Give Your Doctor a Checkup

Your ob-gyn may have handled your routine gynecological care for years - and perhaps even helped you through a previous pregnancy - but now's the time to decide whether she's the one you want for these nine months. Ask yourself, Are we on similar wavelengths on prenatal testing, episiotomies, and epidurals? Is the office staff friendly and accessible? Does she take the time to give clear, thoughtful responses to my questions?

"You should never have to walk out of your doctor's office with unanswered concerns," says Dr. Rubenstein. "If you're not comfortable with your doctor, now's a good time to switch. Check with friends for a recommendation, or call your local hospital and ask to speak to a nurse in the maternity ward. Labor and delivery nurses work with ob-gyns day in and day out - they know who's good."

Pay Down Debt

Having a baby costs a bundle. "The less you owe, the better," says Peter Finch, coauthor of How to Raise Kids Without Going Broke. Eliminate as much debt as possible by chipping away at loans and credit card balances or by transferring all of your balances to one low-interest-rate account, and begin paying it off.

Aim to bulk up your savings as well. The earlier you start, the more money you'll have stashed away come delivery day. The easiest, and surest, way to save a lot of money when you're in a hurry: Have a set dollar amount automatically deducted from each paycheck and deposited directly into your bank account or a mutual fund.

Look Into Leave

"Maternity leave may seem like a long way off when you're only a few weeks pregnant, but it's not too early to begin thinking about how much time off you'd like and can afford," says Carol Buckler, coauthor of Everything a Working Mother Needs to Know. "There's a lot to consider."

While you probably won't want to tell your supervisor about the pregnancy until you've reached the second trimester - when the risk of miscarriage is largely behind you - you can use this time to check out your company's maternity-leave policy. Read the employee handbook, or discreetly ask colleagues with young kids. "They should be able to explain how the employer managed their leave and give you the inside scoop on things they were able to negotiate, such as making the transition back to work on a part-time basis for a few weeks," says Ann Douglas, coauthor of The Unofficial Guide to Having a Baby. You may also discover that if you start storing up sick or vacation days now, you can use them for a longer leave later.

Make Connections

It goes without saying that you'll get plenty of pregnancy advice both from books and from your doctor, but you should also talk to the real pros - the women who've been there. Get to know new parents in your neighborhood, hook up with moms in your exercise class, or chat online. Parents will be eager to offer tips on everything from curbing morning sickness to shopping for maternity clothes. And when the baby arrives, you'll have a built-in playgroup and maybe even a sitter or two.

Pamela Kramer, mother of two, lives in Colorado.

---