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If you are ready for pregnancy, it’s vital to ensure your health is optimal. Properly preparing for pregnancy will increase the chances of a safe, joyful birth and a healthy, happy baby and mom.

 

Here are some tips regarding what one can do in order to prepare themselves for pregnancy.

 

1. Start Taking Multivitamins

 

Pregnancy can be hard on the nutritional stores of the body. Bridge gaps by taking multivitamins to give your body a boost. There are prenatal vitamins which are formulated specifically to provide the body with what it requires during pregnancy.

 

By taking prenatal vitamins now, you can help yourself to avoid nutritional deficiencies early on during pregnancy.

 

2. Eat Well

 

A healthy diet including fruits, whole grains, vegetables, lean protein, low-fat dairy and healthy fat such as avocados, nuts and seeds will prepare you for pregnancy, giving your baby excellent nutrition. You won’t have to completely give up treats and comfort foods, but you should attempt to eat these in moderation.

 

Consider eating as much whole foods as possible and as few heavily processed foods with unnatural chemicals as possible. Consider eating organic foods that aren’t grown using pesticides like Dacthal which have been linked to birth defects.

 

To help supplement your diet, you might even want to begin gardening your own food. It’s a great way to keep yourself healthy while giving yourself a wholesome hobby to do. There’s nothing more satisfying than plucking ripe produce from a garden in your own backyard.

 

3. Take Folic Acid

 

Taking folic acid or a folate supplement can prevent early pregnancy neural tube defects. Take a minimum of 400 to 800 micrograms of folic acid every day. A lot of prenatal vitamins already have this amount, so check the label. 

 

Once you become pregnant, you may be prescribed prenatal vitamins containing a higher amount by your doctor. Whatever the case, just make sure you’re doing what it takes to keep your body healthy during pregnancy.

 

4. Monitor Your Weight

 

Being at a healthy body weight makes getting pregnant easier. Pregnancies can run more smoothly when you are at a healthy weight as well. Underweight mothers can give birth to underweight babies, and overweight mothers can give birth to overweight babies. Both of these scenarios can lead to complications regarding childbirth.

 

Just make sure if you’re trying to lose weight before a pregnancy, you go about weight loss in the correct way. Sometimes, supplements can cause more harm than good. For example, the weight-loss medication Ozempic has been linked to severe negative side effects.

5. Quit Drugs, Alcohol and Tobacco

 

Drinking alcohol, using drugs and smoking can harm unborn babies in numerous ways. Smoking can expose babies to harmful chemicals, restrict blood flow and cause preterm labor.

 

If you drink, it puts your baby at risk of developing fetal alcohol syndrome. Drugs such as marijuana, methamphetamines, cocaine and heroin can cause stillbirth, miscarriage or birth defects. 

 

Additionally, when you quit dependencies on substances, you’re going to reduce your stress in the long-run as you begin your new life as a parent.

6. Exercise

 

You won’t need to become an Olympic champion. However, by getting fit, it can help you carry and deliver your baby more easily. Attempt to exercise for at least 30 minutes on most days. Even walking will do. Look into core strengthening and flexibility exercises. Look into well-rounded prenatal and preconception exercise programs.