Pregnancy Signs & Symptoms, Week by Week Pregnancy Guide

Trying to become pregnant! Giving birth to a baby is a great experience.

Prepare yourself and your body for pregnancy because the physical health of yours before pregnancy influences the health of your future baby.

The key is to know the best time to conceive. For this, consult your health care provider to identify when ovulation period occurs in your body.

Ovulation period is the time when one of the ovaries release an egg for fertilization. This period is the most fertile period where you have high chances of becoming pregnant.

For a woman with a regular 28-day menstrual cycle, the fertile period will be from day 10 to day 18.

On the other hand, you can make use of an ovulation calendar to identify your fertile days. The fertilization, also called conception, occurs when the male sperm combines with the female egg (ova).

Also, stop using birth control techniques a month before you plan for having pregnancy.

On the other hand, if you have chronic illnesses such as hepatitis, cancer, epilepsy, lupus, asthma, hyperthyroidism, urinary tract infections, arthritis, kidney disease, heart diseases, sickle cell disease, herpes, diabetes, and hypertension then consult your doctor to control them before pregnancy.

Having any of these conditions during pregnancy can lead to health complications for you and your baby.

It is also essential to talk about the diet, exercises, and lifestyle changes that you need to make before becoming 1 week pregnant.

Exercising before pregnancy makes your body fit and healthy. It also helps your body manage the changes that occurs during pregnancy and delivery. Remember that your exercise routine before pregnancy becomes difficult once you become pregnant.

Healthy balanced diet is very essential, so try to make proper changes in your diet before pregnancy as per doctor suggestions.

Ensure that your diet contains foods rich in proteins, vitamins, carbohydrates, minerals, vegetables, fruits, and dairy products that make you strong and healthy before pregnancy. It is a good idea to lose your weight before pregnancy, if you are obese.

Being obese during pregnancy increases your chances of developing health complications such as high blood pressure and diabetes during pregnancy. It is always best to reach and maintain a healthy weight although you are underweight or overweight before pregnancy.

It is always recommended to take a multi-vitamin supplement of folic acid at least 400 micrograms (mcg) per day before pregnancy. It is found that taking folic acid regularly can reduce the chances of developing birth defects such as spina bifida in your baby.

However, it is essential to increase your intake of folic acid multivitamin by 400-800 mg two months before pregnancy.

On the other hand, it is highly suggested to avoid smoking, alcohol consumption, and drug abuse because all these can reduce your chances of becoming pregnant and also harm your unborn baby (in future).

In order to become pregnant, it is essential to have proper relaxation as well as stress-free conditions. By practicing stress reduction techniques and with sufficient rest and relaxation, you can increase your chances of becoming pregnant.