Pregnancy can be a tremendously exciting time, peaceful and serene time or a nervous, anxious or fearful experience depending on your circumstances. However there are a number of resources available to help you with your pregnancy, child-birth and maternity. We have put together a brief guide to help you and your partner with pregnancy and child birth.
Preparing for Pregnancy and Child Birth
If you are planning on becoming pregnant there a number of things you can do to improve your overall health and increase your chances of having a healthy baby. Before trying for a baby women should aim to become more physically fit. Pregnancy places a lot of stresses and strains on a woman’s body throughout the nine months. Ligaments can become weak due to the hormones produced in a woman’s body during pregnancy. Taken the time to become fitter and stronger will mean that the softening of these ligaments will not have as big of toll on your body and will generally lead to an easier pregnancy. Women who are overweight at the time of conception also have an increased chance of developing Diabetes during pregnancy. Extra weight can make it more difficult for Health Professionals to carry out scans on your unborn baby and can also make labour more difficult.
Health experts agree that taking Folic Acid before conception increases the chances of having a healthy baby. Folic Acid is particularly effective in reducing the chances of your baby being born with a neural tube defect. Do not panic if you have not taken Folic Acid supplements before your pregnancy. The occurrence of neural tube defects and congenital malformations in child birth is rare.
Smoking and Drinking during Pregnancy
Both you and your partner should reduce your alcohol consumption and quit smoking if trying to have a baby. Smoking affects fertility in both males and females. Smoking during pregnancy reduces the amount of oxygen and food going to your baby. If your partner, friends, family or anyone you spend time with smokes, please ensure they do not smoke near you during pregnancy as passive smoke can be very harmful to you and your baby. Babies exposed to smoke can be born premature and often underweight. Alcohol can also be very damaging to an unborn baby. Excessive alcohol consumption reduces sperm count in males. Mothers who drink during pregnancy are taking the risk of their baby being born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is a term used to describe a range of conditions that babies exposed to heavy drinking may be born with. Such conditions include the baby being abnormally underweight, small eyes, under developed brain and a malformed heart. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is one of the leading causes of Intellectual Disability at child birth. While low levels of alcohol consumption usually do not harm babies; no level of alcohol consumption has been proven to be safe.
Diet during Pregnancy
Leading a healthy lifestyle prior to your pregnancy is important. While you cannot do any rigorous exercise during pregnancy; you can ensure you are eating a healthy diet and not smoking, drinking or taking any other illegal drugs. If you eat a good healthy balanced diet during pregnancy; any weight you gain will be largely due to the pregnancy. Pregnancy related weight gain is associated with the growth of the uterus, increased fluid retention and increase your body’s blood volume.