What is prenatal care to ensure you have a healthy pregnancy and your baby's best development? This must be the concern of many women who are preparing for the first time in planning to have children. The following article will suggest you 17 essential and most important things in this wonderful journey.
1. Pre-pregnancy check-up
This is the first important step couples planning to have a baby take first. This step aims to comprehensively assess the health status of both husband and wife to prepare them well for pregnancy. On the basis of information about the history of the underlying disease as well as other health issues, the doctor will perform a scientific consultation, accurately and effectively to ensure the health of the couple. and future baby.
After antenatal care , the next step you should take is to have genetic tests. Currently, this is an advanced method to determine the risk of a baby born with birth defects or not. Early detection of genetic risks helps parents make wise choices in childbirth. These tests will be performed mainly on blood or saliva samples, so the cycle is not complicated and safe for couples.
Prenatal examination and genetic testing are required with high accuracy, so you should choose a reputable medical facility and center to perform.
2. Folic acid supplementation is a must before getting pregnant
During pregnancy, folic acid plays an important role in preventing birth of a neural tube, which is formed very early in the first 28 days of pregnancy. You need to take a supplement of about 400mcg / day folic before pregnancy at least 1 month and during the first trimester when conception is successful. Usually you can buy it at pharmacies or consult your doctor when you go for antenatal care.
3. Say no to alcoholic beverages and drugs
If you are smoking cigarettes or regularly drinking alcoholic beverages such as alcohol, beer, ... then this is the time to stop or quit completely. According to studies, these are substances that can affect conception, egg quality as well as the development of the fetus in the future.
4. Balance the nutrition with healthy foods for pregnancy
You do not need to eat for two, but letting the body store various nutrients and necessary for the body in the process of preparing for pregnancy is a very important step. Therefore, do not forget to include vegetables, tubers and fruits with daily meals. At the same time you should pay attention to whole grains, foods rich in milk calcium, orange juice, and yogurt. In addition, you should enrich your meals with protein foods from both plants and animals such as beans, meat, ...
5. Control the amount of caffeine in daily drinks
Experts have pointed out that too much caffeine can affect conception as well as future pregnancy. Several studies have shown a link between caffeine intake and the risk of miscarriage. So if you are planning to become pregnant , you need to limit beverages or foods containing caffeine, preferably not to more than 200mg / day.
6. Things to do before pregnancy - Towards the right weight for pregnancy
Obesity or being too thin both affect conception and pregnancy of women. You need to look at your BMI body indexes to find the right weight, then plan your diet and exercise, helping your weight level at a reasonable level. This will contribute to increase your chances of successful conception in the future.
7. Be careful with some of the fish you normally eat
Do you love to eat fish? If you are preparing to become pregnant then you should take extra care with this food. Some types of fish are very rich in Omega-3 but some contain high levels of mercury, affecting the preparation of pregnancy and childbirth. It is best to eat fish only about 2-3 times / week, avoid eating deep sea fish and choose to buy fish with food safety assurance.
8. Pre-pregnancy dental exam is a must
Most women in Vietnam do not pay attention to their gums before preparing to become pregnant. Meanwhile, a careful plan to have a baby should focus on this step because hormonal changes during pregnancy are easy to cause you to suffer from gum diseases such as bleeding, swelling, ... So you should go. dental examination, examination and radical treatment of all problems about their teeth.
9. Financial planning
To get pregnant and raise a baby in the first years of life, the money you have to pay for expenses such as prenatal care, nutrition, delivery, baby utensils, diapers, ... will be very big. You and your wife need to have a clear financial plan, create a separate financial fund to prepare for these expenses.
10. The basics of conception you need to keep in mind
In addition to preparing for the health and financial issues as above, the woman herself needs to actively learn knowledge related to her own body for early conception to be successful. Among them, the things you need to read, learn and learn include:
Consider the method of contraception you are using to properly stop contraception.
How to calculate the date of ovulation by monitoring the menstrual cycle as well as body signals, helping to increase the pregnancy rate.
Build a healthy, scientific living regimen as well as improve the living environment to ensure you have a healthy mind and body, ready for the upcoming pregnancy days.
See more:
Nutrition preparing for pregnancy: What to do for a whole pregnancy?
6 injections mothers need to memorize before preparing for pregnancy and childbirth
6 steps to prepare for pregnancy, women need to apply immediately for healthy mothers and good fetus development