18 things you should prepare before getting pregnant

Are you planning to have a baby? If you have this plan, immediately pocket 18 pre-pregnancy preparations that aFamilyToday Health introduces right now.

Preparing for pregnancy is not an easy one. With the exception of an unwanted pregnancy, if you plan to get pregnant, women often have a lot of worries such as health status, diet, medication, exercise, delivery, and responsibility to do. parents when having children. That is the reason why many people wonder when deciding to have children. Learning about pregnancy, getting a checkup, talking to family and friends ... are activities you need to prepare before getting pregnant.

1. Prepare before pregnancy: Need to go for a health check

In order to prepare for your health before getting pregnant, you should first start a prenatal visit . The doctor will learn about the medical history of your husband and wife and your family, the drugs you are taking ... In addition, you must also stop taking some drugs that affect conception. Your doctor will tell you what to eat before pregnancy, how to exercise, how to get vaccinated, and which bad habits to quit (like staying up late, smoking, drinking alcohol or using ghosts drug).

Your doctor will also ask you to see a specialist if you have diabetes, asthma or high blood pressure. These conditions need to be controlled before getting pregnant. If you have rarely seen your doctor before, your doctor will recommend a blood test and pap smear (cervical cytology) to detect sexually transmitted diseases.

2. Genetic testing

During prenatal care, your doctor will ask you and your wife to do a genetic test to make sure neither of you has a serious genetic condition, such as anemia. sickle . If you have a genetic disorder, your baby is at risk of inheriting it. This test is done through a sample of your saliva or blood.

3. Things to prepare before pregnancy: Quit alcohol, tobacco and drugs

If you smoke, drink alcohol, or use drugs, quit now. Tobacco and drug use can lead to premature birth , miscarriage, and low birth weight. For men, if you smoke cigarettes, the sperm count will be low. Smoking also affects the ability to conceive.

4. Avoid infections

You can prevent infection by:

Wash your hands often when cooking food. Food storage by refrigerator should ensure the cooler compartment temperature is at 2 - 4ºC and the freezer temperature at –18ºC.

Do not eat undercooked, unpasteurized cheese and deli meats and deli. These foods contain a lot of bacteria, which increases the risk of miscarriage.

Unpasteurized juice can also contain bacteria such as E.coli or Salmonella. Therefore, you should avoid it.

Wear gloves when in contact with soil, sand or when disposing of trash to avoid contamination.

You need vaccines such as flu, chickenpox, hepatitis B, measles - mumps - rubella ... to prevent these diseases.

5. Reduce caffeine intake

Women planning to become pregnant should avoid consuming caffeine-containing foods, because too much caffeine can impair fertility . You should not consume more than 200ml of coffee per day.

6. Limit staying in areas with many harmful chemicals

This is extremely important. If you are exposed to radiation or chemicals at work, it can affect your ability to conceive. In addition, when using chemicals such as pesticides, bleach, you must also be very careful.

7. Pay attention to your spirits

You should be in the best state of mind if you want to conceive. Sometimes when you feel anxious, sad, stressed or depressed, talk to your partner or family member. You can also find a psychologist to share. Yoga and meditation also help you deal with stress effectively.

8. Prepare for pregnancy: Don't forget to see the dentist

Before you get pregnant, it's important to make an appointment with your dentist. Hormonal changes during the process of secretions make you more susceptible to dental diseases. Elevated levels of progesterone and estrogen also affect the gums.

9. Prepare for your health before pregnancy: Exercise regularly

If you have a daily exercise plan, this is great and needs to be maintained. If not, start now. Exercise will keep the body healthy, reduce stress and make conception easier.

You can start with exercises like yoga, aerobic or swimming. If you don't have time, you can walk for at least 30 minutes a day. Some things you can do to get more active like take the stairs instead of the elevator, walk instead of riding for short distances ... You can take prenatal yoga classes at the hospital or club.

10. Control body weight

It is easier to conceive if you have the right weight. This is determined through the body mass index (BMI). Women with a high BMI are more likely to experience complications during pregnancy and during childbirth. People with low BMI are more likely to have low birth weight babies. Ask your doctor about the right weight for you and how to adjust you.

11. Be careful when choosing fish

If you love to eat fish, you should be careful. Fish is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, essential for brain and eye development, protein and other nutrients but contains mercury. This is very harmful to the body. Therefore, you should not eat fish such as mackerel, swordfish, canned tuna and white tuna.

12. Prepare before pregnancy: Need financial stability

Finance is equally important. If you intend to become pregnant, please plan your finances and related matters. If you want to use your insurance card for prenatal care to save money, find out if the hospital you are planning to do will accept your insurance card. Depending on the family's economic conditions and personal health, choose a suitable obstetric and gynecological hospital.

13. Stop taking birth control pills

If you intend to become pregnant and are taking birth control pills, stop taking the pill now. When using it, your menstrual cycle may be different from when it started. The discontinuation of the drug will gradually return the body to its original state, and the menstrual cycle will stabilize.

14. Learn about the menstrual cycle and the date of ovulation

To conceive, you need to learn ways to calculate the date of ovulation and the most fertile days by recording the days when you have a monthly "red light". From there, you will know how many days your cycle lasts.

Based on your body temperature and cervical mucus, you can know your ovulation date. Monitor these signs regularly to determine the exact time of ovulation to increase your chances of conceiving .

15. Prepare for health before pregnancy: Eat nutritious foods

You don't need to overeat, but you must eat nutritious foods for a healthy pregnancy. In addition, a healthy couple's diet will also increase fertility.

A nutritious diet for women: Lots of fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Every day, drink 2 glasses of milk and eat a jar of yogurt. Avoid foods high in artificial sweeteners. Limit alcohol and coffee consumption.

Diet for the husband: Eating plenty of foods rich in zinc and vitamin E helps keep sperm healthy, swim well to meet eggs. Eat more carrots as this root vegetable is high in vitamins A and D.

16. Add folic acid

Folic acid is important for the female body as it helps reduce the risk of neural tube defects in the newborn baby. Your doctor will ask you to take folic acid every day when you intend to become pregnant. Check with your doctor during your prenatal visit for a supplement with folic acid and other essential vitamins.

17. Understand the medical history of both husband and wife

This is one of the most important things you need to do before getting pregnant. This is to ensure that the couple does not have any serious diseases of the genetic disorder, helps to reduce the risk of the baby being born with genetic diseases from its parents.

18. Prepare for Pregnancy: Are you really ready?

Before you plan to become pregnant, ask yourself if you are ready to be a mother. Ask yourself these questions:

Both husband and wife want to have children?

What have you prepared for being a mother?

Are you ready to take on the responsibilities of being a mother?

Can you balance work, childcare and family?

If there is a religious difference between the couple, what religion will the baby follow?

Through the above sharing, hopefully you have had some more useful information to prepare for your pregnancy. Don't worry, pregnancy is an exciting journey, it's important to take good care of yourself.