What to expect.....

For various reasons (beyond my control) I have been unable to be seen by a doctor for my first antenatal check up (apart from the local GP to confirm the pregnancy). I am currently 9 weeks pregnant with my first baby and will not be able to see a doctor for another 2 weeks for the first check up.


At 11 weeks pregnant, what should I expect the doctor to test? I assume it will be blood & urine tests, but are there any other scans I should have at this time? Would there be an ultrasound or heartbeat etc? Should my husband come with me?


Any advice would be most appreciated - I am new to HK and have been given the run around by the health system so far. Am feeling very unsure and alone.....

I'm sorry to hear that you're feeling unsure and alone. Feel free to email me if you have any questions. I just gave birth at the end of September.


At 11 weeks, there will definitely be a heartbeat, and you should be able to get an ultrasound on your belly (if not, there is a 'wand' that's used for an internal exam so that you can see the gestational sac). I confirmed my pregnancy at five weeks, and there was already a heartbeat. If he can, your husband should go with you. The doctor should also monitor your weight and blood pressure and prescribe some antenatal vitamins. Make sure you're getting lots of folic acid during the first trimester.


Also, I think between the 13th and 16th week, you can get the OSCAR test done for Down's Syndrome. That can be done at Prince of Wales Hospital, or your doctor can recommend where you can have it done, if you need it.


Good luck at the exam. You should also get a copy of "What to Expect When You're Expecting" - it covers a lot of the tests that you'll need to take as your pregnancy progresses.

Thankyou for your advice.

I have the book and have taken antenatal vitamins since I found out I was expecting. I just find the information I have read in the "What to expect" book may not necessariliy translate to the way things are done in HK. I tried to ask the receptionist at the private clinic I will be attending what the first tests will be, but she didn't really understand what I meant. I will have waited over a month for the appointment - I don't want to simply trust that the clinic will do all the tests I should have had by now.

I will be using the public system for the delivery (waiting on my HK ID card) - they would not see me until I have an ID. I am wondering about how the public (Queen Mary) system works - do they allow you to have your own birth plan or are you at their mercy!?

Unless you go to Matilda or possibly Sanitorium for delivery, birth plans are not common practice here. I asked about water birth, laboring using an exercise ball or being able to walk around during labor. None of that was allowed (I gave birth at Union Hospital). You can try to speak to the staff about what you want and hope that they can be accommodating.


In the public system, they have Family Health Centers where couples who are planning for a family can go to get blood tests done. If you're giving birth at a public hospital, the staff may presume that you've gotten all of that done already. But I didn't go through many tests during the first trimester, and my husband and I didn't do blood tests prior to my getting pregnant. I asked for a blood test early on because I thought I might have been anemic. Other than the urine test and blood pressure, I only got the OSCAR done and the gestational diabetes test in the 27th week. Depending on you and your husband's blood type, you may need to see whether your baby's blood type would reject your own (Rh incompatibility).