You Are Pregnant! Now What Do You Do?

Once that home pregnancy test comes back positive, you can have several emotions go through your head at one time. After the initial shock wears off, you need to know what to do next.

Visit an Obstetrician

Sometimes, though it is rare, a home pregnancy test can give a false positive. For this reason, you need to visit an obstetrician right after you get a positive result from your home test kit. The doctor can test your urine or blood to determine if you are indeed pregnant.

Once you have the positive result from the doctor, you need to start your prenatal care. The goal of prenatal care is to monitor your health throughout the pregnancy, because carrying a baby puts a lot of strain on your body.

For example, the doctor generally monitors your blood pressure, iron levels, and blood sugar levels. The doctor needs to know if any of these levels become too low or high. If this should happen, you may need to change your diet or go on medication to help correct the issue.

The obstetrician also monitors the health and development of your baby. Throughout your pregnancy, the doctor checks the length and weight of the baby using ultrasounds. The information that ultrasounds give doctor helps them track your pregnancy more effectively and it gives them a good idea about when your baby will be developed enough to be born.

Check Insurance and Financial Aid

After you have your prenatal schedule, you need to know how you are going to pay for all of your appointments and services your pregnancy will require. If you have private insurance, you should look into your plan and find out how much the insurance company will cover. With this information, you can budget for your co-payments or deductibles you need to pay.

In some situations, a pregnancy is a surprise and you may not have private insurance. Do not worry, because most states have some type of Medicaid program that pays for doctors visits, labor and delivery charges from the hospital and it can cover your medical expenses for up to 60 days after the baby is born. Additionally, your baby will be covered under the Medicaid program for the first year of their life if you qualified and used this program to pay for your medical expenses.

Having a baby can be a gratifying yet intimidating process, which is why you need to know what to do right after you get the first positive home pregnancy test. With this information, you will find it easier to handle the first few aspects of your pregnancy and everything that comes along with it.


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