The Test is Positive.... Now What?!

My pregnancy was a total shock to me. I had just gotten home from a movie and decided to take a test before going out that night for a drink because I knew there was a very slight possibility I could be pregnant. To my surprise, it showed a really faint line. I took another one, and another one, and another and still got such a faint line that I wasn't sure if I was just seeing things or not. So I took two more, each a different brand, and got a faint, but clear line. Excitement, panic, fear, happiness and the desire to tell someone immediately all hit me at once. My husband was away at a party and wouldn't be back for a couple hours. It seemed like an eternity of racing thoughts. I busied myself thinking of a clever way to tell him. I decided to put a bun in the oven on a plate with a due date written on it. When he got home later, I told him to take the thing I was cooking out of the oven for me while I went to the bathroom. I heard a loud "What's this? What does this mean?!" and I showed him the 15-20 pregnancy tests and made him confirm I'm not crazy and there was a line. Thankfully he saw the line too. So what now? Who do I tell? Do I tell anyone right away? If I tell someone, who do I tell first? Second? Third? When do I make a doctor appointment? Which doctor do I see for this? These are all things I should have pondered prior to the test being positive, but I didn't because I figured I would cross that bridge when I came to it. I didn't know how this all worked. Exactly what do I do now?

In my mind, I imagined calling the doctor the next business day and coming in right away to get a "confirmation" on the pregnancy and all my questions/concerns answered. This was hardly the case though. They didn't even want to see me until I was 8 weeks along, but I had so many questions. Since I decided not to tell people right away, I couldn't go get a bunch of advice from family/friends (something I didn't consider when deciding if I should tell people right away or not). So the internet became my friend... and enemy. It answered questions like when to see the doctor, but also told me things like how high the miscarriage rate is before 12 weeks, and the signs and seriousness of an ectopic pregnancy. Yeah... that's just what I needed, more worry to add to my already racing mind. I was more of a worrier than the average person, especially because I was under the impression I wasn't going to be able to have babies. Now that it happened, I was really scared of losing it. I always wanted babies, but had just started coming to terms with it not happening. So, here's my advice on the order of what to do the second you find out you have a positive test:

1. Schedule an appointment with your current OB/GYN doctor (if you don't already know where/who you want to deliver your baby). This appointment is usually around 8 weeks from the beginning of your last menstrual cycle. They consider the first week of your cycle to be week #1 of pregnancy.
2. Figure out who you're going to tell, what order, and when. News travels fast, so this can be trickier than it first seems. We decided to tell a few people right away (just immediate family) then expand it after we had the first confirmation of heartbeat via ultrasound at 8 weeks. (Not everyone has an ultrasound this early. I ended up having one just to make sure everything was okay due to history and current cramping. Once the doctor sees the heartbeat via ultrasound, the chance of miscarriage goes way down.)
3. Buy a book about pregnancy (or two). This will let know what's happening inside your body. Lots of changes happen and it's nice to know what's "normal" and what you might want to get checked out.
4. Figure out where to go for prenatal care/delivery by 2nd trimester. There's more to this decision than one may know. It all depends on what will make you the most comfortable during labor and delivery. My advice is to learn the pros and cons of each option thoroughly, then decide where you imagine you'd feel the most comfortable. Do you want a home birth? Birth center birth? Hospital birth? Do you want a midwife or OB/GYN to deliver your baby? Will you want pain medication? A water birth? Or do you want a birth with little to no intervention? What will your insurance cover? How much will each option cost?
5. Take some deep breaths and de-stress. Spend the first 12 weeks just learning about what's going on with your body, and getting through the caffeine withdrawal and morning sickness (if you're so fortunate to have it), and choosing the type of birth you want. Try to relax and rest as much as you possibly can. Don't try to do everything at once. If it helps, make a list of things to do later (like choosing a name, getting the house prepared, buying/choosing baby items etc...).