a tiny bit nerve-wracking. It is only natural. But soon your little one will be born and you can enjoy motherhood. Before that, though you have some more doctor visits to get through.

If you have not made it to the 3rd-trimester then check out our 1st-trimester doctor visits and our 2nd-trimester doctor visits as well.

*This post may contain affiliate links. That means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. All opinions are still my own and not influenced in any way.*

What to Expect with Your 3rd Trimester Doctor Visits

Throughout this trimester you will have more doctor visits than before. Instead of having one every few weeks it will be once every 2 weeks between your 28th week and your 36th week of pregnancy. Once you hit 36 weeks you will have a doctor visit every week until delivery.

They do this to make sure everything is going well with you because soon you will be delivering your little one. And you want to make sure that the baby is healthy and ready for birth.

Once you get there and have checked in you will be weighed. Then, of course, they will take your blood pressure and bring you back to your room to wait for your doctor.

What will you talk about?

They will ask you how you are feeling and if you have any questions about your pregnancy, delivery, or postpartum concerns. Do be sure, to be honest with your doctor and to ask any questions if you have them. There are no stupid questions when it comes to pregnancy and asking a doctor about your concerns.

At every doctor visit, they will ask how the baby’s movements have been and if you have started to feel contractions. Along with if you have any symptoms like headaches, swelling, or other concerns. Let your doctor know if you feel like the baby is moving around less than they usually do.

Questions to ask

There should be a few questions that I highly suggest asking and write them down before getting to the appointment. By this time you know that doctors seem a bit too busy to take their time with you so you feel rushed. But if you write down your questions it makes it that much easier for you to remember and ask them. Now if you don’t already know the answer to these questions then ask your doctor.

• Who is your on-call doctor? (This will most likely be the person who delivers your baby depending on your medical provider. Mine was the head of the practice and sadly not the doctor I saw for all of my appointments.)
• What should I do if my water breaks in the middle of the night?
• How will I know if I have had a real contraction? (Seems like a silly question, but it really isn’t. I didn’t know I was having contractions until I was already at the hospital.)

What exams will occur?

At around 36 weeks if they think that the baby is breached they will use an ultrasound to check. And if the baby is breached they will do a procedure to try and turn the baby around. This way vaginal birth will still be an option for delivery.

You won’t get many pelvic exams during the 3rd-trimester until you are close or past your due date or your doctor is concerned about something. Usually, they would be concerned about preterm labor or the baby’s positioning.

Now if you are past your due date your doctor will check to see if you are dilating yet. This way they can decide when to induce you and if it is needed.

Tests you might have to do

Rh Immune Globulin

If you are Rh Negative you will probably have to have a test to see if your baby is RH Positive. And if your baby is then you will need to have a shot to make sure that your body doesn’t produce antibodies against the baby in the last part of pregnancy.

Usually, this is done around 28 weeks. Many times the blood test is done during the glucose test in the 2nd-trimester. But sometimes it doesn’t happen that way.

Group B Strep

At 35 to 37 weeks along your doctor will look for group B strep. What they will do is swab your vagina and rectum to check for this infection. If you do have group B strep don’t worry too much because it is common. And all they have to do is give you antibiotics to make sure it doesn’t get passed to the baby during delivery.

They may run other tests that you might not have done in the previous trimester, but other than that you should be good.

There you have it

Be sure to check out our other pregnancy posts like Life After Having a Baby and 11 Things They Don’t Tell You About Labor. And head over to our pregnancy section for much more.