In 60 seconds
Your short plan for this week
Do a real or virtual route check at the time of day you may travel, including the correct entrance outside normal hours.
Ask what symptoms mean 'call first,' 'come in now' or 'call emergency services' in your maternity plan.
Do not make the pregnant person the only holder of addresses, phone numbers, documents or childcare instructions.
What you may notice
Your body and how you may feel
You may need more rest and more deliberate pacing without becoming completely inactive.
What is happening
Baby’s development this week
The lungs and nervous system continue their final weeks of preparation.
Plain-language examples
What this means in real life
A plan can be simple: primary route, backup transport, who calls ahead, where to enter, who looks after dependants and where essentials are kept.
A short checklist
What to do now
- Do a real or virtual route check at the time of day you may travel, including the correct entrance outside normal hours.
- Discuss birth preferences, feeding support and early recovery.
- Notice your baby's usual movement pattern and act promptly on a clear change.
Pause and check
What not to do—or what to ask first
- Do not make the pregnant person the only holder of addresses, phone numbers, documents or childcare instructions.
What may be coming up
Appointments, tests and decisions
Ask what symptoms mean 'call first,' 'come in now' or 'call emergency services' in your maternity plan.
Choose birth and newborn learning
Look for evidence-based antenatal education that includes recovery and newborn care.
Write flexible birth preferences
Record what matters to you while allowing plans to change for safety or preference.
Review pregnancy vaccinations
Confirm current and seasonal recommendations with your clinician.
Save the route and urgent contacts
Know where to go, how to get there and whom to call day or night.
For the support person
One useful thing a partner can do
- Run the logistics rehearsal, share the notes and fix one weak point while there is still time.
Contact your care team
Contact your doctor or maternity team promptly
Some concerns need advice before the next routine appointment even when they do not feel like an emergency. If a symptom becomes severe, sudden or frightening, use urgent care instead.
See when to contact careUrgent or emergency
Urgent signs during pregnancy or within a year after birth
Get medical care immediately for these symptoms. The list is not exhaustive; if something feels seriously wrong, seek help.
Open urgent warning signs