• How to prepare for pregnancy
• Multivitamin vs prenatal and folic acid
• Addressing pre-existing conditions (ie high blood pressure/diabetes/hypothyroid/depression)
• Weight and exercise
• Vaccines and screening tests
• Genetic tests (aka “carrier screening”)

• Menstrual cycle length and ovulation review
• Calculating ovulation and “when to try”
• Sperm and egg details!
• What about drinking alcohol?

• Home pregnancy tests and what’s the difference?
• What happens when you see the positive test!
• What if you have spotting/bleeding/pain before your first visit?
• Miscarriage and ectopic review

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• Types of miscarriages
• Options for management
• What happens after
• How long do you need to wait to try again
• Likelihood of recurrent miscarriages
• MINDSET nuggets to get you through

• Caffeine?
• Sushi?
• Exercise?
• Sex?
• Coloring my hair?
• Smoking?

• Prescription medication for: depression, thyroid, blood pressure, cholesterol, herpes.
• OTC meds: acetaminophen, ibuprofen, etc
• Low Dose Aspirin for preeclampsia prevention

• How to calculate the due date?
• How many MONTHS IS pregnancy?
• How do we define the trimesters?
• What happens at the first visit (and what is a transvaginal ultrasound?)
• What is the “nuchal translucency” test?
• Am I a “high-risk pregnancy”?

• Why wait until about 8 weeks from your period
• Ultrasound measurement and seeing the fetal heartbeat.
• Changing my due date based on the measurement?
• Blood tests?

• When to call your OB/midwife and do you have to rush to the ER?
• Is it “normal” or “common” to bleed?
• Does it always mean a miscarriage (HINT: NO!!!)
• Knowing your blood type

• Do I need extra progesterone in the first trimester?
• What are the side effects of your OWN progesterone hormone?
• Progesterone shots/suppositories in the IVF setting.
• Progesterone in the PRETERM LABOR setting.

• What and when to eat?
• What medications can I take and are they safe?

• Carrier screen (ie tests for YOU and possibly your partner for things like Cystic Fibrosis)
• Nuchal translucency/Amniocentesis/CVS (tests of the BABY’s chromosomes)
• Cancer genetic screening (not pertinent to pregnancy but OFTEN confusion abounds!)

• What is the NT and why do we do it
• When do we do it
• What other tests can we do to rule out problems?
• What is screening vs diagnostic tests?

• Do I want to fixate on a vaginal birth or should I remain open-minded (HINT: UMMMM open-minded for the win!!)
• Do I need/want a Doula with me?
• What is a Birth Plan and should I write one?
• How can I BEST collaborate with my OB/midwife?
• Does “nature” really intend for all of us to birth vaginally?

• What is “pre-term labor” vs “false labor” (aka Braxton-Hicks).
• What happens if I have a preterm delivery and will my baby go to the NICU
• When should I NO LONGER be worried about a preterm delivery?
• What is this “GROUP B STREP” and should I be in FEAR of it? (HINT: NO!!)
• How/when will I be tested for GBS?

• Why should I be sure I am OPEN to BOTH types of births?
• What are the benefits to a vaginal birth (what are “the microbiome and epigenetics” anyway)?
• What are the benefits to a cesarean birth (hello pelvic floor health and our intact vagina!)?
• Can I apply Shieva’s mindset mantra “NOTHING is ever ONLY, EVERYTHING is always AND” (ie things can be BOTH/AND, not EITHER/OR)?
• How can I have an open/trusting/collaborative experience (HINT: having this knowledge from our class is a GREAT step!!)?
• What are the “5 P’s” of labor (power/passenger/pelvis, etc)

• What if I have a planned/scheduled cesarean section?
• How can I prepare mentally and otherwise (ie what should I eat—PDF attached)?
• What if I have an unplanned c-section during labor?
• What is an “emergency c-section”?
• Can I request a c-section (CDMR “cesarean delivery maternal request”)?
• Why may I need a c-section? What is “arrest of dilation” and “arrest of descent”?
• What is a VBAC (vaginal birth after c-section) vs TOLAC (trial of labor after c-section)?
• What is the OR like and what will happen the day of the c-section?
• What is a spinal anesthesia vs epidural anesthesia?
• What is a “gentle” c-section?
• Will I be able to do “skin-to-skin”?
• How do I care for my incision and what’s the difference between staples vs sutures?

• Why is my baby breech?
• What is an “external cephalic version” and will it hurt me or my baby?
• What other tricks can I try to turn this baby?
• Should I try to deliver my baby butt first?

• What is the cervix? Show me my anatomy!
• Should I try perineal massage?
• How can I try to get labor going? Sex? Castor oil? Dates?
• What is “stripping the membranes” and is it safe?

• Why would I need/want to be induced?
• Is it safe? Is there data to support induction?
• What is the ARRIVE trial?
• How long will the induction take and what methods are there?
• What is this “cervical ripening” I hear about?
• Will they let me eat and drink during labor?
• What pain medicine will I get during my induction?

• How do I know I’m going into labor vs if it’s “false labor”?
• Who will be delivering me and when do I go to the hospital?
• What if my water breaks without any contractions?
• How much should I be bleeding?
• Will the baby be moving during labor?

• What are the “stages” of labor?
• What are all these numbers I hear during my cervical exam?
• What is “dilation and effacement”?
• Should I get an epidural and if so, when?
• How will they monitor my baby’s heart rate?
• What position will I be laboring in?
• What happens if there’s meconium?

• What is the “second stage of labor”?
• How will I push? In what position? What is “spinning babies”?
• What if I poop? (HINT: IT’S NORMAL!!!!)
• Tell me about an episiotomy vs tearing on my own?
• What is a “nuchal cord” (aka cord around the neck) and how common is it?
• What is “shoulder dystocia”?
• Can we discuss operative vaginal deliveries (aka vacuum and forceps)?
• What happens RIGHT when the baby comes out?
• Why am I shaking so much during labor and after?

• What is the “third stage”?

• What is “delayed cord clamping”?

• Can we discuss jaundice?

• Do I need to push out my placenta?

• What happens if I have a post-partum hemorrhage?

• What happens if part of my placenta gets stuck?

• Will I need a blood transfusion and is it safe?

• Am I going to tear? Will I need an episiotomy?
• How will my OB/midwife fix my vagina?
• What are the different types of tears? (1^st degree tear vs 4^th degree tear)
• What happens in the hours/days immediately after the delivery?
• Will I be able to poop without RIPPING apart (HINT: YES!!)
• Why do I have hemorrhoids?
• What happens to my estrogen levels and will my vagina/vulva ever heal!!
• Pelvic floor physical therapy—do I need it?
• What is this QUEEF thing??
• Will I be able to have sex after I’ve had a baby?

• PDF attached with what to bring?
• What if I have to show up in an emergency with NOTHING packed? (HINT: it’s ok!!)
• What does the hospital give me?
• Will I see a pediatrician?

• What happens immediately post-partum?
• What happens in the first few weeks? How are my hormones changing?
• Why am I crying and laughing ALL AT ONCE?
• What HAPPENED to my body?