Before pregnancy there is preconception…

A healthy lifestyle and good general health before you become pregnant will help you deal with pregnancy – there is mounting evidence to suggest – and its common sense really – that health at the beginning of pregnancy and during pregnancy can have a major effect on you and your developing baby – in the past it was considered OK to be healthy during pregnancy – now, however, some doctors are telling us that we should look beyond the 9 months of pregnancy and think about pregnancy in terms of “12 months” – to include 3 months before you conceive. You could argue that pregnancy preconception is the most important stage in the life of your unborn baby.

Read about pregnancy preparation.

Preparing for pregnancy checklist

Is my pre pregnancy weight acceptable ?
Have I started taking a folic acid supplement ?
Nutrition: Do I have a well balanced diet ?
Do I need vaccinations, such as MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) ?
Do I have asthma ?
Have I given up smoking ?
Do I have thyroid problems >
Do I have epilipsy ?
Is my alcohol or drug use a problem ?
Am I having any tests such as an X-ray ?
Am I a diabetic ?
Do I have SLE ?
Do I have HIV ?
Have I visited my Doctor ?
Is my workplace a healthy environment for a growing baby ?
Have I considered work related benefits and maternity leave ?

Preconception is the 3 months before the first trimester

Its much easier to address any issues even BEFORE the “12 months” of pregnancy begin – by visiting a doctor for a check up you can understand if there are any medications you need to stop taking – or what lifestyle changes you need to make. You need to prepare your lifestyle and body for the big changes ahead – a good lifestyle will help you right throughout pregnancy – having a baby will more than likely change your lifestyle but by the time many women realise they are pregnant, they are 2 or 3 months pregnant ! – thats roughly 13 weeks – or the full first trimester of pregnancy ! – this is the stage when your baby’s body structure is formed – and most organs develop !

Part of your pregnancy preparation, if you have diabetes, should be to confirm that the hospital that you are going to give birth in has a neonatal intensive care unit. Babies who are born to diabetic mothers may need the special services provided in these units. Women who have diabetes have a tendancy to get more vaginal or urinary tract infections and also may need to make sure they have close monitoring of their blood sugar levels.

As far as possible you will monitor your blood glucose measurements and urinalysis at home but you may need to have blood glucose tests in hospital as well and your insulin requirements adjusted. Special attention will be paid to symptoms such as nausea or vomiting and you may need advice from the dietician on how to maintain an adequate calorie intake. A high-fibre diet is advised because it produces a more constant blood glucose. As your baby grows your carbohydrate intake may need to be increased and your insulin adjusted accordingly. Again, your relationship with your doctor is important and you should rely on them for advice on diabetes during pregnancy.

When you are about to give birth, you may be given an I.V. to supply you with insulin and/or carbohydrates. After your baby is born carbohydrate metabolism returns to normal very quickly and insulin requirements will typically fall sharply. If you are breastfeeding then you may need to keep your carb and insulin levels a little higher. Again, talk to your doctor about this.

Pregnancy can influence diabetes in that pregnancy can increase your body’s need for insulin. The development of diabates during pregnancy is called gestational diabetes. This is different from diabetes as a pre-existing condition before pregnancy. Gestational diabetes is a result of pregnancy.

Folic Acid background
Folic acid is a B vitamin and it was discovered early last century. It became known as folate and occurs naturally in leafy green vegetables such as brocolli and spinach, also black beans lentils, breads, pasta and some nuts. The absorption of folic acid from foods can be low however, and this is why a folic acid supplement is recommended before conception and during the first pregnancy weeks. Although this website does not endorse particular levels of folic acid that are optimum during pregnancy we can tell you that the general recommendation for pregnant and lactating women is 600 mcg/day and 500 mcg/day, respectively. Apparently women with inadequate folic acid intake are more likely to give birth to low birth weight babies (less than 5 ½ pounds) in addition to being more at risk of having a baby with a neural tube defect.

There is advice out there about what you might do to prepare for pregnancy but you should really consider visiting a doctor AND lean on someone close to you for support. If you have someone in your corner who is genuinly concerned about you as a person then they will be supportive and help you make changes to your lifestyle. Some advice you may get in preparing for pregnancy will more than likely be about your ideal pre pregnancy weight, how much you exercise, X-rays during pregnancy, the dangers of smoking, avoiding drugs and alcohol, what vaccinations you should have before becoming pregnant and so on.

In preparing for pregnancy, if you visit a doctor in advance, then he or she will give you an understanding of what you should be doing, what not to do and very importantly figure out what tests you might need based on your family history etc. so that it may be possible to avoid pregnancy complications. There are medical problems you might have and you might not be aware of how they play a role during pregnancy.

Also, the doctor is another person to lean on and many are genuinely supportive before, during and after pregnancy. Not only that but having a good doctor who knows your medical history is an important part of a successful pregnancy. Its a doctors job to help you and many doctors have a vocation to be a doctor and will be more understanding and supportive than you may think.

More information on preparing for pregnancy
http://www.childbirthconnection.org/article.asp?ck=10293
http://www.pregnancytoday.com/topics/preparing-for-pregnancy/

 Once pregnancy begins life has begun…

Take 3 words away.

 Pregnancy begins life

Are you unsure or do you have a fixed view ?

Maybe you haven’t thought about it before.

Its worth thinking about before pregnancy.

Regardless of how we answer the question, its a fact that once a woman becomes pregnant she WILL potentially give birth. You could call it life potential.

There is potential life in a woman who has just conceived.

If we take ‘potential’ out of the above sentence you are just left with ‘life’.

 There is life in a woman who has JUST conceived.

Comments please.

However, if you want to know how what is behind a due date predictor calculator, its easy to understand.While you may not know the exact date of conception, you can work out your due date from the date of you last period. Your last period is the benchmark date that everyone uses as the “beginning” of pregnancy. Since pregnancy lasts around 280 days, give or take, or 40 weeks – then all you do is recall the first day of your last period – and add 280. This calculation gives you the gestational age.

By the way, if your doctor mentions “ovulatory age” then all they are doing is using your ‘conception’ date – about 2 weeks before your last period – as a due date predictor.