The moment you decide to have a baby turns to be the best part of your life and brings your better half closer to you than ever. It’s the biggest decision of your life and you must plan things so as to handle things without any major hurdle. Before you get pregnant. and decide to have a baby, you must be well prepared.
And to make things easier for you, we have got a list of things that you must do before conceiving. Have a look:
1. Weigh yourself:
It can be problematic for you if you are underweight or overweight as ovulation can be affected with this. Also it can increase the chances of diabetes or high blood pressure in the body. So, get yourself weighed and based upon the results, gain or lose weight so as to keep the body healthy for pregnancy.
2. Travel around:
If you are fond of traveling or have fancy for any particular place, fulfill this desire of yours before getting pregnant. Make the best use of the time as once you conceive the baby, traveling will have to take a backseat.
3. Get your medicines checked:
Pregnancy is the period when some medicines might suit you and some might not. Consult a physician before getting pregnant so that the medicines you take don't affect the health of your baby.
4. Pre Pregnancy checkups are must:
Go for a complete body check up before getting pregnant and get all sorts of blood tests done. Your doctor will be able to tell you then, what all vaccinations are required for your body at this time. The vaccinations that are made up of live viruses are dangerous for the baby during the pregnancy period and may even prove to be fatal. You should also get yourself immunized against chicken pox before you conceive.
5. Quit smoking and drinking:
If you or your partner are addicted to smoking or drinking, things can be troublesome. It increases the chances of your baby getting prone to mental as well as heart problems. The time you decide to get pregnant, turn away from smoking and drinking. In males, these habits can affect the sperm count which can delay conception. Make sure that if your husband has this habit, it is quit for this particular phase.
6. Go for genetic tests:
The genetic tests may explain you the hierarchy of genetic problems that your family has been facing and which your baby is likely to get when he is born. Visit a health counselor and he will suggest you certain tests that should be done before getting pregnant.
7. Increase your intake of folic acid:
Intake of folic acid Intake of folic acid lowers the birth defects such as spina bifida to a great extent in your baby. 400 mcg of folic acid per day is recommended before you conceive and 600 mcg per day, when you have conceived. Take in green food besides the folic acid capsules as a lot of vitamin B is found in green food. So start taking your daily dose of folic acid before getting pregnant.
8. Get your house painted:
If there is a need of getting the house re-painted, it should be done before the commencement of those nine months. This is because paints, pesticides, oven cleaners, etc. contain toxins and different chemicals that can adversely harm the baby and may also lead to various birth defects.
9. Financial Planning :
Before getting pregnant, just make sure that you have enough bank balance that can cater to all your maternity needs. If you are a working woman, just try to get a paid maternity leave for yourself so that your budget does not get disturbed. Also you can check your health insurance and ensure whether it covers prenatal care and testing and also the child’s birth.
10. Live your adventure dreams:
If you are fond of deep sea diving, back horse riding, water skiing, sky diving etc., then do it before getting pregnant as those nine months will forbid you from going for any such adventure activity. Go for it and have great fun and enjoy the fun of floating in the air.
11. Reduce hair colouring :
The chemicals used in hair colors can probably cause harm to the growing baby. Thus, it is advised that you should limit your hair coloring during pregnancy. If possible, get one for a longer duration before conceiving.
12. Visit your Dentist:
If your dental hygiene is poor, then it can increase bacterial infection risk in your body and might lead to preeclampsia and premature birth. X-rays are not recommended during pregnancy time so avoid them after you conceive and get a complete dental check up before the 9 month span starts.
If you want your pregnancy to be healthy, then do take care of these 12 important things before getting pregnant. Plan things carefully so that there are no complications tough to deal with!