How to Prepare for Pregnancy
Jul 17 '00
We planned carefully for our son Alex's conception, and tried to do everything "right." Alex was still born 6 weeks early, but at least I knew that I had done everything I could to ensure his health and safety before he was born.
The first thing that I would recommend is to tell your doctor six months to a year before you plan to conceive. When I mentioned it at an annual exam, I was handed a huge packet of information, and given some general guidelines on what to do and what not to do. Much of it I knew already, but I wouldn't have remembered to avoid hot tubs and saunas during pregnancy. Why worry beforehand? Well, generally you don't know that you are pregnant for at least 2 weeks after conception; the idea is to minimize potential problems with preconception planning.
While at the doctor's office, consider having your immunizations updated. Some diseases, such as German measles, can cause birth defects or miscarriage. A friend of mine contracted chicken pox when she was 2 months pregnant, and spent the next 2 months waiting to have an amniocentesis and trying to decide if she would terminate the pregnancy if there was brain damage. Thank goodness, everything was fine, but the whole situation could have probably been avoided. If you've never had chicken pox, consider getting the vaccine.
At the doctor's visit, you should ask for a prescription for prenatal vitamins, and begin taking them daily. (Believe me, they go down easier before you're pregnant). Particularly important is folic acid; the vitamins should contain 400 micrograms, which is 100% of an adult woman's RDA. This is really important, because not having enough folic acid is linked with higher rates of spina bifida and other neural tube disorders. Taking these before you conceive ensures an adequate amount from the moment of conception; most of the organ development of the fetus happens within the first 2 months of pregnancy - it is not the time to have a deficiency. If your doctor isn't inclined to write a prescription for prepregnancy planning, take a regular mulitvitamin with enough folic acid in it. Target also sells an over the counter prenatal vitamin.
Next, I read several books. There is one about preconception planning, entitled Before You Conceive: The Complete Prepregnancy Guide, by John R. Sussman, M.D. and B. Blake Levitt. I checked it out of the public library, and it really helped me with my planning. You should also start reading books about pregnancy and childbirth. Many people like the What to Expect series by Eisenberg, et. al., and they do have well-organized information. However, I would recommend The Well Pregnancy Book by Samuels and The Pregnancy Book by Sears much more highly.
If you are on the Pill, obviously, get off of it! I gave my body about 6 months time off of it, just to get it back on a normal keel, and we switched to condoms without spermicide... on the off chance that we conceived with the condoms, we didn't want to have an extra chemical floating around. Don't take any medications that aren't necessary - did you know that the only painkiller that is recommended during pregnancy is acetominaphen? Goodbye Advil and aspirin - I really hated this. I caught a cold right after conceiving and took Tylenol to be safe - which was good, because Alex was already in there, albeit only a ball of cells at that point. Pregnancy can suppress your immune system, so this is kind of a double whammy... pray that you are lucky and feel good during pregnancy!
We didn't formally chart ovulation using Natural Family Planning or other methods, but I did make a note of when my period was arriving, and from that it was easy to figure out when ovulation was taking place. Obviously, knowing this helps you to actually conceive! If you can't read your body's signals about ovulation, there are ovulation predictor kits on the market. They are pricey, though, so it doesn't hurt to try and pinpoint ovulation yourself first.
Eat well and exercise while attempting to conceive. Discuss this with your doctor at your appointment. Exercising is great, but it is important not to overdo it once you are pregnant. I didn't manage a lot of exercise once pregnant because I was so tired and sick; consult with your doctor or midwife on what is appropriate for you. If you have had previous preterm births, you may be encouraged to not exercise. Eating well basically involves eating a low-fat, high-fiber diet that is full of fresh fruits and vegetables. Basically, what you should be doing anyway. Again, talking to your doctor helps here. I received a pamphlet that steered me away from eating too much fresh fish, for example, because of potential contamination with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).
Finally, consider other lifestyle factors. Do you dye your hair? You may want to stop while pregnant. Do you have a previous history of miscarriage? We should all know what is not normal in pregnancy, before we conceive. Are you still nursing an older child? This isn't particularly common, but you need to decide when - or whether - to wean, and if you are open to tandem nursing. (This probably isn't an option for those of us with previous preterm births). Do you drink alcohol? Stop if you are trying to conceive. Similarly, it is best to cut down on caffeine. If you take "recreational drugs," you should avoid pregnancy (and if you are addicted, get help).
There's a lot to know before you conceive, but much of it is common sense. Read some books, talk to your doctor or midwife about these issues, and then enjoy trying to conceive.
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Member: Sara Robinson-Coolidge
Location: Northfield, MN
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mother of two kids, graduate nurse, feminist, bibliophile, and compulsive Epinions writer
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