Before your baby arrives
Pregnancy.
A little organisation for a big change. Make space for questions, plan the practical support around you and choose what can wait.
Read a short guide or find a practical tool for this stage.
Browse the resourcesFrom Supporting Mums, founded by Jens, mum of two. Practical ideas and trusted signposts, not medical advice or a checklist of what your child should be doing. Choose the part that fits your family today.
01 · Appointments & questions
A place for the questions you keep remembering
It is easy to think of a question after an appointment has finished. Keep a small list that you can bring to your maternity team, alongside anything they have asked you to remember.
A practical place to begin
- Start one note for appointment questions, dates and the contact details your maternity team gives you.
- Put your most important question first. Ask for an explanation or information in a format that works for you.
- Before leaving, check what happens next and who to contact if something changes.
This is an organising prompt, not an appointment schedule. For a health concern, contact your maternity team rather than waiting to complete a list.
A printable that may help
Official guidance & specialist support
02 · Home & baby essentials
Getting your home ready, one useful corner at a time
Preparing for a baby does not have to mean equipping every room. Think first about the jobs you will do often, the space you actually have and what somebody could lend you safely.
A practical place to begin
- Make three columns: needed soon, can borrow or check, and can wait.
- Choose a convenient home for everyday supplies and tell anyone helping where they are.
- Check current safety guidance and product instructions before buying or reusing baby equipment, especially anything for sleep or travel.
A tidy plan is useful; a picture-perfect nursery is not a requirement. This list is not a baby-equipment safety checklist.
A printable that may help
Official guidance & specialist support
03 · Birth & the first days
Plan the practical bits around birth
A practical plan can sit alongside the birth preferences you discuss with your maternity team. It gives other people somewhere to look for the everyday details while you focus on what you need.
A practical place to begin
- Note your maternity contact details and discuss travel arrangements with the people supporting you.
- If you have other children, agree who can collect them, what they need and a backup contact.
- Write down who could help with meals, pets, laundry or messages in the first days at home.
Plans can change. Keep clinical decisions and questions about labour with your maternity team.
A printable that may help
Official guidance & specialist support
04 · Work, money & childcare
Put the paperwork in one place
There can be several separate conversations to organise before a baby arrives: work, leave, household costs and future childcare. A short list of questions is a useful start without deciding everything today.
A practical place to begin
- Gather your employer or HR contact, any relevant letters and the questions you want answered.
- Note the dates you need to check directly with your employer or the relevant official service.
- Keep childcare research in a separate list: possible start date, location, hours and questions about costs.
Eligibility, deadlines and funded childcare differ by circumstances and UK nation. Use the official guidance rather than assuming a scheme applies to you.
A printable that may help
Official guidance & specialist support
05 · Feelings & your support circle
Who is in your corner?
There is room for more than one feeling about becoming a mum, whether this is your first baby or another big change for your family. Practical support can be easier to ask for when the request is specific.
A practical place to begin
- Write the names of people you can talk to honestly, without needing to make everything sound positive.
- Beside each name, note one realistic request: company at an appointment, a meal or help with another child.
- Think about what you would rather keep private, and how you want news or updates shared.
You do not need to wait until things feel unmanageable to speak to your midwife or GP about how you are feeling.
A printable that may help
- Your small weekly reset · For mums & family life
- Out of your head, onto paper · For mums & family life
Official guidance & specialist support
Guidance links checked 6 September 2026. NHS links are to NHS.uk unless otherwise labelled; local care arrangements may differ. Check with your own maternity team, health visitor or GP for individual advice.