When you first find out you're pregnant, and the initial excitement has calmed down, one of the first things a woman might start to think about is maternity wear.
But actually, one of the first things a woman should think about is food.
No, not how much more you can eat, but what kinds of food are best for a pregnant body.
In the first weeks and months of pregnancy, the most important foods to consider are those that contain high amounts of folic acid.
Low levels of folic acid in the early stages of pregnancy has been linked to anaemia and higher incidents of spinabifida in the baby.
Foods rich in folic acid are dark green vegetables like spinach and broccoli, whole meal bread, potatoes, pulses and nuts and animal products like liver, kidney and egg yolk.
Calcium is the next thing you need to think about when it comes to food.
You need calcium for strong bones, teeth, muscles and healthy blood pressure.
Calcium can usually be found in highest amounts in dairy foods like milk, cheese and yoghurt.
It can also be found in beans, soy, oats, nuts, fish and green vegetables.
Iron is another one of those important minerals your body needs during pregnancy.
It helps muscle growth and tone in both mother and baby and prevents anaemia.
Heme Iron is found in red meat, liver, mussels and oysters.
Non-heme iron can be sourced from cereals and grains, beans, pulses and seeds.
Pregnant women however, should not eat liver because its high levels of Vitamin A can be harmful to babies.
Fatty acids, or omega 3s are also important to a woman carrying a baby.
These acids help to develop brain and eye function in the baby.
Flax seeds and walnuts are an excellent source of omega 3 fatty acids.
They can also be found in beans, soy, salmon, squash and olive oil.
However it has been found that heating the fish will render the fatty acids in the meat, useless.
So looking at the four important vitamins and minerals a pregnant woman should ingest, it becomes clear that there are some foods that are simply essential in any pregnant woman's diet.
1) Green vegetables - dark green, leafy vegetables such as spinach, cabbage, kale, broccoli, brussel sprouts and beans.
2) Pulses or legumes - kidney beans, lima beans, broad beans, peas, chick peas, lentils, butter beans and mung beans.
3) Lean Meat - fish and read meat 4) Diary - skim milk, cheese and yoghurts 5) Nuts and Seeds - walnuts, brazil nuts, almonds, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds The raw and most natural forms these foods take are always the ideal option for maximum absorption of essential vitamins and minerals.
Now, once you have included these five super foods into your daily menu, then it's time to think about what kind of maternity dresses you might need to get.
So as you munch on a handful of walnuts, you can decide if you'll go with the one with the cute frills or the purple one with the keyhole detail.