You went to visit to your doctor and you came home with a really good news.  Finally, you are expecting.  You are pregnant with your first baby.  And no word can describe the thrills, excitement and glee you are feeling at the moment.  You celebrate with your spouse and you tell the entire family and your bunch of friends the overly delightful piece of information.  But then, after all the merriment, reality sinks in.  You are actually pregnant, now what?

It is only natural for some expectant moms to feel overjoyed and shock at the same time, especially the first-timers.  Carrying a growing embryo that turns into a baby is no laughing matter.  Nine months of waiting and nurturing another human within you is a tremendous responsibility.  One has to get ready for it, and be prepared not just physically but emotionally, mentally, spiritually and financially as well.  So, what happens next after you found out you are pregnant?  Questions and anxieties start to creep in.  What you should do and eat?  When to see a doctor for the regular prenatal care?  When to buy baby stuffs?  What to expect during labor and delivery?  What will happen to your body?  How will you cope with the changes?  These and more are the common concerns that first-time pregnant women typically come across with.

Firstly, stay calm and relax.  There is no need for you to rush anything.  Instead, you enjoy your pregnancy every single day, cherishing whatever changes abound with it.  And most importantly, exercise utmost caution especially during the first 12 weeks up to the third month.  The first trimester is considered to be critical.  After which, your pregnancy is more secure, and any risk of miscarriage reduces.  But still, caution is a must. 

A normal pregnancy lasts for 40 gestational weeks or nine months and its developmental milestone is classified into first, second and third trimester.&nbs

p; The first trimester, especially for first time soon-to-be-mommies would feel like it is going to be forever, as they anxiously wait to see their tummies grow and the bulge apparent.  If you keep track of your period, you can calculate your due date.  What you need to do is add forty weeks to the first day of your last menstruation and you will come up with the expected date of your delivery, plus/minus two weeks.  Between the eight and tenth week of your pregnancy, book an appointment with an obstetrician or a midwife for your prenatal care.  It is your choice whether to have a midwife or an obstetrician attend to you until you give birth.  Whatever you come up with, just make sure that you religiously attend to your prenatal check-ups for your baby and your health benefits.        

During your prenatal visits, you will be filled out with all pregnancy information that you should know.  Your health and your baby’s heartbeat will be regularly monitored.  Blood and urine will be taken for laboratory tests, as well as vitamins will be prescribed for your health to fully support a healthy pregnancy. 

For the first and second trimester, you will be seeing your doctor every four weeks or once a month.  However, if you are experiencing a high-risk pregnancy, prenatal visits may vary according to your doctor’s orders.  On the third trimester, prenatal visits will be scheduled every two weeks to every week on the last month, or as your delivery date is fast approaching.  During this time, you will be handed out admission order should labor begins.  You will be instructed on what you should do should this and that occurs. 

Pregnancy is such a life-changing moment that you must face with certainty and assurance that everything will come out all right.  Expect to undergo innumerable changes that you never thought possible.  Physical and emotional transitions will be experienced as pregnancy hormones rise.  It is okay to feel a bit scared sometimes or at the start, but do not dwell on it longer than necessary.  Rather, face your fears and believe in you and in your body that you are capable enough to bear, give birth and raise that baby growing within you.  Above all, dote on the miraculous journey of pregnancy for soon enough, you will finally get hold of your precious little one.