What Preparations Should I Make To Achieve A Healthy Pregnancy?
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There are several things you can do before conception to make sure that your pregnancy is as health as possible. Prior to conceiving, you can:
- Visit your health care provider. She will give you a physical examination. She can test for Rh factor and immunity to certain viruses, such as rubella and Hepatitis B. She can also take your family medical history, and help determine whether there may be factors that will make yours a high risk pregnancy.
- Begin a folic acid regimen. Because your body will need 3-4 times the normal amount of folic acid, you can begin preparing your body by taking a supplement now.
- start, or continue, an exercise regimen. By doing this, you will be in better general shape, and can continue to do appropriate exercising during pregnancy.
- If you smoke, quit now. If not, don’t start. Smoking may affect your ability to get pregant.
- Give up alcohol now, in preparation for pregnancy.
- Begin weaning yourself from caffeine, or at least reducing your caffeine intake. Caffeine may also affect your ability to become pregnant.
- If you are using prescription medications, speak with your health care provider about their safety during pregnancy. Discuss the possibility of other treatments during pregnancy.
- Get yourself educated. Learn all that you can about having a healthy pregnancy, about the conception process, about birthing, and about raising a child.
- Start looking for a midwife or OB/GYN. Be prepared so that when you do discover that your are pregnant, you know who to call.
- Begin or continue to use stress-reduction techniques. Stress can create problems during pregnancy, and can contribute to infertility.
- Eat a balanced diet. Leafy green vegetables can help provide folic acid. make sure that you are getting enough calcium and iron.
- Take control of any current or preexisting medical problems, such as diabetes or high blood pressure.
- Avoid being exposed to harmful substances, such as lead, pesticides, and high levels of radiation.
To be sure, there is no way to guarantee that, even if you do everything above, that your pregnancy will not have complications, or that there will not be health concerns. With the proper care and planning, however, you can have a relatively healthy pregnancy, and should be able to minimize any complications.
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