Planning for Baby & Pregnancy Planning Tips

Planning to get pregnant is an exciting time full of hope, expectations, and changes. Pre-pregnancy planning includes selecting the right ob-gyn, asking the right questions, taking prenatal vitamins, and often modifying your diet and exercise plan. There’s lots to do to get ready for baby. Here are some considerations for when you’re planning to get pregnant.

Questions to Ask Your Ob-Gyn Before Getting Pregnant

Selecting your ob-gyn physician or another healthcare provider will be one of your first important decisions when planning for a baby. Choose a doctor you feel comfortable talking to, and whose outlook and treatment of pregnancy are closely aligned with your own. Referrals from family, friends, and other trusted sources are good places to start.

Come to your first pre-pregnancy ob-gyn visit prepared with questions. You should also be ready to answer questions from your doctor, so you will need to have a good grasp of your own health history before your appointment.

We suggest you discuss the following topics with your ob-gyn in your pre-pregnancy planning appointment:

  • Menstrual cycle timing and regularity
  • Past or current illness that might affect your ability to conceive
  • Sexually transmitted diseases, endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), cysts or fibroids, or other medical concerns about your reproductive organs
  • Past miscarriages, prior pregnancies, or birth defects
  • Your medical history as well as your partner's
  • Prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, and vitamins (especially folic acid and DHA)
  • Exercise and eating habits

Request

Now is the time to get started on a high-quality prenatal vitamin.

Seek

Seek out and carefully follow your doctor's advice.

Review

Go over your immune status to childhood diseases such as mumps, measles, rubella, etc. with your doctor.

Evaluate

Experts recommend that you stop using the birth control pill at least 3 to 4 months before becoming pregnant. Think about using this time to discuss contraception alternatives.

Embracing a healthy lifestyle is one of the fundamental ways to take charge of your pre-pregnancy planning process. Your physician can help you adopt a diet and exercise plan that will help you be healthier and improve your chances of getting pregnant.

Reduce Stress
Stress can cause irregular ovulation and can disrupt your menstrual cycle — affecting your overall fertility. If you take just a few deliberate measures, it will go far in helping to reduce daily stress. For example, spend time with friends, listen to music, meditate, or start a calming hobby such as knitting, scrapbooking or reading.

Get Plenty of Sleep
It’s good for your mind, body and soul. Besides, once your baby is here it will be hard to come by, so take advantage now!

Nutritional Needs
What you eat — and decide not to eat — at this time is perhaps the single greatest advantage you can give yourself in preparing to get pregnant. Now is the time to follow through on a commitment to eating better. Many key vitamins and minerals are required in greater amounts to meet your increased nutritional needs and those of your growing baby. Taking a pre-natal vitamin to supplement your healthy eating also helps.

Do’s and Don’ts of Pre-Pregnancy Diet

DO

Follow a well-balanced diet containing food from all of the major food groups.

DO

Begin taking a high-quality prenatal vitamin containing folic acid and iron and continue throughout your entire pregnancy to ensure that you get the added nutrition necessary for mother and baby. This will help reduce your risk of nutrient deficiency.

DON’T

Diet, either to gain or lose weight, because this may affect your reproductive cycle.

Key Nutrients for Pre-Pregnancy Planning and During Pregnancy

As part of your pre-pregnancy diet, begin taking these nutrients now before you conceive:

Folic Acid

Folic Acid is an essential B vitamin that is especially important for women of childbearing age who are capable of becoming pregnant or are pregnant. Talk with your ob-gyn or physician about the recommended amount of folic acid you should be taking in your pre-natal vitamins.

DHA (found in Omega-3)

Omega-3 fatty acids are considered essential fatty acids. They are necessary for human health, but since the body can't make them, you have to get them through food or supplementation with vitamins.


Iron

Iron is essential for making red blood cells and preventing anemia and fatigue. Make sure to choose a tolerable form of iron to reduce the possibility of constipation, bloating, and nausea.

Exercise When Planning to Get Pregnant

Pregnancy is a marathon. Adopting a regular exercise routine now will help you develop the strength and endurance you need down the road. You'll thank yourself later. Regular exercise will help you:

  • Carry the extra weight easier during pregnancy
  • Feel less tired and fatigued
  • Sleep well
  • Reduce muscle and joint pain
  • Improve your mental well-being
  • Improve posture
  • Prevent unnecessary weight gain
  • Ease the physical stress of delivery
  • Get back in shape faster after the baby is born

Cut It Out: Things to Eliminate When Planning to Get Pregnant

Use your pre-pregnancy planning time as motivation to eliminate unhealthy habits from your lifestyle such as alcohol consumption, smoking, and any illegal drugs. Also, if necessary, why not begin weaning yourself from caffeine because once you become pregnant, your doctor may ask you to eliminate it altogether.

Predicting your most fertile days can speed your pregnancy planning process by helping you get pregnant quicker. FIRST RESPONSE™ Ovulation Tests are over 99% accurate in laboratory studies at detecting the LH surge that precedes ovulation.

Our ovulation test kits detect your body's LH (luteinizing hormone) surge, giving you an easy and accurate way to determine the two days each month when you're most likely to ovulate. Your LH surge signals that ovulation will take place in 24-36 hours. If you have intercourse within this 24-36 hour window, you should maximize your chances of getting pregnant.

FIRST RESPONSE™ can help you go from planning for pregnancy to being pregnant. Try the FIRST RESPONSE™ Ovulation Plus Pregnancy Test, FIRST RESPONSE™ Daily Ovulation Test, or FIRST RESPONSE™ Test and Confirm Ovulation Test Kit to help you get pregnant sooner.