They will also have early scans, but fewer routine medical checks. Under the guidelines, published today, first-time mothers will see their family doctor or midwife ten times rather than 14, and those who already have children will have only seven such checks.

The guidelines aim to remove regional variations in care. They call for all women to be offered screening for Down’s syndrome, as well as an early ultrasound to detect multiple pregnancies and give expectant mothers an accurate measure of when their child will be born. At the moment only half of pregnant women are tested for Down’s.

Groups representing new parents welcomed the decision to introduce new standards, but said that a reduction in the number of antenatal visits could result in women missing vital support and advice.

The guidelines, produced by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (Nice), come after a debate within the medical establishment on the effectiveness of antenatal visits.

Many experts have long argued for a fewer appointments and Nice did consider cutting the number of routine checks to five, but rejected the idea as “too radical”. It recommends that women have most of their appointments early in pregnancy, when concerns are greatest, and sets guidelines for what each appointment should cover.

Antenatal experts said that the guidelines were not a money-saving exercise; any resources saved would be put back into other areas of pregnancy care and support.

“Women may see their doctor or midwife slightly less often, but those appointments will be far better structured,” Maggie Blott, a consultant obstetrician at King’s College Hospital, London, said. “For the first time women will know what they can expect from the service and it should end regional variations in care.”

Liz Kendall, chief executive of Maternity Alliance, said that in focusing only on medical needs and outcomes the guidelines failed to recognise that pregnant women might need social, moral and emotional support, as well as tips on parenting. “If we really want to deliver better outcomes for children, we should be preparing people for what it takes to be a parent beyond the medical aspects of giving birth,” she said.

The advice, which was developed by the National Collaborating Centre for Women’s and Children’s Health also sets out standardised advice on what is safe and not safe in pregnancy and recommends what dietary supplements should be taken.

Peter Brocklehurst, director of the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, who helped develop the guidelines, said that the pattern of antenatal care had hardly changed since the 1920s. “At the heart of the guideline is the concept that pregnant women should be offered evidence-based information and support to enable them to make informed decisions,” he said.

The guidelines say that despite the standardisation every pregnancy should be judged individually. This meant that the guidance, which focuses on women with non-complicated pregnancies, should be adapted if difficulties arose or circumstances changed.

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