Every good mother wants to do what is best for her child, whether that child is fully grown or just a thought in her mind. But, did you know that your decisions today can affect your future babies? Preparing our bodies to house our precious unborn children is an important task. Keep reading to learn the 7 important things to do before you are even pregnant!
1. Talk to your doctor about your medications
There are many medications that can have negative effects on baby’s growth and development in the womb. Some medications are particularly harmful teratogens, like Accutane, and can cause severe birth defects. Other medications may have milder effects on baby’s development or limit baby’s growth, while some medications may have no negative effects at all. As we can see, it is very important to know which medications to avoid!
But, there are some conditions such as hypothyroidism that require pregnant mommas to take even higher doses of medication to help baby develop normally. Medications are complicated so it is extremely important that you speak with your doctor about any medications you are taking before trying to get pregnant.
2. Get chronic medical conditions under control
Maternal mortality is comparatively high in the United States compared to other industrialized nations. One of the major causes is that many pregnant mommas today have chronic conditions that predate their pregnancy. And if these conditions are uncontrolled, it increases the risks of pregnancy complications for both mom and baby. So, if you are hoping to have a baby in the near future, take some time to work with your physician to get these chronic conditions under control, with the ideal scenario being able to come off of certain medications all together if at all possible.
3. Start taking a prenatal vitamin
There are many beneficial supplements that a woman can take during pregnancy. And the supplement with the most data to support its use is folic acid. An unborn baby’s nervous system starts out as something called a neural tube which gradually develops into the brain and spinal cord. In order to build these important structures, baby’s body requires folic acid. For this reason, the United States Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends that all women of childbearing capabilities take a daily supplement containing 400-800mcg of folic acid. The goal of this recommendation is to decrease the risk of neural tube defects if a woman were to unintentionally become pregnant.
4. Cut out unhealthy habits
Pregnant mommas have an important role of providing a healthy environment for their baby to grow and develop for 9 months! Everything that she consumes her baby consumes, whether good or bad. Alcohol, tobacco, and recreational drugs (including marajuana!) have negative impacts on your health and even worse effects on a developing baby. These complications range from low birthweights, birth defects, preterm birth, and even stillbirth! Take this opportunity to cut out these unhealthy habits, if not for your own health then for your unborn baby’s.
5. Maintain a healthy body weight
According to 2017-2018 data, 68% of American women are overweight or obese.1 It is well documented in medical literature that having an unhealthy weight pre-pregnancy increases the risk of having pregnancy related complications for both mom and baby. This includes gestational hypertension, gestational diabetes, and most worryingly pre-eclampsia.2 ,3,4
In pre-eclampsia, excess hormones and inflammatory molecules called cytokines can cause damage to the kidneys or liver, decrease blood cell counts, and can even progress to seizures or death! We will talk more about pregnancy complications in greater detail in later posts, however, the two major modifiable risk factors for developing pre-eclampsia are being overweight and having excessive weight gain in pregnancy. 5, 6, 7
6. Optimize your diet
Growing a baby takes a lot of nutrients! It is important to build up the body’s stores of iron, folate, vitamin D and other essential nutrients before baby is even in the womb. Optimize your diet today by eating more whole nutritious foods and limiting processed junk foods, it will benefit both you and your baby in the long run!
7. Get moving!
No one jumps up from the couch and decides to run a marathon without training. If we prepare our bodies to do athletic endeavors, why shouldn’t we prepare our bodies for one of the most amazing feats a woman’s body can achieve… bearing new life! A woman’s body does amazing things during pregnancy! The many changes her body undergoes provides a safe home for her baby in the womb and prepares her to be able to feed and take care of baby once he is delivered.
These changes can also cause discomfort in pregnancy. During pregnancy a woman’s body experiences widening of the hips and rib cage, stretching of ligaments in the pelvis, and swelling in the hands and feet. All of these things can lead to aches and pains. The best way to alleviate these pains is to start regular physical activity before you are pregnant, and continue safe physical activity during pregnancy under the guidance of your physician.
Pregnancy is a marathon, not a sprint and by the end every woman feels the discomfort of aches and pains. Being healthy before pregnancy maximizes your chances of having a healthy, uncomplicated pregnancy and faster postpartum recovery. Every mother wants to give her child the best, so why not start when they are in the womb! And for ladies who are not looking to conceive in the near future, the items on this list are still important in maximizing our own health and longevity for years to come.