While the rest of the female populace are busy starving themselves and taking in diet pills to achieve a gorgeous figure, I have been preparing myself to motherhood.
Having no partner at the moment does not stop me from preparing my body to house my future baby. After all, your baby’s health starts not on the conception period, but even 3-6 months before the actual conception. And I quote from my cousin-doctor, “But while most women are concerned about what happens after they conceive, doctors say more should be thinking about what to do before they even try.” This highly valuable information is, unfortunately, not properly disseminated to the populace.
Below is a list of things to do prior to conception which I got from http://www.webmd.com/baby/guide/protect-your-pregnancy-before-you-conceive and from my cousin. I hope this helps!
- (If you don’t have one yet) Get an MMR vaccine.
It is very important to be immunized from Measles, Mumps, and Rubella before becoming pregnant. This is because the effects on a fetus after a rubella infection during pregnancy can be severe. The effects of measles and mumps, while not as severe as rubella, can still cause complications during a pregnancy.
After immunization with a rubella containing vaccine, the Centers for Disease Control recommends avoiding pregnancy for 28 days. However, some doctors recommend avoiding pregnancy for six months to ensure a safe pregnancy.
- The Preconception Exam
Among the most important features of that exam, say experts, is testing for several infections that may not only interfere with conception but also affect your pregnancy. You may also benefit from an extended preconception exam — one that includes genetic testing.
- Stop smoking
- Cut back on alcohol
- Easy on the Seafood
“The problem with seafood is related to the mercury content, and because this is a heavy metal it can accumulate in fatty tissue, so it can remain in the body long enough to cause at least some potential harm after conception,” says Williams.
As such, he recommends that women trying to conceive follow the same fish safety guidelines suggested for pregnant women, which is to limit seafood to 12 ounces weekly. Seafood to completely avoid includes tilefish, swordfish, king mackerel, and shark, as well as any raw fish.
- Monitor your folic acid intake
Once pregnant, most women know it’s important to take folic acid supplements, which studies show can protect your baby from some serious birth defects, including spina bifida, a life-threatening spinal malformation. What experts say many women don’t realize, however, is how important it is to take this supplement prior to attempting conception.
The reason: “Folic acid is important right from the very moment your baby is conceived, and since many women can be pregnant four, six, or eight weeks before they know it, taking folic acid prior to conception is one important way to ensure your body has a good supply right from the very start of your pregnancy,” says Carol Bates, MD, assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and a primary care physician at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.
In fact, Bates says taking folic acid is not only her “No. 1 recommendation” for women trying to get pregnant, she adds that “it’s so important that I believe every woman who is sexually active and not using a highly reliable method of birth control should be taking folic acid, just on the off chance that she does get pregnant.”
- Follow the Two-Week Rule
When it comes the dietary or lifestyle factors that might be questionable during pregnancy — such as caffeine and artificial sweeteners — doctors say there is less to worry about when trying to conceive. Still, some precautions still apply.
“During the preconception time you really only have to be concerned about what’s in your body at the time you actually get pregnant — and that is usually possible just a few days a month,” says Silverstein.
As such, he says, if you confine your intake of caffeine, for example, to the two weeks after your period starts — a time when you generally can’t get pregnant — and abstain during the last two weeks of your cycle — when you ovulate and are more likely to get pregnant — then your conception is probably safe.”If you find you just can’t live without something,” says Silverstein, “just use common sense and moderation.”
Do take note that since the timing of conception isn’t an exact science, you shouldn’t panic if you find you were doing something questionable (e.g. drinking) at the time you got pregnant, because chances are, everything is going to be OK.
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