Congrats, you're pregnant! Now what?
Whether you’ve been trying for a while or not at all, congratulations on getting to this point!
It’s amazing how many emotions will spring up at this point, some surprising even.
Take a moment to process, they are all valid.
If you’re seeing an IVF/ART specialist, contact them if you haven’t already been in touch and follow their plan for early pregnancy.
If you are / thinking about seeing a Chinese Med Practitioner, we recommend weekly Pregnancy Acupuncture sessions until your 13w scan to keep you as calm and well as possible!
What to do when you find out you’re pregnant
Triple-check any medications/herbs/supplements
Always a good idea!
A pharmacist can quickly advise on most medications being ok or not in pregnancy, saving you time & $ with GP visits. Or chat with your doctor if you feel more comfortable.
Have you got herbs or supplements from your Chinese Med Prac? Chiro? Naturopath?
Always, double-check what you’re taking AND the dosages are ok in early pregnancy - especially if your practitioner wasn’t already assisting you with your fertility journey and may not be aware that you’re pregnant.
If your practitioner isn’t sure? That’s ok but we recommend switching to one who is experienced with pregnancy.
Taken the usual things for a few days/weeks and now freaking out?? Most things are ok in the two week wait or just past, just not to be taken ongoing in pregnancy. But again double-check things!
Testing HCG - Pros & Cons
Do you need to test HCG? This is a great question!
If you’ve been doing IVF/ART they will do this & tell you exactly when & what to do.
For Natural Conception? It’s not always recommended.
If you are going to test your HCG, please don’t do this with the help of Google alone! Do this alongside your GP.
Testing HCG isn’t about what number you get on your test.
It’s about how that number goes up every few days/week. So if you’re going to test HCG to ‘see if your pregnancy is going to stick’ be prepared to repeat this test 3+ times.
This can be a total head screw
A colleague of mine put this so eloquently;
You know how in school photos, in some years you’d be in the front row, with your friends in the back but it could change each year because we all grow at different rates?
HCG is the same deal! Again this can absolutely do your head in. A number doesn’t define you or your pregnancy.
If you have a history of very long cycles and want to confirm your pregnancy, by all means, get a HCG test. Otherwise, consider it optional.
BBT Charting
If you’re BBT charting, keep going until your 9 weeks and the placenta has taken over.
Your temps will go up and down naturally.
This doesn’t mean the end is coming.
The following can cause you to have low temps (and your pregnancy is fine):
The doona partially off you
A cold morning when you take your temps
Taking them earlier than usual
Being really tired
(If you think it’s just due to fatigue, you need to slow down lovely!)
It’s also important to remember you’re only used to your (non pregnant) temps. Working with a practitioner who has seen hundreds of charts (even the crazy looking ones that resulted in healthy babies!) is very helpful here than trying to google or analyse every dip or spike.
Your (male) Partner
If your fabulous man has been looking after himself with good preconception care, he needs to keep going too.
Keep up with a good diet, sufficient sleep & water, reduced alcohol & taking preconception supplements and being an all-round baby making legend.
Science used to think if there was any sperm issues, you just wouldn’t conceive. So if you did have low sperm numbers, and it didn’t work out, it was 0% due to sperm.
We now know sperm health can be responsible for things going right or wrong until 9 weeks.
Whether you want to call it being supportive for all the lifestyle changes you now need to make OR whether you want to call it an insurance policy in case you need to try again - your man needs to keep up all the good work until you’re 9 weeks pregnant.
Organise Scans
You will need to see your GP for a referral for a 7 week scan. Most doctors will now refer for a 7 week scan as sometimes scanning at 6 weeks from your period will be too early to detect a heartbeat (leaving you freaking out for a week+).
This can happen if you ovulated later than the ‘standard’ day 14.
If you have a history of ectopic pregnancies/severe endometriosis/tubal blockages, we recommend to see your doctor and discuss getting an early, additional scan to ensure the embryo’s in the right spot!
Food
Made some questionable food/beverage choices in the last week or so? It’s most likely OK! Especially if you didn’t get any/many symptoms.
In pregnancy, you’re especially looking to avoid nasty bugs such as Salmonella, Listeria and toxoplasmosis.
Here’s the Royal Women’s Hospital of Victoria Pregnancy Food Safety List
Things to Remember
Breathe…
Let’s start there :)
It’s important to remember:
Some bleeding can be completely normal with implantation
If you get a fever and/or intense stabbing abdominal cramping, go straight to the Emergency Department, ideally at a Women’s hospital - you may have an ectopic pregnancy rupturing
Every pregnancy is unique. How past pregnancies turned out or how your friend’s ones unfolded doesn’t mean yours will go the same way.
Try very hard to not take that on.Do avoid spas, saunas, horseriding or extreme/contact sports, shopping mall massages and foot massages
Exercise to 80% of your usual capacity is fine!
Here’s more Pregnancy Resources if you need them
Experiencing anxiety, insomnia, nausea or constipation?
Come see us.