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Is it your first time being pregnant? If it is, you could be just as anxious as you are happy and elated. You’ll be excited to meet your new baby, but you could be worried about making sure you’re doing everything right. You mightn’t know what to do when you’re pregnant. Thankfully, this doesn’t need to be a confusing process.

You’ll have your partner there to help you, as well as a doctor and a midwife. Then there are the multiple tips and tricks to use to make your pregnancy easier. By putting the time and effort into them, you shouldn’t have a problem making sure your pregnancy goes smoothly. It’s worth diving into seven of the top things you should do when you’re pregnant.

What To Do When You’re Pregnant: 7 Top Options

1. Monitor Baby Movements

Feeling your baby move around is a natural part of pregnancy, as it helps you get excited for when they’ll arrive. You mightn’t have realized there’s a specific reason you should monitor these movements. They’re a sign your baby is doing well, so be on the lookout for them.

These can feel like a fluttering or swirling and should progress to a kick or jerky movement. The baby’s movements should start between 18 and 24 weeks and will keep going right up to the birthing process itself. If you don’t feel any movements for quite a while, it’s worth talking to your midwife about.

2. Stay Active

Being relatively active during your pregnancy is an excellent thing for you and your baby. While you shouldn’t go overboard, you should also avoid getting too lazy. Don’t just stay on the couch during your pregnancy. Doing some low-impact exercises is vital for multiple reasons.

It not only boosts your mood and looks after your mental well-being but keeps you and your baby healthy. While you wouldn’t be as active as you might’ve been when you were pregnant, take the time to do some exercises. Listen to your body when you’re doing this, and stop when necessary.

You’ll have a healthier pregnancy because of it.

3. Sleep On Your Side

As your pregnancy progresses, some things could get more and more uncomfortable. Falling asleep is one of the more notable, as you mightn’t be able to get comfortable. One of the more recommended ways to get past this is to sleep on your side. There are a few other reasons why you should do this, especially during your third trimester.

It’s much safer for your baby and avoids issues coming up when you’re asleep. If you happen to wake up on your baby at any point, don’t worry. Simply go back to sleep on your side, and you shouldn’t have any problems.

4. Know Post-Birth Risks

While pregnancy itself comes with its risks, so does the birthing process and even the recovery period. Know what these are so you’re prepared for them, no matter how unlikely it is for them to happen. Birth injuries, for example, can be more common than you might’ve thought. It’s worth contacting a birth injury lawyer if these happen.

It could be worth speaking with your doctor and midwife to determine what risks might affect you. While these aren’t likely to happen, knowing about them means you can do whatever you can to avoid them altogether. It’s better to be safe than sorry, so it’s worth putting some effort into it.

5. Take Supplements

When you’re pregnant, you’ll need to change your diet a little, and you might even need to take some supplements. Vitamin D and folic acid supplements are the more notable of these, as your body uses these up a lot more when you’re pregnant. You wouldn’t want to have any deficiencies, as that could lead to problems.

Talk to your midwife about how many of these you should take during the day, and make sure you take them. It’s a surefire way to make sure your pregnancy is as healthy as possible. While you’ll have to take these throughout your pregnancy, it should become second nature after a while.

6. Carry Pregnancy Notes With You

During your pregnancy, you and your midwife will make countless notes about how everything’s progressing. It’s worth keeping these on hand whenever you need them. These contain all of your medical and pregnancy history, as well as anything else related to you and your baby.

Since problems could come up at any time, having these on-hand means you can give them to any doctor or medical professional you need to visit. That makes treating everything much easier, so you shouldn’t have to worry about any issues. It’s better to have them and not need them than need them and not have them.

You’ll be in a better position if anything comes up.

7. Know Red-Flag Symptoms

While your pregnancy should go smoothly, it doesn’t mean there isn’t a risk of something unwanted happening. Make sure you and your baby stay healthy by knowing when to contact your doctor and midwife. Keep an eye out for multiple red-flag symptoms, including:

  • Excessive vaginal discharge
  • Vaginal bleeding
  • Swelling in your hands, feet, or face
  • Sudden or sharp abdominal cramps
  • Persistent or severe headaches

If you feel there’s something wrong with you or your baby, contact your midwife. While the above are the most notable things to keep an eye out for, they’re not the only things to be aware of. Should something feel wrong or “off,” call your midwife to be safe.

What To Do When You’re Pregnant: Wrapping Up

If you don’t know what to do when you’re pregnant, you’ll find yourself getting anxious and stressed. Nobody wants that to happen, so it’s worth putting time and effort into making sure things are as straightforward as possible. Relying on your partner, midwife, and doctor will be a part of this, but there are multiple other things you can do.

Carrying pregnancy notes with you, monitoring baby movements, knowing red-flag symptoms, and multiple other tips are recommended. They’ll make sure you and your baby are healthy while helping the pregnancy go as smoothly as possible.