You have just found out you are pregnant with your first child. You are thrilled, if somewhat in shock! No matter how wanted a baby is, the reality of actually becoming responsible for a helpless little person can take a while (the whole nine months for some) to sink in. In the early days after your positive test, what do you do now? Do you start buying baby bits? Telling everyone you know? Do you see a doctor?

Firstly, there is absolutely no rush. When are you going to start telling people you are pregnant? This really depends on your situation, whether you are working and whether you and your partner wish to have a bit of time to yourselves to get used to the whole idea. Once a pregnancy reaches twelve weeks gestation it is considered more secure and the risk of miscarriage diminishes. Would you want to have to ‘untell’ people your news should the worst happen, or would you prefer them to know so that they could support you in such circumstances; only you can decide.

Pregnancy – especially the first trimester – feels as though it lasts forever! If you know roughly the date of the first day of your last period you can work out how many weeks pregnant you are (give or take a few days). A forty week pregnancy is always counted from the first day of your last period. When you are 8-10 weeks pregnant make an appointment with your local surgery to see the midwife for a booking appointment. At this appointment your new best friend will probably give you a pack of information, get you to fill in some personal details and make another appointment for the next few weeks. At this second appointment (if it was not done at the first one) bloods will be taken and you will need to provide a urine sample at every subsequent antenatal check. An appointment for a dating scan will probably be made for you too, at around 12-14 weeks. This will give a more accurate due date to look forward to. Any problems or concerns are dealt with in the first instance by your midwife; she is there to help and put your mind at ease.

The first time you have a baby everything is unknown and can be scary so don’t be afraid to voice your fears. Most of all, try to enjoy the time (and the peace and quiet) for the next few months until you meet your new baby because life changes forever when he or she actually arrives!