First Trimester Checklist for First-Time Moms: 47 Things to Do Before Week 13.

The first trimester is the loudest and quietest 12 weeks of your life. You feel everything — and you can tell almost no one. Most first-time moms try to remember it all in their head. It doesn't work. This checklist is the one we wish someone had handed us the day we saw two lines: 47 small, doable things, organized so nothing falls through the cracks while you're nauseous and exhausted.

Print it, screenshot it, or load it into The Calm Pregnancy System™ where every item is pre-built into a checkbox tab. Either way — start at the top and check things off slowly.

1. The first week: 7 things to do right now

The day-of and week-of musts. Everything else can wait.

• Take a second pregnancy test in the morning to confirm (first-morning urine is most concentrated).
• Start a prenatal vitamin today with at least 400 mcg of folic acid and DHA.
• Write down the first day of your last period — your OB will need it to date the pregnancy.
• Call your OB or midwife and book your first prenatal appointment (most see you between weeks 8–10).
• Stop alcohol, smoking, and any non-essential medications until your OB clears them.
• Tell one trusted person — partner, sister, best friend — so you're not carrying it alone.
• Give yourself permission to nap. Hard. The first trimester is medically exhausting.

2. Medical: 11 things to book, ask, and know

The first trimester is paperwork-heavy on the medical side. Front-load this and the rest of pregnancy stays calm.

• Book your first prenatal appointment for weeks 8–10.
• Confirm your OB or midwife is in-network with your insurance.
• Check whether your insurance requires a referral for OB care.
• Find out which hospital your OB delivers at — this is the hospital you'll tour later.
• Ask your OB about NIPT (non-invasive prenatal testing) — it can be done from week 10.
• Schedule a dental cleaning early in the second trimester (pregnancy gingivitis is real).
• Refill any chronic medications and ask your OB which are safe to continue.
• Find out if your workplace requires a doctor's note for prenatal appointments.
• Save your OB's after-hours number in your phone under "OB on-call".
• Know the three reasons to go to L&D before 12 weeks: heavy bleeding, severe pain, fainting.
• Ask about a flu shot and Tdap timing for your trimester.

3. Your body: 9 things to start (and stop)

• Drink 80–100 oz of water a day (most first-trimester nausea is dehydration in disguise).
• Eat protein within 30 minutes of waking — it blunts morning sickness dramatically.
• Cap caffeine at 200 mg/day (one 12 oz coffee).
• Add ginger candies, lemon water, or Sea-Bands to your nausea toolkit.
• Skip raw fish, deli meat that hasn't been heated, unpasteurized cheese, and high-mercury fish.
• Switch to a stretchy waistband or one belly band before you actually need maternity clothes.
• Start a 10-minute daily walk — it helps sleep, mood, and constipation (yes, that comes too).
• Buy a body pillow before you need it — your back will thank you in trimester two.
• Pause hot tubs, saunas, and Bikram yoga until after baby.

4. Mind & emotions: 6 things to protect

• Limit Google. Set a 10-minute timer if you have to. Pregnancy Google spirals are real.
• Follow 3 evidence-based pregnancy accounts — and mute the fear-mongering ones.
• Tell your partner exactly how you want to be supported (don't expect them to guess).
• Identify your 'safe person' for the scary days — partner, sister, doula, therapist.
• Start a 2-minute daily gratitude note in your planner. Tiny ritual, big payoff.
• If anxiety or sadness is interfering with daily life, ask your OB about perinatal mental health support — it works best early.

5. Paperwork & finances: 8 things to organize

• Pull your insurance policy and read the maternity coverage section (or have your partner read it).
• Find out your out-of-pocket maximum — this is what birth will likely cost you.
• Confirm whether you need pre-authorization for prenatal care or delivery.
• Look up your employer's parental leave policy and FMLA eligibility.
• Start a 'baby buffer' savings goal — even $50/week adds up by delivery.
• Open or update your HSA/FSA — most prenatal expenses are eligible.
• Make a note of when your insurance enrollment window opens (you may need to add baby).
• Save every medical bill in one folder — physical or digital — from day one.

6. Telling people: 6 things to plan

• Decide together who hears first, second, and third — and write the order down.
• Plan how you'll tell your partner's parents vs. yours (it's almost always different).
• Decide when you'll tell your employer — most wait until after the 12-week scan.
• Pre-draft what you'll say to your manager, in person, with a coverage plan.
• If you've had a loss before, give yourself full permission to tell on your own timeline.
• Pick the social-media moment (or skip it entirely — there's no rule that says you must).

7. What to skip in the first trimester

Every pregnancy listicle on the internet will try to add 50 more things to this list. Here's what you can absolutely skip until trimester two:

• The baby registry — wait until weeks 18–20 when you know the gender and have energy.
• Nursery design — you literally have months.
• Birth plan — you'll write it in trimester two with much better information.
• Maternity photoshoot booking — second-trimester bump is when you'll want photos.
• Daycare tours (in most cities) — start in trimester two unless you live in NYC, SF, or Boston.
• Reading 12 pregnancy books — pick one trusted source and ignore the rest.

8. Frequently asked questions