The First Trimester Checklist

Care

• Confirm the pregnancy and book the first prenatal visitEssential

  Usually between weeks 8 and 12. Call early; the good practices fill up.

• Choose your providerEssential

  OB, midwife, or a practice with both. Where they deliver decides your hospital, so ask that first.

• Start a prenatal vitaminEssential

  Folic acid matters most in these weeks. Any reputable brand your provider approves; take it at night if it makes you queasy.

• Review medications and supplements with your providerEssential

  Including the over-the-counter ones you don't think of as medicine.

• Decide on genetic screeningEssential

  Early blood screening is usually offered around week 10. Understand what it tells you and what it doesn't before you decide.

• Book the dentistNice to have

  Cleanings are safe and recommended. Gums do strange things in pregnancy.

• Know the warning signsEssential

  Ask your provider what warrants a call. Write it down; you will not remember at 2am.

Paperwork and money

• Check what your insurance coversEssential

  Prenatal care, delivery, the hospital, and — this matters later — the breast pump.

• Read your employer's parental leave policyEssential

  Both of you. Deadlines for notifying work and filing state paperwork can be earlier than you'd expect.

• Start a baby fundNice to have

  Even a small monthly transfer. Daycare deposits arrive before the baby does.

  What a registry is actually for →
• Look at daycare waitlistsNice to have

  In some cities you join the list now. Ask a local parent how it works where you are.

Comfort

The only purchases worth making this trimester.

• Something for nauseaEssential

  Ginger chews, sea bands, plain crackers by the bed. Ask your provider before any medication, including vitamin B6.

• A big water bottleEssential
• A belly bandNice to have

  For the weeks when your jeans stop closing but maternity clothes feel premature.

  Our pick

  Ingrid & Isabel Bellaband

  Wear your own jeans unbuttoned for a few more months.

  View on Amazon
• A pregnancy pillowNice to have

  Earlier than you'd think. Side-sleeping starts now.

  Our pick

  PharMeDoc U-Shaped Pregnancy Pillow

  Side-sleeping with something holding you up. Takes over the bed; worth it.

  View on Amazon
• Comfortable, supportive brasNice to have

  You'll go up a size or two. Soft, no underwire.

Decisions and conversations

• Decide when and how to tell peopleEssential

  Many wait until after the first-trimester screening. There's no rule. Tell whoever you'd want to lean on if things went badly.

• Tell work when you're readyNice to have

  There's rarely a reason to before the second trimester, but some leave policies have early notice windows. Check.

• Start a note of names you likeNice to have

  Both of you, separately, then compare. It's a long conversation; start it early and lightly.

  Try the name finder →
• Talk about the birth you'd likeNice to have

  Hospital or birth center, who's in the room, what matters to you. Just a first conversation.

Record it

• A pregnancy app or a plain notebookNice to have

  Symptoms, questions for the next appointment, the date you first felt sick. You'll want it later.

• A first photoNice to have

  Same spot, same shirt, every few weeks.