CHECKLIST

If you’re not already on one, start taking a prenatal vitamin as soon as you see that second line. Make sure that it contains 400mg of folic acid, as this helps to prevent birth defects and is vital for your growing baby. Since the date of conception is rarely known, but the date of your last period often is, this is the best way to calculate your due date. So add nine months and one week to your last recorded period, and you’ll have your estimated due date. Remember, your due date is just this, an estimation of when your baby will be born, and only 5 percent of babies arrive on their due date.

Find a doctor and/or a midwife that you trust. If the gynaecologist whom you’ve always seen doesn’t turn out to be the right person for you once you’re pregnant, then change doctors.

Many women keep their pregnancies quiet for the first three months until the risk of miscarriage is reduced, and they’ve had their 13-week screening tests. It really is up to you when you decide to tell everyone your news. It’s a good idea to let your work know at the three-month mark, though, so that they can make arrangements for your maternity leave.

Start eating healthily and get as much sleep as possible – you need to start clocking up some hours now while you can. You can also sign up for a gentle antenatal exercise class or simply put on your walking shoes to get moving. ●