So, you and your partner have decided to expand your family. Well, it is an amazing thing. Getting pregnant is one of the most beautiful phases in life. Feeling your baby’s first kick, listening to baby’s heartbeat for the first time all these are precious and priceless moments. Every woman wants to have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby. So, Let’s discuss how to plan for pregnancy?
Planning for pregnancy is not a big task, you just need to make sure that your body is healthy and contains essential nutrients needed for the baby’s healthy growth. Since you and your partner have already decided to get pregnant, means you both are ready but it is also necessary that your body is also ready.
So, the following are some tips that will help you plan for a healthy pregnancy and baby. Check out the blog-
Pre-Pregnancy Planning Checklist
1. Make a Plan and Take Action-
We all decide when we do not want a baby and take precautions accordingly. So, when you decide to start the family, it is necessary to make a proper plan and take action like stopping birth control measures way ahead.
2. Consult your Doctor-
If you have decided to plan a baby, it will be a good thing to consult your doctor. You can discuss family history, medical condition, and also your health history which can affect the pregnancy. You should let your doctor be aware of any previous pregnancy problem or medicines that you are currently taking. Following are the things which you need to discuss with the doctor-
3. Medical Conditions:
If you have a problem with blood pressure, thyroid disease, or any other chronic disease. Let your doctor be aware of it.
4. Lifestyle and Behaviors:
Tell your doctor about your lifestyle and diet routine. Also if you smoke or drink, your doctor should be aware of it. What is the type of environment you are living in? All these things your doctor should be aware of.
5. Medications:
If you are on any kind of medication or herbal supplements, you should discuss it with your doctor.
6. Vaccinations:
Which vaccine shots are important before, during, and after pregnancy. Vaccines should be given at right time, this keeps you and your baby healthy.
7. Monitor your Ovulation-
Is your period regular or not? This is very important, as you need to monitor your ovulation days. If your periods are irregular, it is hard to monitor ovulation days. You can also buy the home ovulation prediction kit, to be more certain and precise.
See more- What are the sign of ovulation
8. Reach a Healthy Body Weight –
If you are overweight or underweight, it is necessary to reach a healthy body weight. Obese people are at the risk of suffering chronic diseases like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, etc. And people who are underweight are also at risk of some serious health problems.
Therefore, reaching a healthy body weight according to your height is very necessary.
9. Start Folic Acid-
Folic acid or Vitamin B is the most important nutrient needed before and during Pregnancy. This prenatal vitamin can be consumed even before you are pregnant. Having enough Folic acid in your body helps to prevent major birth defects in the baby’s brain and spine. You can take up to 400 mcg of folic acid daily.
10. Start Eating Healthy Food-
Your body needs to be healthy if you are planning for a baby. Eating healthy nutritious food helps to keep your baby healthy and safe. You need to prepare your body for pregnancy by consuming essential nutrients like calcium, iron, and protein.
See more- 21 Fertility Foods for fast getting pregnant
You should start eating more green vegetables and fruit. You can also fulfill your folic acid food requirement by eating dark green leafy vegetables, broccoli, citrus fruit, and orange juice.
11. No Heavy Workouts-
It is necessary to be physically fit. But if you are in the habit of doing a strenuous workout, it is good to stop doing these heavy workouts. Doing too much exercise or strenuous workout could interfere with ovulation. It has been researched, that the menstrual cycle gets disturbed if you exercise heavily, which can hinder your plan of getting pregnant.
12. Quit Smoking and Drinking-
If you have a habit of partying, smoking, and drinking. You need to cut down on smoking and drinking. Both of them can cause birth defects like premature birth, infant death, and birth defects.
Let’s have a look now, at the Pregnancy Checklist. Things we need to do before getting pregnant. Following are the points which we need to do before planning-
13. Stop Birth Control-
The first thing which you need to do is to stop using birth control methods. After you stop the birth control, your body will take little time to adjust and get into the flow.
See more- 17 Tips on how to get pregnant fast
14. Start Multivitamin-
Preparing your body for the pregnancy phase is very important. Take all the multivitamins you need to keep your body healthy and fit for the pregnancy.
15. Try yoga-
Yoga is very necessary when it comes to build immunity and also to keep yourself healthy. Yoga removes stress and gives your mind a feeling of peace. When you are mentally healthy, you feel good and energetic. Try fertility boost yoga poses.
16. Visit the Dentist-
Do not forget to get your teeth checked. When you are getting the check-up of your whole body, do not miss your teeth. Good brushing habits and keeping your teeth clean is very much necessary to avoid any pregnancy cavities and gingivitis.
17. Have Sex-
Something which you all know off. Having frequent sex during the fertile window helps to increase your chances of getting pregnant.
18. Gather Family History-
Family history plays a major role in your pregnancy. So, it is good to know about the pregnancy phase of your relatives.
19. Limit Caffeine Content-
If you have a habit of drinking a lot of coffee or other caffeinated beverage. You need to limit the caffeine content to only 12 ounces of coffee per day.
20. Boost your Immune System-
Having a good immune system is all you need when planning for the baby. During pregnancy, your body undergoes a lot of changes and if you have good immunity, sickness like cough and cold cannot touch you.
21. Have an Adventurous Vacation-
Pregnancy will take 2-3 years of your life. So, it will be good to plan a great adventurous vacation before you get pregnant. If you wish to do all the crazy things like skydiving, roller-coaster ride, etc. Because you cannot do these things once you conceive.
22. Check your Insurance Cover-
Since you are planning everything way ahead; it is good to even check your insurance cover. What all things it covers and what it does not cover.
When should we plan for Pregnancy?
There is no set time for pregnancy. One should plan for pregnancy when you are mentally and physically ready to take up the responsibility of a child. A child is a very precious jewel, you can mold him/her the way you want. So, plan for pregnancy when you think you can take care of that precious jewel properly.
Just whenever you think you are ready to plan, start doing the above things. It will help you to take care of you and your baby and your pregnancy will go smoothly.
So, above are some of the tips How to Plan for Pregnancy. Always remember
A Healthy Body makes a Healthy Mother and A Healthy Mother Delivers a Healthy Baby.
