The birth of a child is a magical and exciting event in the life of any family. All future parents dream that their baby was born healthy. Proper pregnancy planning allows you to minimize the risks of possible complications and pathologies of fetal development. What should future parents do?
Birth Planning Calendar
A popular question among women who dream about pregnancy is: “How long does it take to prepare for conception?” Of course, it is advisable to monitor your health and emotional state throughout your life. But unfortunately, many of our contemporaries have bad habits, inevitably face daily stresses and go to doctors only in cases of emergency. If the couple decided to become parents, it is advisable to reconsider their lifestyle at least six months before conception. Create a personal pregnancy planning schedule. Begin with a basic medical examination. Both spouses are required to visit a therapist and get tested. It is also advisable to sign up for genetics. If one of the spouses suffers from chronic diseases, it is necessary to visit specialized specialists. For a future mother, a consultation with a gynecologist is mandatory. In addition, both partners must be tested for sexually transmitted diseases. Add to your calendar a pattern for acquiring healthy habits and a schedule for taking vitamins.
Basic examinations and tests for future parents
The first stage of pregnancy planning is to visit a therapist. Both parents should go to see this doctor. During the consultation, discuss the course of chronic diseases, if any. Try to evaluate your own condition before taking. Perhaps you are suffering from swelling, systematic pain, or other symptoms? Now is the time to talk about such minor signs of malaise to the doctor and undergo additional examinations. It is important to take tests when planning a pregnancy. Required minimum: conduct laboratory tests of blood and urine. Each of the future parents should know their blood type and Rh factor. It is also important to conduct tests for TORCH infections, this category includes: hepatitis B, rubella, toxoplasmosis, herpes. Pregnancy planning involves visiting a geneticist. Very often, chromosomal abnormalities are observed in people who are absolutely healthy at first glance. A geneticist is required to consult if at least one of the spouses is already 35 years old.
Recommended examinations for the expectant mother
Responsible parents are encouraged to visit some specialists as part of their pregnancy planning. Where to start a woman who dreams of becoming a mother? The first doctor on this list for ladies is a gynecologist. If there are any pathologies of the organs of the reproductive system, treatment should be carried out before attempts to conceive. It is also important to ensure that there are no sexually transmitted infections. The gynecologist will give useful tips on preparing the body for pregnancy. It is also advisable to take hormone tests. Pregnancy planning should also include visits to the endocrinologist. It is recommended that even in the absence of patient complaints, an ultrasound of the thyroid gland be performed and the level of hormone production checked. Disruptions in the functioning of the endocrine system can interfere with the successful bearing of a child. Women dreaming of having a baby are often scared of probable problems with their eyesight and teeth. And this is an occasion to visit a dentist and an ophthalmologist before pregnancy. Vision problems may be an indication for caesarean section. If there are problems with the teeth, it is advisable to eliminate them before pregnancy.
Does the future dad need to undergo examinations?
What tests to pass to a man when planning a pregnancy is necessary in the first place? In this matter, the opinions of experts are divided. Some gynecologists believe that at the first stage of preparation for conception, observation and examination of the expectant mother is enough. Men are recommended to start a round of specialists only if pregnancy does not occur. Nevertheless, it is advisable to visit a urologist during planning. This specialist will examine the genitals and take tests for sexually transmitted infections. Is it mandatory to conduct such studies in a man if his wife is healthy? In this situation, the husband is also recommended to take tests, as some infections may be asymptomatic and may not be transmitted to the second partner for some time, even with regular contacts. If necessary, you can also conduct laboratory tests of seminal fluid. However, these tests are recommended to be done only if pregnancy does not occur when you refuse to use contraceptives and regular sexual contacts. If the future dad suffers from some kind of chronic diseases - consultations of specialized specialists are required before trying to conceive a child.
Vitamins and minerals
Special attention should be paid to one's own health and well-being from the very moment that the couple decided to become parents in the near future. It makes sense for a woman to reconsider all her everyday habits. Begin, of course, with nutrition. When planning pregnancy, folic acid, iodine, vitamins E and C can be taken as dietary supplements. There are special vitamin complexes for expectant mothers. The supervising doctor will help you choose the right drug.
Vitamins and minerals necessary for preparing the body for pregnancy can be obtained naturally from food. Vitamin E is rich in spinach, broccoli, vegetable oil. The main sources of folic acid: green vegetables, buckwheat, beef, cabbage, cheeses, sunflower seeds. You can make up for vitamin C deficiency by including rosehip, citrus fruits, blackcurrant, and bell pepper in your diet daily. Seaweed, fish and seafood are rich in iodine. The future dad should also take care of drawing up a balanced nutrition plan. Not everyone knows, but folic acid when planning pregnancy is useful not only for women but also for men. The future father should take a vitamin complex with his wife with a balanced content of not only this element, but also vitamins C and E, iodine.
Many doctors believe that when planning a conception it is unacceptable to consume a large amount of coffee. It is desirable to eat varied, including in the diet a sufficient amount of fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs. It is not enough to take vitamins when planning a pregnancy. A woman is advised to monitor digestion and body weight. Pregnancy will be easy and pleasant, if the weight of the expectant mother is normal. With its deficiency or excess, the development of various pathologies of the fetus and the occurrence of health problems in a woman are possible.
Replace bad habits with useful ones!
Preparing for a replenishment in the family is the best time for self-development and eradication of bad habits. During preparation for conception, both spouses should give up drinking alcohol, drugs, smoking and taking potent psychotropic drugs. It is also useful to minimize the consumption of harmful and useless food. Refusing fatty dishes, purchased sauces and semi-finished products, you will feel much better and freer. It is important to learn to eat balanced. The most convenient and versatile is a five-time power system. It involves dividing the daily diet into three main meals and two snacks.
Try not to overeat and make up a varied menu. It is useful to monitor the drinking regimen. It is advisable to reduce carbonated drinks and store juices as much as possible. After the future parents passed the tests when planning pregnancy and passed all the necessary examinations, you can take the time to comprehensively improve the body. The ideal option is to go on vacation to a sanatorium or a medical resort. Such a luxury can not afford all future parents. But there are alternatives available: take a course of wellness treatments at the medical center.
Daily routine and physical activity
Women who want to get pregnant quickly and without problems are advised to establish their daily regimen. The key to good health and well-being is quality sleep. Try to go to bed and get up at about the same time. Both future parents should get enough sleep and avoid excessive physical and mental stress. It is very good if, when planning a pregnancy, women begin to exercise regularly. Specialists recommend paying special attention to strengthening the abdominal press. It is equally important to do exercises for the muscles of the back and legs. Great is also the use of cardio loads. It is useful to put regular walks in the park or forest into your daily routine. Such a rest is much more useful than gatherings in front of the TV. Walking helps to maintain muscle tone, gives positive emotions and allows you to fully enjoy fresh air. Going in for sports and leading an active lifestyle is beneficial for both spouses who dream of becoming parents. A great idea is to find a common sports hobby. For example, sign up together in the pool, in a dance group (choose safe directions), regularly go on simple hiking trips.
Forget about stress!
In gynecological practice, there are frequent cases when both spouses are healthy and capable of conception, according to the results of the tests, but pregnancy does not occur. One of the reasons for this phenomenon may be the oppressed psycho-emotional state of a woman who wants to know all the joys of motherhood. Problems in the family, stress at work, daily minor stresses - all this extremely negatively affects the well-being and mental health of a person. Calmness and emotional comfort are no less important than tests when planning pregnancy for women.
It is necessary to begin with the solution of all pressing problems. Unloved work can always be changed to a lighter and more enjoyable one. Conflicts with the spouse should be resolved by talking or contacting a family psychologist. It is useful for any woman to learn how to easily and positively look at her own life. This is especially true for a future mother. Do not get hung up on thoughts about pregnancy during planning. Sometimes this topic is the cause of serious internal stress. It’s much more useful to relax more, devote time to your hobby, learn something new. If you can’t cope with mental discomfort on your own, it makes sense to turn to specialists. A good psychologist will quickly identify the problems of his client and help to solve them in the shortest possible time.
Useful tips for future parents
So, the main tests have been submitted, and the couple consider themselves quite ready for the birth of the baby. In the event that both partners are healthy, pregnancy should occur quickly enough subject to regular sexual relations. Recommended regularity of sexual intercourse - at least 1 time in 2-3 days. In the main recommendations of pregnancy planning, many doctors include mandatory monitoring of the day of ovulation for a woman. Indeed, a mature egg can be fertilized within 2 days.
Today in the pharmacy you can buy an ovulation test and at home determine the most suitable time for conception. Still, getting involved with scheduled sex is not worth it. The main thing is the pleasure received during intimacy by both partners, and not the observance of the schedule of favorable days. What to do while waiting for pregnancy? At this time, it is very pleasant and useful to study information about the intrauterine development of the baby. Many couples start attending prospective parents' schools and theme events. Women like to study literature on pregnancy and childbirth, as well as communicate with like-minded people who are also planning a baby's birth.
Reviews: Does planning help get pregnant and have a healthy baby?
In today's world, few can boast of perfect health. Do not forget about external factors. Pregnancy is a special state of the body during which all internal resources are mobilized. If we turn to statistics, often complications and pathologies during the bearing of a child are observed in completely healthy, at first glance, women. To minimize possible risks allows planning pregnancy. The stages of preparation for future parents will make it possible to accurately detect existing health problems and assess the woman’s ability to conceive and bear a healthy child.
If you believe the reviews, a timely visit to doctors and a responsible attitude to their own health makes it possible to experience the joy of motherhood even for patients who have serious health problems. It is very important to correctly involve the future father in the process. Conscious preparation for the appearance of a new member in the family can bring spouses closer together. Also, the future dad should be aware of the degree of his responsibility. If for the sake of giving birth to a healthy baby, he does not want to change his lifestyle and give up bad habits, one should seriously consider whether this person is ready for the role of a father. Pregnancy planning reviews are only positive.
Even if future parents consider themselves healthy people, it will never be superfluous to take tests and visit specialist doctors. Such preparation allows not only to minimize the likelihood of pathologies, but also to tune mentally at the appearance of a new family member.
Each couple should outline the stages of preparation for themselves in the form of an individual schedule. Of these, mandatory for all are:
- comprehensive examination;
- expert advice;
- laboratory research and analysis.
Only in the aggregate, all the measures described will help with high accuracy to detect existing health problems and assess the woman’s ability to conceive and bear a healthy child. If you believe the reviews, timely visits to doctors and a responsible attitude to their own health can experience the joy of motherhood even for patients who have serious health problems.
It is very important to correctly involve the future father in the process. Conscious preparation for the appearance of a new member in the family can bring spouses closer together. Also, the future dad should be aware of the degree of his responsibility. If for the sake of giving birth to a healthy baby, he does not want to change his lifestyle and give up bad habits, one should seriously consider whether this person is ready for the role of a father. Pregnancy planning reviews are only positive. Even if future parents consider themselves healthy people, it will never be superfluous to take tests and visit specialist doctors. Such preparation allows not only to minimize the likelihood of pathologies, but also to tune mentally at the appearance of a new family member.