Deciding to have a baby is a major decision of life. Almost all of us at some point in our lives once go through this phase where we think about having a child and plan to complete our family and our lives. And almost all of us feel a tremendous gush of joy filling us when we hear about the news of our little being entering our lives.
However, some people do not make enough efforts to prepare themselves for such a life-altering change in their lives to ensure that carriage, birth and after-birth health of the child and mother is secured in the best possible way.
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Here are some things that we must consider to make sure that this phase only brings happiness to our lives and safeguard the health or the baby and mother.
- See if you’re ready
Have a thorough talk with your partner and see if you both are ready to have a baby, in terms of your social, financial, emotional and physical state. Ask if you both are going to be happy with this decision. Understand that it takes a lot of effort and compromises to give birth and raise a child, and see if you both are willing to sincerely put your efforts together as a team on this.
I also recommend making efforts in clearing out any misunderstanding, mistrust or conflicts that you may have with your spouse before you conceive, as bad relationships between the couples can directly have extreme and negative impacts on the health and psychology of the child. Realize that you both need to work as a team in order to raise a healthy child. So, communicate with your partner on this and make them realize that you both have to kill your ego a little bit and increase your tolerance and capacity needed to handle relationships and family. That’s how life is, it’s bound to bring problems since it’s not a fairytale. The question is, how much are you capable of dealing correctly with those problems?
- Make sure you’re both healthy
You may like to see if one of you might have a communicable disease that might be transferred to the baby. If it’s a really serious one, you may want to rethink about it before trying to conceive. Obviously, no parents would want their baby to suffer from anything bad. Check with your doctor to see if you both are free from any chronic illness. Also, make sure that the mother is healthy enough to bear the consequences of pregnancy.
- Give it a try
Go off your pills and observe your menstrual cycle. See what time would you want to expect the delivery, and what time would you be most fertile to give it a shot.
- Cut out on Smoking and Drinking
This is valid for both the parents. A mother should be very careful about not drinking and smoking. Several toxins and chemicals are present in cigarettes that can be transferred into the baby through the placenta, affecting the eggs in the mother and damage the sperm quality of the father. Drinking can also have terrible effects on the baby’s health and brain development.
- Start eating healthy
It’s important to start having a balanced diet and keep up with all the nutrition you need for your health and baby’s health. what you’ll eat is what you will be feeding the baby, so make sure you eat healthy for the health of the baby.
- Say no to Caffeine
Most of us are almost addicted to coffee or our daily dose of caffeine. Consuming too much caffeine has been proved to cause miscarriage for some mothers. It’s really important to consider your daily caffeine intake.
- Weight loss
This may be the perfect time to implement all your weight management strategies. Overweight women cannot only face difficulty in getting pregnant, but they may also face troubles, risks, and complications during their pregnancy and delivery. Not to scare you, but it’s a good idea to consider all things for the maximum safety of yourself and the baby.
- Set the Budget
Having a baby and even pregnancy can get us into a lot of unexpected expenses every now and then. Though it won’t require you to buy another villa, you must prepare yourself to bear any such unexpected expenditures that may occur. Not only the baby food, diapers, and baby clothes will be required, but getting pregnant itself can be an expensive process. In the end, a safe budget is only going to help, as you can get so many other things for the baby with the extra money that you have for it.
- Multivitamins and supplements
Women with a plan to have a baby should start with their prescribed supplement multivitamins at least months before getting pregnant. There are many macro and micronutrients that are essential for a healthy pregnancy.
- Sleep like a Panda
As a mother, rest as much as you can to prepare your body and capacitating it to accept such a big change. And after all, after the birth, your baby might give you a lot of sleepless nights.
- Stay away from Stress
This point simply cannot be stressed enough. Stress and anxiety is the biggest killer of the health of the baby and the mother. It can have serious physical, nervous and developmental impacts on the baby and the mother. Don’t underestimate the power of laughter therapy. Have yourself all the time to relax and watch your favorite comedy serials once you’re pregnant.
- Teeth treat
It may come up as most surprising, but gum diseases can put you at a higher risk of miscarriage. According to doctors keeping your mouth hygiene, flossing, keeping up with your dentist appointment and brushing your teeth regularly can reduce the risk of miscarriage by seventy percent. Many conditions like preeclampsia, preterm birth and miscarriage are associated with this.
- No Chemical Romance
Stay away from all the chemical products as much as you can. Exposure to chemicals can have negative impacts on your health as well as the health of the baby, through oral exposure, ingestion, or even exposure to skin. Make sure you cut down on chemicalized makeup products, chemical hair color, avoid processed food and don’t inhale any chemical products.
- Boost your fertility
There are several ways to boost your fertility, including healthy eating and drinking, weight management, avoiding pesticide grown inorganic food, checking your workplace, avoiding smoking and drinking, and understand your menstrual cycle.
- Somethings Fishy
While there is much fish that a woman should definitely consume as it contains a lot of omega-3 fatty acids, which is great for health, there are certainly larger species of fish that should be strongly avoided by mothers as those species are more prone to bioaccumulation of Mercury. Mercury is an extremely toxic heavy metal that could be one of the most harmful poison for the health of baby physical and neurological development. Ever since the industrial revolutions human beings have been disposing of more and more mercury in the oceans, which are home to these fish. As a result of contact with mercury, these fish absorb the atoms of this liquid metal which deposits in their tissues.
- Your job
See if your job or work environment is healthy for you as a mother. Do you work all day in a closed, packed, unventilated cubicle all day? If so, it’s better to think about a new job as lack of fresh air can be bad. Also see if your job is safe for you ergonomically, if you’re being exposed to any industrial chemicals, and if you’re at risk of any health and safety issue.
Conclusion
Certainly, no parents could ever wish to see any damage to their child’s health, but many of us aren’t aware of all these things that could ensure a healthy conception. It's best to get some workshop sessions or a course for couples who are looking forward to a pregnancy.