First Trimester: Checklist

ongratulations! You’re pregnant, with child, knocked up, got a bun in the oven, carrying the heir or heiress, or whatever you've decided to dub this crazy ride called pregnancy.

Print this checklist to mark your completed items.

			Health/Medical
			If you haven’t already started taking a prenatal vitamin, go pick one up today!
			If your OB/practitioner is not already associated with more than one hospital or birthing center, decide where you would like to give birth.
			If you did not do any preliminary genetic screening, you might want to discuss your options with your practitioner.
			Lifestyle
			Eat well – focus particularly on foods high in folic acid and iron.
			Keep hydrated; drink at least 8 glasses of water daily.
			Exercise. Continue your normal routine or add a pregnancy-friendly exercise like walking, swimming, yoga, or Pilates. (This would not be the right time to start training for a marathon or take up mountain climbing!)
			Eliminate caffeine intake, or lower your consumption to 200mg/day (equivalent to 2 cups of home brewed coffee or 10 oz. of your favorite coffee shop brew). Note that green and white teas have less caffeine than black teas; red tea has no caffeine.
			Limit your consumption of fish, especially those that are high in mercury, i.e. tuna, shark, tilefish.
			Avoid unpasteurized dairy, raw meats, raw fish, and cold cuts, i.e. items that contain potentially harmful bacteria.
			If you color your hair, ask your practitioner about their position on the topic. Some recommend avoiding all treatments in the first trimester, while others only discourage chemical dyes that can come in contact with your scalp.
			Nap when you can. (Probably easier said than done, unless this is your first pregnancy and you don't have little ones at home.)
			Read a book on pregnancy. Or two.
			Ideas
			Note taker? Start a journal or a blog.
			Consider taking monthly photos of your belly to mark the growth process.
			Start writing letters to your unborn baby. (You can continue to write them for each birthday and present them as a gift for graduation, or another milestone event.)
			Move on to Second Trimester: Checklist