Pregnancy has always been a part of life, but the ages when women start to have children and the standards for what they are expected to do have changed as the years go by. In today’s modern society, there are some things expectant moms should know to prepare for as soon as they find out they’re pregnant. The road ahead is a bumpy and stressful one, but it’s also very rewarding.

The best way to get through it without any complications is to be prepared for everything. Below, you'll find a list of things that moms should be indulging in as soon as they find out they’re expecting. For most, once a baby is in the picture, it makes it hard to continue with some previous lifestyles. Many parents these days both work—sometimes more than one job—rather than having one stay-at-home parent. When babies come into the world, a plan needs to be put in place to prepare for their care. Half of this list is exactly that.

The other half of the list is everything a mom should do to pamper herself when she finds out she's with child. Mommy needs her me time as much as possible before the baby arrives.

20 The Grand Announcement

A pregnancy announcement can be tricky. Depending on the age of the mother, there is a safe time to announce and a time period where its best to wait. Many factors go into having a baby and some—the more harmful ones—can cause a miscarriage.

If pregnancy isn’t going to work out, more often than not, the miscarriage will happen in the first few weeks of pregnancy, usually before the first trimester is over, according to Bounty. For this reason, parents may want to wait until they are out of the first trimester to announce a pregnancy. This will avoid any unnecessary family heartbreak along the way.

19 Prepare Other Children

Typically, when a woman first finds out she is pregnant it takes about nine months before the baby comes. If there are other kids at home, it is essential to make sure they are prepared for the arrival of a new baby, even if it is almost a year away.

According to Healthy Children, it is easier to explain to older kids and have them understand right away, but with younger kids, they might need a lot more work before they realize what exactly is happening. Kids are often filled with different emotions that they probably have never felt before when new babies arrive, which means parents should be prepared to answer a lot of questions and provide some extra comfort.

18 Take A Babymoon

In addition to taking some me time before the baby arrives for those who are in a relationship, scheduling a babymoon as soon as possible can be beneficial for mom and dad. A connection could easily suffer from the addition of a new baby because all of the focus and attention goes to the little one rather than each other.

This is why it is super important to take a small trip or vacation with your significant other when possible to get in some quality time before the baby comes. According to Mama Natural, they should be scheduled as soon as possible to make sure there are enough time and funds to take a babymoon before becoming parents.

17 Nausea 101

Morning sickness is usually what causes some ladies to take that initial pregnancy test because it is a universal sign of early pregnancy. For many women, the feeling of nausea can last from anywhere between just a few weeks or throughout the entirety of the pregnancy.

It is essential to be seen by a doctor if morning sickness persists chronically in ways that do not seem standard because treatments can be given. According to Baby Center, morning sickness doesn’t necessarily happen in the morning; in all honesty, it can happen at any time throughout a pregnancy—in the morning, mid-afternoon or at night.

16 Housing Arrangements

It’s important to figure out what kind of state we are in life-wise once becoming pregnant. If we are comfortable living in the space we have currently, then nothing needs to be changed, but if there is any reason for a move it should be done earlier on in the pregnancy.

Mothers who are waddling around eight or nine months pregnant probably won’t be any help when it comes to changing houses. Moving reports that mothers should be resting when it gets late into their pregnancies, so if any moving is to occur it should be in the beginning or not at all.

15 Let The Dad In!

For the most part, women are not getting pregnant without the help of a male partner. Those male partners are probably the first that should be notified of any pregnancies involving their sperm. Many new moms love to surprise their partners in cute ways to let them know that they are going to be a dad.

According to The Bump, a t-shirt could be made, a hidden pregnancy test, subtle hints, etc. It is essential to have a lot of fun with a pregnancy of any kind because it is indeed a fantastic experience and, in most cases, the father deserves to be as involved as much as possible.

14 Start Prenatals Stat

At the beginning of a pregnancy, prenatal vitamins are a must if a mom isn't a perfectionist at clean eating. There are a certain amount of vitamins, minerals and extra nutrients that prenatal gummies or pills contain for a pregnant woman. The baby growing inside of mom is taking up a lot of nutrients for themselves, which takes away a lot from mom—this is where prenatal vitamins come in.

The good thing is that this medicine comes in a few different forms for any mom. According to WebMD, some individuals have a hard time swallowing pills, and thus should opt for gummies, which will be perfect. It is important to remember that moms need to be as healthy as possible at all times to produce healthy babies, and prenatal vitamins are the way to do that.

13 Doctor Who?

When a mother finds out she is pregnant, the first thing she should do is schedule a doctor’s appointment. First-time mothers especially have a lot of knowledge to be gained in a short amount of time, so looking for a doctor to take her on should be a top priority.

Even for mothers who have had multiple children, doctor visits are essential because every pregnancy is completely different. According to The American Pregnancy Association, doctors will need a chance to assess this specific pregnancy and find out exactly how far along the mother is to determine a due date.

12 Why Am I So Tired?

It is entirely reasonable to be exhausted during the first trimester of pregnancy—and throughout the rest as well—but the first trimester is when moms will notice the most change. According to The American Pregnancy Association, fatigue comes on because of the quick hormone change in a pregnant woman's body.

Not only that but sharing our bodies with a new heartbeat which is surviving off of us can be pretty tiring. Pregnancy is a huge change, and our body has to adjust to prepare itself for nine months of pregnancy and then childbirth. All moms out there should be getting as much rest as possible before the baby comes—don’t be afraid to sleep!

11 The Beauty Of Birthing Classes

For many moms, birthing classes are essential when a pregnancy is discovered. As the years go on, more and more rules and regulations are being released and tweaked, which means things aren’t as they were 20 years ago or even last year, for that matter.

Parents should use pregnancy as an opportunity to learn as much as they can with a birthing class rather than having to go through the process of learning everything on their own as they go. According to The American Pregnancy Association, these classes teach things like how to diaper a baby or baby CPR in case they choke. There are also specific birthing classes for parents to understand the ins and outs of the birthing process as a whole.

10 Indulge In Mommy Time

As we all know, babies take up a lot of our time, and this is why it is essential to do as much for yourself as you can before having everything revolve around the baby at all times.

Alone time is the one thing that bringing a baby into the world eliminates. Once the little one is around, we are in mommy duty 24/7, which is why it is important to take me time before they arrive. According to Today’s Parent, this could be doing things such as reading a book, napping frequently, watching a movie, etc. Anything that allows mom to relax in the month before they give birth is essential.

9 Maternity Clothes Are A Must

Pregnancy means the belly is going to grow and expand over the next nine months, which means bigger clothes are going to be needed. This is where maternity clothes come in.

Some women believe that it’s stupid to buy maternity clothes because their bodies are not going to be large and in charge for long, but at the same time, regular clothes won’t fit right for at least nine months and maybe a little more. This means they are probably going to need at least a few maternity items, but according to Parents Magazine, women can get bigger sizes of regular clothing rather than maternity if they need to.

8 Read All The Books

Publishers release many books each year that allow women to learn all about everything there is to know about motherhood. There are books such as the extremely famous What To Expect When You’re Expecting series by Heidi Murkoff, which has been the number one bestselling book about pregnancy, childbirth and taking care of children for a long time, according to Amazon.

Some moms don’t have the time to read and so it might be difficult to get into reading an informational book about pregnancy, but it gives a lot of information that is perfect for moms.

7 Nutrition Is Key

It is essential to be healthy when becoming pregnant, and for this reason, nutrition is super important for an expectant mother. Moms are often extremely hungry while pregnant because in a way it is true that we are eating for two. The problem is it seems impossible to cook nutritious meals and snacks every single time there is a hunger craving because we would be preparing all the time—this is why pregnant ladies are often known to indulge in not-so-great snacks. According to LiveScience, it is essential for expectant moms to get enough calcium, folic acid, iron and protein, which can help guide their dietary choices.

6 Start Planning That Birth, Mama

As soon as a woman finds out she is pregnant might seem a little early to start putting a birth plan together, but because there could be so many different scenarios and complications, a mother's wishes for her labor and delivery need to be carefully researched and planned out. If there is no plan set in place, according to the Mayo Clinic, it is easy for doctors to change the way some situations happen, and mothers want to avoid this happening at all costs. Moms might question what they should include, but the answer is everything should be added to be safe.

5 Get Plenty Of Rest!

Rest is essential for an expectant mother because so much of her energy is given up to growing a baby.

Once the baby is born, there is no rest—most babies feed every two hours and are up needing to be changed, only sleeping for small amounts here and there. This means mom is always going to be up taking care of the baby, making resting as much as possible before the baby comes essential. To grow a healthy baby, a mother must take care of herself, according to Mom Smart Not Hard.

4 Go Out With The Girls

Before the baby arrives, a woman has a lot more freedom to go out with friends and go on dates and pretty much do anything they could need. When a lady finds out she is pregnant for the first time, the early months are the time to go out and have fun with friends—safe fun.

Mothers need that downtime to enjoy themselves before they stress out, which is why going out and taking time for oneself is essential before the baby comes. Friends—especially ones who have already gone through the pregnancy and birthing process—are the best support system for new mothers because they can provide advice and tips that moms-to-be are going to need when their babies come into the world, according to Baby Center.

3 Get Your Chip And Joanna On

If a mother isn’t planning on moving before she gives birth, it is a good idea to get any household projects out of the way before the baby comes. Nothing is more stressful than putting a house back together before a baby arrives, so it is important to do so early on.

There is an excellent tool on The Bump that allows moms to go through and get ideas for fixing the house up for baby and getting the baby’s room together as well. The website is almost like Pinterest without pictures for mothers to talk with others who are wanting to do similar projects.

2 In A Fit Over Fitness

Being healthy is a super important element of pregnancy. Because two lives are always at stake while someone is pregnant, health is that much more important. This means moms have to pay attention to themselves a lot better than they did before they got pregnant.

There are a few key things to take care of, like watching out for any changes in diet or any pain or bleeding from areas that shouldn’t be. They need to know which foods to avoid and which are okay for pregnancy. According to Brigham Health Hub, it is essential that moms do their best not to get sick because that can be very dangerous.

1 Emotional Health Is Important Too

Many individuals skip over emotional aspects of health for most of their lives—either because they don’t realize it is something to pay attention to or they are just trying to ignore it. Pregnant women are that much more susceptible to mental health problems because there is so much going on in their bodies with the abundance of hormones as well as physical changes the body goes through. The combination of these two aspects can cause a mom to have a rough time mentally, and according to Health Direct, it is essential to always keep an eye on mental health.

References: Bounty, The Bump, Baby Center, Today’s Parents,