What to Do When You Find Out You’re Pregnant: First Steps

You’ve just found out you’re pregnant and while it’s an exciting and joyful time, there’s a good chance you’re also feeling a little overwhelmed. Those conflicting emotions are normal – the best way to deal with feeling out of your depth is to read up on advice and write a to-do list. Here’s some info that can help. 

Your first steps after a positive test

Here’s how to tell if you're pregnant and what to do next.

• Confirm your pregnancy: It sounds obvious but if you’re asking ‘how can you tell you are pregnant?’, you need to take a test. You can start with a home pregnancy test but you’ll also need to get the pregnancy confirmed with a doctor. See your GP or visit a family planning clinic. They’ll confirm your pregnancy with a blood or urine test. 

• Note your estimated due date: Due dates are estimates only – the best way to get an accurate idea of when your baby is coming is to talk to your doctor. If you want to do a bit of maths though, work out the first day of your last menstrual cycle and add 40 weeks to that date.

• Book your first antenatal appointment: An antenatal appointment is a checkup to monitor your health and that of your baby. These regular maternity appointments are important for your healthcare team to monitor and manage the progression of your pregnancy, and they give you a chance to ask questions like what to do when you’re pregnant and when and how soon you’ll get pregnancy symptoms. Your first appointment should ideally be around the 6-8 week mark and your doctor will give you a referral.

• Check your health cover: You may have private health cover or you may be a public patient. Look into what you’re covered for at this stage so you can budget for any out-of-pocket expenses and make decisions about which hospital you go to. 

• Start prenatal vitamins:Babies need folate and iodine for development of the spine, brain and nervous system, and, according to NSW Health, you should be getting plenty of folate for at least a month before you’re pregnant and in the first trimester. (If you don’t take extra before you know you're pregnant, just make sure you’re getting enough as soon as you find out.) Talk to your doctor or a child and family health nurse about what is the right amount for you. 

Your first medical appointments

Being pregnant means getting friendly with your medical professionals. There are a lot of key milestones and routine check ups. 

See a doctor or a midwife

It can be hard to know when to see a doctor when you’re pregnant – or more importantly, when you think you’re pregnant. The short answer to this is it’s never too early. Your doctor will run tests to confirm the pregnancy and then talk you through who to see next, give you referrals and recommend higher care based on your medical history. 

Your first antenatal appointment

At these pregnancy appointments, you’ll have your blood pressure and weight checked, and sometimes provide urine samples to check for infections. You will also have to give a full medical history. Your baby will have its heart beat monitored and growth checked, too.

Choose your care model

There are a lot of options for your ongoing care, and a lot of decisions will depend on your personal circumstances and medical history, as well as what type of health cover you have. Here are some of your options.

• Public hospital care: Free or low cost but you generally can’t pick your doctor and you may have shared antenatal appointments, which means your care is shared across a team of clinicians instead of having one dedicated provider. You’ll likely have a shared hospital room, too.

• Continuous midwifery care: You see the same midwife throughout your pregnancy

• Private obstetric care: You get to choose your obstetrician and generally go to a private hospital but there may be some out-of-pocket costs. 

• Birth centre or home birth: This is generally midwife-led care, but these options aren’t available everywhere.

Early screenings and vaccinations

There are routine tests and vaccinations that every expectant mother needs. The routine tests include blood tests to check your blood group, iron and vitamin D levels, and to rule out any infections. You’ll also have urine tests to check your kidney health, and an ultrasound at 8-12 weeks to check the baby’s health and a screening for chromosomal conditions – this may be a NIPT screening.

Vaccines that will be recommended include the flu vaccine, whooping cough vaccine and Covid vaccine.

Embrace a healthy lifestyle

Now’s the time to focus on being healthy and that means a few things:

• Eat a balanced diet:Aim for a rainbow on your plate with a variety of multi-coloured fruit and vegetables, whole grains, dairy and protein. 

• Don’t overeat: It’s actually a myth that you need to eat for two. In the first trimester, eat as you normally would. In the second and third trimester you may need a little extra food to provide more nutrients for your baby but that should only be a slight increase in vegetables, lean protein and whole grains each day.

• Foods to avoid: There are foods that pose a risk to your baby – such as deli meats and raw or under cooked eggs. Talk to your doctor and team at your antenatal appointments for more info.

• Do regular exercise: Being physically fit will stand you in good stead for your labour – aim for 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day.

• Rest and manage stress: It’s not unusual to feel tired during your pregnancy. In the first trimester your body is going through a lot of changes and towards the end of the second trimester and into the third trimester, you may feel tired because you’re carrying more weight and not sleeping as well. Make sure you rest when you’re tired or when you’re feeling overwhelmed. Learn more about trimesters to understand how you might feel throughout your pregnancy.

• Avoid harmful substances: Alcohol, cigarettes and vaping are not safe during pregnancy. Some medications can also be a problem – talk to your doctor for more information.

Start planning ahead

You can never be too organised when it comes to having a baby. Here’s a cheat sheet of things to tick off the to-do list. 

• Book into antenatal tours and organise hospital tours: Visiting your preferred hospitals and talking to staff will help you decide where you want to have your baby.

• Research birth preferences: There are a lot of choices to make on this front including where, how and with whom you have your baby. You also need to choose between styles of birth, such as a water birth or a more conventional hospital delivery.

• Do a budget: Big life changes – such as having a baby – call for careful analysis of your finances. Work out what expenses you’ll need to factor in and start budgeting now.

• Understand your leave entitlements: Look into how much time you and your partner can take off work and what entitlements you’re eligible for. This will help you decide who takes leave when.

• Start gathering baby supplies: Make a list of everything you’re going to need from prams and cots to baby clothes and feeding supplies. Some you may be able to get second hand, others you’ll definitely want new.

5 early pregnancy essentials to buy first

This list is a good place to start when it comes to pregnancy supplies.

• Prenatal vitamins: Talk to your doctor about what you need to take

• Comfortable maternity clothes: As your body changes you’ll need a wider range of maternity clothes. You’ll also need supportive maternity and nursing bras, too.

• Pregnancy pillow: Finding a comfortable sleeping position can be challenging when you’re pregnant, especially in the third trimester – a pregnancy pillow can help. 

• Belly support bands: As your pregnancy progresses, your doctor may recommend a belly support band to give your stomach and back a little relief.

• A journal: You’ll want to record all your milestone pregnancy moments as a keepsake for your child.