Everything that needs doing, in the order it needs doing it
Nobody hands you a list. This is the whole nine months laid out trimester by trimester, so nothing important lands on you in week 38.
Quick answer
In the first trimester the priorities are booking your first midwife appointment, starting folic acid and vitamin D, and telling your employer when you are ready. The second trimester is the practical window: the 20 week scan, antenatal classes, buying the big items, and sorting maternity leave paperwork. The third trimester is preparation: pack your hospital bag by around 36 weeks, write a one-page birth plan, fit the car seat, learn how to time contractions, and get a few freezer meals in. Term is 37 to 42 weeks, so aim to have everything essential finished by 36 weeks rather than 40.
is when most services aim to hold your booking appointment, so contact a midwife or GP as soon as you know.
is the deadline to work back from. Anything essential should be done by then, not by your due date.
is the definition of term (ACOG), which is why week 40 is a midpoint rather than a finish line.
First trimester: weeks 1 to 12
| Task | When | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Contact a midwife or GP | As soon as you know | Booking appointments are usually aimed for by around 10 weeks, and waiting lists exist. |
| Start folic acid and vitamin D | Immediately | Folic acid is advised before conception and through the first 12 weeks; vitamin D is advised throughout pregnancy in the UK. |
| Review medications and habits | Week 1 | Check any regular medication with your GP or pharmacist. Stop smoking and alcohol. |
| Check foods to avoid | Week 1 | Unpasteurised cheeses, pate, undercooked meat and eggs, high-mercury fish, and caffeine limits. |
| Dating scan | Around 8 to 14 weeks | Confirms dates and number of babies. |
| Tell your employer | Whenever you choose | You need to tell them before a legal deadline for leave and pay, but the timing before that is yours. |
Second trimester: weeks 13 to 27
This is the window when most people feel best, and it is the right time to do anything that takes energy or money. Do not save it for later.
- The 20 week scan. Usually offered between 18 and 21 weeks.
- Book antenatal classes. Popular local classes and hypnobirthing courses fill up months ahead, so book in the second trimester even if the class itself is later.
- Sort maternity leave properly. Confirm your notification deadline, your pay entitlement and your start date with HR in writing.
- Buy the big things. Pram, cot, car seat. Ordering now avoids delivery delays landing in week 39.
- Whooping cough vaccination. Usually offered from around 16 weeks; the flu vaccine is offered in season.
- Plan the baby shower if you want one. Hold it at 28 to 34 weeks, which means planning starts now. Our eight week baby shower countdown covers the order.
- Start thinking about your body. Gentle core and pelvic floor work during pregnancy makes the postnatal rebuild easier. Our pelvic floor explainer is a sensible starting point.
Third trimester: weeks 28 to 40 plus
Work backwards from 36 weeks, not from your due date. A meaningful number of babies arrive before 37 weeks, and a hospital bag packed at 39 weeks is sometimes a bag that never gets packed.
| By week | What to have done |
|---|---|
| 28 to 30 | Baby shower if you are having one. Start the nursery or sleep space. Begin your birth preferences conversation. |
| 31 to 33 | Wash and sort baby clothes in newborn and 0 to 3 months. Batch cook and freeze meals. Fit the car seat and practise the straps. |
| 34 to 36 | Write your one-page birth plan and discuss it at an appointment. Pack your hospital bag. Learn how to time contractions. |
| 37 to 40 | Confirm the route to hospital and parking. Sort pet or older-child cover. Rest. Everything essential is already done. |
The three things people wish they had done sooner
First, fitting the car seat properly and practising with it, rather than learning in a hospital car park. Second, batch cooking, because the first fortnight at home is not when you want to be planning dinner. Third, reading up on newborn feeding and sleep patterns before the baby arrives, so that normal newborn behaviour does not feel like a crisis at 3am on day four.
The bit almost no list includes
Plan for your own recovery, not just the birth and the baby. Every pregnancy checklist ends at delivery, which is roughly where the hard part begins. Have a rough idea of who is helping in the first fortnight, what your postnatal check involves and when it is, and what a realistic recovery actually looks like rather than what social media suggests. We set out an honest version in our realistic postpartum recovery timeline, and cover the fourth trimester more broadly in how long postpartum recovery takes.
The whole nine months, on paper
The Mumma Glow Pregnancy Planner and Journal is 40 printable pages laid out trimester by trimester, with appointment logs, symptom trackers, checklists and journalling space. Use code GLOW20 for 20% off. See the pregnancy planner.
Frequently asked questions
When should I book my first midwife appointment?
As soon as you know you are pregnant. Most services aim to hold the booking appointment by around 10 weeks, and contacting a midwife or GP early gives the best chance of that happening on time.
What should I do first when I find out I am pregnant?
Start folic acid if you are not already taking it, contact a midwife or GP, check any regular medication with a pharmacist or doctor, stop smoking and alcohol, and read the current advice on foods to avoid.
When should I buy baby things?
The second trimester is the practical window, because energy is usually better and it avoids delivery delays arriving in the final weeks. Large items such as the pram, cot and car seat are the ones worth ordering early.
When do I need to tell my employer I am pregnant?
There is a legal deadline for notifying your employer in order to secure maternity leave and pay, and it varies by country, so check your own jurisdiction's rules and your workplace policy. Before that deadline, when you tell them is entirely your choice.
What should be finished by 36 weeks?
Your hospital bag, your birth plan, the fitted car seat, and knowing how to time contractions and when to ring your maternity unit. Term is 37 to 42 weeks, so treating 36 weeks as the deadline rather than 40 gives you a genuine margin.
Sources: NHS pregnancy and antenatal care guidance, including folic acid, vitamin D, vaccination and foods to avoid; American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) definitions of term pregnancy and prenatal care schedules; Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG) antenatal care guidance.
This article is general education, not medical advice. Antenatal schedules, screening offers, vaccinations and employment rights differ between countries and health services, and your own midwife, GP or obstetrician's guidance takes precedence over anything here. Experiences vary from mum to mum. Contact your maternity unit promptly about bleeding, reduced fetal movements, severe headache, or any concern about your pregnancy.