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Preparing for pregnancy
The majority of us enjoy having sex, so becoming
pregnant should be one of the most natural things in the world. When
you start thinking about becoming pregnant you should take a look at
your health and that of your partner. Try to give yourselves three months
to prepare for pregnancy, during which time you should try to be as
healthy as possible and cut down on all your bad habits.
Your partner will also need to be careful. Sperm
take around three months to develop and you will want to ensure they're
as active as possible. Having a child is the most important decision
you will ever make, so a little preplanning will help get your baby
off to the best possible start.
Diet
Every year babies are born with unnecessary health
problems. These problems are usually due to the fitness and nutrition
of the mother. Paying attention to nutrition before and during your
pregnancy will benefit your unborn baby by giving your body a store
of nutrients. You shouldnt eat more food when you are pregnant
but you should be aware of the nutrients present in the foods that you
choose to eat. You can improve your health almost immediately by taking folic acid tablets until you are in the 12th week of pregnancy.
Suggestions for a healthy diet :
- Fresh fruit, salad and vegetables are all excellent
sources of vitamins, minerals and fibre so try to eat at least 5 portions
every day. Remember do not over cook vegetables, as this destroys
the vitamin C content.
- The basis of your diet should be starchy foods
like wholemeal bread, pasta, potatoes, rice and cereals. They provide
important vitamins and fibre but dont contain many calories.
- Lean meat, chicken,
fish, eggs and pulses are all good sources of protein and you should
try to eat 2 portions of these each day.
- Oily fish such as kippers, herring and sardines
contain vitamin D, which helps your body absorb calcium.
- Eat some calcium rich dairy products each day - cheese,
skimmed or semi-skimmed milk and yoghurt.
- Try to consume less sugary foods. Extra calories
will not provide any valuable nutrients.
- Cut down on salt and fatty foods.
- Avoid unpasteurised cheeses (e.g. brie, stilton),
under-cooked meat, paté, and raw or lightly boiled eggs as they may
contain bacteria such as listeria and salmonella.
- High levels of vitamin A can cause birth defects
so it is best to avoid liver, liver products and cod liver oil.
- Processed foods contain a lot of sugar, salt
and fat so should be avoided.
Exercise
If you are fit before you fall pregnant it will
stop you feeling tired as your pregnancy progresses and will keep your
weight gain within a sensible limit. Just because you are pregnant does
not mean you should stop taking exercise. Some exercise is good for
you during pregnancy. Exercise will help keep your body in good physical
condition and improve muscle tone and posture.
Dont do too much exercise though, as you will
tend to be more tired than usual. Pregnancy is one of the times in your
life when you need to have adequate rest. Pregnancy, labour and delivery
will make great demands on your body, so the more you can prepare yourself
physically the better.
There are several sports that you can do as long
as when you are tired, you remember to stop. These include, walking,
swimming and dancing - riding and skiing are probably best avoided.
Remember, when you are out of breath, your baby is deprived of oxygen.
Immunization
Before you attempt to become pregnant, you should visit
your doctor to make sure you have had all your necessary immunizations.
Ensure you have had a vaccination for German
measles before you try to conceive.
German measles is a viral illness that can cause a miscarriage or disabilities (e.g. blindness) in your baby. If
you do need a German measles immunization it must be done at least 3
months before you try to become pregnant.
Smoking, alcohol and drugs/medications
The most important thing you can do for your baby's
health is to stop smoking.
If you smoke you may triple your chances of not being able to conceive.
Smoking in general is a major health hazard but if you smoke during pregnancy
or inhale smoke from others, you are depriving your unborn baby of oxygen.
Babies of smoking parents are more likely to be born prematurely and
have a low birth weight, which can make your new born much more vulnerable
to infections in the first few weeks. Smoking also increases the chances
of you having a miscarriage, a stillbirth or a baby with malformations.
Doctors have also found that smoking is one of the single most important
risk factors involved in cot death.
Many women often say that they go off alcohol whilst pregnant. Even if you have an occasional drink it wont
do you or your baby any harm. However, regular heavy drinking will cause
problems. As no one knows how much is a safe amount to drink it would
be best to give up alcohol all together. If you do like to have an alcoholic
drink, try to drink no more than two units of alcohol once or twice
a week.
Many drugs pass into your babys blood stream
from your own. Some antibiotics are quite harmless and can be used to
treat your baby for certain conditions, but dont take any medicines
that havent been prescribed by your doctor, who knows you are
pregnant.
If you were taking the oral contraceptive pill you
should wait 3 months before trying to become pregnant. Paracetamol and
simple indigestion remedies are safe to take, but it is always best
to speak to your mid-wife, doctor or pharmacist beforehand. Street drugs
(drugs
of abuse) should always be avoided during pregnancy. Smoking cocaine can cause a serious decrease in your babys oxygen supply and babies
born to mothers who are addicted to heroin,
may also be addicted at birth.
Toxoplasmosis
Toxoplasmosis is a infection which can be passed on to
an unborn baby from the Mother and can cause damage to the baby's brain,
eyes and other organs. The organism that causes this infection is found
in raw meats and cat faeces. To avoid infection with toxoplasmosis:
- Wear gloves when gardening or changing cat litter.
- Wash your hands after gardening, handling cats
or raw meats.
- Only eat meat which has been cooked thoroughly.
Early signs of pregnancy
The first sign that you might be pregnant is a missed
or even a very light period.
Other signs you may be pregnant include:
- Feeling of nausea at any time of the day. Morning sickness is often one of the first
signs of pregnancy. Usually it disappears by about week 12, it sometimes
helps to eat something dry and bland like a rich tea biscuit when
you wake up.
- Craving of certain foods - perhaps this might
include foods you have never liked.
- Change in taste - you may go off certain foods
you once enjoyed.
- Breasts may become larger and sore or tender.
- The need to pass urine more often.
- Metallic or inky taste in your mouth.
- Increased tiredness which may lead to dizziness.
- An increase in vaginal
discharge, this should be clear or white and should not have any
smell to it. We have a test on this website to help identify the cause
of abnormal discharge, for more information or to buy click
here.
As soon as you think that you are pregnant arrange
to see your doctor so that you can start to have antenatal
care in good time.
Length of pregnancy
Pregnancy lasts approximately 266 days / 40 weeks
from the moment the egg is fertilized (it is usually quite difficult
to pinpoint this precisely). The average pregnancy lasts approximately
38 - 42 weeks.
Points to remember during your pregnancy:
- The baby is most vulnerable during the first
eight weeks of pregnancy.
- Between weeks 16 and 22 you will feel the baby
move for the first time.
- By 24 weeks a baby is sufficiently well developed
to survive if born prematurely.
- In the final 10 weeks of the pregnancy the baby
gains weight, increasing as much as 25 grams a day.
Related topics
Pregnancy Tests
Ovulation Tests
Strep B Test
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