From the moment the possibility of pregnancy is considered, you have to start taking care of yourself. In addition to your own good, your body must be healthy because it will have a very important mission ahead: to create a new life.
It will house your baby for nine months, so it is necessary that you start taking care of yourself before you get pregnant or that you take extra care if you already did. Specialists consider it essential for the proper development of pregnancy that the woman enjoy good health at the time of pregnancy and prepare for a healthy pregnancy.
If you plan to search for a baby there are certain recommendations that you cannot ignore.
Medical consultation before conceiving
The first thing you should do is go to a pre-conception medical consultation . It is a custom that is not very widespread but it is extremely convenient. They recommend doing it about three months before starting to look for pregnancy because doctors consider this visit to be as important as prenatal check-ups. In it, your gynecologist will check you to verify that everything is in order to face a pregnancy and will investigate your medical history to detect possible risks in pregnancy.
Aspects such as weight, age, diseases, previous interventions or if you take any medication are data that the specialist should know to help you plan a healthy pregnancy. It is very likely that you will carry out studies to analyze your general health in case you need a vitamin supplement.
At this consultation, the gynecologist will recommend, if necessary, a consultation with a geneticist. Couples who have a history of a relative with a known congenital defect will undergo a genetic study that will identify the degree of risk of transmitting the defect to the baby.
Take folic acid
Your gynecologist will surely tell you to start taking a daily dose of folic acid , an essential vitamin to prevent neural tube defects in your baby.
When you find out that you are pregnant, it may be too late to prevent a congenital defect such as anencephaly or spina bifida, since the formation of the neural tube occurs in the first weeks of gestation when you still do not know that you are pregnant. If you have not taken it before, as soon as you know about your pregnancy you should start doing it.
Control your weight
Both obesity and eating an extreme diet could affect your pregnancy. According to experts from Clínicas Eva, specialized in fertility, fat cells produce hormones and other molecules that negatively influence different organic processes such as the endocrine function of adipocytes.
In other words, obesity is an organic state of chronic inflammation that leads to hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and coagulation disorders. All these diseases negatively influence the development of pregnancy.
We must also put the focus of attention on the opposite extreme: that of women who are subjected to extreme diets, in the case of protein and dissociated diets. The first, he points out, produces a state of generalized inflammation, with production of acidosis (existence of too much acid in body fluids), which ends up affecting the kidney.
In addition to the kidney, in the dissociated diet, which does not mix certain food groups, the liver is damaged. This diet is also responsible for nutritional deficiencies and produces a very important rebound effect.
Avoid medications
You cannot take any medications if you plan to get pregnant, except those that are prescribed by your doctor in the indicated doses.
Most medications are contraindicated during pregnancy as some can cause abnormal growth of fetal cells. If you follow any treatment (also homeopathic) you should mention it to the doctor in the pre-pregnancy consultation.
Stop harmful habits
Of course, you should put aside tobacco and alcohol (and of course any other type of drug) due to the serious consequences that the consumption of these substances can cause in the fetus, even by the father.
From increased chances of the baby developing serious diseases, delayed intrauterine growth, coronary risks to mental retardation, to name a few of the effects they can cause.
A complete and varied diet
Feeding is a special chapter in pregnancy planning. It is not necessary to eat more, but to eat better. The diet should be complete and varied , moderately increasing the consumption of fruits, vegetables, cereals, legumes and fish. You must begin to reduce the consumption of fats, as well as foods with excess sugar.
With regard to the latter, blood sugar levels, there is research that suggests that they are the key to determining the sex of the baby, which is why choosing certain foods in the diet prior to pregnancy could influence the choice of sex.
Good eating habits should be a constant throughout life, but before and throughout pregnancy they are especially important, both for your own health and that of your baby.
Do physical exercise
Physical exercise is also essential to be in shape and so that the weight is controlled when you get pregnant. The practice of violent sports is not recommended, but a moderate practice is beneficial for both the mother and the future baby.
Dad also counts
It is not only the mother who must adopt good habits. We have already commented that alcohol and tobacco consumed by the father influences the health of the future baby, but man’s diet is equally important, he must begin to ingest essential nutrients to generate healthy sperm that give rise to healthy children.
We hope these tips help you plan a healthy pregnancy . In addition, another important advice, I would say that the most significant, is that the couple also enjoy good emotional health. In short, we are talking about creating a life, the fruit of love and understanding between two people.
In Babies and more | How to get pregnant fast: 11 tips to increase your chances
