The First Fourteen Weeks
A free early pregnancy guide. Short videos, plain answers, and a set of things worth printing.
You found out. Depending on the hour, that is either the best thing that has happened to you or the most frightening, and often both before lunch.
Then the questions start. How far along am I? Who do I see first? Is this normal? Is this normal? Is this normal?
Most of what comes up when you go looking is American, or vague, or written to sell you something.
This is seventeen short videos and a handful of printable sheets, answering the questions women actually bring me in the first fourteen weeks. Five more are written to your partner, because nobody makes anything for him this early.
Free. No login. Take what you need and leave the rest.
Not everyone who finds out is going ahead. Not everyone knows yet. If that's you, these aren't your questions. The NSW Pregnancy Choices Helpline is free, confidential, and takes no position either way. 1800 008 463, weekdays.
If something is wrong right now
Bleeding, pain, or the feeling that something isn't right.
Start here, and don't read the rest first.
How to use this
You don't have to watch these in order, though they're in the order most women need them. The first ones are about working out where you are and who's going to look after you. The middle is your body and what's normal. Then the tests, and what to make of them.
Most people arrive because of one question, watch that one, and come back when the next question turns up. That's the right way to use it.
Each video is just a few minutes. Under every one there's the same thing written out, if you'd rather read than watch. (Some of you will be watching at your desk with the sound off. I know.)
Where to start
Everything below runs in order, from the first fortnight through to the weeks after. If you'd rather jump to what's happening now:
Just found out →
How far along you are, who to see first, and what your options are in Sydney.
Feeling awful →
Symptoms, nausea, bleeding, and what's safe to eat and take.
Tests and decisions →
What you'll be offered, what it's for, and how to think about it.
Telling people →
Work, leave, and how you actually feel about all this.
If this is your situation →
Pregnant after a caesarean, after a loss, over 35, or through IVF.
For your partner →
Written to them. They can start anywhere.
The printed version
Some of this is better on paper. Especially at 3am, when the last thing you want is a screen.
The bundle is:
The First Fourteen Weeks: The whole guide, to print or read on your phone
A workbook: Room to write down what you're deciding, and what you want to ask
Seven single sheets: When to call and who, food and medicines in Australia, what tests and when, questions for your first appointment, how bad is too bad with nausea, supplements, and one for your partner
One email address, once. You get all of it.
Hello, World!
The bundle arrives straight away. After that I send something occasionally, when it's worth reading.
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Who's telling you this
I'm Jen. I'm a Registered and Endorsed Midwife in private practice in Paddington, and I've spent seventeen years at births in every setting there is. Hospital, home, theatre, birth centre. I'm not here to talk you into any of them.
Endorsed means I work independently. You don't need a referral to see me, Medicare rebates apply to most appointments, and I can order your tests and scans and prescribe what you need. Most women don't know a Midwife can do any of that, which is part of why I made this.
If you'd like to talk to someone rather than watch something, that's what appointments are for.
This is general information about pregnancy, not advice about you. It doesn't replace the care of your own midwife, GP or maternity service, and it can't account for what's particular about your pregnancy.
If you're worried about yourself or your baby, contact your maternity service or go to your nearest emergency department. Don't wait to be sure.