The news can bring a whirlwind of emotions, from excitement to anxiety, and it’s natural to feel both overwhelmed and overjoyed at the same time. But don’t worry – this is the first step on an incredible journey, and we’ve outlined what the next steps you need to take are.

Start Taking Prenatal Vitamins

If you’re not already taking prenatal vitamins, now is the time to start! Some women choose to start taking them at the beginning of their fertility journey when they begin actively trying to conceive, whereas for others, it will only be once they know they’re pregnant. No matter what stage of your pregnancy journey you’re at, the best time to start is now!

Folic acid is the most important prenatal vitamin and it’s recommended that you take 400mg of folic acid from before pregnancy to 12 weeks, although many healthcare providers recommend continuing with your prenatal which includes folic acid throughout pregnancy. Your prenatal vitamins may also contain iron, which can help to prevent anaemia in pregnant women as well as vitamin D, which is necessary especially in the winter months when the sun isn’t shining!

Contact Your GP or Midwife

As soon as you find out that you’re pregnant, you’ll need to contact your GP surgery to be referred to the community midwife. There is no need to see your GP or another health professional to confirm the pregnancy as positive pregnancy tests have a high level of accuracy. In some areas, you may be able to self-refer to midwife services – search in Google for your local maternity care to find out, but if in doubt, just contact your registered GP surgery who will be able to make the referral for you. 

Calculate Your Due Date

Some pregnancy tests will give you an estimate of how far you are along in your pregnancy using the concentration of hormones in your urine, however the best way to calculate your due date is to use the date of your last menstrual period (sometimes referred to as LMP). This is the same way that you will see your midwife calculating it in your booking appointment. 

Don’t forget that this date is just an estimate as all pregnancies and bodies are different. If you have irregular periods, the date you ovulated before the pregnancy may not be what is expected. The estimated due date calculated early in your pregnancy is used to schedule your dating scan between 11 and 14 weeks, where the size of the baby will be used to determine a slightly more accurate date.

Check on Pregnancy Dos and Don’ts

While you’re pregnant, there are a few things that are recommended against to protect both you and your baby. These guidelines and recommendations change from time to time, so it’s best to look up the most current advice at the time of your pregnancy, but here are a few things that are unlikely to change:

  • Stop smoking
  • Don’t drink alcohol
  • Avoid certain foods – for example, unpasteurised milk products and raw meat.
  • Check your medications
  • Reduce caffeine in your diet

Learn About What’s Normal

Pregnancy can be a very strange time as your body is going through changes like never before! You’ll likely notice a few common symptoms such as fatigue (understandable when you consider that you’re growing a whole new person!) and sickness. There are other symptoms and conditions that aren’t always typical in pregnancy; you can find out more about these in our pregnancy pages. Knowing what is and isn’t normal during pregnancy can help you to catch any worrying symptoms early enough to treat them and to prevent anxiety around symptoms that are normal!