The first steps of your pregnancy: symptoms, emotions and preparation

Perhaps you have wanted a baby for a long time and are enjoying early pregnancy as pure bliss, or perhaps you are full of adrenaline due to the surprising news. After the first pregnancy test, you buy another one to be on the safe side and want to calculate the expected date of delivery straight away.

Your diet is already changing and you're eating two chocolate croissants a day, even though you usually avoid sweets. During this phase, you may actually be inclined to do things that you don't recognise in yourself. The thought of what is to come is a constant companion for most parents-to-be, with both positive and negative feelings.

The positive ones certainly include thoughts about the baby, the initial equipment and the times of pregnancy comfort. The worries include thoughts about whether the pregnancy can be reconciled with the job and whether financial security is guaranteed. Fathers-to-be in particular worry about these things at the beginning, while mothers may be more concerned about complications. Fortunately, the joy outweighs the worries for most women.

We are going to be parents! Suddenly you're staring in delight at strange prams and stop at the rummage table with the baby bodysuits. You feel the need to stroke your belly, even if you can't see the miracle that is currently taking place inside it from the outside. Your partnership takes on new dimensions and you are already thinking about the best name for your child.

Curiosity! Questions become more concrete, curiosity grows ever greater. Will it be a boy or a girl? Who is a competent contact person? Will I burst into tears with emotion at the first antenatal appointment? How will my body change?

Announce the news! Some parents-to-be want to shout out their happiness and start a tour of their circle of friends to announce the good news. Others wait for a while before informing those around them so that they can process the news themselves first. But this secrecy is not so easy. How do I explain the incredible sparkle in my eyes? How do I explain to my colleagues at a business lunch that I'm only toasting with orange juice today? And when is the right time to tell my parents or siblings?

Concentrated emotions! In addition to the organisational questions that go through every woman's mind during the exciting early days, strange images keep popping up: Perhaps you see in your mind's eye the birth announcement of your own child or you lying in bed with the edges of your eyes after a night of sleep. For many parents, such thoughts flash through their minds like film sequences. But this shouldn't worry you at all. For most women, the early stages of pregnancy mean a turbulent emotional chaos, which is not least due to the hormonal changes that the body first has to process. But everything will find its way over time.

At the latest when you start to suffer from morning sickness or other complaints, or when you automatically include the date of birth in your holiday plans, your everyday life will resume its usual course and you can concentrate on the here and now again.

You are unique! You will get lots of tips from friends about pregnancy sports, high-risk pregnancies, birth and breastfeeding. You will read up on prenatal diagnostics or homeopathy and find out about the last few days before the birth. At the same time, one thing is certain: your pregnancy is unlike any other! Realise this and decide for yourself what is good for you. Listen to your gut feeling!