Things to do, by Trimester
First trimester
This trimester is all about survival.
Nausea bands
Plastic bag - In your purse/pocket, for emergency throw-ups
Water bottle - You’re supposed to drink 3L/day
Granola bars
Tylenol - No Ibuprofin allowed, sadly
Fiber gummies - Keep you regular. Or, for a more natural option, you can drink/eat plumped chia seeds
Tums - For heartburn
Second trimester
You're usually feeling better here, so set things up for later:
Book classes - Baby CPR and birthing classes for your 3rd trimester
Order breast pumps (if you plan to BF), both manual and electric. Should be covered by your health insurance. Some insurances make you wait till the third trimester to order
Set up your baby registry (see my registry suggestions)
Schedule a tour at your hospital
FSA and health insurance - Find out what's covered. Doula? Private room at hospital? Lactation consultant?
Prenatal yoga - Helpful for aches and pains, and often a safe space to share your issues and anxieties
Third trimester
Take a childbirth class. Tip: They spend lots of time talking about pushing, but pay attention to the contraction pain techniques. That's the thing you’re dealing with the longest and have the most control over.
Learn about epidurals (at a top level, because ick). They’re not the way they were in the 70s/80s; talk to friends your age who've had or not had them. Ignore people telling you what to do (and they will), but it’s helpful to hear their actual experiences.
Eat a lot of dried fruit (especially dates) and drink raspberry leaf tea. All good for “ripening the cervix” (again, ick).
Take the classes you booked in the second trimester (baby CPR, birthing)
Get recommendations for a lactation consultant. You don’t have to book ahead, but have the number on hand for Day 1 because if you need help with this, you'll need it fast. If you're in NYC, I have two recommendations: Stacey F. Greene and Andrea Syms-Brown
A good way to distract annoying people trying to give you advice or asking the same three questions over and over again: Ask them for TV recommendations. You're gonna be mainlining it for a few months after birth, might as well get some recs (and stop them talking about their wife's sister's friend’s pregnancy complications)
When talking to newish parents, ask them what they’re glad they had on their registry and what wasn’t useful
Information is provided for educational purposes only.
