Pregnancy timeline

Before you are pregnant

If you have international health insurance, add a maternity benefit now. Waiting periods of 10 to 24 months are common. A positive pregnancy test does not start that clock. The policy start date does.

Schedule a full physical. Check thyroid function, iron levels, vaccinations, and dental care. These are easier to complete before pregnancy than in the third trimester. If you take regular medicine, confirm that it is sold in Beijing and under what name.

Weeks 1–12

Confirm the pregnancy at a hospital where you might deliver. A clinic test is useful. The dating scan that goes into your official file should be done at your chosen hospital.

建卡 (jiàn kǎ) means opening an official pregnancy record. In public hospitals, this is how a delivery bed is reserved. In Beijing, this is often done in the first or early second trimester. Bring passports, residence permits, and a marriage certificate if you have one. A notarized Chinese translation of the marriage certificate is helpful.

NIPT and NT scans are offered at both public and international hospitals. Keep every printed result.

Weeks 13–28

This period includes the glucose test, anatomy scan, and regular blood-pressure and weight checks. Public hospitals usually do not explain procedures in English. Private and international hospitals do, and they charge more for that service.

Choose your delivery hospital now. Transferring a 建卡 later is possible, but it takes time and extra visits.

If your residence permit is tied to an employer, tell HR about the pregnancy. Maternity leave for foreign staff is set by your contract. Confirm the terms in writing.

Weeks 29–40

Visits become more frequent. Pack a hospital bag that assumes your partner may wait outside the room. Include snacks, a power bank, a printed document folder, baby clothes, and a working local payment method. Foreign bank cards often fail at hospital windows.

Tour the ward. Confirm, in writing if needed: who may enter the delivery room, what happens if you need a C-section, where your baby sleeps, and how the medical birth certificate is issued.

Read your embassy’s birth-registration page and start any required accounts. The U.S. Consular Report of Birth Abroad, British consular registration, and Canadian citizenship process each have their own steps. None of them begin automatically.