Click to view Emergency Department (A&E) waiting times
116 People
Number of people in A&E department
2:49 Hours
Average wait to be seen by a clinician
3:25 Hours
Average time in the department

Contact details

Triage Line 0118 322 7304

Community Midwives Reading 0118 322 8059

Your pregnancy care

Antenatal appointments

Pregnancy care

You will see your midwife regularly for routine antenatal appointments throughout your pregnancy.

At each appointment, your midwife will discuss your health and well-being, as well as checking on the health of your baby and recommended vaccinations for your pregnancy.

If you have any worries about your pregnancy or baby outside of these appointments, please contact our triage line: 0118 322 7304

Guide to your appointments and scans

Weeks of pregnancy

What you can expect at this appointment

Booking appointment 
before 11 weeks 
  • Information on nutrition, diet and exercise
  • Measure blood pressure, height and weight to calculate your BMI
  • Test your urine for protein
  • Offer screening tests, making sure you understand what is involved before you decide to have any of them
  • Discuss your pregnancy pathway and care, find out if you need additional care
  • Discuss options for where to give birth
  • Information on birthing classes and breastfeeding
  • Offer of help to stop smoking
  • Offer you an ultrasound scan to estimate when your baby is due
  • Offer you an ultrasound scan at 18 - 20 weeks to check the physical development of your baby

16 weeks
  • Review and discuss results of any screening tests
  • Measure blood pressure and test your urine for protein
  • Consider an iron supplement if you are anaemic

16 - 32 weeks
18 - 20 weeks
  •  Ultrasound to check the physical development of your baby
25 weeks
  • Measure blood pressure and test urine
  • Check the size of your abdomen
  • Maternity Certificate (MAT B1) issued
28 weeks
  • Measure blood pressure and test urine
  • Check the size of your abdomen
  • Blood screening test to check for anaemia, antibodies and blood glucose level.
  • Book further blood tests if required e.g. glucose tolerance test
  • Offer first anti-D injection if Rhesus negative
31 weeks
  • Review and discuss results of any screening tests 
  • Check the size of your abdomen
  • Measure blood pressure and test urine
34 weeks
  • Review and discuss results of any screening tests
  • Check the size of your abdomen
  • Measure blood pressure and test urine 
  • Offer second anti-D treatment if  rhesus negative
  • Information about preparing for labour and birth, including how to recognise active labour, ways of coping with pain in labour, and your birth plan
36 weeks
  • Check the size of your abdomen
  • Measure blood pressure and test urine
  • Check to see if your baby is head first and discuss the options to turn your baby if they are feet/bottom first (breech).
  • Review results of screening tests 
  • Information on caring for newborn, screening tests for newborn
  • Information on your own health and signs for postnatal depression
38 weeks
  • Measure blood pressure and test urine
  • Measure the size of your abdomen
  • Check presentation your baby
40 weeks
  • Measure blood pressure and test urine
  • Measure the size of your abdomen
  • Check presentation your baby
41 weeks
  • Check the size of your abdomen
  • Measure your blood pressure and test urine
  • Discuss and offer a membrane sweep
  • Discuss induction of labour