Preparing for Pregnancy: Careful Planning is the Key

If you are planning on having children, planning before you get pregnant is very important. The healthier you are as you are planning your pregnancy, the better the chances that you will have a healthy baby. There are no sure fire methods for giving birth a healthy baby but there are most certainly some things that you can do that will improve the outcome.

 

It is a good idea to begin to take a multivitamin that includes folic acid every day before you become pregnant and you should also be sure to eat healthy food and maintain a healthy weight. If you smoke, you should definitely stop smoking and also cut back on drinking alcohol. Be sure to incorporate some form of daily exercise into your routine and get plenty of rest and try not to subject yourself to situations that cause stress.

 

A great tool to use to know when you are most likely to become pregnant is an ovulation calculator which will tell you the approximate dates when you are fertile. You can easily find this type of tool online and you need to only enter the date of the first day of your last menstrual period and the tool will give you an estimated ovulation date as well as the expected due date if you do indeed become pregnant.

 

Most of us thin of morning sickness when we think of pregnancy symptoms, but in reality there are also other symptoms to watch for during the early stages of pregnancy. Backaches, heartburn and leg cramping are also early signs of being pregnant as are having leaking breasts and restless leg syndrome (RLS).

You can purchase an over-the-counter pregnancy test at your local drug store that will tell you in a matter of minutes whether or not you are pregnant. These tests are considered to be very accurate and many women rely on them in order to find out if they are carrying a baby.  If you use an at-home pregnancy test and get a positive reading, it is recommended that you make an appointment with your doctor to have it confirmed.

 

Once your pregnancy is confirmed, then you must be sure to continue eat correctly, stay fit and eliminate toxins from your body which include alcohol and tobacco smoke. Giving birth is very tough on your body so you must do all you can to ensure that you are as healthy as possible.