It was a year ago today that I stepped into the bathroom at my workplace, shaking HARD, pregnancy test in hand. I just KNEW I was pregnant and was trying not to get too excited, but also bracing for the fact that it could totally be true. Nothing prepares you for that glorious moment. All the “NOT PREGNANT” tests I had received before felt like a distant memory, and time literally stood still.

Did I cry? NO. I was frozen. It took me probably 5 minutes to even move an inch, but when I did, I began to laugh. I was so excited, overwhelmed, and surprised. I can remember it like it happened just 10 minutes ago! Here I am now with an almost 5 month old. Time really goes by so quickly, but if you want to know more about my pregnancy story, you can read all about it here.

5 THINGS TO DO WHEN YOU’RE NEWLY EXPECTING

There are 5 things I want to share that can help with the “newly pregnant” stage, whether they are things I wish I had done, or things I did and really loved.

CHOOSE YOUR HEALTH FIRST

If you’re not already, start taking a prenatal! It’s important to get extra folic acid in. If you’re a smoker or drinker, please just stop. You can do your own research on it all, but my advice is to stop ASAP. You can set a prenatal appointment with your doctor, but when you call, go over your medications with them to make sure they are all safe for pregnant women.

If you want to learn more ways to be your healthiest self during pregnancy, you can check out a post I wrote all about it here.

CONNECT WITH OTHERS

I think one of the best things I could have done during my pregnancy was to connect with others. It’s easy to feel like you’re ONLY talking about your baby, but that’s probably because you are. Find a friend who is pregnant also and you can talk about nursery decor, doctor’s appointments, and all the other baby things you could imagine.

DO YOUR RESEARCH

There are many different ways to go about “momming.” It’s easy to have people in your ear one way or another. It’s important to remember to DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH. Ask your doctor, read books, consult with other moms you trust, but then ultimately, make the hard decisions yourself.

DON’T GET SHOPPING HAPPY

This is something I really wish I had done my first time around. I bought so many pieces of clothing once I found out we were having a girl. The fact is, you don’t know how big your baby will be once they are born, nor do you know the rate in which they will grow! My girl was under 3 pounds, so now at almost 5 months, she is JUST moving from newborn clothes to 3 months.

I think there are important things you will want to buy, and SURELY there will be things that catch your eye and you just HAVE to have…but don’t overdo it. We tried to make a diaper stockpile! Everyone said “you won’t need any newborn diapers!” So we bought one package of them. Guess who has a kid that is STILL in newborn diapers? WE DO.

START TO SAVE

This is something I definitely DO NOT regret. My only wish is that we would have saved MORE. We started stashing $100/month for “just in case” things that would happen within the first year. We also did our best to pay all medical bills as we went and saved all of our extra money for expenses that might come up.

We didn’t PLAN for our baby to come via C-section or to have an 18 day NICU stay! But the savings really came in handy! I’d suggest saving all you can, but if you have a debt that takes up a significant amount of money each month for a minimum that you could pay off quickly- DO IT. You will want that extra cash in your budget! (And you can read more about budgeting here.)