It is very important for a woman to make plans before getting pregnant. This is simply because you are more likely to deliver a healthy baby when you are healthy. Keep reading below as this article has tips to help you prepare for having a baby.
The organs of a baby will start to develop within the first few weeks of pregnancy, sometimes even before a woman knows that she is expecting [1]. This is an important development phase so some good planning will make a big difference in terms of the baby’s health.
Planning for pregnancy will not only help you conceive easily, but it will also help you have a healthy pregnancy, minimize or avoid obstetric complications, reduce your baby’s risk of developing health problems as an adult, and aiding speedy recovery after giving birth.
Tips to help you prepare for having a baby and take the best possible care of your body:
First of all, you will have to make a number of decisions before and during your pregnancy about how you are going to take care of yourself. You can start by making the appropriate lifestyle changes and adopting good habits that will help you have a healthy pregnancy.
Some experts recommend early preparation from one to three months in advance. Take this time to learn how to prepare your body for the prenatal period, giving up birth control. This is also a good time to find out if you have health issues and how to deal with them before trying to get pregnant.
Nutrition will also play a big part in your preparation for pregnancy. Choose a well-balanced diet that will fulfill your daily calorie requirement. You need to avoid fat diets. During this time, iron and folate/folic acid will be an important thing to have in your diet.
Folic acid/folate is one of the B-vitamin that is known to decrease the incidence of Neural Tube Defects (NTDs) in the newborn [2]. You should add this to your diet before conception and then continue using it through to the third month of pregnancy to prevent birth defects within the skull and spine.
In addition to eating healthy, staying active and in good shape will help you to function at your very best as well as to get and maintain healthy body weight. You are more likely to have a healthy pregnancy if you indulge in physical activities and exercise regularly.
Physical activity, specifically, can help reduce your risks of developing certain conditions, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, and cancer.
Good dental care is important as well, so you need to get a thorough check-up and deal with your oral health issues before getting pregnant. Some studies show that oral infections and gum disease can increase a woman’s chances of giving birth to premature or low birth weight babies [3].
It is also important for you to stop smoking and drinking if you are planning to get pregnant. All illegal drugs, including cocaine, marijuana, Ecstasy, heroin, and various other amphetamines, can be dangerous to your health as well as an effect with your chances of conceiving [4].
A baby’s organs will start to develop in the early weeks before you are aware that you are pregnant so any exposure to tobacco, drugs, and alcohol can increase your baby’s risk of having serious health problems [4].
A pre-pregnancy check-up is a very good idea. You have a greater chance of giving birth to a healthy baby if you are in the best of health. Your healthcare provider can be very helpful here, as he or she will give you recommendations to lower the associated risks and deal with any existing medical conditions that could affect you.
Be sure to inform your healthcare provider about everything related to your family and medical history, past pregnancies, medications you are taking, as well as your lifestyle and diet.
Your caregiver will be in a better position to give advice about any prescription or over-the-counter medicines medications, herbal or alternative remedies that you might have to change. Some drugs, including even the seemingly harmless options such as certain vitamins or acne medicines, could have the opposite effect on your body when you get pregnant and/or affect your baby.
Last but not least, you will also get advice to think about your insurance and finances when looking for tips to help you prepare for having a baby. There are a number of insurance and financial issues that you should consider when planning for pregnancy to know whether or not you can afford to provide support for a child from birth to adulthood.
References
- https://media.medfarm.uu.se/play/attachmentfile/video/977/handouts2.pdf
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17209211
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3144105/
- https://americanpregnancy.org/pregnancy-health/illegal-drugs-during-pregnancy/
