How to prepare for pregnancy?
How to prepare for pregnancy? This is a question that causes sleepless nights for many women planning pregnancy.
A lot is being said and written what you should do when you are already pregnant, what is natural in first weeks of pregnancy, or what should be avoided to prevent premature birth. Reliable and comprehensive information about what should be done when planning pregnancy and what should precede baby’s conception is much scarcer.
If you are still before your planned pregnancy and only thinking about having a baby - sooner or later - then this entry is just for you!
Proven tips for women planning pregnancy
We prepared a handful of tips for you, which you can definitely use even before you get pregnant. What is important, already at this stage it may turn out that by having specific tests or implementing necessary treatment, you significantly improved your chances of getting pregnant.
What is worth doing already before planned pregnancy?
Do you want to do everything you can to facilitate getting pregnant, and thus, avoid unnecessary stress? This is a very good attitude and will definitely “pay back”!
Before getting pregnant, every informed woman should check all those aspects that may possibly hinder getting pregnant (and there is more of them than you think)! Anyway, our advice will also work for those women who have been trying for a baby for some time, but for unknown reasons, still have not seen those desired two bands on the pregnancy test.
Uterine ultrasound scan
During pregnancy, the ultrasound scan is an essential examination that is performed many times. However, not everybody knows that also women planning to get pregnant are recommend to have the uterine ultrasound to check for potential anomalies that could make getting pregnant difficult.
The examination of this type is fast, painless and performed by a gynaecologist during a standard visit. If you plan getting pregnant, you should definitely have it performed and - at the same time - also talk with the doctor about your pregnancy plans. Knowing your plans, they may expand the diagnostics with other useful tests and examinations, or perform blood tests themselves.
Tests and examinations
Apart from the uterine ultrasound, it is also worth having other basic tests and examinations performed. They include, among others, cervical smear, urinalysis, or a breast ultrasound, but not only.
Additionally, you should also check your general condition, by having blood tests done. Apart from those most basic, like the complete blood count, those more advanced, like TSH, glucose, CRP or creatinine, may also come handy.
Increasingly more couples (not just women alone) also undergo genetic testing, before starting trying for a baby. This way, you can check whether you carry any gene mutations causing genetic diseases that may be inherited by your children. This is particularly important in the case of people from families with a history of severe diseases.
Important!
Results of all tests and examinations should, of course, be consulted with a doctor. Remember, a specialist will definitely do it better than random people from online discussion fora.
Vaccinations
Doubtlessly, vaccinations are always a controversial subject. Nevertheless, we decided to write also about them, to make women planning to get pregnant aware of possible consequences of failing to follow recommendations in this area.
According to current guidelines, before you get pregnant, you should get vaccinated against:
chickenpox,
measles,
mumps,
rubella,
HBV,
pertussis,
flu.
Of course, many of these vaccinations you might have already received during your childhood. However, some of them (like against the flu) have to be regularly repeated.
Are you wondering why you should be vaccinated even before you get pregnant? The protection offered by the vaccination can shield you against complications, frequently dangerous, that could occur if you fell ill while pregnant.
Important!
If you receive a live vaccine, you should not try for a baby for next four weeks (or, if you have not started yet, simply postpone these plans). Remember, this is all for your own good (and your baby’s health)!
Visits to specialists
Seeing medical specialists is another item in the TO DO list of women planning pregnancy! There is more of them than you think. However, each of them may help you to eliminate possible causes of problems with getting pregnant.
Even before you start trying for a baby, apart from your gynaecologist you should see, e.g., an endocrinologist and a dentist.
A visit to an endocrinologist
The endocrinologist will definitely order for you a TSH test, to check levels of this hormone. It is particularly important, as a lot of women suffer from thyroid diseases, including hypothyroidism. Additionally, elevated TSH in the first pregnancy trimester is a frequent cause of miscarriages.
Fortunately, there are proven and effective medicines reducing TSH levels, which women with hypothyroidism take usually before they start trying for a baby, during pregnancy, and frequently, also during breastfeeding. They are taken fasting, before breakfast, and they are small enough not to cause any problems with swallowing.
Additionally, future mums with thyroid disorders need to have their TSH levels tested regularly during pregnancy. It is also not a problem, as you need to have a complete set of tests and examinations performed before each visit to your gynaecologist.
A visit to a dentist
The next important thing you should do before you get pregnant, is to have your teeth checked by your dentist. Caries, especially advanced, is one of the causes of miscarriages and premature births, so it is definitely worth getting rid of before pregnancy. Furthermore, it is contagious, so if you do not look after your teeth, you can pass it to your baby!
If you delay your visit to a dentist for too long, you may be in for an unpleasant surprise when you are already pregnant! Remember that not all procedures can be performed during first weeks of pregnancy. This is why regular visits are so important, similarly as initiating treatment (including root canal procedures) without an undue delay. Of course, only when it is possible.
As an informed future mum, you probably know perfectly well that your baby’s health to a large extent depends on how well you prepare for pregnancy and on your behaviour during it. Progress in medicine enables you to do a lot even before you start trying for a baby. Make use of that, so the time of your pregnancy is more peaceful and as smooth as possible.
Required supplementation
If the recommended tests show already at the stage of medical visits that you have any deficiencies or need an additional support ‘from outside’, you need to implement required supplementation!
Sometimes, it is ‘just’ enough to take specific vitamins (there is an extensive selection of products developed especially for women planning pregnancy), but in some cases, you will have to take medicines. You will learn all you need to know from a relevant specialist, who you will see with test results.
During or before pregnancy? When should you start taking folic acid?
The time when you should start supplementing folic acid rises many doubts among future mums. Should you do this after you get pregnant, or long before you start trying...?
According to the relevant recommendations, you should preferably start folic acid supplementation six months before conceiving a baby. However, what if the positive pregnancy test result completely surprises you? Then, you should start supplementation as soon as you learn about pregnancy!
When should you take folic acid?
Are you wondering what is the best time of the day to take folic acid? According to specialists, there is no specific best time. We can only advice you to take folic acid together with, e.g., other supplements for women planning pregnancy. Then, it will be much easier to remember about it and you will not miss any dose!
Changes in eating habits
Do you wonder what we understand as changes in eating habits? There are at least several things worth changing, to make pregnancy as easy as possible for you.
A lot is being said about the crucial role of the well-balanced diet during pregnancy. We completely agree with that! However, already at the stage of trying for a baby you should start the process of changing your eating habits, so it is not done drastically only after you get pregnant!
What should you do? First of all, reduce your alcohol intake, eat more vegetables and fruit, replace frying in deep oil with steam cooking or baking... Numerous dietary tips for future mums are available, but they can also be used by women who want to follow a healthy lifestyle!
Additionally, when you change your eating habits, controlling your body weight will become much easier (and more pleasant) for you! Remember that before pregnancy your BMI should not be below 20 or above 25. In other words, neither too low nor too high weight will facilitate your attempts at getting pregnant.
Lifestyle modification
The fact that, for example, you should give up all stimulants during pregnancy is obvious, isn’t it? But why shouldn’t you restrict their consumption gradually, even before you start trying for a baby...? After all, you probably know very well the consequences of, e.g., regular smoking. The sooner you give it up, the better!
You should also remember about the importance of regular physical activity! Regular exercising before conceiving a baby will help you to prepare your body for the entire pregnancy, so it is really important. Besides, physical activity also triggers release of endorphins, and this is definitely healthier than eating plenty of chocolate!
How to prepare for pregnancy? Without stress!
Changing your lifestyle also means finding your inner peace or balance. Stress never helps when you are trying for a baby. What is important, frequently, mission “baby” has a greater chance to succeed when you cease to exert any pressure on yourself and forget about things causing excessive tension! It is true that stress can be motivating, but in this case, it is definitely not recommended!
Preparing for pregnancy correctly and health during pregnancy
All that we have already written should be treated as guidelines facilitating daily life for women planning pregnancy. Relevant tests and examinations, a visit to a gynaecologist, specialist consultations, or lifestyle modifications represent successive steps on a way to ensuring your baby is healthy during pregnancy, and to being a healthy future mum!
When planning pregnancy, you should be aware that the way in which you prepare for it will directly influence subsequent nine months, or even longer time, also including breastfeeding (of course, if you can and want to do it)!
Does preparing for pregnancy also include prospective dads?
Do you think that all above recommendations concern only you as a future mum? Of course not! Your partner also should prepare for the stage of trying for a baby. After all, its successful outcome to a large extent depends on him!
Therefore, what can also be done by a prospective dad? Blood tests and consulting them with a specialist, implementing necessary supplementation, if any, and changing eating habits or lifestyle. These are the most fundamental things that should be included in his TO DO list! Everything we have written is very important, if you want to approach trying for a baby in an informed way.
The time before pregnancy can be really stressful. However, to a large extent those tensions result from failures, which can really be avoided in many cases. Of course, not all causes can be eliminated with actions described above. But you should assume that at least some of them are worth trying, instead of worrying in the future that the pregnancy test constantly shows just one band.
You have got pregnant... So what now?
Did you implement our guidelines and became pregnant, just as you wished? Congratulations! Well, what now...?
Now it is time to check whether everything is OK with your baby, and enter one of the most exciting periods in the life of prospective parents!
At that time, it is also worth to install a pregnancy application that will help you with getting through pregnancy and, later, during initial stages of motherhood. HiMommy contains a number of intuitive and well-designed functionalities, like a contractions and kicks counter, nutritional recommendations, or a detailed description of pregnancy, week by week.
If you install this application and use it frequently (notices also appear regularly), you can be sure that nothing will surprise you! We love such practical applications - that is why we created HiMommy and associated HiDaddy! With them, you can regularly monitor individual stages of your baby’s development, enjoying every new thing!