It’s exciting planning an addition to your family. Dr Natalie Psaila’s pre pregnancy advice can help you get your and your partner’s health in tip top condition before getting pregnant. Let’s take a look at some of them.
Pre Pregnancy Advice
Diet
Nutrition is one of the most important aspects within this pre pregnancy advice list. Think fresh. Reach out for lots of fruit and vegetables. While it takes more effort, it pays off to cook all your meals from seasonal produce. It’s a sure way to get all the vitamins, proteins and healthy carbs you need. But stay away from processed or man-made foods which are usually high in salt, saturated fats and sugar.
Exercise
Get your heart pumping. If you’re not used to regular exercise, make sure you don’t overdo it. Start slowly and increase the intensity gradually once you find you’re getting used to the usual workout. Walks to the supermarket (and back, loaded with heavy bags), taking the stairs instead of the lift, and a long swim in the sea all count as exercise. With some thought, it’s easy to include regular exercise in your routine. Building stamina and strength will come in handy for when your heart needs to work harder to support you and your bundle of joy.
Body weight
Aim for a normal body weight, measured by the BMI. A normal BMI is 18.5-24.9kg/m2. You can calculate your BMI by dividing your weight measured in kilograms by your height measured in metres, twice. (Weight ÷ height ÷ height). Underweight or overweight couples might take longer to conceive. Moreover, there’s also an increased risk of developing complications during pregnancy.
Smoking and Alcohol
Smoking is never healthy, but this is especially so for a couple trying to conceive. Speak to your GP for tips to stop smoking and ask about medicines that help make your attempt a success. Smoking when pregnant increases the risk of miscarriage, a low birthweight, and even sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that women only take up to three units of alcohol a day, while men can take up to four units a day. When trying to get pregnant, it’s best that you stick to these limits. Once you get a positive test, stay off alcohol completely until delivery. During breastfeeding, alcohol will remain off-limits.
Vitamins
There are many prenatal vitamins on the market, but the most important one is folic acid. This vitamin is crucial in the formation of the baby’s spine and brain. If you suffer from certain conditions or if you’re on regular medicines, you might need to take a higher dose of folic acid. It’s best if you speak to your GP for advice on the appropriate dose. Start taking folic acid two to three months before you plan to get pregnant to make sure you reach good blood levels of the vitamin.
Genetics
Genetic conditions run in families. These range from mild, such as the Beta-thalassaemia trait, to severe, like muscular dystrophies. Take a look at your and your partner’s family history and see if there might be such conditions. If you think there’s a possibility for a genetic problem, seek your GP’s advice.
Getting Pregnant
It’s highly unlikely you’ll get pregnant on your very first try, so don’t be discouraged if it takes some time. 80% of women under 40 years having regular sex will get pregnant within a year.
Try having intercourse once every three days throughout the cycle. Another way is having daily sex a few days before and after your ovulation. However, if you’ve been trying for 12 months, it’s time to talk to your GP.
Quick tip: Calculating your ovulation
- Work out the average length of your cycles. (A cycle starts on the first day of your period and ends on the day before your next period.) Take an average over five to six cycles
- Take away 14 from the average you’ve just calculated
A woman with a classic 28-day cycle, gets her ovulation on Day 14. A woman with a longer 32-day cycle, has her ovulation on Day 18.
Pregnancy tests
There is a higher concentration of pregnancy hormones in the morning urine, which is why you should always take a test the first thing in the morning. You can start checking for pregnancy on the first day of a missed period, although some brands and most digital tests are able to pick up traces of pregnancy even earlier than that.
If you get a positive test, wait a couple of days and take another one. Once you have two to three positive tests, speak to your GP for further advice and follow-up.
It might be worthwhile repeating the test after a few days of a negative result and your period hasn’t come yet. Discuss any unclear results with your GP.
Hope you found the pre pregnancy advice that Dr Natalie listed above helpful. If you would like wham to tackle a particular subject feel free to contact us and we’ll do our best to make it happen!
In 2007, Dr Natalie Psaila read for her MD at the University of Malta. She continued training and obtained her MMCFD and MRCGP (Int) to become a Specialist in Family Medicine in 2013.
