Things to consider before you even get pregnant

The thought of getting pregnant and having a baby sound exciting but it requires planning. It is essential to consider some important things before getting pregnant.

Below are essential things that a woman and her partner should sincerely think about and even discuss with her partner before they both go ahead and have a baby.

Age

Age is one of the main factors to consider before getting conceiving. Women reproductive health experts suggest that the best time to get pregnant is before 35. Ageing increases chances of getting a baby with genetic disorders such as Down syndrome.

If you plan to have multiple children, it is essential that you space every pregnancy for at least 18 months. The spacing gives you some time to bond with the child, breastfeed enough, get back to your average weight before pregnancy and ensure that there are no new medical conditions after birth. Nowadays more women are getting their first child at an advanced age in the late 30s and even 40s. You can sustain a healthy pregnancy at this age if your health is excellent but earlier is safer.

Health condition

Before getting pregnant, it is essential to go for check up for examination about the existence of health issues or underlying disorders. These include depression, asthma, blood pressure or diabetes.

If a diagnosis has revealed that you got one of such conditions, it is essential that you discuss it with a doctor on how to put it under control before pregnancy. If you need any supplements, it is essential to consider them and get prescriptions. A gynecologist is probably going to recommend multivitamin or prenatal vitamin tablets that are rich in folic acid. Folic acid prevents risks of congenital disabilities in the baby’s spine or brain. A doctor could give advice that you take supplements before getting pregnant. Study results show that folic acid (at least 400 micrograms) is necessary for a woman even before getting pregnant.

Body Mass Index (BMI)

When you first think about getting pregnant, the first thing you should do is to check the BMI. It is essential to maintain BMI of less than 30 to carry a healthy baby. Obesity may lead to pregnancy complications like gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, and preeclampsia. You should commit to eating right, exercising and losing the extra pounds before pregnancy. The time before pregnancy is your moment to quit other harmful habits such as smoking, drinking alcohol or taking narcotics.

Identify and eliminate stress causes

Try your best to give up all stressors if you want to deliver a healthy child. Long-term stress can affect the unborn baby and its development. Find permanent remedies to stressing problems and do the best to stay stress-free. After all carrying a pregnancy is hectic enough. Doing the things you love especially those that you have been unable to achieve is one of the best ways to bust stress. You can go for a vacation to your favorite destination; spend more time with your mom, friends or take a long break from your job.

Get up-to-date on vaccinations and tests

Determine the essential treatments and ensure that you are current on your list of vaccines. Ensure that you get chickenpox, measles, and pertussis and diphtheria vaccines. Take a blood test to confirm the same. It is also essential to be precautionary by screening for genetic conditions such as cystic fibrosis and other pre-pregnancy tests.

Have enough consistent finances

Getting pregnant comes with more financial responsibility as you have to take more care of your health and baby items. It is essential to ensure that you have regular reliable and enough income with some backup funds in savings account after putting everything else in order. You do not want lack of finance to become a cause of stress as it will take up most of your energy and sidetrack your thoughts from taking care of the pregnancy.

It may not be possible to plan everything about pregnancy, but you can create a proper environment for it by ensuring you have the above factors in order.