You're having a baby!

Congratulations - you're pregnant! One of your very first questions - probably while you're still clutching that positive test - is likely to be ‘When's my baby due?' To find out, check our easy-to-use chart. You can also ask your GP to confirm your due date for you. And, once you've got that all-important date circled in your diary, check our handy to-do list, right, to help you start planning ahead.

To find out when your baby is due
Your pregnancy is considered to start from the first day of your last period, which means you'll be considered to be four weeks pregnant when you miss your first period. Your due date isn't calculated from your fertile times or from when you had sex, as there are several days around ovulation when fertilisation could have taken place.

To find your due date, click here to bring up the due date calculator. Then look up the first day of your last period on the top row of figures - the date below it, in bold, will be your estimated due date. If, for example, the first day of your last period was 28 October, your due date would be 4 August. Once you know your due date, you can work out when each week of your pregnancy falls by counting back from it in your diary.

Getting organised
Your head is probably already spinning with all the thoughts, questions and emotions that pregnancy brings. To help you start thinking about what comes next, we've put together a useful to-do list (below). It's not exhaustive - but it will give you some initial ideas and direct you to pages in this guide where you can find out more on certain topics such as antenatal checks and tests, when to tell your boss and what to eat now you're expecting.

What to do as soon as you know…

• Book a visit to see your GP. They’ll be able to confirm your pregnancy and give you info about your booking-in appointment. This will be with your midwife and will happen between weeks eight and 14 of your pregnancy. Your GP can also give you a form to fill in, which entitles you to free prescriptions and dental treatment while you’re pregnant – complete it and send it off as soon as possible.
  
• Check our healthy eating features to see which foods you need to eat for a healthy baby, and which ones to avoid.
  
• Write all your midwife and antenatal appointments down and start thinking about how and when to your boss the good news.
• If you want to attend antenatal classes, get in fast. They can get very booked up very quickly. At your booking-in appointment, ask your midwife for details of what’s on offer in your area, and book now to save yourself a stressful scramble later on.
  
• Start saving. You’ll be really grateful for any money you can put away while you’re still on your full income. There are expensive times ahead, so we’ve got some great info about shopping wisely for your baby .
  
• It’s not too early to start thinking about the birth you want – especially if you live somewhere where you have a good choice of hospitals and birth options. Talk to your midwife and any friends who’ve given birth locally and click here for more advice.
  
• Start reading up and learning. As well as this guide, you’ll find a wealth of info in Prima Baby every month. You can get a great subscription deals and if you register you can make the most of the expert advice, giveaways and chatrooms.

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