Well this was my thought process! It’s all very daunting and exciting, but once you find out that yes you are in fact going to have a baby you wonder, what next? Here are a few things I found out  in the first trimester, that may help you.

• Your GP should send you off to get a full set of blood tests done. This is to make sure everything is in working order, you’ll be tested for everything from Vitamin D to HIV. Make sure they order the full set, as mine forgot HIV and Syphilis, pretty important and unlikely things, but it’s a pain to have to go back and get more done.

• You’ll generally get a script for an ultrasound, especially if you’re unsure how far along you are. This is what will known as your ‘dating scan’, and the baby is about the size of a thumbnail, but will probably have a heart beat which is pretty cool! This scan is also generally done internally just FYI – just so you’re prepared because I sure wasn’t! It’s totally non painful, but it’s not what you imagine an ultrasounds to be, with a wand like machine that’s inserted inside of you ‘downstairs’ to find the baby as it’s so small.

• You’ll have to option to test at the 12 weeks mark for Down Syndrome. If you decide against this, it means you won’t have a 12 weeks scan, and your next scan won’t be until the half way mark of your pregnancy. We decided not to have this test, but didn’t know about the scans, so I suggest getting a script from the doctor to get an optional growth scan, so you can see your baby in between as it’s a long time! That’s just for the impatient people I suppose 🙂

• If you’re a public patient, your doctor will refer to you the hospital to start your midwife appointments, and the hospital will then contact you to organise – you’ll be given a date usually around  the 12-14 week mark.

• You’ll be a hungry, crazy hippo who will have to keep biscuits in your handbag, your car, your bedside table and your pocket because the hunger comes over you like A HUGE CRASHING WAVE AND YOU MUST EAT OR YOU WILL VOMIT .. Or maybe that was just me.

Did you find out anything else helpful/confusing during the first trimester?

Please enjoy this dad meme.