Changing offices during pregnancy is common for ordinary reasons: a move across the metro, a schedule that no longer fits, or a sense that a different practice would suit your needs better. Whatever the reason, your visit history is a set of separate documents, and they do not travel on their own. A new office starts with what you bring and what the old office agrees to send. Knowing the difference before you book prevents a repeat exam you may not need and keeps your history consistent from one office to the next.
Separate what you hold from what they hold
Start with an inventory. Write down every visit you can name, its approximate timing, the examiner's name as printed on your paperwork, and whether you have a copy of the note. Your personal copies are useful but rarely complete, because intake forms, treatment plan pages, consent forms, and imaging reports are often filed separately from the visit note. Circle anything you do not have. Those gaps are the items to request from the former office instead of assuming they came home with you.
Pay attention to your pregnancy notations too. If any earlier note recorded your gestational stage, a medication, or a restriction on positioning, copy that line exactly as written. A new examiner needs to see what was documented at the time, not what you remember being told.
Ask for a transfer, not a summary
Most offices will release records to another provider when you sign an authorization, but the form determines what you receive. Read what it covers: the date range, the record types, and whether it names the receiving office exactly. Ask whether the release includes imaging reports, medication lists, consent forms, and any outside records the office received. Ask how long the office says the release takes and in what format it arrives, whether paper, portal access, or a disc.
A summary letter can be a useful companion, but someone chose what to include in it, so it should not replace the underlying notes. If the office offers only a summary, ask in writing for the full visit notes as well, and keep a copy of that request.
Check the copy against the original
When records arrive, compare them page by page with your own folder. Look for missing pages, such as a note that ends mid-sentence or a plan page with no signature line. Look for visit counts that differ from your memory and for any entry you do not recognize. A missing page is a request for completion, while an entry that looks wrong belongs in a separate written question. Keep both lists factual and brief, naming the page, the visit, and the specific problem, so the trail stays clear for whoever reviews it.
What to tell the new examiner
Bring your inventory to the first visit and say, in plain terms, what you have and what is still on its way. Tell the examiner which earlier episodes, treatments, and imaging appear in your history. You do not need to recite every detail from memory, but you should be able to point to where each piece is documented. Ask what the examiner needs before relying on older records, and whether they prefer originals or copies for their file.
Questions to ask the receiving office
Before you transfer, ask the receiving office a few concrete questions. Do they request records directly from the old office, or do you carry them? Will they send their own intake form so both histories line up? How do they handle a gap in documentation, and do they note it in their file? Where do they store what they receive? Their answers show how careful the handoff will be, and an office that cannot answer plainly is worth weighing against one that can.
Moving offices does not reset your history or erase earlier notes. It means your record is split across two places until you make it whole again. Taking an inventory, requesting a complete transfer, checking each page, and telling the new examiner what is still missing gives you one accurate picture before the next exam begins.
This page is educational and does not replace guidance from your obstetric care team or the examiner you choose.