Expecting Moms Timeline

Click on the timeline below to access resources and learn more about pregnancy and birth.

Newly Pregnant

Understanding Your Options
Do you know all of your childbirth options so that you can make the decisions that are right for you and your family? Read more
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Educate Yourself
Have you signed up for a childbirth education class, read any pregnancy and birthing books, watched documentaries yet? Get a sense of what birth options are available to you. Read more
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5 Steps to a Healthy Birth

Do you feel overwhelmed by all the birth information? Start with these 5 steps to guide you through the process of making your decisions.

Read more

Planning Your Birth

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Your Birth Team

Have you decided on your birth team? Use our provider network to find the best possible match for you.

Read more
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Your Birth Environment

Where will you feel best supported and safest birthing? Start here to explore to your personal philosophy and vision for your birth.

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Preparing for Labor and Delivery

Have you researched different labor coping strategies and pain management techniques? Use our provider directory to explore a birth doula, learn about epidurals and learn what feels right for you.

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Postpartum Health

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Caring for your newborn

What are the ways you want to bond and care for your baby immediately after birth? Learn more from our professionals.

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Breastfeeding and Beyond

Do you want to make sure you have support for breastfeeding? Read our stories and find providers that can help with any of your questions or challenges.

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Caring for Yourself

Have you remembered to plan good care techniques for yourself? Learn more on how new moms find ways to connect with other new moms and birth professionals to get the support they need in the early weeks.

Read more

Exploring your birth options can feel overwhelming. In a matter of months, you’ll need to sift through options and opinions and come to your own conclusions—no easy feat.

Start by learning the basics: the different types of birth methods, intervention techniques, providers, and philosophies that are available to you.

Speak with other parents about what worked or didn’t. As you start exploring your options, you’ll find that planning your experience isn’t black and white.

Most women fall somewhere in between a totally natural birth and a completely medical one. There are many different ways to give birth, and no experience is quite like the last.

Ask yourself questions like, “What’s my birth philosophy?” and listen carefully to your answers. Address questions and anxieties with a partner, doula, counselor, or care provider, and discuss how your choices impact and shape your plan.

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To learn more, sign up for a workshop or find childbirth educators and doulas on the CiC Provider Network.