Pregnancy planning. Video Tips
From the moment of the decision to become parents, the life of the couple is seriously changing. To a greater extent, this applies to a woman – it is she who has to bear and give birth to a child, her body will be under a heavy load, so much needs to be foreseen in order to minimize the risk of possible complications. A responsible approach is especially important for those who are planning their first child.
When deciding to have a baby, do not immediately give up contraception. It is better to start preparation two to three months before the expected date of conception, and it must begin with a healthy lifestyle. Give up alcohol and smoking, start eating well – include more protein in your diet, eat vegetables and dairy products. The expectant mother needs to fully provide her body with calcium, iron, vitamins. If you eat well, at the stage of preparation you will not need to take vitamin-mineral complexes, they will be required later.
The only thing that is needed is folic acid intake, which prevents malformations of the fetal nervous system.
It is better to start it at least two months before pregnancy. Increase physical activity, but you do not need to exhaust yourself with exercises in the gym – this can just interfere with conception.
Preparation for pregnancy begins with a visit to the gynecologist. The doctor will rule out diseases of the pelvic organs, study the gynecological history, including information about past pregnancies and childbirth, if any. As a rule, when planning a pregnancy, an ultrasound examination of the uterus and ovaries is necessary. You will also need to be tested to find out if you have inflammatory or infectious sexually transmitted diseases (chlamydia, mycoplasmosis, gonorrhea).
You cannot ignore the tests, even if nothing bothers you: many infections are capable of not showing themselves for a long time.
If the test results do not please you, do not rush to give up – two to three months is usually enough to cure most infections, of course, provided that the doctor’s prescriptions are followed. The future father will also have to pass tests – both parents need to exclude infectious diseases.
In addition, when planning a pregnancy, you will need:
- general and biochemical blood test
- general urine analysis
- blood test for group and Rh factor
- If it turns out that you have a negative Rh factor, and your future father is positive, you will also need to be tested for antibodies.
- tests for HIV, hepatitis, syphilis
- analysis for antibodies to pathogens of herpes, toxoplasmosis, rubella
If it turns out that you have not had rubella before, you will be offered the vaccine. Do not refuse: rubella is a fairly common disease, and infection with this infection during pregnancy is extremely dangerous for the fetus.
Vaccination is done at least three months before the intended conception, keep this in mind
Be sure to visit your dentist – it is better to have your teeth cured before pregnancy. Narrow specialists – endocrinologist, ophthalmologist and others – need to be visited according to indications, in the case of chronic diseases, for example. Do not go to extremes – chronic gastritis, which has not shown itself in any way for the last two or three years, will not interfere with either the onset of pregnancy or the bearing of a child.
It is not necessary to take hormone tests if you do not have endocrine diseases, problems with the menstrual cycle, or have had no difficulties in previous pregnancies
A visit to a geneticist is necessary if there are cases of hereditary diseases, including Down’s syndrome, in the families of future parents. Be sure to visit Genetics if the child’s father or you are over 40 years old, if you or your relatives have already had problems with bearing a pregnancy, cases of chronic miscarriage, stillbirth or the birth of children with severe pathologies.
If the pregnancy comes as a surprise
If you did not have time to undergo the examination before the start of pregnancy and the test showed the cherished two strips earlier than expected, do not worry. But do not delay the visit to the doctor, you can pass most of the tests at the very beginning of pregnancy. Stop drinking alcohol immediately, quit smoking.
The opinion that it is harmful to quit smoking during pregnancy is wrong. The stress experienced by the fetus when the mother cuts off nicotine is not comparable to the damage that smoking causes the developing embryo.
Start taking folic acid as soon as you find out that you are pregnant. If, not knowing that you will soon become a mother, you were taking medication, drinking alcohol or smoking, do not rush to drastic measures. If pregnancy nevertheless occurs, most likely, harmful substances did not have time to have a detrimental effect on the development of the fetus, because in the first days the law “all or nothing” is in effect – an abnormally developing pregnancy is often interrupted before you know about it. In addition, in the first few days of the embryo’s life, it still does not have blood circulation in common with the mother, and dangerous substances do not have time to get to the embryo that has just begun to develop.
Examinations for planning pregnancy
A healthy lifestyle, good mood and love for your future baby will help you carry your baby – remember that it is impossible to foresee absolutely everything in advance, follow the recommendations of your doctor and enjoy the unique waiting time.
See also: Why a dream.