Maternity Care
If you are pregnant, we participate in the HSE Maternity and Infant Care Scheme which provides free ante-natal care to expecting mothers, a 2 week baby check, and a 6 week baby check for mother and baby.
See your GP as soon as possible to confirm you are pregnant. Your GP will refer you for your first hospital antenatal appointment and dating scan. You can discuss the options available to you for antenatal or maternity care and your GP can register you for the Maternity and Infant Care Scheme. Please have your PPS number to hand for your first antenatal visit, as it is required for the HSE registration for this combined care scheme.
Maternity and Infant Scheme
Every woman who is pregnant and ordinarily resident in Ireland is entitled to maternity care under the Maternity and Infant scheme. As part of the scheme your maternity care is provided by your GP and an obstetrician/midwife in your local hospital.
If it is your first pregnancy, the GP will do your first examination (ideally before 12 weeks). You will have 5 further examinations during your pregnancy, which alternate between GP visits (GP or practice nurse) and maternity/hospital visits. The schedule of your visits may be changed by your GP or obstetrician, depending on your pregnancy.
If you have a significant pregnancy related illness, for example, diabetes or hypertension, you may have up to 5 additional visits with your GP.
Find out more about the HSE Maternity and Infant Care Scheme here
Schedule of Visits
First Visit (as soon as pregnancy is suspected)
GP
Week 20
Hospital
Week 24
GP
Week 28
GP (Hospital if 1st pregnancy)
Week 30
GP
Week 32
Hospital
Week 34
GP
Week 36
Hospital
Week 37
GP
Week 38
Hospital
Week 39
GP
Week 40
Hospital
Postnatal Week 2 (baby)
GP
Postnatal Week 6 (baby and mother)
GP
The content of this page (and links to other sites) is for general information purposes only and does not substitute medical advice. While we endeavour to keep this website up-to-date, errors may occur. We advise all patients to discuss their health concerns with their GP. If you would like to suggest amendments or highlight new information that could be useful to others please don't hesitate to get in touch.