10 Key Pregnancy Milestones To Celebrate Throughout Your Journey

Your pregnancy journey should last around nine months, and it is filled with various milestones. A lot of moms-to-be don’t appreciate all the little moments that happen from the moment you find out you’re pregnant to your due date. There are so many moments to cherish along the way. 

Pregnancy is the most special time in life. It’s a ridiculously tough process that proves the strength of women all over the planet, so it deserves to be celebrated as much as possible throughout the journey. Here are some key milestones worth highlighting as you carry new life into the world. 

Discovering You’re Pregnant

Of course, you have to celebrate the moment you discover you’re pregnant. Perhaps you’ve been trying for a while and finally got that positive pregnancy test. For many couples, it’s the most joyous moment of their lives. 

However, it’s also the start of a massive whirlwind! Life will be different from here on out, so don’t forget to celebrate this wonderful milestone. Take the time to recognize and cherish this moment, and get ready for the rest of your beautiful journey. 

Attending your first prenatal appointment

You’ll attend lots of prenatal appointments across your three trimesters before giving birth. There comes a point when you get a bit annoyed with them towards the end, but the very first one is a cause for celebration! It’s a special moment where you meet the people who’ll help guide you through pregnancy and do everything they can to ensure you and your baby remain healthy. 

Also, the first prenatal appointment is doubly special because you hear your baby’s heartbeat for the first time. This is one of the many milestones along the way that ground you and make everything feel extra real. It’s a tearjerker, so be sure to celebrate this when you get home with a nice dinner. 

Telling loved ones you’re pregnant

As soon as you find out you’re pregnant, you’re eager to tell everyone about it. But when is it safe to tell people you are pregnant? Of course, you can tell them whenever you want, but most  wait for at least 6 weeks and do it after your first prenatal appointment. 

Why? Because studies show that the risk of miscarriage drops to under 10% after 6 weeks. While there’s never a guarantee you won’t face pregnancy issues, the chances of something going wrong before the due date diminish when you wait this long and get a confirmed heartbeat. 

Again, it’s entirely up to you.  Announcing your pregnancy is one of the best moments of the whole journey because everyone is so happy for you. It’s probably the first proper celebration you have during the process. 

Getting the first ultrasound

Nothing compares to seeing your baby for the first time - even if it’s on a computer screen and they look like a grayish blob. Getting your first ultrasound is another one of those “pinch me” moments. Things already feel real, but it hits another level when you see a tiny human moving around on the ultrasound scanner. 

When should you get your first ultrasound? To be honest, it depends on your obstetrician and your health history. Some moms get theirs at the first prenatal appointment, while others don’t get a scan until 9 weeks in. Either way, it’s cause for a massive celebration! 

Seeing your baby bump emerge

As the weeks go by (usually in a flash), you start noticing obvious changes in your body. You develop the classic first-trimester symptoms of morning sickness and random food cravings, and you begin to see a little bump emerge. 

You’ll notice this before anyone else because you’re used to how your body looks and feels. It’s a beautiful moment when you look in the mirror and see the bump from a side profile. Call your partner and show them, then take a picture to immortalize this moment and cherish it forever. 

Escaping the first trimester and moving into the second

People don’t become noticeably pregnant until the second trimester. This is when the bump gets bigger, people comment on it, and the excitement levels ramp up further. It’s also a joyous moment because you escape the turmoils of the first trimester. Morning sickness starts to get better, so you feel like you can actually enjoy the pregnancy a bit more. 

Well, “enjoy” might be a strong word when you start feeling heavier, and everything requires more effort! 

Regardless, it’s a big milestone to commit to your memory forever. Celebrate it with your loved ones and relish the fact that you’re just two trimesters away from bringing your baby home. 

Buying the first baby-related items

Honestly, you might celebrate this milestone way earlier in your pregnancy, but that doesn’t matter. Whenever you buy the first baby-related items, you should celebrate the moment. It’s a substantial part of your life - you don’t realize how significant it is until you look back many years later. 

This is when you buy your baby’s first onesie or your first set of maternity clothes. Make sure you get some good pics so you can look at them in the future and remember where it all started. 

Your baby’s first kick

WebMD says you should feel your baby kick between weeks 16 and 25 of your pregnancy. Boy oh boy is this a big moment. It can take you by surprise if this is your first child, but it’s hard to describe how special the feeling is. You’ll may cry - and you’ll spend the next few days/weeks with someone else’s hand on your tummy, trying to get them to feel a kick too. 

As with all of these milestones, you should jot this down somewhere to remember it. Get a pregnancy diary or create a photo journal with dates for every big moment. 

Moving into the third trimester

You’ve reached week 27, which means you’re officially in the third trimester. It’s taken a lot to get here, but you’re now just a few weeks away from meeting your little one. 

This is when everything starts stretching, and simple things are harder to do. You’ll be a lot more fatigued, and it’s highly likely you’ll experience some anxiety at this stage, too. That’s perfectly natural, so don’t be afraid to talk to your partner or a professional about your feelings. 

Giving birth

It’s finally here. You’ve reached your due date and are about to go into labor. Realistically, now’s not the time for celebrations! You’ll have lots on your plate, so focus on getting through the tough part and celebrate after. Giving birth is so magical and wonderful, and you immediately feel an incredible connection to the tiny human you created. It’s another “pinch me” moment - you’ll look at your little one and think wow, did I really just bring something this beautiful into the world?! 

Just a reminder to celebrate all the different moments throughout your pregnancy journey. There are many points along the way when you need to stop for a second and recognize you’re doing something special. Take photos or videos of these key milestones so you have a way of remembering them forever.