Find out when to schedule your first prenatal appointment

Your monthly visitor is nowhere to be found. You've been pacing around for those three minutes waiting for the news, and BAM! There it is. You're preggers! Big news! So...now what?

Time to call up your prenatal health care provider and schedule your first appointment. While you may be so excited that you are ready to run right over, your OB or birth center will probably want you to come in 6-8 weeks from your last menstrual period. But if you have a medical condition or have had previous problems with pregnancy, they may get you on the schedule sooner. If you're taking medications, think you may have been exposed to a hazardous substance, or are having symptoms like vaginal bleeding, abdominal pain, or severe nausea and vomiting, ask to speak to your doctor or midwife as soon as possible.

Over the course of your pregnancy, your practitioner's office will start to feel like a second home, as you'll go in frequently for prenatal tests and checkups. Try to keep a list of questions or concerns you have so you can remember to bring them up once you're in the office. Luckily most visits are brief, but the first appointment will probably be a little longer unless complications arise. You'll get to do fun stuff like fill out paperwork, pee in a cup, have blood drawn, get a pelvic exam, and talk about your medical history, possible genetic testing, and guidelines for taking care of yourself and your baby. It's a veritable pregnancy party!