16 Things You Should Do In Your First Month Of Pregnancy – A Checklist
Here are 16 Things To Do In Your First Month Of Pregnancy
If you’ve just found out that you are pregnant, you might be wondering exactly what you should do next – what are the things you should do in your first month of pregnancy?
You’re Pregnant – Congratulations!
Firstly, congratulations! Even if you’ve been trying for a while, finding out you are pregnant can be a shock. It can be a very emotional time in lots of different ways. It might seem exciting, scary, daunting, surreal – there’s no right or wrong way to feel.
So if you’re all of a flutter, read this list of X things you should do in your first month of pregnancy.
Here’s Your First Trimester Checklist – 16 Things You Should Do In Your First Month Of Pregnancy
Take A(nother) Test
- If you’re anything like me, you probably won’t believe one test, and will want to do several more ‘just in case’, but also to see the positive line come up, again.
- We also splashed out and bought a digital test both times, as we wanted to see the words ‘pregnant’ on the screen..
Make sure you read my list of early pregnancy symptoms
But Don’t Obsessively Test
- It can, however, be easy to carry on testing if you don’t quite believe the news, especially if you don’t yet have strong symptoms. However, this will probably just make you more anxious.
Make Sure You’re Taking Folic Acid And Pre-Natal Vitamins
- It’s recommended that you take 400 micrograms of folic acid every day – from before you’re pregnant until you’re 12 weeks pregnant, and beyond, along with other B vitamins and vitamin D. If you didn’t start taking folic acid before pregnancy, start now.
- Read more about pre-natal vitamins here.
Call Your Doctor To Book In With A Midwife
- When you find out you are pregnant, you will need to call your doctor so you can be registered with your midwife. Be warned that this can be an anti-climax, as your doctor usually won’t test you again as modern pregnancy tests are so reliable.
- However, they may call you into the surgery to go through questions about your health and pregnancy.
- If you have any medical conditions that may need monitoring or support during pregnancy, the doctor will be able to arrange further appointments.
- If not, the first time you will usually be seen is for your midwife booking-in session at around eight weeks.
Decide When You’re Going To Tell People
- You might want to tell everyone straight away, or you might want to wait until your first scan (at around 12 weeks). It’s entirely up to you
Keep It A Secret (If You Want To)
- If you are going to keep your pregnancy a secret, read my post on how to keep early pregnancy a secret and how to hide your pregnancy from friends and colleagues.
Talk To Someone About Your Pregnancy
- Even if you are going to keep your pregnancy a secret from the majority of people, it can really help to have someone to talk to – your mum, a friend or even a group of people you’ve met online on a message board. I had pregnancy anxiety in my first trimester, due to many factors. Talking to someone about it helps.
Read my post on the signs of pregnancy anxiety.
Stop Drinking!
- Hold off the booze until after the baby arrives.
Check Your Diet
- There are lots of food it’s advised not to eat during pregnancy, so make sure you are aware of what these are.
Start A Pregnancy Diary
- If you are a regular diary keeper – or even if you’re not! – it’s great to keep a record of all your pregnancy emotions, symptoms, and feelings.
Here are my weekly pregnancy updates and weekly bump shots.
Don’t Stress About Pregnancy Symptoms
- One of the reasons I had first trimester anxiety was due to the fact my pregnancy symptoms didn’t match up to what I thought they should be like. Not having had any close friends be pregnant before me, I thought pregnancy symptoms were how they are shown on films and TV – e.g. running off to be sick constantly and eating pickles and ice cream.
- I didn’t know then that pregnancy symptoms are different for everyone, and this is not a cause for alarm.
Read about the pregnancy symptoms I didn’t have
Start Taking Regular Bump Shots
- It’s lovely to have an ongoing record of your pregnancy, from your pre-pregnancy stomach right up to your 9.5 month bump., Starting taking photos now so you’ll have a comparison. Although don’t worry if you don’t get a big bump for ages, most women – especially in first pregnancies – don’t develop this till much later on.
- Here’s my baby bump week by week
Download Pregnancy Apps And Sign up To Newsletters
- When I was newly pregnant I wanted to read EVERYTHING I could about what was happening to my body and what size of fruit my baby was that week. I signed up to newsletters from the NHS, and sites like BabyCentre which give you a weekly update. There are lots of pregnancy apps that do the same.
Look Up NCT Classes In Your Area
- NCT (National Childbirth Trust) run childbirth classes across the country, where groups of local parents-to-be learn about childbirth, babies and make friends. Although you don’t take the classes till the third trimester, they can get booked up quickly
- We still see our group regularly! Here’s everything they don’t tell you in NCT classes though
Start Looking Up Baby Names
- While it’s a little early….baby names are an exciting part of pregnancy. It’s fun to start taking a look.
- Read my posts on old fashioned baby names and royal baby names.
Relax, And Sleep
- Early pregnancy can be exciting but it can also be exhausting. It’s likely that your sleep will be disturbed too, so catch-up while you can – nap and do nothing.
Once You’ve Read My Post On Things You Should Do In Your First Month Of Pregnancy:
