Congratulations!
I've had two babies in the UK. The UK is VERY hands off in pregnancy - which I think is a good thing. They only become hands on if a problem is found.
In the UK, though all depends on trust:
8-10 weeks you have a booking in appointment with the midwife. They take bloods and family history.
12 weeks - ultrasound scan at the hospital to date the pregnancy. Lasts all of two minutes.
Can be combined with a blood test to give a score for high risk/low risk of choromosonal abnormalities. A bit archaeic and inaccurate. I got a high risk result in my last pregnancy. I could have had amnio on the NHS but at a risk to the pregnancy. We chose to pay privately for a Non-Invasive blood test that pulls the baby's DNA profile for £500. We found out that baby was absolutely fine. Not a fun phone call to get though!
16 weeks - midwife. They *may* try to find the baby's heartbeat. Not all do this early
20 weeks - anomaly scan at the hospital. This is the one where they do loads of measurements and check all of baby's organs and such. Some will tell you the gender if desired.
Then you see the midwife every 4-5 weeks for blood pressure and urine checks. They'll also measure your belly with a measuring tape to ensure you are growing properly and listen for the heartbeat. If anything is off, they'll refer you to an obstetrician.
Exciting times!!
