Each project arrives with its purpose, milestones and first tasks written out. Here is how the first three read.
Confirming the pregnancy and booking in with maternity care
A positive home test is usually all the evidence needed, and the next step is getting into the maternity system early, ideally before 10 weeks, so the booking appointment and first-trimester screening windows are not missed. Depending on where you live, that means calling your doctor's surgery, filling in a midwife self-referral form or contacting a private obstetrician.
First tasks
- Write down the first day of your last period and the date of the positive test
- Find out how your local maternity service accepts new pregnancies
- Submit the referral or self-referral form and save the confirmation
- Add the booking appointment to both parents' calendars
Due date and week-by-week pregnancy timeline
Almost every pregnancy decision has a window attached: screening tests, the mid-pregnancy scan, telling your employer, booking classes, travel cut-offs. Building one timeline from your estimated due date, with each window marked by week, means nothing arrives as a surprise and both parents can see what is coming next month. Expect the dates to shift once the dating scan confirms or corrects your due date.
First tasks
- Work out a provisional due date from the first day of your last period
- List every week from now to 42 weeks with its calendar date
- Mark the screening, scan and workplace notice windows on the timeline
- Update the timeline with the due date from the dating scan
Booking appointment preparation for both parents
Usually the longest appointment of the pregnancy, often an hour or more, the booking visit covers both biological parents' medical and family history, previous pregnancies, medicines, work and home life. Gathering the answers beforehand, including conditions on the other parent's side of the family, means risk factors are picked up at the start and any extra care is offered early.
First tasks
- Ask close relatives on both sides about inherited conditions and family pregnancy history
- List both parents' current medicines, allergies and past operations
- Write your top five questions for the booking appointment
- Ask the agent to turn your notes into a one-page booking summary
- Note when the booking blood test results will be ready