How to Prepare for Pregnancy: 5 Tips

When you’re planning to have a baby, most of the attention goes toward things that happen after you conceive. There’s prenatal appointments, birthing classes and getting the nursery together. You may scroll through baby books for name ideas or start creating your birth plan.

But there are important steps you should take before you get pregnant. Doing these will help ensure the best possible start for you and your baby.

We’ll examine how to prepare for pregnancy and provide our 5 useful tips.

5 Important Tips on How to Prepare for Pregnancy

1. Make Preconception Health Care Appointments

Schedule an appointment with us as soon as you’ve decided to conceive.  We want to schedule a preconception visit with you to position you for a healthy pregnancy. As part of this visit, we’ll examine your family’s medical history. We’ll also test you for conditions that can affect your pregnancy. In addition, we’ll ask you about any previous pregnancies and discuss any medical history or current medications that could impact your pregnancy.

You can check out all these details and more in our preconception care checklist. That gives good advice on how to prepare for pregnancy.

2. Stop Drinking and Smoking

If you are trying to get pregnant, realize that alcohol and smoking can cause complications. Premature birth, birth defects and even infant death have been associated with smoking and alcohol use. It’s best to stop partaking long before you have conceived.

If you smoke, we encourage you to stop—for your sake and for your baby’s sake. If you need help, just let us know.

3. Speak With Us About Vaccinations

If you’re planning to get pregnant, it’s important that you have the right vaccinations. Doing so can keep both you and your baby healthy. This is why you should be sure that you’re up-to-date on all your shots. By protecting yourself from these diseases, you’ll also be protecting your child.

To illustrate the seriousness of these illnesses, rubella is a contagious disease that is particularly dangerous. It can cause birth defects or even a miscarriage.

4. Take Folic Acid

Folic acid is vital because it helps prevent major birth defects. These birth defects can affect your baby’s brain and spine.

Folic acid plays a major role in forming the neural tube. The neural tube is the part of the baby that will eventually develop into the spinal cord and the central nervous system.

Folic acid can help prevent birth defects such as anencephaly and spina bifida. Anencephaly occurs when a baby is born without parts of the skull or brain. Spina bifida occurs when the neural tube doesn’t completely close. As a result, the spinal cord and nerves are severely damaged.

We recommend that you take 800 micrograms of folic acid every day.

5. Speak with Us About Your Medications

One of the reasons it’s vital for us to have an up-to-date list of your medications is because certain ones can cause birth defects. This includes herbal or natural remedies as well as over-the-counter medicines.

We want to be sure you’re only taking the medications that are necessary. We will work closely with your prescribing physician to weigh the risk and benefits of each medication.

We’ll Answer All Your Questions on How to Prepare for Pregnancy

We believe good health care begins with good education. We want to be active partners in your health, working together with you to ensure the best possible start for you and your baby.

By being prepared and following our five tips on how to prepare for pregnancy, you greatly increase the likelihood of avoiding some potential complications during your pregnancy.

If you’re considering starting a family, we want to hear from you! Contact us to schedule an appointment today.