11 Things You Should Do When You Find Out You’re Pregnant
First off, congratulations on your pregnancy Mama!
Pregnancy is such a fun and exciting time!
But I’m sure you’re thinking, especially if this is your first time, now what?
What do you do after finding out you’re pregnant? What should I be eating? When should you go to a doctor? What kind of doctor do I see? And the list goes on and on.
It may feel overwhelming to think about when you don’t know where to start, but don’t freet Mama! This post will help you to figure out what to do when you find out you’re pregnant!
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11 Things You Should Do When You Find Out You’re Pregnant
Choose Your Doctor
One thing you should start thinking about is the type of doctor you want. There are a couple of different types of practitioners to choose from for pregnancy. Such as an OB-GYN, a family practitioner, a certified nurse-midwife or a direct-entry midwife.
They are NOT the same and all have different ways of doing things. So you’ll have to do some research to see which type best suits you.
Once you do narrow it down to a few practitioners, you can schedule an appointment to meet with each of them in person.
You’re gonna be seeing A LOT of your doctor so you’re gonna want to be sure you both get along and have the same views. So be sure to write a list with all your questions you wanna ask them.
Schedule Your First Prenatal Appointment
Once you find a doctor you like it’s time to schedule your first prenatal appointment!
Yay!! The first prenatal appointment is always exciting.
Your first prenatal appointment is typically scheduled between 6-10 weeks of pregnancy. But it will vary with every doctor.
At the first appointment, you’ll get to find out the due date, how far along you are, hear the heartbeat and maybe even get an ultrasound and see your growing baby!
Call Your Insurance Company
Being pregnant means, going to the doctor, which means, you’re gonna need insurance. So it’s a good idea to know what’s covered and what isn’t under your insurance plan.
That way you’ll know how much everything is gonna cost you and you can plan accordingly.
If you call your insurance provider they can also tell you what doctors are covered under your insurance plan.
Find Out Your Jobs Maternity Leave Policy
If you’re working it’s a good idea to know what your job’s maternity leave policy is. Maternity leaves can vary from 1 month to a whole year depending on your company’s policy.
So it’s better to find out now than later. That way you’ll know what to expect and have time to think and plan for it.
Know Your Pregnancy No-nos
Yes, pregnancy comes with its own list of no-nos (sorry, mama). So as soon as you find out you’re pregnant, it’s time to put down the wine and stop eating sushi!
You can read my full post on things not to do while pregnant here.
Have Your Own Pregnancy Journal
Now it’s time to get a pregnancy journal!
I loved having a pregnancy diary when I was pregnant!
Pregnancy journals usually ask questions about your cravings, feelings, and things that happened during your pregnancy.
It can be a fun book to look back on later in life!
Other Posts You May Like: +10 Best Pregnancy Journals for First Time Moms
Get a Pregnancy Book
You’re probably gonna be pretty clueless if this is your first baby. So a pregnancy book could be just what you need!
There are TONS of different pregnancy books that are jammed packed with information. They’ll teach you about what’s happening to your baby every month, what’s happening to your body, what to look out for, and more!
Having a prenatal book really helped me.
Eat Healthier
You may be wondering, what should I be eating when I’m pregnant?
Well, more fresh fruits and veggies and less junk food.
But be sure to eat a variety of foods so you’re getting different vitamins throughout the day. This will help so you and your baby are getting all the nutrients you need.
Start Taking Prenatal Vitamins
When you find out you’re pregnant, it’s time to start taking those vitamins!
You wanna make sure you and your baby are getting all the vitamins and nutrients you guys need, and prenatal vitamins will help with that!
They normally recommend you start taking them as soon as you find out you’re pregnant.
You can get prenatal vitamins in a pill or gummy form. Though I preferred the gummies since I had pretty bad morning sickness.
But whichever type you choose to get be sure that it contains folic acid, vitamin D, iron, and calcium.
Another thing you may want to look for is a prenatal vitamin that has omega 3 fatty acids since not all of them contain it.
This in-depth article about prenatal vitamins gives reviews on their top picks and even information about certain vitamins and minerals that are super important to take while pregnant. It’s very informative and something I think is well worth the read!
Take Belly Pictures
Your belly is gonna slowly start getting bigger and bigger (and no that’s not a bad thing)!
So start taking pictures asap!
You can do weekly or daily pictures of your baby bump. Then you can look back and see how much you’ve changed throughout your pregnancy.
This is something I really enjoyed doing during my pregnancy!
The Pregnancy Announcement
Now it’s time to figure out who, when, and how you’re gonna tell everybody.
You may wanna do it right away or maybe after a couple of weeks.
You may want to tell everyone at once at a big gathering or tell just a small group of people at first.
There are so many different ways to do a pregnancy announcement. You can make it as creative or as simple as you want. So have fun with it!
You can learn about lots of creative ways to announce your pregnancy here.
(Please keep in mind that I am not a doctor. I’m only a Mom who is going off of her own experiences and research. If you’d like to know more you can read my full disclaimer policy here.)
Other Posts You May Like:
Super Strange Pregnancy Symptoms That Happen in The First Trimester
Fun and Surprising Things You Can Do During Pregnancy
What other things do you think you should do when you find out you’re pregnant? What’s the first thing YOU did when you found out you were pregnant? Tell us below in the comments! And if you liked this post, give it a share! Thanks!
Great article with helpful tips. Thanks for sharing this !
Glad you found this article helpful!
Loved this! I definitely wish I had taken more bump photos along the way, and I also that I wouldn’t have gave in to all my pregnancy cravings and eaten a little healthier haha. Thanks for sharing!
Such a fun (and stressful!) time! These are wonderful tips!
Thank you so much for this list of things you should do when you find out you are pregnant! I remember it being such an exciting yet overwhelming time for me!
great tips! eating healthy definitely went out the window for me with both my kids especially in the first trimester, all i wanted was carbs and sleep! haha
Such good ideas! Great balance of fun and practical.
I love the belly pics!! You can really notice the changes more when you look back at last weeks, plus looking back now I can’t believe how big bump was!
This is a great list of things to do once you find out that you’re pregnant, especially those first doctors appointments and the dating ultrasound to confirm how far along you are. Self care is so crucial during pregnancy and it’s better to start as soon as you know you’re pregnant.
Great tips. I am done with having children but I am in contact with plenty of new moms that can definitely refer back to this list.