Pregnancy To-Do List: What to Sort Each Trimester

Pregnancy admin arrives in waves, and almost everything has a natural deadline. First trimester: self-refer, folic acid and vitamin D, dating scan. Second: tell work by week 25 for maternity pay, MATB1, anomaly scan, start the slow purchases. Third: bag by 36 weeks, car seat installed, clothes washed, triage number in your phone. This is a UK checklist, not a shopping haul.

Who should skip this pregnancy to-do list?

Skip this if you are already in labour — use signs of labour and the hospital bag checklist. Skip it if you are planning a home birth and your midwife has given you a trust-specific list: that list wins. Skip the buying sections if you already own the kit from a previous baby; keep the paperwork dates.

What should you sort in the first trimester (weeks 1–12)?

Self-refer to maternity (you often do not need to wait for a GP), start folic acid 400 micrograms daily until at least week 12, start vitamin D, check medicines with a pharmacist, and book the dating scan. The NHS vitamins page is the source (NHS — vitamins, supplements and nutrition in pregnancy, checked 12 August 2026).

Tell work when you choose, but remember: legally you must tell your employer by the 15th week before the due date to protect maternity pay. Telling earlier unlocks paid antenatal appointments and a risk assessment. See maternity leave and pay.

What should you sort in the second trimester (weeks 13–27)?

Tell your employer in writing. Get your MATB1 from your midwife from around week 20 — it is the key to Statutory Maternity Pay. Book the 20-week anomaly scan. Book antenatal classes now; NHS ones are free and fill months ahead.

Start the slow purchases: pushchair, car seat, cot. Delivery and research time is the constraint, not Instagram. Use best pushchairs and best car seats. Safer-sleep guidance is baby in your room for six months, so a full nursery can wait. If you will need childcare, join waiting lists now — city nurseries routinely run 6–12 months.

What should you sort in the third trimester (weeks 28–40+)?

Pack the bag by 36 weeks (32 for twins). Install the car seat and practise. Wash baby clothes in non-bio. Save your maternity triage number. SMP starts when you stop work if you qualify; Maternity Allowance needs a DWP claim if you do not. Write a short birth plan and treat it as a conversation, not a contract.

What does everyone forget until week 39?

A TENS machine if you want one (hire by 36, do not buy the night you pack). Hospital parking. Going-home clothes that still fit a bump. Who gets the first message from the ward. Wills and guardians — unglamorous, and the hour that pays back. See making a will.

One next action: put the triage number in your phone today, then only pack the bag when you hit 36 weeks.