Antenatal Visits in South Africa: When to Book and the Full BANC+ Schedule
How antenatal care works in South Africa's public clinics: when to book, the 8-visit BANC+ schedule, and what happens at each visit.
Finding out you are pregnant in South Africa comes with one clear first step, book at the clinic. Antenatal care, the check-ups you have through pregnancy, is where problems are caught early and where you and your baby are kept safe. Here is how the schedule works in the public sector, when to go, how many visits to expect, and what happens at each one.
When should you go for your first antenatal visit?
As soon as you know you are pregnant, and ideally before 12 weeks. This first appointment is called the booking visit, and it is the most important one of the whole pregnancy. Going early matters, because it is when your dates are confirmed and when any problem, from anaemia to high blood pressure to an infection, is first picked up, while there is still time to do something about it.
At the booking visit the nurse takes your full history, checks your blood pressure, weight and urine, and does the booking blood tests, your HIV status, syphilis, blood group and rhesus, and haemoglobin. You start on calcium, iron and folic acid, get a tetanus injection if you need one, and are told the danger signs to watch for. Take your ID and, if you have one, your clinic card.
How many antenatal visits do you need?
Since 2017 South Africa has followed a schedule called BANC+, short for Basic Antenatal Care Plus, which is eight contacts across the pregnancy. This replaced the older four-visit approach, after the World Health Organization found that seeing women more often, especially in the last weeks, catches problems like pre-eclampsia and slow growth far earlier. So the answer is eight visits for a straightforward pregnancy, and more if you have a condition that needs closer watching or if something comes up along the way.
The full BANC+ schedule
The eight contacts are the booking visit, then follow-ups at 20, 26, 30, 34, 36, 38 and 40 weeks. Here is what each one is mainly for.
| Visit | Main focus |
|---|---|
| Booking, before 12 weeks | Confirm dates, full history and exam, booking bloods, start calcium, iron and folic acid, tetanus if needed, danger signs. |
| 20 weeks | Blood pressure, urine, growth and heartbeat, movements starting, a detailed scan if one is available. |
| 26 weeks | Blood pressure, urine, growth, a repeat haemoglobin test, watching for pre-eclampsia. |
| 30 weeks | Blood pressure, urine, growth and position, rhesus checks if you are rhesus negative. |
| 34 weeks | Blood pressure, urine, growth and position, a repeat HIV test, plan where you will give birth. |
| 36 weeks | Blood pressure, urine, another haemoglobin test, check baby is head down, signs of labour, feeding. |
| 38 weeks | Blood pressure, urine, growth and position, checking you and baby stay well. |
| 40 weeks | Your due date. If baby is not here by 41 weeks the clinic checks the fluid around baby and plans the next step. |
See your own visit dates
Enter your last period, due date or dating scan and get all eight BANC+ visits as real calendar dates you can plan around.
Open the Pregnancy Due Date & Visit Planner →
What happens at each visit
Every single visit checks the same three things, your blood pressure, your urine and your baby's growth and heartbeat. That is not routine box-ticking, it is how the clinic catches pre-eclampsia, a dangerous rise in blood pressure that often has no symptoms until it is advanced. On top of that, your haemoglobin is rechecked around 26 and 36 weeks to catch anaemia, your HIV test is repeated around 34 weeks in case of a late infection, and from about 34 to 36 weeks the nurse checks your baby is head down and helps you prepare for labour. As you near your due date the focus shifts to making sure you and your baby stay well until birth.
Danger signs, go the same day
Some things cannot wait for your next appointment. Go to your clinic or hospital straight away if you have any bleeding, a bad headache or changes in your vision, sudden swelling of your face or hands, your baby moving much less than usual, your waters breaking or fluid leaking, strong or constant tummy pain, a fever, a fit, or burning when you pass urine. Any of these can be the first sign of a serious problem, and being seen quickly is what keeps you and your baby safe.
Public or private, the schedule is the same idea
Whether you attend a government clinic or see a private doctor or midwife, the shape of antenatal care is similar, an early booking visit, regular checks that get closer together near the end, the same blood tests and the same watch for pre-eclampsia. Private care may add more scans and space the visits a little differently, but the BANC+ schedule is a solid guide to what good antenatal care looks like, and your own carer will adjust it for your situation.
Plan your pregnancy, and what comes next
Our free pregnancy due date and clinic visit planner turns your dates into your due date, how many weeks pregnant you are, and all eight BANC+ visits on real dates, with a reminder you can add to your phone. When your baby arrives, the child immunisation schedule calculator takes over, turning their birthday into the full South African vaccine timeline.
Open the Pregnancy Due Date & Visit Planner →
This is general health information based on South Africa's public sector BANC+ antenatal schedule, not medical advice, and it does not replace your clinic, doctor or midwife. Always follow the dates and advice your own carer gives you, and if you have any danger signs, go to your clinic or hospital straight away. Last reviewed July 2026.
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