Pregnancy Checklist - Janine Smith Practice

This pregnancy checklist is for everyone who is pregnant. Whether you are feeling great or if your pregnancy is more complicated you can adapt these to suit your needs.

Pregnancy is a time to look after you, to focus on what you need and to gather knowledge. It is a time to ask questions, to put yourself at the centre of your care and to tune in to your instincts.

After working with thousands of expectant parents – and having three pregnancies myself – I know how different each pregnancy can be.

This pregnancy checklist is simple and effective because pregnancy wellbeing is about the basics:

being as comfortable as possible – moving, walking, stretching, using a ball, using pillows, changing positions can all help.

eat as well as possible – you might not always fancy a big meal, so little and often will be better. Keeping food and snacks as healthy as possible will boost your energy as well as your general wellbeing.
drink plenty of water – as well as preventing dehydration, drinking plenty of water can help ease tiredness and headaches.

put yourself at the centre of your care – say what you need, rest when you can, gather information and ask questions about your care and as part of your birth preparation. It can be helpful to go to any appointments with a list of any questions and to be clear about what information you want to find out.

know how to use your breathing – this is about calm, easing aches and pains, helping with sleep and preparing for birth.

speak up – if you are not feeling well, if you feel that something isn’t quite right and if you are worried about anything. You can see a midwife, your GP or go to your nearest pregnancy assessment unit.