Getting ready for pregnancy is different from anything else you’ll ever try in life. No matter how badly you want a baby, you still need to take the right steps to give yourself the best chance of conceiving. Even if you don’t face difficulties, take certain steps to improve your chances of having a healthy baby.
Prenatal Vitamins and Supplements
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Take advantage of prenatal vitamins and supplements. Keep a healthy supply on hand, and take them as directed. These give your body the necessary vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that help with conceiving and carrying a baby. You’ll also help prevent illnesses and sickness during your pregnancy. Prenatal vitamins, sometimes called prenatal supplements or prenatal tablets, are health and dietary supplements meant to be taken prior to and during pregnancy and throughout postpartum lactation. These nutritional products are generally used to promote proper fetal development and maintain the health of an expectant mother. In addition, they are also used by some women to increase the number of pregnancies she experiences while avoiding gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and possible birth defects.
Consult Your Physician
Something else you want to do is to improve your general health. Get a physical, and consult your physician or OB/GYN. You don’t need to necessarily hit optimal health before getting pregnant, but you might want to achieve effective health prior to 30 weeks into your pregnancy. This way, you can go into your last weeks of pregnancy and early motherhood able to stand up to the ordeal and demands.
Folic Acid
Folic acid is something you should introduce into your nutrition plan. If you’re already prone to birth defects, folic acid can help minimize the chances of them occurring. Folic acid should help not just avoid birth defects but also low birth weight and premature birth. Folic acid is a vital form of vitamin B, which is usually present in food like dried beans, whole-wheat bread products, red meat, lentils, peas, oranges, spinach, and strawberries. It helps the body make and keep new cells, as well as helping to prevent genetic changes to DNA that can result in cancer. Folic acid also decreases the risk of blood clotting. Some studies also show that it can lower cholesterol and increase blood flow.
Stress Relief
Practice stress relief as much as you can. You don’t want to just avoid mental stress but also physical stress. Try yoga while trying to conceive, and then move into prenatal yoga when you do successfully become pregnant. As with other childbirth-preparable classes, prenatal yoga is a multifaceted approach to physical exercise that promotes focused breathing, mental centering, and stretching. In fact, prenatal yoga poses have been used for years to help overcome several pregnancy complications. Massage therapy is also something else to consider.
Hormone Testing During Pregnancy
Some may be of the opinion that hormone testing during pregnancy is unnecessary, but it can be a crucial tool in making your choice. In order to accurately determine the hormone levels in your body, there are tests available. These tests measure levels of human growth hormone and progesterone. Even slight imbalances in your hormones might throw off your ability to conceive, but once you know what the issues are, you can find answers. You should always keep a late period calculator handy so you can get a better idea for the missed periods and the false alarms.
Have Him Tested Too
Don’t always assume that difficulties or problems with conceiving are part of your body. Have your partner tested too for infertility or sperm quality issues that might be blocking your dreams.
Planning and preparing for pregnancy isn’t always easy, but it is possible. The sheer number of resources available can make the journey a lot easier than you think.
