Welcoming a new life into your family is a significant change that comes with many financial considerations. To help you prepare, I’ve broken down potential expenses into categories to help you think about how your budget might change over the first four trimesters, covering pregnancy through the early months of postpartum, plus preconception.

There will come a point in pregnancy where it will be helpful to know the difference between prelabor and true labor contractions. Learn more about both in this post, as well as how to time them.

Let’s talk about the science behind how the nervous system works, how the mind-body connection affects the birth process, and how meditation can help us to become more resilient in ways that will benefit us in pregnancy, birth, and beyond.

There are so many options when it comes to childbirth education courses. It’s important to find the right fit for you. Here are nine tips to help you choose one.

Choosing a birth location and care provider are foundational decisions that can have a major impact on your pregnancy, birth, and postpartum experience. This post provides an overview of the main options for birth location (hospital, birth center, at home) and care provider (obstetrician, midwife, family medicine physician).

Food groups help us figure out which foods to eat in order to get all of the essential nutrients our bodies need. We’ll talk about each one, as well as how to eat them in the right proportions and in the right portions.

Postpartum is a time of adjusting to new roles and responsibilities. It’s a time when the focus shifts away from our own needs to those of our new arrival. However, prioritizing your well-being will have a direct impact on those you are caring for. Self-care is essential. So is figuring out how to make sure it actually happens.

There are so many opinions when it comes to birth planning. And there are so many ideas and options out there for documenting your decisions. This post, however, contains my list of five things NOT to do when planning for your birth experience.

You are the ultimate decision-maker when it comes to your body, pregnancy, birth, and baby. This is such an important concept to understand. With that established, this post also covers how I like to structure the decision-making process into four phases: discover, discuss, decide, and document.

Birth in the United States today has been influenced by so many factors. Learn about a few of them, as well as what could be improved for the future.

Eating well is beneficial for everyone, but it isn’t always easy or top of mind. Trying to conceive, pregnancy, and body feeding can be very motivating reasons to focus on nutrition and nourishing your body. Check out this post to learn more about nutrition and how to ensure you’re getting the essential nutrients you need each day.

Have you considered documenting your pregnancy? Read on to find out why you should and discover ten creative ideas for how to do it. From journaling to making art to documenting nature walks, there are ideas in this post for everyone!

Are you expecting a baby? While not everything has to be tackled all at once, it’s never too early to start thinking about household safety. From installing smoke alarms to anchoring furniture to preparing your pets, this post will help you prepare your house for your baby’s arrival.

This post lists a few things to do after you schedule your first prenatal appointment that will help you prepare for it.

Learn about urgent maternal warning signs (during and after pregnancy) and when to seek help from your care provider. This post also covers the signs of preterm labor and what to do.

This post has some ideas for discussions you can have with your partner prior to and during pregnancy. I also talk about some important truths when it comes to household equity.

Your body goes through a lot of changes during pregnancy. Exercise can help you adjust to these changes and avoid pain and dysfunction. But it’s important to understand which exercises are safe and which ones should be avoided. You’ll also want to be aware of symptoms that would indicate it’s time to stop exercising and contact your care provider.

Learn more about exposures and other hazards at work and at home that can have a negative impact on pregnancy. It’s important to take action to avoid heavy lifting, pesticides, certain cleaning products, loud noise, and more, during pregnancy.

Skin changes are a normal part of pregnancy. In this post, learn all about stretch marks, cholasma, and linea nigra.

Nausea and vomiting are common but challenging symptoms to manage during the first trimester of pregnancy. Although it’s called morning sickness, these symptoms can actually occur at any time during the day. This post contains some helpful management strategies to try, as well as when to seek medical care for a more severe form of nausea and vomiting called hyperemesis gravidarum.