Overview

Review your pregnancy timeline from conception until your baby is born. This article overviews how your baby develops, what changes your body goes through, and what you should do each month of your pregnancy. Learn when to expect significant milestones like feeling your baby move and critical points to know about in your prenatal care.

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Month 1: Weeks 1-4

Week one is the week of your last period before you get pregnant. You don’t ovulate and conceive until week three.

Baby

Week three is really when the journey of your baby starts. This is the week of ovulation and fertilization. Once a sperm borrows through the outer membrane of an egg, the sperm’s nucleus merges with the egg’s genetic material, and the sex, eye color, and even the texture of your baby’s hair are determined. If you’re having twins, either one egg will split, creating identical twins, or two eggs will be fertilized separately, creating fraternal twins.

At the end of the first month, your baby is the size of a poppy seed and is a tiny ball of cells that will divide into an embryo and the placenta. The placenta is essentially your baby’s lifeline. It is an organ that delivers nutrients and oxygen to your baby and carries out waste in the womb. The part that will develop into the placenta starts producing the pregnancy hormone hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin). hCG tells your ovaries to stop releasing eggs and triggers increased production of estrogen and progesterone. hCG is also the hormone that turns a pregnancy test positive.

Mom

Some early pregnancy signs can be tender and swollen breasts, fatigue, frequent urination, heightened sense of smell, and nausea. You are more likely to get a positive result on a pregnancy test a week past your expected period. For some women, it can take two to three weeks after a missed period before you produce enough pregnancy hormones for a positive test.

To-Do Items

Start a prenatal vitamin right away. You should be taking a prenatal vitamin specifically, not just a multivitamin. Prenatal vitamins contain more folic acid and iron than standard multivitamins, which is critical for your baby’s growth and development.

Month 2: Weeks 5-8

Month two spans weeks five through eight of your pregnancy.

Baby

In the second month, your baby grows over 10,000 times bigger than at conception. By the end of this month, they are the size of a raspberry and growing about a millimeter daily.

This month is especially critical to your baby’s development. The groundwork is being laid for all major organs to form. The brain and spinal cord are also beginning to develop. The cluster of cells that will become your baby’s heart has formed and is pumping blood. Your baby is generating brain cells.

Your baby starts out looking more like a tadpole, and as they grow will be more human. The cute little nose, mouth, and ears are beginning to take shape. Folds of tissue on top of the head develop into your baby’s jaw, cheeks, and chin.

Mom

A lot of symptoms may be coming up this month. This includes fatigue, frequent urination, and constipation. Morning sickness may be in full swing and affects 70-80% of pregnant women. You can also notice changes in your breasts and may have grown a full cup size.

Your first prenatal appointment is usually in week eight. You are in for a lot of information at your first appointment. You may learn that pregnancy over 35 (Advanced Maternal Age) is higher risk or that your care provider recommends COVID-19, influenza, and Tdap vaccines during pregnancy.

After your first appointment, you see your care provider every four weeks for the first and second trimesters. You can expect to have around 14 appointments throughout your pregnancy. Make it a priority for your partner to attend all of them, or at least as many as possible. This allows them to be included, have input in any major medical decisions, ask questions, and hear everything firsthand.

To-Do Items

This month is an excellent time to be more mindful of your health. Focus on the basics, like sleep, exercise, diet, and staying hydrated. A lot of what you put into your body goes to your baby through the placenta. See this article for a breakdown of everything you need to know as soon as you find out you are pregnant. There are many separate episodes on things you should be cautious about, including foods, drinks, alcohol, caffeine, skincare, and safe cleaning products.

Start thinking about what type of birth you want and whom you would like as your care provider. While hospitals are most common in the U.S., you may also consider a birth center or home birth. If you had a previous cesarean, you might consider a VBAC. While you may still be exploring your options, you should make an appointment around week 8. Ideally, you find a great doctor or midwife from the start, but you can always change your care provider later.

Review your health insurance to minimize costs and ensure you are covered. If you are not in a financial position to obtain insurance or utilize tax-advantaged accounts, you may be able to get assistance with coverage.

Month 3: Weeks 9-12

Month three takes you to the end of your first trimester from weeks 9 through 12.

Baby

At the end of month three, your baby is about the size of a plum. This month your baby graduates from an embryo and is now officially called a fetus, which means little one. Some new organs, including the spleen and gallbladder, are forming. Your baby also no longer has a tail and looks cuter and more human by the day. Bones and cartilage are developing, and ears are beginning to take shape. Tooth buds are forming underneath the gums, and fingernails have started to grow on those mini fingers and toes. Hair is even beginning to sprout.

Your baby is kicking, stretching, doing somersaults, and forward rolls. They may even be hiccupping. Despite all the activity in your belly, you won’t be able to feel them for another month or two. Although it may be too early to feel anything, it’s not too early to hear something. Your baby’s heart is developed and large enough that you can listen to its beats with a Doppler. A Doppler is a handheld ultrasound device that amplifies the noises from your womb.

Mom

This is the last month of the first trimester, and you are almost one-third of the way there. If you have been dealing with challenging symptoms like morning sickness and tender breasts, you may find relief knowing many will fade in the next trimester.

If you have been able to hide your growing belly until now, you may not be able to hide it much longer. By the end of this month, your uterus fills your pelvis and moves from the pelvic floor to the front of your abdomen. If you are not ready for maternity clothes, opt for bottoms with forgiving elastic waistbands or go for low-rise waistlines that sit below your belly. Please do not suffer in uncomfortable clothes.

You will have your second prenatal appointment this month, and the window opens for several prenatal tests. It is crucial to understand the difference between screening and diagnostic tests. A screening test does not diagnose a condition; it only signals that further testing is needed. You would need a diagnostic test to diagnose anything.

There are many tests to screen for chromosomal abnormalities, like Trisomy-21 (Down syndrome). This includes the first-trimester screen, cell-free DNA, or non-invasive prenatal test (NIPT). If you have a screening test that indicates a high risk for a condition, your care provider may suggest a

chorionic villus sampling to diagnose chromosome abnormalities or genetic disorders.

To-Do Items

You have many prenatal testing options, and knowing when you are taking tests and how to interpret the results can be confusing. There is an episode that is Your Guide for Prenatal Testing. This gives you an overview of all prenatal tests, so you know your options and are better informed.

Several common oral health conditions can occur in pregnancy. Approximately 40% of pregnant women have some form of periodontal disease. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that you see a dentist during pregnancy and that cleanings and x-rays are safe. Make dental care a priority and schedule an appointment.

Month 4: Weeks 13-16

Month four spans weeks 13 to 16 and kicks off the second trimester. By the start of this month, the risk of miscarriage is much lower than earlier in pregnancy. This is the month when many couples decide to announce their pregnancy.

Baby

At the end of the fourth month, your baby is about the size of an avocado. Little bones are beginning to form in your baby’s arms and legs. The ears are where they should be on the sides of the head. The eyes move from the side of the head to the front of the face. Although their eyelids are still fused shut, they can sense light and will keep getting better at detecting light and dark.

Your baby now has facial expressions like squinting or grimacing. This is thanks to brain impulses that allow their facial muscles to move. Your baby’s backbone and the muscles in its back are getting stronger. This allows them to straighten out their head and neck more. You may be able to feel some of your baby’s movements now. Many moms-to-be describe them as flutters, like butterfly wings flapping gently.

This month marks a turning point for your baby, from developing new bodily structures to the maintenance phase. Your baby will continue to mature the systems already set up and get all the organs to function before birth.

Mom

The second trimester tends to be the favorite period for many expecting moms. As your pregnancy progresses, your uterus will continue to grow and expand upwards. You should start showing this month as your uterus rises above your pubic bone. By this point, morning sickness and many other first-trimester symptoms should be subsiding. You have adjusted to many lifestyle changes to have a healthy pregnancy. Your moods and emotions should be evening out; overall, you should feel like you have more energy. Check out this episode for everything you need to know to navigate the second trimester.

From this point forward, you can expect to gain around one pound per week if you start underweight or at a normal weight and half a pound a week if overweight or obese. Your doctor or midwife will weigh you at each prenatal appointment. Instead of focusing your energy on the scale, ensure you are fueling your body and your baby with a healthy diet, incorporating exercise, and getting good sleep. See this episode for more on healthy pregnancy weight gain.

This month opens the window for additional prenatal tests. You may take a quad screen which is a maternal blood screening test. If you had a screening test indicating your baby is at high risk of a condition, your care provider might suggest an amniocentesis which collects a sample of amniotic fluid. You may feel like you are continually waiting for the result of some test to return to assure you that your baby is healthy. Most tests are routine, and you have a high probability of results coming back normal. Check out Your Guide to Prenatal Testing for more information. Please discuss your testing options, results, or questions with your doctor or midwife.

To-Do Items

Now that you have had two to three prenatal appointments, it is an excellent time to think about changing your care provider if you are not feeling supported. If you want to move your care to another provider, the earlier, the better. Check out this episode for more information on choosing or changing your doctor or midwife.

Some expecting mothers document every week of their pregnancy with pictures to show off their bump. Others prefer not to get in front of a camera. Even if you are not excited about showing off your bump and changing body, I encourage you to take photos throughout your pregnancy. You can always keep them to yourself and not share them. This is a short phase in your life; you may look back and wish you had more pictures. Even if you have more kids, each pregnancy is different. Later, maybe even many years from now, you will wish you had more photos of yourself pregnant. Check out this episode for more information on body image during pregnancy.

Month 5: Weeks 17-20

Month five goes from week 17 to 20 and wraps up the first half of your pregnancy.

Baby

Your baby’s growth rate accelerates, and at the end of this month, it will be about the size of a sweet potato. Although your baby’s eyes are still fused and shut, they now have eyelashes. Your baby’s brain nerves specialize in serving the senses of touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing. As their retinas develop, they get better at detecting light. Tiny bones in their ears are in place to hear your voice, and when they are born and hear your voice, they will recognize it.

As their nervous system continues to mature, the neurons between the muscles and the brain connect, which gives your little one control over their movements.

Around the end of month five, antibodies pass through the placenta to help protect your baby in utero. The antibodies will help protect your baby during the first few months of life and build its immune system. This is an excellent time to check on how you are supporting your immune system and explore some ways you can boost your immunity.

Mom

You may be noticing some changes to the pigmentation in your skin. A stripe down the center of your belly called a linea nigra might appear. An increase in melanin production causes some expecting mothers to get melasma or dark patches of skin on the forehead, cheeks, nose, or upper lip. Sun exposure can make this more noticeable so wear a hat or sunscreen to minimize the sun on your face. See this episode for more information on how pregnancy changes your skin.

It is routine to get an ultrasound anatomy scan around 18-20 weeks. This ultrasound diagnoses fetal malformation and structural abnormalities, verifies dates and growth, identifies excessive or reduced amniotic fluid levels, and evaluates your baby’s well-being. Since this is an anatomy scan, the ultrasound technician will look at the heart’s four chambers, the kidneys, bladder, stomach, brain, spine, and sex organs. You can learn more about ultrasounds in this episode.

As your pregnancy progresses and your baby gets bigger, their movements will get stronger. The movements change from flutters early on to kicks to squirms as your baby puts on weight and gets bigger with less room to move around. You can feel and even see them kicking your stomach from the outside, which can be pretty exciting. Tell your partner when your baby is moving so they can feel it too.

To-Do Items

You may want to start looking into your maternity and paternity leave options and plan for childcare if you plan to return to work. You and your partner need to determine how much time you can take off and whether your employer will pay you during your leave. If you or your partner is self-employed, look at putting systems in place to spend some time away from your business. Planning for maternity leave is a big project, and this episode breaks it down into manageable tasks that you can knock out. 

Month 6: Weeks 21-24

Month six lands in the middle of the second trimester and goes from weeks 21 to 24. Modern medicine is amazing. If something happens and you enter labor early, your baby has a very high chance of survival after about week 23.

Baby

By the end of this month, your baby will be about the size of an ear of corn. Your baby has developed the sweet face you’ll soon see, with eyes and ears placed just where they should be. Your baby’s skin is still very transparent. If you could see inside your womb, you would see all the organs, bones, and blood vessels.

Your baby’s senses continue to develop. They have taste buds to detect the taste of your amniotic fluid, which can differ depending on what you eat. Research shows that babies exposed to tastes in utero via the amniotic fluid were more likely to enjoy those flavors when they were exposed to them in solid foods later. Your baby can touch and grasp the umbilical cord and perceive light and dark better. They can hear your voice, heartbeat, and other noises your body makes. It is loud in the womb, but all that noise is calming and familiar to your baby.

Don’t worry if your baby isn’t head down yet. At 22 weeks, only 47% of babies are in a cephalic presentation, meaning they are head down. The prevalence of this ideal head-down position increases to 94% at 36 weeks.

Mom

By the end of this month, your uterus will be well above your belly button and about the size of a soccer ball. From this month forward, your care provider will measure the fundal height from the top of your uterus to your pubic bone. The number of centimeters usually corresponds to which week you are in your pregnancy.

The window for gestational diabetes testing opens this month. Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that occurs during your pregnancy and goes away after the birth of your baby. This condition affects 6-7% of pregnancies. The glucose challenge screening is a preliminary test to evaluate how your body processes sugar. During the test, you are asked to drink a sweet liquid of glucose (sugar) within five minutes and then will have blood drawn one hour after having the drink. If you have a positive result on the glucose screening challenge, you will take a glucose tolerance test. This episode dives into what gestational diabetes is, how it affects you and your baby, the testing methods for gestational diabetes, and examines the risks of the tests and potential alternatives. 

To-Do Items

It may be a good time to consider hiring a doula. A doula is a professional trained in childbirth who provides emotional, physical, and educational support to a mother and her birth partner during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. There is substantial growing evidence on how doulas positively impact births. This episode examines the evidence of having a doula, how they advocate for you and work with your Ob-gyn or midwife, and how they support your partner.

You should explore your options for a birth class and ensure you have enough time to complete your course by week 37. In-person birth classes have limited capacity and can last up to six weeks. A birth class prepares you for what to expect and prepares your partner to support you. In-person birth classes have limited capacity and will fill up. If you start looking into options now, you have plenty of time to book a spot in a class that is the right fit for you and your partner.

As you get into the second half of your pregnancy, you should start thinking about your birth plan. A birth plan is how you envision your birth and what happens directly following the birth of your baby. Creating a birth plan will lay the foundation for preparing for the scenario in which everything goes as planned and what should happen if things do not. You started creating a birth plan as soon as you began learning about labor and birth. Over the second half of your pregnancy, you can craft that plan as you know more about your options.

The Pregnancy Podcast has several resources to help you create your birth plan:

Guide to Creating Your Birth Plan

Get a copy of Vanessa’s birth plan

Your Birth Plan book (FREE for Premium Members)

Month 7: Weeks 25-28

Month seven spans weeks 25-28 and transitions you to the third trimester at the start of week 28. Third-trimester prenatal appointments increase in frequency to every two weeks. Take advantage of those extra appointments to ask questions. If possible, your partner should attend prenatal appointments with you.

Baby

By the end of this month, your baby has reached its maximum fetal growth rate and is about the size of a large eggplant. The heartbeat is also loud enough that anyone who presses an ear to your belly can hear it. You should be able to feel when your baby has hiccups. These tend to feel like spasms in your belly and end relatively quickly. Even if this happens often, you don’t need to worry about hiccups; it is normal.

Your baby’s skin is turning pinker due to small blood vessels forming under the skin and filling with blood. Its brain is maturing and growing rapidly. Their brain-wave activity is kicking in at this stage in their fetal development. Your baby can open and blink its eyes, and its vision improves.

Mom

Your uterine tissue growth slows from this point. It will continue to stretch and become thin to accommodate your growing baby. Your uterus has now moved to three inches above your navel. It presses against the tubes between the kidneys and bladder and slows urine flow. This is one reason of several that you are more susceptible to urinary tract infections. You may have additional symptoms like swelling, back pain, and stretch marks.

Your care provider may recommend a 3D or 4D ultrasound to examine suspected fetal anomalies, such as cleft lip and spinal cord issues. You may also be interested in a 3D or 4D ultrasound for keepsake baby photos and videos. The consensus from ACOG is that ultrasound exams be performed only for medical reasons by qualified healthcare providers. According to the FDA, ultrasound can heat tissues slightly, and in some cases, it can produce tiny bubbles (cavitation) in some tissues. Check out this episode for the evidence on ultrasound safety.

If you have an Rh-negative blood type and your baby’s father is Rh-positive, your baby may be Rh-positive. This means incompatibility is possible when your blood and your baby’s blood are mixed. To prevent incompatibility, RhoGAM is given as a shot at 26-28 weeks to prevent your immune system from attacking your baby’s blood. This works similarly to a vaccine. If you have a negative blood type, please check out this episode on the pros and cons of RhoGAM. 

In the United States, the CDC and ACOG recommend the TDap vaccine in your third trimester between 27-36 weeks. The goal of having the vaccine by week 36 is to pass antibodies to your baby before they are born. Tdap provides immunity for tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (whooping cough). It can be challenging to sift through the vaccine evidence, especially during pregnancy. See this episode for a deep dive into the evidence on the Tdap vaccine.

To-Do Items

Typically, a baby shower is early in the third trimester and at least 4-6 weeks before your due date. This episode covers everything you need to know about a baby shower, including etiquette, planning tips, and ideas to make your baby shower the perfect celebration. Now is a great time to ask if no one has offered to host your baby shower.

Month 8: Weeks 29-32

Month eight goes from weeks 29-32.

Baby

At the end of the eighth month, your baby is about the size of a cantaloupe. Their movements may feel more like squirms and rolls rather than hyperactive kicking. This is because they have less room to stretch out and move around. Your baby will double or even triple in weight between now and birth.

Your baby’s brain is going through a lot of development. Up until now, the surface of their brain was smooth. As their brain continues to develop, it takes on grooves and indentations. All those wrinkles in our brains allow for increased brain tissue. Your baby is getting smarter each day.

Your baby is putting in longer stretches of sleep. You probably notice more defined patterns of your baby’s wakefulness (when they are moving) and rest (when they are still). It may seem like they are on the opposite schedule from you. That is because all the moving around you during the day rocks your baby to sleep, which means they may be more active at night.

Mom

The last months of pregnancy often bring challenges as everything gets bigger, heavier, and more squished. Many first-trimester pregnancy symptoms you thought were gone may be returning, like frequent urination, tender breasts, and heartburn. For more in-depth information on symptoms you may experience this trimester listen to the third-trimester overview episode.

This month your uterus rises five inches higher than your belly button and is still expanding. This can leave less room for your lungs to expand, press against your bladder, and put additional pressure on the veins in the lower half of your body, especially in your legs.

Ideally, your baby is positioned head-down before birth, facing your back, with their chin tucked to their chest and the back of their head ready to enter your pelvis. This is called cephalic presentation, and most babies settle into this position within weeks 32-36. If your baby is currently breech, it is an excellent time to talk to your care provider about interventions to try and turn them and the optimal time frame to employ any interventions.

An external cephalic version is a procedure to try and get your baby to turn head down. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists states that the preferred time for an ECV is after 37 weeks. Research shows an earlier ECV (32-34 weeks) increases the chances that your baby will be lying head down at full term. You can listen to this episode for more evidence on breech babies and an external cephalic version. Many mothers also swear by Spinning Babies, and you can learn about the evidence of this method in the episode on optimal fetal positioning and spinning babies.

If a question about fetal health and well-being comes from an examination, symptoms, or your pregnancy is a high risk, your care provider may recommend a fetal non-stress test. This test involves attaching belts to your belly to measure fetal heart rate and contractions. This test can also be combined with an ultrasound for a biophysical profile.

To-Do Items

Many practices have multiple doctors or midwives, and the practitioner who will attend your birth will be the person who is on call when you go into labor. Now is an excellent time to verify who could attend your birth. If it could be someone you have not met yet, you may consider asking for a prenatal appointment with them. If you see an individual doctor or midwife who has a private practice, ask who their backup is if they cannot attend your birth.

Many interventions are available during your labor and birth, and each has risks and benefits. You can prepare for conversations with your doctor or midwife by educating yourself about interventions like vaginal exams, electronic fetal monitoring, iv fluids, episiotomy, and managing the third stage of labor. You should also explore pain management options like an epidural, nitrous oxide, and other options, including TENS, intravenous medications, and pudendal nerve blocks. If you plan to have an unmedicated birth, you may be interested to learn about hydrotherapy and the benefits of water during labor, hypnobirthing, and natural hospital birth.

Even if you plan a vaginal birth, you should be knowledgeable about a cesarean section. The low-risk cesarean rate is 25.9%. Low-risk mothers are at least 37 weeks, first-time mothers, with a baby in the vertex (head down) position. Of the one in four low-risk women having a birth via cesarean, many did not plan to meet their baby that way. There are podcast episodes on cesarean birth, gentle cesarean and vaginal seeding, and when a c-section is absolutely necessary.

Month 9: Weeks 33-36

Month nine covers weeks 33 to 36 of your pregnancy. At the end of this month, in week 36, you start seeing your care provider weekly.

Baby

By the end of this month, your baby will be about the size of a bunch of romaine lettuce. Most of their essential physical development is complete, and your baby is mostly putting on weight. Back in the middle of your pregnancy, your baby’s weight was only 2% fat. This month it is closer to 15% and will keep increasing to about 30% at full term.

Your baby now has its own immune system. Antibodies are being passed from you to your baby as they continue to develop their fetal immune system, which will help keep them healthy once they live outside your womb. Once they are born, you can keep helping them build up a super strong immune system by breastfeeding.

94% of babies will move to a head-down position by week 36. Of the 6% still breech, nearly 1 in 4 will move head down before birth. If your baby is breech, discuss your options with your doctor or midwife.

Mom

Your amniotic-fluid level maxes out this month. You may feel more kicks, pokes, and movement with less fluid to cushion your baby.

In the United States, it is standard practice to test all expecting mothers in week 36 or 37 for group B strep, a bacterial infection. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the prevalence in pregnant women is between 10% and 30%. Most women with group B strep do not experience any symptoms, and usually, this is not a big deal but can become an issue when pregnant. This test involves a swab of your vagina and rectum and sending the sample to a lab. If the culture tests positive for GBS, the treatment is the administration of antibiotics during labor. This episode covers prevention, testing, treatment, and reducing risks.

To-Do Items

This month is a good time to dial in your preparation and plans for birth. You may find yourself anxious about going into labor. If you are scared about giving birth, you certainly are not alone. The best defense is to educate yourself. If you fear things not going as planned, a backup plan can help you know what you would do in alternate scenarios. If you are nervous about having a bowel movement during labor, there is an episode of the truth about pooping during labor. You may consider arming yourself with additional tools like improving your labor room environment, labor positions, and breathing during labor. The more tools you have in your toolbox, the better.

You may also want to explore interventions that affect your newborn after birth. Do you want to prioritize skin-to-skin contact or plan to delay cord clamping or bank cord blood? Will your baby get a vitamin K shot, erythromycin eye ointment, or a hepatitis B vaccine? If you have not chosen a pediatrician, you should start looking into your options to find a doctor that is the right fit for your family.

Ideally, you wrap up all your big to-do items this month and are heading into the last month, ready to meet your baby. You should have packed your hospital or birth center bag or purchased supplies for your home birth. Hopefully, it is wrapping up this month if you are in a birth class.

Month 10: Weeks 37-42

Month 10 is the last month of your pregnancy, from week 37 until your baby is born. While your due date is the start of week 40, it is only an estimate of when your baby will arrive. Appointments will be weekly in the last month and can be every few days if you go over your due date. Take advantage of the additional face time with your doctor or midwife to ask any questions about labor and birth.

Baby

Your baby continues to grow until you go into labor. The last few weeks of pregnancy are crucial for brain and lung development. By the time your due date arrives, your baby is about the size of a small pumpkin. Your baby continues to shed vernix and lanugo. Vernix is the cheese-like coating that protects their skin from the amniotic fluid. Lanugo is downy-like hair covering their body to help keep them warm until they put on more fat.

Mom

Your baby may drop lower into your pelvis in the weeks or days leading up to birth. The good news is that this gives your lungs more room, so breathing may be more comfortable and can ease up on heartburn. The bad news is that this puts more pressure lower, which can mean more bathroom breaks.

When you have made it through most of your pregnancy and are in the final stretch, you enter the game of waiting to go into labor. You may consider trying methods to induce labor naturally. See this episode for an analysis of the risks, benefits, and evidence of many methods to induce labor naturally. Your doctor or midwife may also recommend a medical induction. Each method of induction has pros and cons. See the episode on inducing labor for the evidence on each technique. This includes stripping and sweeping membranes, misoprostol (Cytotec), dinoprostone (Cervidil & Prepidil), synthetic oxytocin (Pitocin), using a laminaria or balloon catheter, and breaking your water. 

To-Do Items

Once you are as prepared as possible for labor and birth, you should think about postpartum, breastfeeding, and taking care of a newborn.

Planning is vital in setting yourself up for an ideal postpartum period. Don’t wait until your baby arrives to think about recovery and taking care of yourself. Check out the episodes on birth recovery, what to expect postpartum, and planning for postpartum.

Many mothers expect breastfeeding to come naturally. Most find out the hard way that there are challenges and breastfeeding takes a lot of work and commitment. Educating yourself about breastfeeding can help set you and your baby up for a successful breastfeeding relationship. Check out this page on the Pregnancy Podcast website for all of the breastfeeding episodes and resources. Many expecting parents spend a lot of time preparing for birth and don’t think about parenting. You can start mentally preparing for motherhood and learn methods to get parenting right from the start. If you are a dog owner, you may want to think about navigating pregnancy and a new baby with a dog. There are also episodes on pacifiers, vaccines in the first two years, five rules for new parents, and taking care of yourself as a parent.

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