Getting your body ready for pregnancy before you conceive is a smart move that sets you up for prenatal and delivery success. The expert team at Capital Women’s Care can help you understand health conditions and risk factors that could affect your unborn baby, and help you avoid unnecessary ones.
Should you start yoga? Should you give up coffee? What about vitamins? Don’t worry — the Capital Women’s Care experts are here to help!
Prenatal vitamins act as insurance against nutritional deficiencies, particularly folic acid. Take a prenatal vitamin that includes at least 400-800 micrograms of folic acid daily for three months before trying to get pregnant.
Folic acid can help lower your risk of having a baby with specific spinal and brain birth defects. Folic acid is present in food, such as leafy greens, but it can be hard to get all that you need just from your diet.
Smoking while you’re pregnant exposes your baby to harmful chemicals that can lead to irreversible brain and lung damage. Nicotine in tobacco also narrows blood vessels, so your baby gets less oxygen and fewer nutrients.
Alcohol interferes with your baby’s natural growth process and can increase your risk of birth defects. If you stop drinking now, before you get pregnant, it’s much easier to resist while you’re with child.
If you have an existing medical condition, such as diabetes or high blood pressure, check with the team at Capital Women’s Care to make sure it’s under control. In most cases, a pre-existing medical condition doesn’t mean you can’t have a healthy pregnancy, as long as you have it managed.
Discuss any medications you’re taking with the team at Capital Women’s Care. These include over-the-counter and prescription medicines and natural supplements.
Some medications are not safe to take during pregnancy, but you also don’t want to stop taking medications that are necessary for certain conditions. In some cases, alternative medications that are safe to take during pregnancy are an option.
Review any chemicals to which you’re exposed at work or at home with the doctors at Capital Women’s Care. You should also delegate cleaning the cat litter box to your significant other as the feces can carry toxoplasmas, which put your baby at risk of serious complications.
Pregnancy is not the time to stow your yoga pants or tennis shoes. While you don’t want to overdo your exercising while you’re pregnant, moderate exercise is not only healthy — it’s encouraged. You feel better during your pregnancy and lose weight faster after the baby is born, too.
If you’re already fit, keep exercising. If you’re just starting, stick to low-impact workouts such as walking and water exercise. Always check with the doctors at Capital Women’s Care before embarking on your routine if you have existing health problems.
Set yourself up for a memorable nine months of pregnancy by taking care of yourself before going off birth control. To arrange a preconception consultation to review other steps you should take prior to pregnancy, call Capital Women’s Care or book online today.
