Pregnancy
What to expect. What to eat. What to ask. What to decide.
Organized by trimester, backed by evidence.
Congratulations, You're Pregnant!
From this point forward, your body will do something extraordinary — growing a new life from a single cell. Some days you'll feel amazing. Others, you'll wonder what happened to your energy, your appetite, or your ability to stay awake past 8 PM.
All of it is normal. This guide walks you through what to expect, what to do about it, and what decisions are ahead — trimester by trimester.
Every pregnancy is different. This is not a substitute for your provider's care — it's a companion to help you know what to ask and what to expect.
Eating Well for Two
Daily servings your baby needs to grow. Most women gain 20–35 lbs during pregnancy.
Avoid, Limit & Safe
Avoid
Smoking, alcohol, and recreational drugs — all increase risk of miscarriage, premature birth, and developmental problems. Also avoid: high-mercury fish (shark, swordfish, king mackerel, tilefish), raw meat/fish/shellfish, soft cheeses (brie, feta, blue, goat), unpasteurized juice or milk, deli meats unless steaming hot, and hot tubs over 100°F.
Limit
Caffeine to 200mg per day (~12 oz coffee). Use acetaminophen (Tylenol) for pain. Avoid ibuprofen and aspirin unless directed by your provider.
Generally Safe
Exercise (walking, swimming, prenatal yoga). Hair dye after the first trimester. Flying (up to 36 weeks for most airlines). Sex (unless your provider says otherwise). Dental cleanings and local anesthesia.
Staying Active
Unless your provider says otherwise, exercise during pregnancy is safe and beneficial. It improves mood, energy, sleep quality, and can reduce your risk of gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and cesarean delivery.
Safe activities: Walking, swimming, prenatal yoga, stationary cycling, light weights, Pilates, low-impact aerobics. Aim for 150 minutes per week of moderate activity.
Avoid: Contact sports, hot yoga/Bikram, scuba diving, activities with fall risk (skiing, horseback riding, gymnastics), lying flat on your back after week 20, heavy lifting.
Pelvic Floor Exercises (Kegels)
Strong pelvic floor muscles support your growing uterus, help prevent urinary leakage, and make recovery after delivery easier. Start now and continue through postpartum.
About 40% of people don't do Kegels correctly the first time. If unsure, ask your provider or see a pelvic floor physical therapist.
Prenatal Testing Timeline
These are the standard tests your provider may recommend. Not all are required. Understanding what each one is helps you prepare and ask the right questions.
Your provider may recommend additional or fewer tests based on your health history, age, and risk factors.
1st Trimester
Weeks 1–12
What You May Experience
Fatigue
Your body is building a placenta, increasing blood volume, and supporting rapid cell division. That takes enormous energy.
Nausea
Rising hormone levels affect your digestive system. It can hit any time of day, not just mornings.
Tender Breasts
Hormonal changes can make your breasts swollen and sensitive — sometimes seemingly overnight.
Bloating & Constipation
Progesterone slows your digestive system. Bloating, gas, and constipation are common from very early on.
Cramping
Mild cramping is normal as your uterus stretches and grows. It can feel similar to menstrual cramps.
Beating heart, early eye structures, limb buds. About ½ inch.
Webbed fingers and toes. All major organ systems developing.
3½ inches. Muscles, bones growing. Fingers separated.
How You're Feeling Matters
Mood changes during pregnancy are common, expected, and almost never a sign that something is wrong. But sometimes what feels like "normal pregnancy emotions" crosses into something that needs support.
Rising progesterone and hCG can make you feel like a different person — crying at commercials, snapping at your partner, feeling elated one hour and terrified the next. If you haven't told anyone yet, the isolation can amplify everything.
What's within the range of normal
Mood swings that pass. Worry about miscarriage. Feeling ambivalent about the pregnancy. Irritability tied to nausea or exhaustion. Crying more easily than usual.
Talk to your provider if
Persistent sadness lasting 2+ weeks. Anxiety that interferes with sleep or daily life. Loss of interest in things you usually enjoy. Feeling detached or "going through the motions." Intrusive, unwanted thoughts you can't shake.
What to Take Care of Now
- Complete your prenatal lab work — Blood type, Rh status, infection screening, and baseline health markers.
- Discuss genetic testing with your provider — Understand what's available, what insurance covers, and what the results can and can't tell you.
- Discuss blood pressure monitoring — Ask about your risk for pre-eclampsia and whether you should monitor at home.
- Ask about preterm birth risk — About 1 in 10 babies are born early. Know your risk factors and warning signs.
- Prioritize rest — First trimester fatigue is real. Give yourself permission to sleep more.
- Start or continue exercising — 150 min/week of moderate activity is safe and improves nearly every outcome.
- Call your insurance company — Review what's covered for prenatal care, delivery, and newborn care.
- Learn about cord blood preservation — Your baby's umbilical cord contains stem cells that have been used in transplant medicine for over 30 years. Whether to bank, donate, or both is a decision to make before delivery.
Questions for Your Next Visit
Appointments go fast. Pick the ones that matter to you right now.
- What genetic testing do you recommend for me specifically, and what will the results tell me?
- Am I at higher risk for preterm birth, preeclampsia, or gestational diabetes? What should I watch for?
- Which of my current medications and supplements are safe to continue?
- What level of exercise is appropriate for me right now?
- When should I call your office vs. go to the emergency room?
2nd Trimester
Weeks 12–28
What You May Experience
More Energy
Better sleep, returning appetite, and a noticeable lift in how you feel. This is often the most comfortable stretch of pregnancy.
Baby's Movement
Most women start feeling movement between weeks 18 and 25 — beginning as flutters and building to distinct kicks and rolls.
Anemia
If diagnosed, your iron levels need support. This is common and treatable.
Varicose Veins
Increased blood volume and uterine pressure can cause visible, sometimes uncomfortable veins in your legs.
Braxton Hicks Contractions
Practice contractions — your uterus tightening and releasing. They're usually irregular and painless.
Ears, eyelashes, fingernails developing. Legs getting longer.
About 7 inches. Covered in lanugo. Practicing sucking.
About 10 inches. Practicing breathing. Eyes open and close.
The Pressure to "Glow"
The second trimester is often called the honeymoon phase, and for many women it does feel better physically. But the pressure to feel happy and grateful can make it harder to talk about anxiety, body image struggles, or relationship stress. You don't owe anyone a glow.
What's within the range of normal
Relief mixed with new worries. Feeling self-conscious about your body. Mood dips despite feeling physically better. Worry about anatomy scan results. Relationship tension with your partner.
Talk to your provider if
Crying most days. Withdrawing from friends and activities. Difficulty bonding with the idea of your baby. Panic attacks or constant dread. Using food, alcohol, or substances to cope.
What to Take Care of Now
- AFP/Quad screen — Blood test between weeks 15–20 for genetic disorders and neural tube defects.
- Level 2 ultrasound — Between weeks 18–22. Detailed evaluation of baby's anatomy.
- Start sleeping on your side — From week 20 onward, sleeping on your side improves blood flow to your baby.
- Glucose screening — Between weeks 24–28. A one-hour blood test for gestational diabetes.
- RhoGAM injection — At week 28 if you are Rh-negative.
- Begin kick counts — Starting at week 28. At least 4 movements in one hour when resting.
- Decide on your labor support — Partner, doula, family member, or a combination.
- Sign up for childbirth and newborn care classes — These fill up. Register early.
- Research cord blood banking — Understand your options before delivery.
Questions for Your Next Visit
- What did my anatomy scan show? Is there anything you want to follow up on?
- How is my blood pressure trending? Should I be monitoring at home?
- At what point should I start counting kicks, and what should I do if counts seem low?
- Do you recommend the Tdap vaccine, and when should I get it?
- Are there any signs I should watch for between appointments?
3rd Trimester
Weeks 28–Delivery
What You May Experience
Heartburn
Your baby pushes your stomach upward, causing acid reflux after meals or when lying flat.
Back Pain & Leg Cramps
Extra weight shifts your center of gravity. Cramps tend to strike at night.
Fatigue & Mood Changes
Interrupted sleep takes a toll on energy and emotions.
Constipation & Hemorrhoids
Pressure from your growing uterus slows digestion and strains the veins around your rectum.
Swelling & Leaking
Mild swelling of feet, ankles, and hands is normal. So is colostrum leaking from your breasts — your body is preparing to feed your baby.
About 14 inches, 2 lbs. Lungs maturing. Hiccups are normal.
Most babies have settled head-down — position for delivery.
18–22 inches, 6–9 lbs. Fully developed and ready.
Fear, Anticipation & Preparing for Postpartum
Birth Anxiety
As delivery approaches, it's natural to feel anxious — about pain, complications, becoming a parent, or whether you'll know what to do. For some women, this tips into intense fear of childbirth or generalized anxiety that disrupts sleep and daily functioning.
Preparing for Postpartum
Now is the time to build your postpartum support plan — not after the baby arrives. Identify who will help, how you'll handle sleep, and know the signs of postpartum depression and anxiety so you can act early if needed.
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What to Take Care of Now
- Group B Strep screening — Vaginal/rectal swab between weeks 35–37. Antibiotics during labor if positive.
- Discuss expanded newborn screening — The heel prick test done 24–48 hours after birth checking 30+ treatable conditions.
- Finalize your birth preferences — Pain management, who's in the room, skin-to-skin, delayed cord clamping, feeding choices.
- Choose a pediatrician — Interview candidates and confirm they accept your insurance.
- Take a hospital tour — Know the facility, where to park, and the fastest route from home.
- Install the car seat — You will not be allowed to leave the hospital without one properly installed.
- Pack your hospital bag — Insurance card, ID, phone charger, going-home outfits for you and baby.
- Confirm your cord blood decision — If you haven't enrolled yet, it's not too late — even days before delivery. Visit stemcyte.com or call (866) 389-4659.
Questions for Your Next Visit
- What is your approach to induction? Under what circumstances would you recommend it?
- What pain management options are available to me during labor?
- If my baby is breech, what are my options?
- What happens in the first hour after birth? Can I request skin-to-skin and delayed cord clamping?
- What should my postpartum recovery plan include? When is my 6-week checkup?
When to Get Help
Call Your Provider
Persistent headache not relieved by rest or hydration. Visual changes (blurriness, spots, flashing lights). Swelling of face or hands (especially sudden). Painful urination or fever. Regular contractions before 37 weeks. Decreased fetal movement after 28 weeks. Persistent vomiting (can't keep liquids down for 24 hours).
Save your provider's number and hospital number in your phone now. Post them where your family can find them.