What to Expect

A Few Words You'll Hear

A quick primer on the everyday language of pregnancy care, so the terms your provider uses feel familiar.

OB Ultrasound

A painless scan that uses sound waves to create a picture of your baby, the placenta, and your uterus. A probe glides over your belly (or, early on, a slim internal probe gives a closer view).

Different scans do different jobs: a dating scan confirms how far along you are, the anatomy scan around 18–22 weeks checks baby's development head to toe, and growth scans later on make sure baby is thriving.

External Fetal Monitoring

A belt holds two small sensors against your belly — one follows baby's heartbeat, the other senses contractions. It's painless, and may be done at a prenatal visit in the office or in the hospital.

Many hospitals also offer wireless monitoring, which keeps a close eye on baby while freeing you to walk, change positions, or use the shower instead of staying wired to the machine.

Non-Stress Test (NST)

Usually done after 28 weeks, an NST watches how your baby's heart rate responds to their own movement. Two soft bands rest on your belly — one listens to the heartbeat, the other senses movement and tightenings.

It takes about 20–40 minutes, is completely non-invasive, and simply confirms baby is active and getting plenty of oxygen.

Biophysical Profile (BPP)

A BPP combines an ultrasound (and sometimes an NST) to score five signs of your baby's well-being: breathing motions, movement, muscle tone, the amount of amniotic fluid, and heart-rate response.

It's often used in the third trimester or with a higher-risk pregnancy to take an extra reassuring look at how baby is doing.

Lab Tests

Early on: blood type & Rh, blood count (for anemia), immunity checks (like rubella), and screening for infections such as hepatitis B, HIV, and syphilis.

Midway: the glucose test for gestational diabetes around 24–28 weeks, plus optional genetic screening.

Near the end: a Group B Strep (GBS) swab around 36–37 weeks to guide care in labor.

Pelvic Exam

A brief exam of your reproductive organs. It may include a gentle external look, a speculum (to see the cervix and collect samples like a Pap or swab), and a two-finger check of the uterus and ovaries.

Early in pregnancy it helps confirm things are on track; near your due date it lets your provider feel how your cervix is changing. It's quick, with mild pressure — tell your provider anytime you need a pause.

The Stages of Labor

Labor unfolds in three stages. Here's what each one tends to look like — how the cervix changes, and how contractions typically feel and space out. Every labor is different, so think of these as a map, not a stopwatch.

Dilation, Effacement & Station

As labor nears, your provider tracks three changes in the cervix and baby's position. Together they tell the story of baby's journey down and out.

Dilation (measured 0–10 cm) is how wide the cervix has opened — from closed to fully open at 10 cm, the room baby's head needs to pass through.

Effacement (measured 0–100%) is the thinning and shortening of the cervix — from thick and long to paper-thin, as it draws up and out of the way. The pictures above show both happening together.

Station (measured −3 to +3) describes how far baby's head has dropped, gauged against two bony landmarks in your pelvis (the ischial spines): from −3 (high up) to 0 (engaged) to +3 (crowning).

Informed Consent

Before a test, medication, or procedure, your team should explain what it is, why it's recommended, the benefits, the risks, and your alternatives — including the choice to wait or to say no.

Informed consent means you've had that conversation and your questions are answered, so the decision is truly yours. You can always ask for more time, a clearer explanation, or a second opinion. Shared decision-making keeps you at the center of your care.

IV (Intravenous Line)

A thin, flexible tube placed in a vein, usually in your hand or forearm after a quick pinch. It gives your team a ready way to keep you hydrated and to deliver medication quickly if it's ever needed.

Many hospitals start one routinely; some offer a saline lock (or "hep-lock") — the same access point left capped, so you're free to move without being attached to a bag. It's always okay to ask what your hospital's practice is.

Medications for Induction

Inducing labor means helping it begin before it starts on its own. It's often done in steps. Cervical ripening uses medicines (such as prostaglandins) or a small balloon catheter to soften and open the cervix.

Pitocin (synthetic oxytocin) is then given through your IV to start or strengthen contractions, turned up slowly while baby is monitored. Your provider may also break your water to help things along. The plan depends on how ready your cervix is and the reason for the induction.

Epidural, Explained

The most common form of labor pain relief. After numbing a small spot on your lower back, an anesthesiologist places a very thin, flexible catheter into the epidural space just outside the spinal cord.

Medication flows through it to numb the nerves that carry labor pain, so you stay awake and alert with much less discomfort. It can be topped up or adjusted, usually still lets you feel pressure (helpful for pushing), and typically means staying in bed with monitoring and a small tube to drain your bladder.

Nitrous Oxide

A form of inhaled pain relief — the same "laughing gas" used at the dentist, blended 50/50 with oxygen. You hold the mask yourself and breathe it in as a contraction builds, so you stay fully in control.

It doesn't erase pain the way an epidural does; instead it takes the edge off and eases anxiety, then clears your body within minutes. You can still move and change positions, use it at almost any point in labor, and switch to something else later. It's considered safe for you and baby and doesn't slow labor.

Spinal Anesthesia

A single injection of numbing medicine into the fluid around the spinal cord in your lower back. It works quickly and completely, numbing you from about the chest down within minutes — which is why it's the usual choice for a planned cesarean birth and some other short procedures.

You stay awake for your baby's arrival. Because it's a one-time dose rather than a continuous drip, it isn't used to manage a long labor the way an epidural is. You'll have a small tube to drain your bladder and will rest in bed until the numbness wears off over a few hours.

Spinal vs. Epidural

They sound alike — both numb the lower body through the back — but they work a little differently. An epidural places a thin catheter just outside the sac around the spinal cord, and medicine flows in continuously. It builds over about 10–20 minutes and can be topped up or adjusted, which makes it ideal for a labor that may last hours.

A spinal is a single injection into the spinal fluid. It works almost immediately and very completely but wears off on its own, so it suits a cesarean or a short procedure. Sometimes the two are combined (a "combined spinal-epidural") for fast relief plus the option to top up.

Your anesthesiologist will recommend the best fit for your labor, your health, and how your birth is going.

Internal Monitoring

Sometimes the belt sensors can't pick up a clear signal, or your team needs a more precise reading — and internal monitoring can help. A fetal scalp electrode (FSE) is a tiny wire that rests just under the skin of baby's scalp to track the heartbeat directly.

An intrauterine pressure catheter (IUPC) is a soft tube placed alongside the baby to measure the exact strength of contractions. Both are used only after your water has broken and the cervix is open, and they come out before or at birth.

Birthing Ball & Peanut Ball

Two simple tools that help labor progress and ease discomfort. A birthing ball (a sturdy exercise ball) lets you sit, rock, sway, or gently bounce — opening the pelvis, easing back pain, and encouraging baby to settle into a good position.

A peanut ball is shaped like its name and tucks between your legs when you're resting in bed, especially with an epidural. It keeps the pelvis open, and research suggests it may help labor move along and lower the chance of a cesarean. Your nurse or doula can help you find positions that feel right.

What Is High-Risk OB?

A pregnancy is called "high-risk" when something makes complications a little more likely — so your team adds closer monitoring to keep you and baby safe. It does not mean something will go wrong.

Common reasons include conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, or thyroid disease; carrying multiples; being over 35 or under 17; a prior preterm birth or loss; or pregnancy issues such as preeclampsia or placenta previa.

You may also hear "MFM" — a Maternal-Fetal Medicine specialist who partners with your provider.

Gestational Hypertension

High blood pressure that first appears after 20 weeks of pregnancy, without the protein in the urine or organ changes seen in preeclampsia. It usually causes no symptoms, which is exactly why your pressure is checked at every visit.

Many people with gestational hypertension go on to have healthy pregnancies. Because it can sometimes progress to preeclampsia, your team will watch your readings — and often your labs — more closely for the rest of your pregnancy.

Preeclampsia

A more serious form of high blood pressure, usually after 20 weeks, where elevated readings come together with signs that other organs are under strain — most often protein in the urine.

Warning signs can include a bad headache that won't ease, changes in vision (spots or blurring), pain in the upper-right belly, sudden swelling, or rapid weight gain. It's taken seriously because it affects blood flow to the placenta.

The only cure is delivery, but close monitoring, medication, and careful timing keep you and baby safe until then.

Eclampsia

The rare but most severe point on this spectrum — when preeclampsia progresses to seizures. It is a medical emergency.

Because the goal is always to prevent it from ever reaching this point, your providers monitor blood pressure and symptoms closely. When preeclampsia is severe, they may give a medication called magnesium sulfate to protect against seizures.

Postpartum Hypertension

Preeclampsia doesn't always end at birth — it can appear for the first time, or worsen, in the days and weeks after delivery (usually within the first 48 hours, but up to six weeks out).

Because new parents are focused on the baby, the signs are easy to miss. Call your provider right away for a severe headache, vision changes, upper-belly pain, swelling, or shortness of breath after you've gone home. This is why your blood pressure still matters once baby has arrived. The Preeclampsia Foundation's recovery videos walk through what to watch for and how to care for yourself in those first weeks.

Gestational Diabetes

A type of high blood sugar that develops during pregnancy, when hormones from the placenta make it harder for your body to use insulin. It's usually found with the glucose screening test around 24–28 weeks, and often causes no symptoms.

Most people manage it well with food choices, activity, and blood-sugar checks; some also need medication. Keeping blood sugar in range helps baby grow at a healthy size and lowers delivery risks — and for most, blood sugars return to normal after birth.

Fetal Growth Restriction (IUGR)

When a baby is growing more slowly than expected and measures smaller than most babies at the same point in pregnancy (below the 10th percentile). It can happen because the placenta isn't delivering as much nourishment as baby needs.

It's usually picked up when the fundal-height measurement or a growth ultrasound looks small. Your team may add extra scans, Doppler blood-flow checks, and monitoring to make sure baby keeps thriving and to choose the safest time to deliver.

Polyhydramnios

Too much amniotic fluid around the baby. Mild cases are common and often cause no trouble; larger amounts can make your belly feel tight or make it harder to breathe comfortably. It's measured on ultrasound (as the AFI or deepest pocket of fluid).

Your provider will look for a reason and watch baby a little more closely, since extra fluid can make baby's position and the timing of labor less predictable.

Placenta Previa

When the placenta lies low in the uterus and covers part or all of the cervix — the opening baby would pass through. It's often found on a routine ultrasound and frequently resolves on its own as the uterus grows.

If it doesn't, the main sign is painless, bright-red bleeding, and a planned cesarean birth is usually recommended so delivery stays safe for you and baby.

Placenta Accreta

When the placenta attaches too deeply into the wall of the uterus and doesn't separate normally after birth, which can cause serious bleeding. It's more likely after previous cesarean births or alongside placenta previa.

When it's known ahead of time, your team plans a carefully coordinated delivery — often at a hospital equipped for it — to keep you safe.

Placental Abruption

When the placenta separates from the wall of the uterus before birth, partly or completely. It can cause belly pain, back pain, and vaginal bleeding, and because the placenta is baby's lifeline, it needs prompt care.

Depending on how far along you are and how you and baby are doing, this may mean close monitoring or a quicker delivery.

Placenta previa, accreta, and abruption are the main placenta concerns, but your provider may mention other variations — such as a low-lying placenta or vasa previa — that are also watched with ultrasound.