The very first time

As soon as you discover you’re expecting a baby, you can get in touch with the maternity ward, commonly known as the antenatal clinic. You’ll no doubt have lots of questions. Your very first question is probably: “When will the baby be born?”

During the first visits to the midwife, you will be helped to calculate the preliminary date of birth. To get the final calculated date, you need to make an ultrasound where the child's size is measured. If you can't wait until the visit to the midwife and already downloaded our app Preggers, you can get an approximate date of birth by entering the first day of your last period.

In the early stages, there are many hormonal changes taking place in your body and you may feel very tired. This is normal. A huge amount of energy is needed to build the placenta and to create the most perfect conditions possible for your baby to grow in. The worst tiredness usually passes around the third or fourth month, so you’ll need to be prepared to get lots of rest during this initial phase. Listen to your body’s signals, take it easy, and try not to get too stressed.

Feeling nauseous is also normal in the beginning, even if it does vary from person to person. It is worth remembering (when your head over the toilet bowl…) that your baby is doing just fine even if you feel awful. Your baby is getting the nutrition he/she needs. If you’re having trouble keeping your food down, try eating small amounts more often. This stops the stomach from expanding too much and pressing against other organs. It is also important that you do not become dehydrated, so make sure to drink water. Signs of dehydration include a dry mouth, dry lips, feeling dizzy, and having darker urine than normal. As long as you are peeing a couple of times a day it’s usually OK, but if you are worried, contact your midwife.

With everything new that’s going on – especially being pregnant for the first time – in your body, mentally and emotionally, don’t be surprised if you start worrying sometimes too. Miscarriage is often the most frequent worry in the beginning and it’s important to know that you may bleed a little without it necessarily being a miscarriage, especially after sex. But you may also see some blood in your underwear or on the toilet paper on a completely normal day for no reason whatsoever, and this is neither unusual nor dangerous. Signs of miscarriage are abnormal bleeding and intense pressure down towards the genital area. It might also feel like the pregnancy symptoms have stopped, such as the nausea passing and your breasts being less taut. If you have any symptoms that worry you, you should always consult with your midwife.

But overall, you’ll most likely be experiencing more joy than worry and you’ll no doubt want to announce the good news to the world. You may have heard that it’s best to wait until the first trimester is over, after week 12, as the risk of miscarriage drops dramatically at this point. But it might be worth telling some people straight away, just in case the worst should happen, and that way you’ll have loved ones to comfort you. Ultimately, it’s up to you and your partner to decide when you want to tell everyone. Trust your instincts – we’re all different and there are very few right answers when it comes to pregnancy and everything related to it.