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A healthy lifestyle importance
Perhaps best of all, exercise can help you prepare for labor and childbirth by increasing your stamina and muscle strength. If you're in good physical condition before giving birth, you may even shorten your labor and recovery time. The benefits of exercise before and during pregnancy are clear. But each woman - and each pregnancy - is different. Talk with your doctor - together you can plan an exercise program that accommodates the physical changes of your future pregnancy.
The most common things to avoid during planning the conceiving are avoiding smoking and alcohol, eating healthy food and taking exercises. Don't smoke. Smoking decreases a woman's chance of conceiving and can reduce a man's sperm count. Women who smoke during pregnancy tend to have babies with lower birth weights than nonsmokers, and these babies may have developmental problems. Their babies are also three times as likely to die from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) as are the babies of nonsmokers. In addition, smokers have a higher incidence of tubal (ectopic) pregnancy and stillbirths. It's very important that both of you stop smoking. Regular exposure to secondhand smoke may reduce fetal growth and therefore increase your chances of having a low-birth-weight baby. At birth, low-birth-weight babies are more likely to have low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) and trouble maintaining their body temperature (hypothermia). Low birth weight also increases a baby's risk of chronic disabilities, such as cerebral palsy, mental retardation and learning problems. Smoking is an addiction and can be difficult to stop. If you're ready to stop, ask your doctor for help. This is especially important if you're interested in using products such as nicotine patches or gum. Your doctor will be eager to help you stop smoking anytime, but there are more tools available before you get pregnant. Avoid alcohol. No level of alcohol consumption has been proven safe during pregnancy. In fact, prenatal alcohol exposure can cause birth defects in the early weeks of your pregnancy, before you even know you're carrying a child. Drinking alcohol may also decrease a woman's ability to conceive and increase the risk of miscarriage. In the most extreme cases, excessive drinking during pregnancy results in fetal alcohol syndrome. Babies born with this condition can have severe long-term problems including mental retardation, learning disabilities and behavioral problems. It's important for men to resolve any problem drinking before pregnancy begins. There's increasing evidence that heavy drinking can lead to low sperm counts. But more importantly, your baby's safety, security and happiness require that you and your partner are free of alcohol problems. Eat a healthy diet based on a variety of foods. All of your growing baby's nutritional requirements come from you. If you're eating too few calories or too few nutrients, cell development may be less than ideal and your baby may be underweight at birth, increasing his or her risk of short- and long-term health problems. If your diet is lacking in iron, calcium, folic acid or other essential vitamins and nutrients or you often skip meals, make some changes now. Reduce your intake of foods with little nutritional value, artificial sweeteners and caffeine. Drinking more than two caffeinated beverages a day, in fact, may make it more difficult for you to get pregnant. Opt instead for protein-rich foods, fruits, vegetables, whole grains and dairy products. If you're overweight and want to shed some pounds, do so before you become pregnant. Pregnancy isn't the time to start a weight-reduction diet. Before trying to conceive, begin taking a daily vitamin that contains at least 400 micrograms of folic acid. Studies show that folic acid in this quantity offers significant protection against neural tube birth defects, such as incomplete closure of the spine (spina bifida) or a partially or completely missing brain (anencephaly). If you begin taking folic acid after you find out you're pregnant, the protection may not come soon enough. Neural tube defects occur in the first four weeks of pregnancy, before you may realize you're pregnant. Exercise. Moderate exercise can increase your fitness, reduce stress and help prevent health problems, such as heart disease and high blood pressure. And if you get in the habit of exercising now, you're more likely to enjoy its benefits during pregnancy. Many women find that exercise eases the constipation, backaches, fatigue and varicose veins common with pregnancy. If you're not used to exercising, work with your doctor to develop a plan that's right for you.
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