Are you planning to get pregnant and expand the family? Getting pregnant need not be a big challenge or something to fear. It is a natural process that most women can enjoy if they are well prepared for it. In this article, we list the top 7 tips for preparing yourself for pregnancy.
So, if you are thinking about those tiny little feet and hands to hold and cuddle, how can you prepare yourself? It is always better to prepare yourself for such a big change in your body and life. If you are not sure where to start, here are some tips for you. You can start here and improvise or get more ideas from our community.
In This Article
- Video Of Tips To Prepare For A Healthy Pregnancy
- Importance of Preparing Yourself For Pregnancy
- Top 7 Tips For Preparing Yourself For Pregnancy
- FAQ’s
Video Of Tips To Prepare For A Healthy Pregnancy
Importance of Preparing Yourself For Pregnancy
For many women, pregnancy happens as a happy accident without much preparation or thought process going into it. But with growing awareness, finances, two-income households, and many other factors involved, many couple carefully plan and prepare for their pregnancy. Especially in cases when the couple is planning for their second child, a lot of planning happens. This is because they already have a child to take care of.
Preparing yourself for pregnancy, both physically and mentally, readies you for what you are to face, and also ensures that you have a smooth pregnancy, delivery, and a healthy baby.
Top 7 Tips For Preparing Yourself For Pregnancy
If you ask a new mom or a well-experienced mom about how you should prepare yourself for pregnancy, she can rattle off a big list without blinking an eye. Here, we have 7 of the top tips we feel are important to prepare yourself for this beautiful journey called pregnancy.
1. Follow A Proper Diet
What you eat is what you are. What you consume every day is vital when you decide to start a family. Your body needs extra nutrition and enough support to sustain a new life and continue to nurture the newborn. It can be a real strain on your body, both mentally and physically.
If you do not follow a proper or healthy diet, there is no time like now to start. It is OK if you have never bothered about your diet all your life so far. Following a nutritious diet can help you stronger, and healthier, and also increase your chances of getting pregnant.
Once you are pregnant, the hormonal imbalances may cause deficiencies, prevent you from eating a few items, or crave some unwanted food items. If you start following a good well-balanced diet before you get pregnant, it can be easier to sustain this habit throughout and after your pregnancy. You may not come up with excuses then.
2. Include Exercise in Your Routine
Your body needs to be physically fit to carry a baby to term. Exercising has more benefits than just a strong or fit body. It helps your skin, hair, mental health, and emotional state of mind. Exercising regularly can help you maintain a good posture and body weight. It can push your body to its limits, thereby making pregnancy a little easier.
You don’t have to do hardcore exercises and get a 6 pack abs. You just need to be physically active, and get a little stronger, so that you can face the physical demands of pregnancy, a little easier.
Ensuring you are always physically active can go a long way even when it gets difficult to move around in your last trimester. It can help you get back on your feet sooner, after the delivery.
3. Have Multivitamins
Your body needs a lot of nutrition to support the pregnancy. The growing fetus will require nutrients for its healthy development, and you cannot let the baby deplete it from your body. Even if you follow a well-balanced healthy diet, you will have a few gaps in nutrition. Our bodies cannot absorb all nutrients from the foods we eat.
When you consume multivitamins, you can meet all your nutritional requirements without much trouble. Multivitamins will help both you and the growing baby. Doctors recommend taking folic acid tablets when you start trying to get pregnant. Consult your gynecologist and start taking folic acid or other multivitamins as per advice.
If you are not too keen on swallowing pills, come up with a comprehensive diet plan that is rich in various nutrients.
4. Quit Smoking And Alcohol
Smoking, alcohol, and drug abuse are highly linked to infertility and miscarriages. If you are planning to get pregnant, you need to quit these first, to ensure the harmful effects do not reach the baby.
Quitting may be tough for some. It is important you take the time to quit all this if you are planning to start trying to get pregnant.
5. Get Plenty of Sleep
Lack of good quality sleep can play havoc with your system. It can not only affect your physical body but can also lead to mood swings, depression, anxiety, and many other mental issues. Your body rejuvenates when you sleep and by not sleeping well, you are not giving your body enough chance to get better.
Once you get pregnant, you may find it difficult to sleep through the night. Once the baby arrives, you may have to stay up all night or carry on with very little sleep. So get all the sleep you can before your bundle of responsibility arrives.
Yes, our bodies need sleep every night and we cannot create a reserve, but you can at least avoid being sleep-deprived before you get pregnant. You can also avoid the various imbalances sleep deprivation may cause.
6. Reduce Stress And Stay Calm
Stress and anxiety can be a big roadblock when you are trying to get pregnant. You need to find ways to stay calm, relax and reduce your stress levels. If you are in a stressful profession, find hobbies or activities that can help you relax. If you can find a few things to do, that help you calm down, you can go back to them when you feel stressed during pregnancy.
Stress is like second nature to every adult today. High levels of stress can delay you from getting pregnant and in some extreme cases, can even cause infertility.
7. Involve Your Partner And Family
Though it is the woman who goes through the pregnancy, she need not do it alone. The baby will not be just hers; it will be the family’s too. In such a case, she needs the family’s help and involvement too.
First, you and your partner need to be on the same page when it comes to pregnancy. It is always better for both of you to decide together and want to get pregnant. It is not easy to go through pregnancy alone.
Get your family on board too. Once you get pregnant, you need their help and support both during and after your pregnancy.
When you decide it is the right time to start a family or expand the family, you need to prepare yourself in various ways. It will help ease you into the pregnancy journey, both physically and mentally. With a few tips and a little planning, you can enjoy a beautiful pregnancy.
FAQ’s
1. How Early Should I Start Preparing Myself for Pregnancy?
You don’t need to plan much. Once you feel it is time to start trying, you can follow the tips mentioned above. Even if you get pregnant without “preparing” for it, don’t worry, just enjoy the journey.
2. Should I Start Taking Multivitamins Even Before I Get Pregnant?
Yes, doctors recommend folic acid tablets even before you conceive. For some women, doctors might prescribe other multivitamins too. It completely depends on your health and your doctor.
3. Can I Continue Exercising if am Planning to Conceive?
Yes, you can continue exercising even after getting pregnant, unless your doctor advises against it. If your exercises are not too strenuous or injury-prone, your doctor might let you continue them throughout your pregnancy. You might have to modify your exercises a little as your pregnancy progresses.
