Wednesday, 10 September 2008
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Morning Chat: Preparing for Pregnancy
by Momaroo Team
There are a ton of resources out there for expecting parents on how to prepare for a new baby. But what about for couples trying to conceive, or considering it? According to the AAFP, it is also important to prepare for a pregnancy (if possible), and here's why:You probably won't know you are pregnant for the first three to four weeks. By then, your baby is already forming major organs and structures. Some medicines, illnesses, or bad habits (like smoking or drinking alcohol) can affect your baby before you even know you are pregnant. To be safe, you should act like you are already pregnant before you try to get pregnant.
Did you take any steps to prepare for your pregnancy(ies)? What tips or advice would you give to couples who are planning to have a baby?
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Comments (12)
I was on Femcon birth control..does that count for "preparing for pregnancy"?? Never missed a pill, didn't take any meds, and no drinking etc. But I reckon aside from that I was healthy. I had just lost 65 pounds. I think if you have extra weight one thing I would definitly recommend is to go ahead and change habits like...dropping caffiene, drink more water, eat healthier and start walking.
I started taking prenatal vitamins WAY about a month before we were going to try to conceive and I started a healthy meal plan for the both of us as well as cutting out all alcoholic drinks n' such. It was wonderful and now we have our healthy baby here :)
xoxo, Cait
I lived a healthy lifestyle prior to becoming pregnant. Once we started trying, the only thing I did was up my intake of folic acid. I don't drink ever, or smoke, so those were not issues.
It took us 1 and a half years to get pregant with my second baby and I took folic acid for the whole time (except a few months in the middle of the time when I got disheartened) so I think we were well prepared!!!!!
When we started trying with my daughter (11 months old) I quite smoking, and I WOULDN"T drink ANY alcohol until my period came just in case and of c ourse I have taken a prenatal vitamin since we got married jsut in case
With this pregnancy (71/2 months along) we weren't doing anyhting but prenatals cuz we WERE gonna start trying to get pregnant agian, but not until March, and we got pregnant in February! So it was a suprise. I was so upset though at my first OB appointment, cuz I had drank a lot in the first few weeks, cuz I had a lot of social things I had gone to, and I had a weekend cold, and had taken nightquil, and sudafed. I was so worried about, but the doctor said everything is fine!
But obviously we would have done things the way we did the first time around, had we been trying!
Both of ours were surprises so I wasn't doing anything special but I normally take multi-vitamins and I don't drink or smoke at all anyway so we didn't have any worries.
ohhh well, I make sure my husband eats healthy. We dont drink any alchohol at all and I cut out all sode and junk. I take my vitamins and I prepare for the worst morning sickness ever by drinking tons of water. I love being pregnant.
I had a doctor's appointment for a wellness-checkup before we even tried conceiving. She put me on prenatal vitamins, so I started taking them before I was pregnant. I would recommend all couples have a doctor's appointment to make sure everything is good to go before trying for a baby. Plus, I think taking the prenatal vitamins in advance really helped my baby get a good start in utero.
Both times I've gotten pregnant I always had a big glass of wine or a rather large margarita right around the time I conceived (within a day or two). I've always joked that alcohol helped the sperm find the egg when it otherwise might not have.
So far no problems with that! Not what I would have planned, I suppose, but both pregnancies were somewhat unexpected, so we weren't really planning ahead.
I talked to almost everyone we know that had young kids. Their advice was a lot more valuable than anything we would find online in terms of how to prepare for the hospital and what to expect for the first few months, etc.
I was using birth control when I became pregnant. I didn't know for awhile, and when I finally did have suspicions, I was in denial... so my first trimester was over before I even saw a doctor...
I am reading a great book right now called "Before Your Pregnancy: A 90-Day Guide for Couples on How to Prepare for a Healthy Conception". The authors are Amy Ogle and Lisa Mazzullo. It's a guide on how to nurture your own reproductive well being, conceive a healthier baby and decrease risks of complications once you become pregnant. Both my husband and I are finding it very helpful and we're taking the ideas and advice to heart.