Planning to have a baby? Things will go a lot smoother if you get your life in order first.
You may not have thought much about it but there's more to getting ready to have a baby than just preparing your body for conception. As well as your health (and his), there's also your relationship to consider and the state of your bank balance. By putting some effort into these aspects of your life you should find conceiving a baby, your pregnancy and even parenting a little easier.
Twelve months before
Think about private health insurance. Do you want to be cared for by the public or private health system during the pregnancy and birth? If you plan to have your baby in a private hospital, you'll usually need to be insured for at least 12 months before you fall pregnant — it's the same if you want to be a private patient in a public hospital.
Six months before
Settle at a healthy weight. Research has shown that being overweight or obese may hinder your ability to conceive. Then, if you're overweight and manage to fall pregnant, you're at greater risk of developing gestational diabetes than women in the healthy range. Gestational diabetes affects three to eight percent of women and while it usually disappears once your baby is born, you're at an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes later.
And that's not all: if you're overweight during pregnancy, you're also at risk of high blood pressure and blood clots and of blood loss after the delivery. Finally, some smaller hospitals have been known to refuse to treat obese pregnant women because of labour complications.
Start by eating healthily. Eat less food with saturated fat and keep processed and fried food to a minimum, choosing lean meat, skinless chicken, low-fat dairy food, vegetables, legumes, fruit and wholegrain bread and cereal instead.
You've got to do some physical activity, too. Aim to do about 30 minutes of moderate exercise most days of the week, but see your GP first if you have any pre-existing health concerns.
If you're underweight, see your doctor or a nutritionist about how you can gain weight healthily, as this can affect your baby's growth.
Talk about the risks. The number of older mothers is rising and that brings some increased risks, says Professor Jeremy Oats of the Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne. At the age of 20, a woman has a one-in-1540 chance of having a baby with Down's syndrome; at 35, that risk rises to one in 355; then at age 40, there's a one-in-90 chance.
"If a woman is older, it's wise to have the discussion about screening for abnormalities and what you will do if an abnormality is discovered before getting pregnant. It takes some of the emotion out of the discussion," says Professor Oats.
There's also the chance you could be one of the one in six couples who has a hard time conceiving. Now is the time to gently broach the subject and talk about how open you both are to medical intervention.
The relationship chat. It's a good idea to make sure you and your partner are on the same page when it comes to your relationship. Having a baby is an exciting journey but it can be stressful for the couple involved and there's no denying that it's better for all concerned if you and your partner both want to become parents.
Get your finances in order. Money pressures can be a major headache, says Carol Fallows, author of Having a Baby (Doubleday Australia, $34.95). "Talk with your partner now about how you'll manage with less money," she says.
While you're at it, have a look at your finances. Can you spare any money at the moment? Like some couples, you might like to set up a "baby account", putting cash aside for the future.
Have a check-up. Visit your GP for a full check-up and tell her your plans. "Talk to your doctor about any family health problems that may affect your pregnancy so tests can be done," says Professor Oats. "For example, do you have a family history of diabetes? It's better to be aware of problems and to bring them under control before the pregnancy."
Three months before
Get a jab and Pap test. You were probably immunised against rubella at school but by the time you decide to have a baby your immunity may be low. Your GP can check this by doing a simple blood test and can immunise you again if you need it. You should wait at least three months before conceiving after getting a rubella shot.
"About 80 percent of babies affected by rubella in early pregnancy are born with congenital deafness, cataracts, retardation or heart abnormalities," Professor Oats warns.
If you haven't had chickenpox or can't remember if you have, ask your GP about immunisation for that too. Babies born within seven days of their mother having chickenpox can be infected and this can be fatal for newborns. In addition, have a Pap smear to ensure you have no abnormalities that need to be treated.
Take folic acid. Folic acid, found in green vegetables such as broccoli and spinach, reduces the risk of a baby developing neural tube defects that affect the developing brain and spine. You need about 400 micrograms per day — double the usual daily dose — and will need to take a supplement to get your quota before conception and for the first 12 weeks of your pregnancy.
Clean up your act. The Australian national tobacco campaign QuitNow reports that the toxins in cigarettes place stress on an unborn baby's heart. In addition, the carbon monoxide and nicotine in cigarettes make it harder for a baby to get the oxygen and nourishment it needs to develop, making babies born to smokers underweight.
Smoking also increases the risk of premature birth three-fold and puts your baby at greater risk of suffering from asthma and sudden infant death syndrome. Your partner should quit too, as smoking reduces sperm count.
To rid your body of the dangerous toxins, stop smoking at least three months before you want to fall pregnant. Call the Quitline on 13 18 48 or see your GP for help.
As for alcohol, Professor Oats says: "Ideally it's best to stop drinking, but certainly don't binge-drink leading up to conception or during pregnancy. This has been linked to foetal alcohol spectrum disorder, where babies are born with facial abnormalities and developmental delays."
vKnow yourself. Understanding your menstrual cycle and knowing when you ovulate can take a lot of the guesswork out of trying to make a baby. You could keep an ovulation chart or use one of the ovulation prediction kits sold at pharmacies.
If you have irregular periods or aren't sure if you're ovulating, your GP should be able to tell what's happening by doing a blood test.
One month before
Rebalance your body. To ensure your body is relaxed, consider Bowen therapy. The gentle moves that are performed on your muscles and connective tissues increase energy flow and improve lymphatic drainage, getting rid of the body's toxins. "Rebalancing the body can help with painful or irregular periods," says Bowen therapist Nathalie Redman-Brassuer. "It can also help men with a low sperm count or with sperm that aren't swimming fast enough."
Drink lots of water. Staying hydrated will ensure your vaginal mucous is stretchy and easy for sperm to swim through to get to the egg to fertilise it. Also eat plenty of fruit and vegetables to ensure the mucous isn't too acidic, as this can kill sperm in the vaginal canal.
See your dentist. Carol Fallows recommends you have a dental check-up a month before you start trying for a baby. "Have any necessary work done then — you can't have X-rays or drugs once you're pregnant," she points out.
Buy him boxer shorts. As heat can kill sperm and tight-fitting jocks can warm the testes by pulling them close to the body, your partner should wear boxer shorts instead. Boxers keep the testes aerated, keeping the sperm at a healthier temperature. Men looking to procreate should also avoid long, hot showers and baths.
Stop stressing. Stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline can disrupt both sperm production and menstrual cycles, so talk to a naturopath about herbs that safely aid relaxation, such as lemon balm, passionflower and skullcap. Yoga can ease stress too and help get blood circulating to the reproductive organs to boost your chances of creating a baby.
All material is © Mother & Baby: Making Babies
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