Preparing for pregnancy can be a daunting task, but when you know where to start and what to do, it becomes far more manageable. Here are a few tips to help you and your health as you prepare for pregnancy.
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Cut Out Bad Habits
The first thing you should do is cut out any bad or unhealthy habits you may have. Smoking and alcohol are clearly not great for your health, but that is amplified if you are wanting to get pregnant.
Consider getting help from Quit Clinics to help you quit smoking, cut alcohol out of your diet, and additionally, adjust your diet to eliminate junk food.
Prenatal Vitamins
Next, you need to start upping your intake of prenatal vitamins. In particular, folate, vitamin D, and iron are three of the most essential vitamins you should start taking at least three months before you try to conceive.
Folic acid is needed to help lower the risk of neural tube defects, while vitamin D and iron are essential for helping you to conceive. If in doubt, visit your doctor to find out if you are deficient in these areas, as you may need a prescription instead of the OTC options.
Healthy Diet
Considering the toll pregnancy can take on your body, and the nutrients you need, it is important to adjust your diet accordingly. It is necessary to pack your diet with healthy vitamins and minerals, ranging from folic acid to calcium, and everything in between.
You also should aim to maintain a healthy weight, as being too overweight or too underweight is also not the best for those looking to get pregnant, or when you are pregnant.
Exercise More
Exercise is another important part of the prenatal process. Not only is it good for your muscles and bones, two things that are highly affected by pregnancy, but it can also help you maintain a healthy weight and is great for balancing your hormones.
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Bone & Muscle Strength
While regular brisk walks should be the minimum, don’t underestimate the power of doing strength training as well. As mentioned, your bones and muscles take strain when pregnant, but the negative effects of this can be mitigated with exercise.
You don’t need to become a gym rat, and you definitely don’t need to move incredibly heavy weights, but adding some weight lifting and strength training to your workout can drastically improve your body’s ability to defend against the potential degradation it may experience during pregnancy.
Visit the Doctor
While this is a given and has been alluded to before, you should visit the doctor to ensure your body is ready for pregnancy. You need to know if you need a prescription for something, if you have an injury, heart condition, etc.
While there is a very good chance you are completely fine and don’t need any prescriptions or changes, getting a check from a professional can never be a bad thing.
Vaccines & Infections
An infection can be disastrous if you are looking to get pregnant, as it can weaken your body and not put you in the best position for pregnancy. Therefore, it is always good to get your essential vaccines.
Consult a doctor and see which ones you need and don’t need, and how it will affect your body.
Improve Your Sleep
Good sleep is essential for a variety of reasons and has almost countless benefits. It improves how your body performs, helps your mental health and cognitive ability, and aids in your body’s healing, among other benefits.
Therefore, it is essential to improve your sleep hygiene as soon as possible, such as going to bed earlier, creating a sleep schedule, and changing your pillows. This can take time, which is why starting sooner rather than later is best.
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Reduce Stress
It goes without saying that stress goes hand in hand with pregnancy, but many don’t realize the effects it can have when you are trying to get pregnant. Firstly, many studies have shown that heightened stress levels can disrupt your ovulation and even prevent you from getting pregnant.
Stress can also hamper some of the other steps on this list, as it can affect your diet, sleep patterns, your motivation to exercise, etc. Therefore, if you do suffer from stress, it is best to find a healthy way to deal with it, such as doing yoga, meditating, or seeking professional help if other methods don’t work.
Mental Health
Finally, many people don’t talk about the mental strain you can experience when trying to get pregnant, and when you are pregnant. It can be stressful, mentally draining, and in the worst cases, cause severe and long-lasting depression.
Therefore, even if you feel like your mental health is stable, seeking professional help can give you the tools to handle any difficulties you may face in the process.
In conclusion, these are some of the most important steps you can take when you are preparing to get pregnant. While there may be some extra steps depending on who you are, these will apply to almost anyone and help most people in their journey.
