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Preparing for Pregnancy
It is obvious that lifestyle changes aren't always easy and can't be done in a minute. Granted, it may not be a cinch to quit smoking or lose weight but, one day at a time, you can do it. If you had some bad habits that you wanted to quit that is the best time to do it! During the six months to a year that you take to prepare for pregnancy you can gradually enact many changes in diet, exercise, salt consumption, alcohol and smoking. Remember that you are not making these changes just for yourself, but for your baby's health. You can track your weight and blood pressure daily. You'll be able to watch yourself make progress in the six months to a year you'll need to prepare for one of the biggest adventures life has to offer - pregnancy. Stop Smoking As you knew for a long time smoking contributes to high blood pressure and is harmful to your health in many other ways. But right now that's not only you and you don't want to smoke for two. There are so much has been talked about the bad influence of smoking for pregnant women. The risks of smoking to the fetus include stillbirths, birth defects, low birth weight, sudden infant death syndrome and cancer. Smoking moms give the growing fetus nicotine and oxygen poor blood. Smoking doubles the risk of ectopic pregnancy and of having a low birth weight baby. Now is also the time for dad to cut out tobacco use. Men who smoke should work to change unhealthy behaviors before conception. Stop smoking could make the difference between a healthy outcome and complications you don't want. You can do it. For yourself and for your future child. Limit Alcohol Drinking and driving don't mix and neither do drinking and pregnancy. Avoid alcohol completely prior to conception and throughout pregnancy. Alcohol usage should be stopped in any quantity. During pregnancy you should be careful as alcohol travels rapidly through the bloodstream and can damage a developing fetus. It causes mental retardation and facial abnormalities in babies, a condition called Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Approximately 12,000 children with fetal alcohol syndrome are born in the United States every year. No one knows what amount of alcohol is safe during pregnancy. It is known, however, that alcohol can have an especially profound effect early in pregnancy. You won't always know right away that you are pregnant, so it's best to stop drinking while you are planning to become pregnant. Don't think about it as about "giving up" alcohol, but do consider that it is making a positive change to help ensure a healthy pregnancy and baby. Make it for the new life that is born in you. Changing Eating Habits Before Pregnancy Your weight before pregnancy and your weight gain during pregnancy are two different issues. Weight and pregnancy can be a confusing subject, especially if you have Chronic Hypertension. If you have some troubles with your weight you should plan before pregnancy and talk over with your doctor to determine what is an ideal weight for you. Charts and graphs that tell you how much you should weigh if you are a certain height are not always helpful. If you have high blood pressure or a tendency to be diabetic, a weight loss of even five to ten pounds can lower your blood pressure. It can be very important to your baby. Obesity has been associated with birth defects and makes high blood pressure worse. With diet and exercise you can fight an inherited tendency to be overweight. Believe that you can do it if you really want to as now you have a great incentive to do it for the child unborn to give life to a healthy offspring. It is medically beneficial to lose even small amounts of weight. During Pregnancy Weight gain during pregnancy is a totally different story. To put it simply, dieting during pregnancy is not a good idea! So, if you need to lose weight, do it before you become pregnant! A diet could leave you low on iron, folic acid and other important vitamins and minerals. It could even harm your baby. It is normal to gain weight during pregnancy, but please consult your doctor and nurse to understand what means your own norm. Studies show that a weight gain of 25 to 35 pounds is best for a healthy pregnancy. About Caffeine What about caffeine in your pre-pregnancy plans? For some people, there is almost nothing in this world as good as the aroma and taste of a cup of morning coffee. For others, life wouldn't be worth living without a weekly chocolate fruit and nut bar. The weight of scientific research continues to indicate that moderate caffeine consumption does not affect fertility, or cause adverse health effects in the mother or child. Though it is highly recommends cutting back or eliminating caffeine. Use the chart below to check out the amount of hidden caffeine in foods and beverages to ensure that you are consuming the minimum amount of caffeine or no caffeine at all. The table below shows the approximate caffeine content of various foods and beverages (the amount of caffeine in milligrams): Coffee (5-oz. cup)
Teas (5-oz. cup)
Others
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