Most couples are
conscious about family planning to control birth of children, but not aware
about the fact that planning is more important in getting pregnant as well. A well-planned
pregnancy with all the preconception care will help in avoiding pregnancy
related complications and give you a healthy baby. The food we eat, the environment
we live and the lifestyle we lead have changed tremendously which results in an
increased risk of miscarriage, still birth, congenital abnormalities and
premature delivery. So include pregnancy planning also in your family planning
schedule.
All couples take
good care from the first day they get a positive pregnancy test result but, a baby's organs begin to form in the first few
weeks of pregnancy, before you may know that you are pregnant. So the more
planning you do, the greater you contribute to health of your baby. So start taking the first step
for pregnancy planning now because only a healthy couple can give birth to a
mentally and physically healthy baby.
PREGNANCY PLANNING
Importance of pregnancy planning:
·
Conceive more easily
·
Minimum pregnancy complications
·
Give birth to a healthier baby
·
Recover more quickly and easily
after giving birth
·
Minimize risk of health problems in
future both in mother and baby
In this article,
I am focusing on some important and effective ways of pregnancy planning to boost
up your chance to conceive a healthy baby.
1.
Decide when do
you want your baby:
First step in
your planning schedule is to decide when you want to have a baby. Don't think
you will try for a baby when all financial or professional situations come in a
line which will delay your chance of getting pregnant. After the age of 35, the fertility of women decreases with greater
chance of giving birth to baby with genetic abnormalities like downs syndrome.
If you are in your 30s don’t wait too long to get a baby bump particularly if
you want more than one child. The likelihood of
pregnancy depends mostly on maternal age rather than paternal age because the number
or concentration of sperm remains
relatively constant for them.
2. Follow healthy
diet and lifestyle
Your
chances of becoming pregnant and having a healthy pregnancy are better if you
and your partner are as healthy as possible. It's ideal to go into pregnancy with
good dietary habits already in place. Food rich in folic acids are highly recommended. A nutritious,
well-balanced diet is very important to stay healthy which includes eating a
variety of the following foods.
·
Plenty of fruit and vegetables
·
Starchy foods, which includes bread,
pasta, rice and potatoes
·
Protein, such as lean meat, fish,
beans and lentils
·
Fiber rich food like wholegrain,
fruit and vegetables
·
Dairy foods, such as milk, yoghurt
and cheese, which are a good source of calcium
·
Drink enough fluids every day, but
limit your intake of caffeine-containing drinks
Studies
suggest that some men with low sperm count also have zinc deficiency. Meat,
wholegrain cereals, seafood, and eggs are high in zinc and could increase your
fertility. Along with healthy food habits, both partners should follow a good
lifestyle. Avoid alcoholic beverages and illegal drugs, and quit smoking
tobacco. Stop taking medicines without prescription as this may harm the baby.
3.
Maintain a healthy
weight
This is one of the most important factors to
be in concern. It's a good idea to reach your ideal body weight before you
get pregnant. Aiming for a healthy weight will increase your chances of
ovulation. It is proven that polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) patients come
out with tremendous improvement after reducing their body weight. Reducing
weight is the first step you can take to correct hormonal imbalances. A healthy
body mass index (BMI) for adult women is between 19 and 25. Being underweight and overweight has
corresponding complications. Yoga and exercise is helpful for all women to maintain
a healthy body and mind.
4. Be a medically fit couple
Any medical
condition of both partners that can affect your pregnancy should be diagnosed
and treated before starting your pregnancy. Reasons for irregular period should
be diagnosed and corrected. Poly cystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is found to be
the most important reason of sterility in women. Have
a pre-pregnancy checkup with your health care provider for diabetes,
blood pressure variations, hemoglobin and thyroid hormone. Be sure that you are up to date on all immunizations.
In some cases, your health care provider might recommend adjusting your
medication or other treatments before the pregnancy.
Health of man is
also important because certain diseases like cause
mumps, diabetes, Hepatitis B, sexually transmitted infections, cancer and HIV
can affect your chances for making pregnancy and a healthy baby.
5.
Stop
contraception
Once
you decide to become pregnant, stopping contraception gives more doubts than
selecting one especially those who are on contraceptive pills. But don’t worry.
When you stop using contraception, your periods and fertility will return to
normal. If you’ve been taking birth control pills, usually ovulation is
possible as soon as two weeks after you stop taking the pill, but it may take
longer for some women. Getting pregnant
very soon after stopping hormonal contraception is safe as it will not harm
your baby.
6.
Know when to
have sex
Women have
chances of getting pregnant only once in a month. Having intercourse throughout
a month is not the way. Having sex at the right time when you
release an egg (ovulation) is the effective one to make you pregnant .This will
happen only once in a menstrual cycle.
The most active sperm will fertilize this egg. Having sex during your
fertile window is the most important way to get pregnant. If you have an
irregular menstrual cycle, consult a gynecologist and treat it without delay.
Day of ovulation
If you're one of the many women who
have a 28-day cycle, there's a good chance you will ovulate on day 14. If you
have a 35 day cycle you are most likely to ovulate on day 21. Consider the
first day of your period as Day 1. Sperm can live for two to three days, but
the egg survives around for only 12 to 24 hours. To increase the likelihood of
conception, it is important to have intercourse more than once around the time
of ovulation. A good approach is to have sex on alternate days .6 days prior to
ovulation and 6 days after ovulation are the most important days to have sex
because the day of ovulation is difficult to predict. But of course there are
some techniques to calculate and find out your day of ovulation.
How to know the
day of ovulation
a) Basal Body Temperature
You won't feel the change, but a few days after you ovulate,
your basal body temperature (BBT) rises. Use
a thermometer for measurement and draw a chart with day on X-axis and
temperature on Y-axis to track this. Before the ovulation, your BBT
probably ranges from 97.2 to about 97.7 degrees Fahrenheit. The day before
the temperature starts increasing is the most likely day of ovulation which
shows a dip in temperature. Two or three days
after you ovulate, hormonal changes cause a rise of 0.4 to 1.0 degree in your
BBT. Charting BBT once may not help, but charting it for a few months will give
you a clear picture about the day of your ovulation. If you are getting pregnant
your BBT will stay elevated throughout your pregnancy.
b) Vaginal discharge
The discharge you will be tracking is cervical mucus which
changes throughout your cycle. For most of the month, you may feel dry. But as
you approach ovulation, you will notice much more cervical mucus which is clear
and stretchy like raw egg white. If you have sex on a day when you have fertile
cervical mucus, you are more likely to conceive.
c)
Hormone analysis
The amount of luteinizing hormone (LH) is what measured here.
An increase in this hormone means that one of your ovaries will soon release an
egg. Most women ovulate 12-48 hours after detecting an LH surge. Ovulation prediction kits based on hormone
analysis are available in market.
7.
Take
Folic acid supplement
Take
food rich in folic acid regularly. Your gynecologist will suggest that you take
folic acid as a supplement. Folic acid is a member of the vitamin B family and
is needed for baby’s development in the early weeks of pregnancy. It is good to
take folic acid from 3 months before getting pregnant. Wondering why so early?
The baby's neural tube which becomes the brain and spinal cord develops during
the first month of pregnancy, when you may not even know that you are pregnant.
Folic acid help producing healthy ovum, avoid miscarriage and prevent serious
abnormalities of brain and nerves of baby.
8.
Make
work atmosphere safe
Working
conditions and atmosphere should be satisfactorily safe for both partners. Any
exposure to chemicals or radiations that may affect your fertility should be
avoided. According to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health,
continuous exposure to pesticides,
chemical fertilizers, lead, nickel, mercury, chromium, ethylene glycol ethers,
petrochemicals, benzene, perchloroethylene and radiation can lower sperm
quality, quantity and possibly lead to infertility or miscarriage.
9.
Keep
good emotional health
Emotional health
is a state of well-being. The realization that you are going to become a parent
can be an exciting feeling which can make you happy and at the same time
tensed. Your emotional health is very important during your pregnancy and
emotions such as stress and anxiety can affect your baby’s developing body and
brain. Keep family bonds strong and friend
circle wide. Happy faces all around will definitely keep you positive towards a
pregnancy.
10. Seek medical
advice
One
year is a satisfactory time for a couple who had regular intercourse to get a
positive pregnancy test and congratulations from all around. If you are not one
among them, don’t wait too long to consult a doctor.
Kissing
the chubby cheek and touching the feather like foot of a baby is the most
wonderful feeling that you can ever experience. Be positive and plan your
pregnancy today.
Asha
Das
