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Congratulations! Choosing to be a parent is a gigantic achievement in your life. But, is your body prepared for pregnancy? Here is a rundown of how to prepare your body for pregnancy, conception, and more. Meanwhile, did you know that there are a few early symptoms of pregnancy you can pinpoint?
Day-by-day Manual on How to Prepare Your Body for Pregnancy
Day 1: Stop Using Birth Control
When you stop taking birth control pills or other forms of contraception, you can get pregnant right away. In fact, after quitting taking the pill, many women experience their first period within two weeks. Your first attempt at conception begins when your period begins. A few women may get pregnant immediately but others require a couple of months.
Day 2: Start Taking a Multivitamin
Pregnancy is burdening the body’s nutrition stores. To make up for those deficiencies, take a multivitamin to boost your health. Even better, prenatal vitamins are made to provide your body with the nutrients it needs during pregnancy. Additionally, you’ll have time to test a few brands to see which ones suit your body best.
Day 3: Add Folic Acid
To prevent neural tube defects in early pregnancy, you may need additional folic acid or folate in addition to your prenatal vitamin. Ensure that you consume at least 400 to 800 micrograms of folic acid daily. This amount is already present in many over-the-counter prenatal vitamins. Make certain to take a look at the label. Once you successfully get pregnant, your doctor might recommend high-dosage prenatal vitamins.
Day 4: Eat Well
You can likewise get a considerable lot of the nutrients and minerals you want from eating a balanced weekly meal plan. Appreciate whole food sources over anything packaged or processed. Assuming your financial plan permits, you may integrate more organic vegetables and fruits to limit exposure to artificial substances (toxins).
Day 5: Get On That Treadmill
Exercise is another great way to get ready for pregnancy:
- Move your body at least four to five times per week.
- Try to get 150 minutes of moderate exercise each week, at least 30 minutes.
Beginning with the couch? Choose something easy, such as walking, that you can do right outside your front door.
- Start with 10 to 15 minutes at a time and gradually increase the time.
- Try vigorous activities like cycling, jogging, or uphill hiking for more of a challenge.
Getting more exercise has added benefits for your health. Assuming you’re now moderately active, you could take a stab at moving somewhere in the range of 150 and 300 minutes every week.
Day 6: Get a Physical Check-up Done
Getting a physical every year will help you avoid serious health issues. They are of particular significance when you are preparing for pregnancy. You will be examined by your doctor, and they may order blood work to check your cholesterol levels and other things. You can also discuss any other health issues you may have during this visit.
Day 7: Check Vaccinations
Your physical appointment is also a great opportunity to get up to date on any expired vaccines (such as tetanus and rubella). Getting vaccinated can help keep you and your baby safe and healthy.
Day 8: Plan a Preconception Visit
The most common and important step of how to prepare for pregnancy is scheduling a prenatal visit. Contingent upon various elements (age, past fertility issues, and so on.), you might also want to make an appointment with your obstetrician for a special prenatal visit. A portion of this assessment might cover your physical, so be sure to ask questions about conception. Anything you’re concerned about should be addressed during your visit, including STD screening and pregnancy readiness testing.
Day 9: Track Your Cycle
Regardless of whether you’ve been on birth control, narrowing down your fertile window will help you to get pregnant more quickly. In addition, understanding your cycles will assist you in determining whether anything is off or requires attention (spotting, irregular lengths, etc.).
Begin by just recording when your period starts and ends to understand the length of your cycles. Note anything like sporadic spotting and bleeding. The typical length of the menstrual cycle is about 28 days on average, but it can last anywhere from 21 to 35 days and still be considered normal and healthy. Additionally, there are numerous apps available to assist you with period tracking.
Tap here to find out the reason behind bleeding and spotting during pregnancy.
Day 10: Limit Chemical Exposure
A baby’s development may be affected by excessive toxic exposure. Try to stay away from common chemicals like
- Synthetic aromas
- Bisphenol-A (BPA)
- Inorganic personal and home care products
- Certain beauty care products and services
The following are a couple of different things you can begin doing today:
- Use water and vinegar to make your household cleaners
- Eat organic produce
- Buy fragrance-free laundry detergents
- Get rid of makeup that contains sodium laureth sulfate, mercury, and parabens
- Choose fresh foods instead of canned ones because they may contain BPA
Day 11: Practice Stress Relief
Having good ways to relieve stress now will help you through your pregnancy and the busy first year with your baby. Feeling worried? Take a walk to unwind, try some deep breathing exercises, or do anything else that makes you happy.
Day 12: Attempt Yoga
Yoga has various advantages for your fertility. Regular yoga practice might help you deal with the emotions and anxiety that come with having a baby. In addition, you will stretch and strengthen your body for preparing for pregnancy.
Day 13: Visit a Dentist
While you’re getting every one of your checkups done, it’s best to have your teeth checked out, as well. During pregnancy, the chemicals in your body might influence your gums and teeth. Brushing your teeth regularly before getting pregnant can help prevent cavities and gingivitis.
Day 14: Stop Smoking, Using Drugs, and Drinking Alcohol
Using drugs, smoking, and drinking alcohol can harm an unborn child. Smoking may even result in preterm labor and restricts blood flow. The baby is at risk for fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) if mamas drink. Cannabis, heroin, cocaine, methamphetamines, and other drugs are not only against the law, but they may also result in birth defects, a stillbirth, or a miscarriage.
Day 15: Have Sex
Don’t make sex a chore from the beginning. Enjoy it regularly. Be enthusiastic and impulsive. All things considered, sex will probably get you pregnant. Your relationship will get stronger if you start cultivating healthy love-making habits now. Do not initially be concerned about timing sex if you do not have any known fertility issues. Instead, engage in frequent unprotected sex throughout your cycle.
Day 16: Reach a Healthy Body Mass Index (BMI)
Do you know your BMI? During your physical, your doctor will probably calculate this number. Talk to your doctor about healthy ways to lose weight if your BMI is in the overweight or obese range or too low.
Day 17: Collect Family Medical Records
Genetic factors that are rooted in your family tree will also have an impact on the health of your baby. Before you get pregnant, you might need to inquire as to whether any hereditary conditions running in your bloodline. The same holds for your spouse.
Day 18: Check Your Prescriptions
Ensure your doctor knows that you’re attempting to conceive so they can investigate your medicines or some other supplements you may take. Some of these meds may be unsafe during pregnancy.
Day 19: Get Help for Domestic Violence
If you’re experiencing domestic violence that could harm your health or the health of your unborn child, the Domestic Violence Hotline can be a helpful resource. Services are private and you can call 1.800.799.SAFE to get in touch with a trained advocate.
Day 20: Get Enough Rest
Many parents stress over sleep in the days after they bring back their dear babies. Be that as it may, rest during pregnancy can be just as elusive. Get some shut-eye while you still can.
Day 21: Limit Caffeine
Do you drink a lot of coffee or other beverages with caffeine in them? The recommended daily amount of caffeine during pregnancy is only 12 ounces. Try to gradually wean off if you’re right now consuming more than this sum.
Day 22: Drink Water
A whopping 60% of your body is composed of water. Keep yourself hydrated and increase this amount if you get pregnant. For guidelines, consult your physician.
Day 23: Read Pregnancy Articles, Books, and The Like
Read up on the fundamentals of conception to improve your chances of becoming pregnant. Planned Parenthood is an excellent source for learning about pregnancy. To begin, you must have sex during your fertile window so that the sperm can meet the egg before or after it enters your body.
The fertilized eggs then proceed through the fallopian tubes, where they must be inserted into the uterus before the pregnancy can continue. Half of the fertilized eggs fail to implant and are flushed out during your period.
Day 24: Have Him Get Looked at
However a very remarkable sound pregnancy has to do with just the mama, it’s really smart for your partner to get check-ups, as well. Around 30% of infertility issues have been traced back to male factors. Ensure he:
- Eats well
- Schedules a physical
- Exercises
- Limits alcohol
- Quits using drugs and smoking
Day 25: Boost Your Immunity
During pregnancy, you are more likely to get the flu, colds, and other illnesses. Get your immunity system some additional assistance by eating a rich diet of vitamin C, antioxidants, and of course sleep.
Day 26: Get Familiar With The Do's And Don'ts
You may hear tons of advice on what’s unsafe and safe during pregnancy. Some of this is not particularly scientific while others are significant for your unborn child’s well-being. One of the most debated topics? Which foods to avoid during pregnancy? Compared to other healthy adults, pregnant women are 10 times more likely to contract listeria from contaminated foods. To ensure that your favorite foods have been pasteurized, start reading the labels.
Day 27: Work Around
Your job may be physically demanding. But doing a lot of lifting, standing for a long time, and bending at the waist can cause menstrual disorders, problems with fertility, or a miscarriage. Talk to your doctor about your worries and the lifting advice. If you do become pregnant, you may want to avoid repeatedly bending or stooping over, lifting heavy objects from the floor, and lifting overhead.
Day 28: Do Some Out-of-the-box Craziness
While you’re pregnant, there are a few things you shouldn’t do that could harm your unborn child. Get on that last skydiving or roller coaster ride before you conceive. A placental abruption may occur as a result of more extreme activities’ sudden starting, stopping, and other jarring forces.
Day 29: Get Insured
Before you get pregnant, it’s important to make sure your health insurance plan covers all of your needs. Around 1 million women conceive without sufficient pre-birth care every year. Their children are five times more likely to die and three times more likely to be born with low birth weights than those of women who regularly attend prenatal visits.
Day 30: Be Communicative
Even though you might conceive after just a few cycles of trying, it typically takes couples much longer to see a positive sign. Be open and honest with your partner before beginning your fertility journey. The most important thing you can do to maintain a healthy relationship is to talk about any problems or frustrations you face on the way to having a baby.
The Bottom Line on How To Prepare Your Body For Pregnancy
There’s a great deal to contemplate when you need to add a little human to your family. However, with a little planning, you can have a healthy pregnancy. Follow this space for more!
