Doctors have known for a long time that pre-pregnancy care is important. Although women are becoming increasingly health conscious and some now seek specific pre-pregnancy advice, there are many women who don’t understand its importance.
Take care of yourself
We all lead hectic lives and all too often missing your first period is the catalyst for thinking about your pregnancy, but you are already two weeks pregnant at this point and it may take a further few weeks before you see your obstetrician. By this time, your baby is developing rapidly and you may have missed opportunities to influence the pregnancy positively.
• The first twelve weeks of pregnancy is the time when all of the major organs are developing in the baby’s body.
• The heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, brain and nervous system are all formed at a time when many women do not even realize that they are pregnant.
This is why pre-pregnancy care is so important. It is important not just for women with a health condition, but for every woman contemplating pregnancy.
Your diet
If you are thinking about becoming pregnant, diet is important. It has been said that you are what you eat and, of course, your baby will be too. Indeed, eating a well-balanced diet before you conceive is one of the most important things you can do for your baby.
Your weight
In addition, if you are overweight, it is best to reduce your weight before trying to conceive. This is because not only does being overweight reduce your chances of conceiving, but it also puts you and your baby at greater risk of many complications.
Smoking
did you know?
Conception and stress
If you have been trying desperately for a baby and you have not conceived, you can end up feeling stressed and anxious, which can have an adverse effect on conception. Having a balanced diet, getting enough sleep and taking regular exercise should help. If you have a very stressful occupation, you might want to consider ways of limiting or avoiding stress at work.
If you are a smoker, you should know that smoking can not only reduce your fertility, but also make you more prone to miscarriage and restrict your baby’s growth in the womb. Stopping smoking is easier said than done and it may take you some time to give up smoking completely. Ideally, you and your partner should try to stop several months before attempting to conceive. You should also know that it is never too late to stop. Stopping smoking even after you are pregnant can make a difference for your baby.
Be aware of your surroundings
If you work with certain chemicals, lead, anaesthetics or X-rays, this may involve a risk to your unborn baby. Talk to your doctor about it. It has been suggested that computers, visual display units (VDUs) and copying machines give off harmful rays encouraging miscarriage, but despite several large studies there is no scientific evidence to suggest that they present any risk to pregnant women or their babies. Other studies on women who delivered small babies have likewise identified no link between VDU exposure and low birth weight. So if you work with a VDU, there is no need to be concerned or to take any special precautions when you are pregnant.
Your diet
Diet is fundamental to good health, and no more so than when you are preparing for pregnancy or in early pregnancy. All the ‘building blocks’ of your baby’s body are derived from your food.
must know
Meal times
Eat regular meals with a wide variety of healthy foods that you enjoy. If you get your diet right before conception, you will have established an ideal pattern for your pregnancy.
A balanced diet
A balanced diet provides you with:
• protein for muscles and other structures
• calcium for bones
• carbohydrates for energy
• fats for cell growth
• vitamins for key body functions
An optimal nutritional balance is the first step to giving your baby the best start in life. The requirements for protein, iron, calcium and vitamins B, C, D and E increase in pregnancy, but a well-balanced diet usually provides you with enough protein, vitamins and minerals to meet these extra demands.
Your baby’s health depends to a great extent on the health of not only you but also your partner at the moment of conception. You increase your chances of conceiving a healthy baby if you both eat a healthy, varied diet. Ideally, you should keep your intake of foods rich in fat and sugar to a minimum and your diet should include:
• a good selection of fresh vegetables and raw fruit (taking care to wash them thoroughly) to provide vitamins and fibre
• foods rich in protein, such as lean meat, fish, poultry, eggs and beans
• foods rich in calcium, such as milk, cheese and yoghurt
• cereals, bread, pasta and potatoes to provide carbohydrates and additional fibre
It is also sensible to combine this diet with an adequate fluid intake. Water is better than coffee, tea or sugar-rich drinks, such as cola.
Fruit and vegetables
Try eating more salads using a wide range of fresh vegetables, and try to take two portions of vegetables or fruit with each meal. Avoid over-cooking vegetables as this breaks down many of the vitamins they contain; try steaming them instead. Have fresh (not canned) fruit for dessert and drink fruit juices.
Protein
You can get most of your protein from meat like chicken, beef and lamb as well as nuts and pulses, but fish is an excellent source of protein, and oily fish like salmon and herring are rich in essential fatty acids (so-called omega 3 essential fatty acids), which are important for the development of the baby’s brain and nervous system. Moreover, a high fish intake is associated with a reduced risk of pregnancy complications such as premature labour or a low-birth weight baby. That said, there are some fish that should be avoided if you are trying to conceive or if you are pregnant.
Calcium
Foods rich in calcium such as milk, cheese and yoghurt are important to eat to ensure you have good calcium stores for the developing baby. When you are pregnant, drinking 500 ml (18 fl oz) of milk per day or 250 ml (9 fl oz) of milk and eating a yoghurt or portion of cheese is enough to ensure that you have sufficient amounts of calcium in your diet.
Carbohydrates
These are essential for energy. Many women worry about carbohydrates being related to weight gain and thus cut down on all forms of carbohydrate when trying to become pregnant. There are ‘good’ and ‘bad’ types of carbohydrate, however. Starchy foods such as pasta, wholemeal bread and potatoes are ‘good’. ’Bad’ carbohydrates are sugar-laden foods, such as cakes, biscuits and sweets. Cut down on these and think about increasing your intake of starchy carbohydrates. You should try to eat wholemeal bread, and take a portion of potatoes, pasta or wholegrain rice with each main meal. For breakfast think about having porridge or a high-fibre or wholegrain breakfast cereal, and avoiding cereals with a high sugar content.
Fibre
Otherwise known as ‘roughage’, fibre