Pregnancy care in Montreal: a complete guide to prenatal follow-up
If you're pregnant in Montreal, you may be wondering how to arrange complete, beneficial prenatal care for you and your baby. In this article we'll walk you through a complete guide to prenatal care in Montreal, its key stages, and the benefits of regular care.
Choosing a health professional for your prenatal care
The essential first step toward prenatal care that goes well is choosing a skilled, caring health professional in Montreal. You have several options:
An obstetrician-gynecologist (OB-GYN): specializes in pregnancy care, childbirth and women's reproductive health. They are attached to specific hospitals and see patients in clinics. They are the only health professionals authorized to care for high-risk pregnancies.
A midwife: offers personalized, attentive care right through the pregnancy and the birth, with a physiological approach. Midwives are attached only to birth centres. They look after so-called "low-risk" pregnancies and can support women through a physiological birth (without an epidural) at the birth centre, at home, and sometimes at the hospital the birth centre is attached to.
A family doctor: can also provide prenatal care and refer you to specialists if needed. They too are attached to a specific hospital.
Choose a professional you feel comfortable with and can trust, because prenatal care involves frequent, important conversations right through the pregnancy.
To get a list of health professionals providing prenatal care near you, register on the Quebec government's Ma grossesse support service.
How often prenatal care happens, and its stages
Prenatal care is usually spread over several appointments across the nine months. How often the visits happen can vary depending on your state of health, how far along you are, and your health professional's recommendations.
In general, the stages of prenatal care include:
The first appointment: at around 8 to 12 weeks of pregnancy, to set up your care and carry out the first medical examinations.
Monthly appointments: up to about 36 weeks of pregnancy.
Weekly appointments: from 37 weeks until the birth.
Two ultrasounds: at around 12 weeks and between 18 and 20 weeks.
The diabetes test at around 26 weeks
Every appointment will include a physical examination, listening to your baby's heartbeat, sometimes urine tests and screening tests, and conversations about your general wellbeing and your baby's.
The benefits of prenatal care
Regular prenatal care has many benefits for the health of both mother and baby:
Spotting health problems early: prenatal care makes it possible to identify any potential risk to the mother and the baby quickly, so it can be managed early and effectively.
Advice and information: your health professional will give you advice on the physiological changes and will answer any questions you have about your pregnancy.
Keeping an eye on the baby's development: ultrasounds and regular examinations make it possible to follow the baby's development and be sure everything is going normally.
Prenatal care in Montreal is essential for a calm pregnancy and a safe birth. Choose a health professional you trust and who shares your philosophy of birth.
To find out more about this, join the free webinar, pregnancy and childbirth in Quebec — how it all works, on October 10, 2023 at 7 p.m., or watch the replay if you've registered.
Remember that every pregnancy is unique
Prenatal care can look very different from one professional to the next, and from one birth setting to another. Take the time to explore the philosophy of the different birth settings open to you, and find the one that suits you.
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