I Just Found out I’m Pregnant…. Now What?
This blog post is not a personal reflection but instead, a guide for anyone who finds themselves in this scenario asking this exact question. Whether you have been trying to conceive for a while or unexpectedly pregnant, these general principles can help to guide your next steps.
But before you start thinking of all the things, stop and let yourself experience whatever feelings that may be present for you… without judgement. It’s so common to experience a wide variety of emotions when you see those two lines, even when a pregnancy is anticipated. I hope you know it’s okay to feel happy, excited, scared, anxious, triggered or anything else in between. If you’re feeling lost, thats okay too. Let this post help guide you in your next steps.
Info Gathering
The first step you’ll want to take is gathering information. Information about your pregnancy, your health, your family’s health and your partner’s health.
Pregnancy Health:Knowing the first day of your last menstrual period will, most of the time, allow you to know how many weeks along you are in a current pregnancy. Frequently, a woman might take a pregnancy test if she’s missed her period. If this is you, you’re likely around 4-5 weeks. This information is important and will be used when deciding the timing of your first appointment with a provider which typically occurs around 8-10 weeks depending on your personal history. With that in mind, you have some time to collect the following information before your first appointment.
In the meantime, you’ll want to inform other providers of your care team if you have any medical conditions prior to becoming pregnant that require medications or medical management. This could include thyroid dysfunction, high blood pressure, diabetes or autoimmune diseases to name a few.
Partner Health History:When it comes to your partner, it’s important to know whether they are known carriers of any genetic conditions and if they themselves were born with any birth defects or complications.
Family Health History:Gathering information about your family’s history can help assess whether your baby is more likely to inherit genetic conditions. These conditions include those listed in this post. If you don’t feel comfortable sharing your pregnancy at this time, this information can still be gathered when you do. Members you’ll want to think about include parents, siblings, and grandparents related by blood.
The practice of gathering history is simply to prepare you for the first appointment when you will be asked this information. In no way are we suggesting certain screenings or tests should be done but your provider may based on you or your family’s personal history.
Establishing Care
After you’ve gathered information about your pregnancy, calling the office of your choice to schedule an initial appointment is the next step. The timing of this appointment may depend on your personal health history and health conditions but typically occurs around 8-10 weeks. An ultrasound is often completed to verify if the date of your last menstrual period matches up with the size of your baby… or babies :).
If you aren’t already established with a practice or were but are looking to see someone else for maternity care, you’ll want to consider a couple things:
What type of delivery do I want and in what setting? (hospital, birth center, or other)
Which type of provider do I want to see throughout my pregnancy? (Midwife, OBGYN or both)
Am I planning to use insurance and if so, is the practice and birth facility of my choice covered?
If you’re having a hard time knowing what options may be available to you and understanding the different types of providers, check out this post where I answer the questions “What does a Midwife do and how does it compare to an OBGYN”, “What are pros/cons of Midwifery Care vs. care from an OB/GYN”, and the different types of midwives .
Rest assured that if you chose a particular type of care at the beginning of your pregnancy, you aren’t necessarily married to it if you change your mind or details of your pregnancy make certain providers or facilities better suited for you and your birth preferences.
Lifestyle Changes
If you have not already adjusted your lifestyle to support a pregnancy, you’ll want to consider starting these practices as soon as you’ve found out.
Initiating a prenatal vitamin to support neurodevelopment and structural development of your baby and the additional needs of your body
Switch to safer medications with the oversight of your provider if applicable and needed for maintenance of other health conditions
Say so long to practices known to cause harm to a developing fetus like drinking, smoking, vaping, use of drugs and skincare products like Tretinoin.
Take inventory of your products and foods you regular consume and bring questions you may have to your appointment on the safety profile of those.
Prioritizing high quality sleep. First trimester fatigue is so real. Ensuring you are getting ample sleep at night can help to combat this fatigue but also help your body repair and grow well.
Daily movement can also help combat fatigue as backwards as that seems but is also a great habit to establish early on to carry throughout your pregnancy. ACOG recommends moderate intensity aerobic exercise for 150 minutes a week to help decrease risk of pregnancy complications.
Protect your mental health. This is going to look different for everyone but thinking through what this looks like for you is really important as you enter a period of change, growth and quite frankly aspects of the unknown.
Whether you're a first time mom or have done this a few times and need a refresher, I hope this post offers some tangible tips you can implement after that positive test and before your initial appointment. We’re rooting for you! Stick around for more tips throughout your pregnancy, birth, and postpartum experience and follow along over on socials.
Stay well momma, you’re worthy!xo,
Skyler Jacobs, CNM
Sources:https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/exercise-during-pregnancy