Page 6 - Guide to Pregnancy

Office information
Office hours, location and phone number
Our office is open Monday - Friday, 8:30 am - 5:00 pm. Our office is located at 2391 Oak Myrtle Lane, Wesley Chapel, FL 33544 – (813) 803-2219
How to contact our office
You may call our office at the phone numbers listed above. For routine calls, call between 8:30 am and 5:00 pm, Monday to Friday. For emergent needs, you may call the same numbers 24 hrs every day, including weekends. After 5:00 pm and on weekends, our answering service will give the on-call provider your message to return your call.
Billing for prenatal care
We understand that maternity benefits can be confusing. Our billing staff is available during normal office hours to discuss any questions you may have. Please call the office to speak with our billing supervisor. We will also go over your OB benefits at your first visit. All FMLA paperwork takes 2 weeks to complete.
Appointment schedule
How many prenatal visits will I receive?
Typically a patient sees us an average of 13 visits during the pregnancy
What happens at my first visit?
• Ultrasound to calculate due date
• Review of your medical history and a physical exam
• Pap smear (if indicated) and cervical culture to check for Chlamydia and Gonorrhea • Blood work, prenatal screening tests are discussed
When is my first visit?
Usually between 6-8 weeks of the pregnancy
When do I come back?
• The next visit is generally at week 12
• Every 4 weeks until 28 weeks
• At 28 weeks, every 2 weeks
• At 35-36 weeks, every week. 40 weeks is the average term of a pregnancy
What other tests happen and when?
• Routine blood tests to identify your blood type and Rh status, to check for anemia, Syphilis, Hepatitis B, HIV, immunity to German measles (Rubella)
• We offer to all patients the recommended screening tests for Down Syndrome, Cystic Fibrosis, Spinal Muscular Atrophy, Fragile X, Trisomy 13 and 18 and Spina Bifida. Depending on your ethnic background and medical history, our office will recommend additional testing
How is this testing done?
A) Between 12-14 weeks, patients have the option for non-invasive testing for Down syndrome and other trisomies. If you are younger than 35 with no family history that test is called the Nuchal fold test. If you are
35 or older OR have personal/family history that test is called Cell Free DNA. There is an ultrasound of the thickness of the fetal neck area and blood work. The other option in this time frame is an invasive test called CVS (chorionic villus sampling), this test involves a needle into the uterus to get fetal chromosomes. The CVS is more conclusive than the non-invasive ultrasound with blood tests, but carries a risk for causing a miscarriage. This test is done by a Maternal Fetal Medicine physician (MFM).
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