NHS antenatal care: your appointments and scans, week by week
From the self-referral form to the 41-week appointment, what happens at each NHS visit, what the scans check, and what is always your choice.
Updated October 13, 2026 · sources checked October 13, 2026
In short
The NHS offers at least 10 antenatal appointments for a first baby (7 if you have given birth before) and 2 scans. Refer yourself as soon as you know: the booking appointment should be by 10 weeks. The dating scan is at 11 to 14 weeks and the 20-week screening scan, which checks for 11 conditions, at 18 to 21 weeks.
Step 1: refer yourself
In England you can refer yourself to NHS maternity services as soon as you know you are pregnant, usually without seeing a GP. On the NHS website, enter your postcode, choose a local NHS trust and fill in its form. The service then contacts you to book your first appointment, which should take place by 10 weeks of pregnancy where possible. Already past 10 weeks? Refer yourself anyway, straight away.
If you have a long-term condition or take regular medicine, also see your GP or specialist. In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, your GP surgery or local maternity service explains how to book.
Step 2: the booking appointment (8 to 12 weeks)
About an hour with a midwife, who asks about your last period, previous pregnancies, health, mental health, lifestyle, work and home, and, privately, about domestic abuse. Your blood pressure and urine are checked and blood tests offered (blood group and rhesus status, full blood count, infectious diseases screening). You receive your maternity notes: keep them with you at all times. Ask for your maternity exemption certificate form if you live in England (how MatEx works).
The NHS appointment schedule
| When | What usually happens |
|---|---|
| 8 to 12 weeks | Booking appointment |
| 11 to 14 weeks | Dating scan, plus the combined screening test if you choose it |
| 16 weeks | Screening results, blood pressure, urine |
| 18 to 21 weeks | 20-week screening scan |
| 24 to 28 weeks | Gestational diabetes test, if you have a higher chance |
| 25 weeks (first baby) | Bump measurement, baby's movements, mental health, birth preferences |
| 28 weeks | Blood tests (iron, blood group), anti-D if needed, bump, movements |
| 31 weeks (first baby) | Preparing for the birth, signs of labour |
| 34 weeks | Preparing for the birth |
| 36 weeks | Baby's position, preparing for the birth |
| 38 and 40 weeks | Your options if you go past 40 weeks |
| 41 weeks | Your options if you go past 41 weeks |
At almost every visit: blood pressure, urine, bump size from 25 weeks, baby's movements and how you are feeling. First baby: at least 10 appointments; second or later baby: at least 7.
The 12-week scan (dating scan)
Offered in England at around 10 to 14 weeks, usually at your local hospital, by a sonographer, in about 20 minutes; you may need a full bladder. It checks how many weeks pregnant you are and sets your due date, whether there is more than one baby, that the baby is growing in the right place, and the baby's development. It can detect some conditions such as spina bifida.
Combined test. If you choose screening for Down's, Edwards' and Patau's syndromes and the scan is between 10 and 14 weeks, a blood test is combined with a measurement of the fluid at the back of the baby's neck. After 14 weeks, a different blood test is offered between 14 and 20 weeks, which the NHS describes as not quite as accurate.
The 20-week screening scan
Usually at 18 to 21 weeks, about 30 minutes. It checks your baby's growth, your placenta and the blood flow in your uterus, and looks for signs of 11 conditions:
| Conditions checked |
|---|
| Anencephaly |
| Open spina bifida |
| Cleft lip and palate |
| Diaphragmatic hernia |
| Gastroschisis |
| Exomphalos |
| Serious cardiac abnormalities |
| Bilateral renal agenesis |
| Severe skeletal dysplasia |
| Edwards' syndrome (trisomy 18) |
| Patau's syndrome (trisomy 13) |
If the pictures are not clear, you are offered another scan before 23 weeks. Finding out the sex is not part of the programme and depends on hospital policy. Photos may be charged. Most hospitals do not allow children at scans.
If something is found, you will be offered more tests and a specialist referral. The charity Antenatal Results and Choices (ARC) supports parents: 020 7713 7486.
Screening is always your choice
All NHS screening tests are free and optional. You can accept all, some or none. A screening result gives a higher or lower chance, not a diagnosis; a higher chance leads to an offer of further tests, with time to decide.
When not to wait for your next appointment
When to call. From 20 weeks, call your midwife or maternity unit immediately if your baby moves less than usual or the pattern changes. Get help the same day for bleeding, fluid leaking, a fever, a severe headache, sudden vision problems, sudden swelling of the face, hands or feet, severe vomiting, worrying pain or itching. Before 12 weeks contact your GP or early pregnancy unit; from 12 to 19 weeks, your midwife or early pregnancy unit. Call 999 in an emergency, NHS 111 if unsure.
For a general overview of prenatal visits in other countries, see our guide to prenatal appointments.
Questions parents ask
When should I have my booking appointment?
By 10 weeks of pregnancy where possible. NICE recommends offering it by 10+0 weeks, and within 2 weeks if you contact maternity services after 9 weeks.
When is the 12-week scan?
The NHS dating scan is offered at around 10 to 14 weeks and takes about 20 minutes. It confirms your due date, checks development and shows if you are expecting more than one baby.
What does the 20-week scan check?
It looks for signs of 11 conditions, including open spina bifida, cleft lip, serious heart problems, Edwards' and Patau's syndromes, and checks your baby's growth and your placenta. It is usually done at 18 to 21 weeks.
Do I have to have the scans and screening tests?
No. Every NHS screening test is free and your choice. If you decline, your antenatal care continues as normal, and you can change your mind for tests that are still possible.
Sources
- NHS — Your antenatal care and appointments checked October 13, 2026
- NHS — Refer yourself for NHS pregnancy care checked October 13, 2026
- NICE — Antenatal care (NG201), recommendations 1.1.4 to 1.1.8 checked October 13, 2026
- NHS — 12-week scan checked October 13, 2026
- NHS — 20-week screening scan checked October 13, 2026
- NHS — Screening tests in pregnancy checked October 13, 2026
- NHS — Pregnancy symptoms you need to get help for checked October 13, 2026
Mamavela explains; it does not replace your midwife, doctor or pediatrician, who know your situation. If something worries you, call them. In an emergency, call 911 (US), 999 (UK) or 112.