Your Pregnancy To-Do List

Congratulations! You're actively trying to conceive—and you might even be pregnant already! Here's what you need to do now:

• Start taking a prenatal vitamin if you haven't already.
• Write down the date of your last period or two.
• With your partner, create a family health history, including any genetic or chromosomal disorders.
• Quit smoking, and focus on having a healthy diet and lifestyle.

• Reduce your caffeine intake.
• Talk to your doctor about safe medications during pregnancy.
• Eat a healthy, balanced diet.
• Talk to your doctor about your exercise routine. Note: It won't harm your baby, and your body will tell you when it's time to slow down.

1. Look for the early signs of pregnancy.
2. Buy an at-home pregnancy test.
3. Learn what foods you should avoid during pregnancy.

• Take a pregnancy test if you've missed your period.
• Tell your partner the news!
• Make an appointment to see your doctor to confirm your pregnancy.
• Consider the alternative of a certified nurse-midwife.

• Pick up a pregnancy book.
• Download a pregnancy app to help you stay organized.
• Buy a journal or memory book to record your milestones, symptoms, and questions for the next nine months.
• Join an in-person or virtual pregnancy support group.
• Be sure to drink lots of water.
• Talk to your insurance company to find out which local doctors and hospitals are covered by your plan.

• If you're ready, start sharing the good news with family members and close friends.
• Make your partner the official kitty litter changer.
• Experiment with morning sickness remedies.
• Decide whether you like your doctor enough to stick with them through delivery. If not, start looking for a new one.

• Schedule and prepare for your first prenatal visit, which typically happens between 8 and 12 weeks.
• Compile a list of questions for your first doctor's appointment.
• Clear your beauty cabinet of any chemical-laden products like DEET-filled insect repellent.
• Buy a belly band to extend the life of your pants.

• Shop for a new bra, whether it's a maternity bra or just a bigger, softer style.
• Make Kegel exercises a part of your daily routine.
• Pick up antacids in preparation for pregnancy heartburn, along with other drugstore staples.
• Make a dentist appointment.
• Discuss recommended prenatal tests with your doctor.

• Create a baby budget.
• Make a pre-baby to-do list of all the things you want accomplish or enjoy before the baby arrives.
• Look at your household cleaners and swap in eco-friendly ones for any toxic ones.
• Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables.
• Go for a walk, or do 30 minutes of another moderate exercise, and make it a part of your daily routine now.

• Wash your hands frequently to avoid getting a cold or the flu.
• Try natural remedies for indigestion.
• Go shopping for maternity clothing.
• Review your company's parental leave policy.
• If you're hoping for a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) but your doctor isn't on board, consider jumping ship for a practitioner who will consider it.

• Moisturize your belly, hips and thighs daily to prevent itchy, dry skin as it stretches.
• Avoid hot tubs, saunas, steam rooms, intense hot-weather workouts, super-hot baths, or anything else that could raise your body temperature above 102 degrees.
• Get a first-trimester screening to help your practitioner decide what tests may be warranted.
• If it's recommended by your doctor, get tested for chromosomal abnormalities through a nuchal translucency (NT) and chorionic villus sampling (CVS).
• Listen to the baby's heartbeat with a Doppler at your doctor's appointment, if possible.

• Plan a babymoon vacation.
• Buy a body pillow for sleeping.
• Be sure to stretch and warm up before exercise because your ligaments and joints are loosened up now.
• If you're having multiples, your doctor will be able to spot the extra babies at your next ultrasound.

• Begin thinking about baby names.
• Start sleeping on your side.
• Research pediatricians.
• Eat smaller meals more frequently to stave off heartburn.
• Consider borrowing previously worn maternity clothing from friends or family.

• Tell your family and friends your good news if you haven't already.
• Break the news to your boss, too.
• Take advantage of your second-trimester energy boost by checking things off your to-do list at home and at work.
• Start taking weekly pictures of your beautiful belly.

• Sign up for a prenatal yoga class.
• Strengthen your abs with pelvic tilts.
• Talk to you partner about finding out the sex of your baby.
• Over 35? Schedule an amniocentesis if it's recommended.
• As your doctor about the quad marker screen.

• Be sure to get plenty of calcium now, from low-fat dairy foods or supplements.
• Tour local birth centers.
• Start your baby registry.
• Ask friends and relatives about their birthing experiences.

• Combat your forgetful "pregnancy brain" with lots of notes and reminders.
• Treat yourself to a prenatal massage.
• Sign up for a childbirth class.
• Start a college fund for baby-to-be by opening a 529 account or a special savings account.
• Pick up a saline spray or humidifier to alleviate congestion caused by pregnancy.

• Consider signing up for infant CPR, prenatal breastfeeding, or newborn-care classes.
• Check your desk chair to see if a more supportive one or a footstool could help with back pain.
• Get ready for your mid-pregnancy ultrasound.

• Share ultrasound photos with friends and family.
• Have a date night.
• Research nursery furniture.
• Considering a home birth? Research the pros and cons.

• Talk to your partner about how you'll handle life after baby.
• Know the symptoms and risks of preeclampsia.

• Research the pros and cons of breastfeeding. Decide what's best for you and your baby once you have all the facts.
• Get organized and tackle pending projects around the house.
• Buy new clothes for your changing body.

• Work with your gracious baby shower host to plan party logistics.
• Prevent varicose veins. Avoid crossing your legs and long periods of sitting or standing, which may result in blood pooled in the legs.

• Take time to rest when you can—your body's doing lots of work and sleep might be getting more difficult by now.
• Test your carbon monoxide and smoke detectors.

• Look into child care options for after baby.
• Start planning the nursery.
• Get tested for gestational diabetes.

• Update or attain life and disability insurance, and add chosen guardianship to your will.
• Write a birth plan.
• Pre-register at your hospital or birthing center, if possible.

• Interview potential pediatricians. Find out which local doctors are covered by your insurance and seek recommendations.
• Plan any last-minute travel—which is generally fine right up until your baby comes, though you might want to reconsider flying during the last month of pregnancy.
• Take the glucose-screening test.

• Start finalizing where the baby will sleep.
• Research cord blood banking.
• Find a birth doula, if desired.

• Start seeing your doctor or midwife every two weeks.
• Help your partner to feel the baby's kicks.
• If your fingers are swollen, take your rings off and store them in a safe place until after delivery.
• Depending on your and your partner's blood types, you may receive an injection of RhoGAM.

• Enjoy your baby shower!
• If you live in an older home, ask your partner to test for lead-based paint in the nursery and remove it if necessary.
• Eat a high-fiber diet to help prevent constipation and hemorrhoids.

• Buy a car seat, stroller, and any other important baby gear that you didn't receive at your shower.
• Count fetal kicks.
• Pack your hospital bag—and make sure your partner gets their's ready, too.
• Know the signs of premature labor.
• Try exercises designed to help prepare your body for D-day.

• Eat foods rich in iron.
• If you plan to hire a baby nurse, start seeking recommendations.
• Prepare a baby first-aid and emergency kit.

• Plan care for your other children or your pets for when you go into labor.
• Get a haircut.
• Start seeing your doctor or midwife weekly through delivery.

• Start reading about newborn care.
• Clean out your car to make room for baby.
• Install your car seat and visit an inspection station near you so you can be sure you did it correctly.

• Call your insurance company to add your baby-to-be to your policy.
• Get tested for Group B strep (GBS).
• Buy any items you'll need for postpartum recovery.

• Buy a baby book.
• If you plan to try chestfeeding, consider getting contact info for a lactation consultant in advance.
• Review your baby registry to see what items you still need to purchase before baby's arrival.

• Review your birth plan with your doctor, midwife, doula, or any others involved.
• Sleep in, take naps, and get as many extra Z's as you can.
• Send thank-you notes for your shower gifts.

• If you have other children, be sure to prepare them for their sibling's arrival.
• Plan for your first few weeks with baby by cooking and freezing a few nights' or weeks' worth of dinners—or asking for others to do it for you!
• Stock up on diapers and formula.
• Wash the baby clothes and bedding.

• Tie up any loose ends with finances or medical insurance.
• Make a list of who you want to contact when the baby arrives, including phone numbers and email addresses.
• Nail down your final choices for baby names.

• Practice any relaxation or breathing techniques you've learned.
• Wrap up at work and touch base with your team, just in case you go into labor before your due date.
• Discuss with your partner the option of cutting the umbilical cord.

• Be ready for your water to break, or for the mucus plug or bloody show.
• Time your contractions.
• Buy a few cold packs at the drugstore to use when the perineal cold packs from the hospital run out.

• Enjoy those last few kicks and the amazing feeling of having your baby inside of you.
• Do squats to help prepare your body for labor.
• Take advantage of the extra time to rest.

• Try a few tricks to bring on labor (or at least keep your mind off it): eat spicy foods, have sex, take a walk, or stimulate your nipples.
• Discuss with your doctor about going to the hospital to get induced.