Routine Tests

• Baby’s Heartbeat


  Expected Heartbeat is 110-160 bpm
• Blood Pressure


  Healthy blood pressure for mother is 110/70 - 120/80

  Blood pressure above 140/90 can indicate pre-eclampsia
• Blood Tests

  • Anaemia - due to lack of iron can cause tiredness
  • High Blood Pressure - Could indicate gestational diabetes
  • Blood Group - Incase a blood transfusion is needed
  • Rubella - Can cause brain damage, deafness and blindness in baby
  • Hepatitis B or C - Can cause liver disease
  • HIV - Can be passed from mother to baby via the placenta or breastfeeding.
• Examination of the uterus

  • How soft the cervix is
  • whether there is any thinning (effacement) or opening (dilation) of the cervix.
  • the position of the cervix
  • How far into the pelvis the baby has descended
  • Which way the baby is facing
• Urine test

  • Protein - indicate pre-eclampsia
  • Glucose - indicate gestational diabetes
  • Ketones - May be present if mother has been vomiting a lot - could indicate dehydration
• Weight Check

  • Record Mothers baseline weight - supposed to gain 10-12.5 kg in a healthy pregnancy
  • More weight gain than expected could indicate pre-eclampsia
  • Weight loss could indicate the baby has stopped growing or died.
• Ultrasound dating scan

  • Happens around 8-14 weeks of pregnancy
  • How far along a pregnancy is
  • Work out baby’s due date
  • Check the baby’s development
  • whether more than one baby is expected
  • That the baby is growing in the right place
• Fundal Height


  distance in cm from the pubic bone to the top of the uterus

  could indicate: multiple pregnancies, slow fetal growth, too much/little amniotic fluid.