So we have an 11 month old and when I became pregnant with her it was not planned. I am married and have been for 5 years. We have talked and would like to start trying in 5-6 month for our next ones. I am currently adjusting my eating habits to get healthier because I gained a lot of weight while pregnant last time and I have lost it all but I want to lose more and establish good habits for when I am pregnant. Thing is last time I had not taken any folic acid before and I always worried if I had effected my baby. She was born perfect! I just want to make sure I get myself as ready as possible. What are some good things to help get my body ready. I have an IUD in and I will go for a pregnancy check up to get it out and just talk with a dr but that will not be until I am a lot closer to when we want to start trying.
Anonymous2010-01-15T00:29:08Z
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Hi,
Heres a list of all the things you can do to get your body ready for pregnancy!
1. Visit your GP Visit your GP for a full check-up, including a pap smear and breast check.
Your doctor may suggest having your immunisations up-to-date, particularly:
•Measles, Mumps & Rubella (MMR) •Chicken Pox •Whooping Cough •Influenza •Pneumococcal Disease If you have any pre-exisiting conditions like diabetes, multiple sclerosis etc. you will need to chat to your doctor about management during pregnancy.
2. Start taking Folic Acid (folate)
Most pregnancy / pre-natal multi-vitamins should contain folate so you can even start taking those instead of folate on it’s own – just make sure you read the label so you know how much folate you’re actually getting (ideally not too small amount).
3. Investigate / Check Your Private Health Cover If you intend to: •Attend a Private Hospital, •See a Private Obstetrician or •See a Private Midwife (some funds are now contributing towards Midwives, contact your fund to see) .. you’ll need to make sure your Private Health cover is up to date and that you have the level of cover you need.
4. Smoking If you are a smoker, now is a great time to stop.
5. Stop / reduce alcohol consumption Excessive drinking can result in miscarriage or stillbirth and puts baby at risk of disabilities, behavioural problems and slow growth.
6. Stop taking social drugs- For obvious reasons
7. Visit your pharmacist If you are taking any medications, check with your pharmacist or GP to see if they are still appropriate for conception and / or pregnancy. Many medications including over-the-counter painkillers and other drugs are not recommended to take when pregnant or breastfeeding.
8. Healthy eating & exercise You don’t need to follow a strict regime that’s impossible to keep up with, but aim to be in the healthy weight range for your body – being underweight or overweight can effect fertility.
Being underweight or overweight can result in problems with ovulation. You are also more prone to high blood pressure in pregnancy if you are overweight, which can be dangerous if left untreated.
Drink plenty of water, eat a balanced diet from the five food groups, including lots of fresh fruit and vegies and exercise regularly. Going for a walk everyday with your partner is a great idea – perhaps to motivate yourself, you can make up a little game where you’re not allowed to talk about babies for the day until you go on your walk! Alternately you might like to sign up at the local gym or for a fitness class – there are plenty of things you can do to work with your body towards conception. The fitter you are, the better you will be able to cope with pregnancy, which places extra demands and strains on your body.
9. See your dentist It’s a good idea to have a check up with your dentist to make sure your teeth and gums are healthy before you get pregnant, as once pregnant, not only can you be more prone to teeth and gum issues, but you are not able to have the usual treatments you would if you weren’t pregnant. So making sure any potential problems are seen to before pregnancy is a good idea.
10. Caffeine There are so many differing conclusions made about the effect caffeine has on fertility, some studies claiming that higher caffeine consumption can delay the chance of conception and some saying it has little effect.
11. Chart your cycle, Start charting your cycle now so when the time comes to start trying to conceieve you will know exactly what your body is doing !!