How to plan for a pregnancy

Planning for Pregnancy | Preconception Care

If you are trying to have a baby or are just thinking about it, it is not too early to start getting ready for pregnancy. Preconception health and health care focus on things you can do before and between pregnancies to increase the chances of having a healthy baby. For some people, getting their bodies ready for pregnancy takes a few months. For other people, it might take longer. Whether this is your first, second, or sixth baby, the following are important steps to help you get ready for the healthiest pregnancy possible.

1. Make a Plan and Take Action

Whether or not you’ve written them down, you’ve probably thought about your goals for having or not having children, and how to achieve those goals. For example, when you didn’t want to have a baby, you used effective birth control methods to achieve your goals. Now that you’re thinking about getting pregnant, it’s really important to take steps to achieve your goal [PDF – 764 KB]—getting pregnant and having a healthy baby!

Preventive health care can help you stay healthier throughout your life.

2. See Your Doctor

Before getting pregnant, talk to your doctor about preconception health care. Your doctor will want to discuss your health history and any medical conditions you currently have that could affect a pregnancy. They may want to discuss any previous pregnancy problems, medicines you currently are taking, vaccinations you might need, and steps you can take before pregnancy to help prevent certain birth defects.

Take a list of talking points so you don’t forget anything. Be sure to talk to your doctor about:

Medical Conditions

If you currently have any medical conditions, be sure they are under control and being treated. Some of these conditions include: sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), diabetes, thyroid disease, high blood pressure, and other chronic diseases.

Lifestyle and Behaviors

Talk with your doctor or another health professional if you smoke, drink alcohol, or use certain drugs; live in a stressful or abusive environment; or work with or live around toxic substances. Health care professionals can help you with counseling, treatment, and other support services.

Medications

Almost every pregnant person will face a decision about taking medicines before and during pregnancy. Talk to your healthcare providers before starting or stopping any medicines. Be sure to discuss the following with your healthcare providers:

• All medicines you take, including prescriptions, over-the-counter medicines, herbal and dietary supplements, and vitamins
• Best ways to keep any health conditions you have under control
• Your personal goals and preferences for the health of you and your baby

Vaccinations (shots)

Some vaccinations are recommended before you become pregnant, during pregnancy, or right after delivery. Having the right vaccinations at the right time can help keep you healthy and help keep your baby from getting very sick or having lifelong health problems.

3. Take 400 Micrograms of Folic Acid Every Day

Folic acid is a B vitamin. CDC urges all people who can become pregnant to take 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid each day, in addition to consuming food with folate from a varied diet, to help prevent some major birth defects of the baby’s brain (anencephaly) and spine (spina bifida).

Learn more about folic acid »

4. Stop Drinking Alcohol, Smoking, and Using Certain Drugs

Smoking, drinking alcohol, and using certain drugs can cause many problems during pregnancy, such as premature birth, birth defects, and infant death.

If you are trying to get pregnant and cannot stop drinking, smoking, or using drugs, contact your healthcare provider, local Alcoholics Anonymous, or local alcohol treatment center.

Alcohol and Drug Resources

Substance Abuse Treatment Facility Locator
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has a treatment facility locator. This locator helps people find drug and alcohol treatment programs in their area.

Alcoholics Anonymous (A. A.)
Alcoholics Anonymous® is a fellowship of men and women who share their experiences, strengths, and hopes with each other so that they can solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism. Locate an A.A. program near you.

Learn more about alcohol and pregnancy »

Smoking Resources

1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669)

Learn more about smoking during pregnancy »

5. Avoid Toxic Substances and Environmental Contaminants

Avoid harmful chemicals, environmental contaminants, and other toxic substances such as synthetic chemicals, metals, fertilizer, bug spray, and cat or rodent feces around the home and in the workplace. These substances can hurt the reproductive systems of men and women. They can make it more difficult to get pregnant. Exposure to even small amounts during pregnancy, infancy, childhood, or puberty can lead to diseases. Learn how to protect yourself and your loved ones from toxic substances at work and at home.

Learn about the effects of toxic substances on reproductive health »

Learn how CDC tracks Children’s Environmental Health »

6.

People who are overweight or obese have a higher risk for many serious conditions, including complications during pregnancy, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers (endometrial, breast, and colon).¹ People who are underweight are also at risk for serious health problems.²

The key to achieving and maintaining a healthy weight isn’t about short-term dietary changes. It’s about a lifestyle that includes healthy eating and regular physical activity.

If you are underweight, overweight, or obese, talk with your doctor about ways to reach and maintain a healthy weight before you get pregnant.

Learn more about healthy weight »

7. Learn Your Family History

Collecting your family’s health history can be important for your child’s health. You might not realize that your sister’s heart defect or your cousin’s sickle cell disease could affect your child, but sharing this family history information with your doctor can be important.

Other reasons people go for genetic counseling include having had several miscarriages, infant deaths, trouble getting pregnant (infertility), or a genetic condition or birth defect that occurred during a previous pregnancy.

Learn more about family history »

Learn more about genetic counseling »

8. Get Mentally Healthy

Mental health is how we think, feel, and act as we cope with life. To be at your best, you need to feel good about your life and value yourself. Everyone feels worried, anxious, sad, or stressed sometimes. However, if these feelings do not go away and they interfere with your daily life, get help. Talk with your doctor or another health professional about your feelings and treatment options.

Learn about mental health »

Learn about depression »

References

1. NIH, NHLBI Obesity Education Initiative. Clinical Guidelines on the Identification, Evaluation, and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults. Available online:
   http://www. nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/obesity/ob_gdlns.pdf (PDF-1.25Mb)
2. Moos, Merry-K, et al. Healthier women, healthier reproductive outcomes: recommendations for the routine care of all women of reproductive age. AJOG Volume 199, Issue 6, Supplement B , Pages S280-S289, December 2008.

Planning your pregnancy | March of Dimes

Planning your pregnancy means thinking about what it means to have a baby and making decisions with your partner about your family.

Women who plan their pregnancies are more likely to get healthy before pregnancy and get prenatal care during pregnancy than women who don’t plan.

Think about how many children you want and when you want to have them. Talk about these things with your partner.

Use birth control until you’re ready to get pregnant

Why is planning your pregnancy important?

More than half of all pregnancies in the United States are unplanned. This means that lots of women may get pregnant without really being ready for it.

Planning your pregnancy can help you have a healthy baby. Babies who are planned are more likely to be born healthy than babies who aren’t planned. If you’re planning to have a baby, you’re more likely to get healthy before you get pregnant and to get early and regular prenatal care during pregnancy. Prenatal care is medical care you get during pregnancy.

How do you plan your pregnancy?

Make a reproductive life plan. This means thinking about if and when you want to have a baby. Ask yourself these questions:

• How many children do I want?
• How far apart do I want them to be?
• How can I get healthy before pregnancy?
• If I’m having sex and don’t want a baby now, how can I keep from getting pregnant?

Talk to your partner about your reproductive life plan before you get pregnant. There are no right or wrong answers, and your answers may change as you get older. You and your partner may not agree on every answer, so you may need some time to figure things out together.

Birth control (also called contraception or family planning) is part of your reproductive life plan. Birth control helps keep you from getting pregnant. Examples of birth control include intrauterine devices (also called IUDs), implants, the pill and condoms. Ask your health care provider about the best kind of birth control for you and your partner.

Are you ready to be a parent?

Your life changes when you become a parent. Talk to your partner to make sure you’re both ready for your lives to be different. Ask yourselves these questions:

• Why do you want to have a baby? Do you feel pressure to have a baby? Does one of you want to have a baby more than the other? Do you both think you’ll like being parents?
• How will your relationship with your partner change when you have a baby? Are you and your partner ready for these changes?
• How does having a baby affect your work or school?
• What will you do for child care? Will you or your partner stay home? Or do you need to find day care for your baby?
• Do you have religious or cultural traditions that you want to share with your child? Do you and your partner agree on these traditions?
• Are you ready to take care of a baby who may be sick or have special needs?
• Are you ready to have less money and free time for yourself?

If you don’t have a partner, ask yourself these questions to see if you’re ready to be a parent on your own.

Are you physically ready to get pregnant?

Getting your body ready can help you have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby. A great way to get started is to get a preconception checkup. This is a medical checkup you get before you get pregnant. At this checkup, your provider makes sure you’re as healthy as possible so your body’s ready when you do get pregnant. If you’re not ready just yet, your provider helps you choose birth control to keep you from getting pregnant until you’re ready.

Are you financially ready for a baby?

Babies and baby things can cost a lot of money! Do you have money to pay for diapers and child care? Do you have health insurance that helps pay for medical care for your baby? Here’s what you can do to help you think about how a baby may affect your finances:

• Make a budget. Write down what you spend each month on your home, car, food, clothes, medical care and other bills. Compare the amount of money you spend with the amount of money you make. How much is left after you pay your bills? You may need to cut back on spending to have money to pay for things your baby needs.
• Start saving. It’s not too early to start saving for your baby. Think about how much child care and baby things cost and try to save that amount of money each month.
• Shop smart. Some baby things may need to be new, but you can buy some used or borrow from friends and family. Make sure things like car seats and cribs meet current safety standards.  Visit the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to learn about product safety standards and product recalls. 

What are maternity and paternity leave?

Maternity and paternity leave (also called parental leave) is time off from work after your baby’s birth (or if you adopt a child). Maternity leave is time off for mom, and paternity leave is time off for dad. If you or your partner works, find out about your maternity and paternity leave. Ask your supervisor or talk to someone in the human resources department at your workplace.

Because of the Family and Medical Leave Act, parents who have worked at least 1 year for a company with 50 or more employees can take up to 12 weeks of unpaid time off for parental leave. At the end of your leave, your employer has to give you your job back.  

What about health insurance?

Health insurance (also called insurance plan, health coverage or health plan) helps you pay for medical care. Health insurance is important if you’re planning to have a baby.

Find out what your health insurance covers before and during pregnancy. For example, health plans have to cover preventive care services, like getting birth control to prevent pregnancy and vaccinations to protect you from certain diseases. Preventive care services help keep you healthy by preventing problems before they happen. If you’re choosing an insurance plan, think about what medical services and care you need now and what you’ll need if you get pregnant or have a baby.

What do you need to know about life insurance?

Life insurance pays money to certain people (for example, your partner or your children) when you die. You can buy life insurance on your own, or sometimes you can get it from your employer. There are different kinds of life insurance and lots of different companies that sell it. Talk with your partner about what kind of and how much life insurance you need.  

For life insurance, you need a list of beneficiaries. A beneficiary is someone who will get money from your life insurance when you die. Your partner and your children may be your beneficiaries. You also need to list beneficiaries in your will and for certain kinds of bank or savings accounts.

What is long-term disability insurance?

This kind of insurance gives money to you and your family if you get hurt or sick and can’t work. If you’re 35 to 55 years old, you’re more likely to get hurt or sick and not be able to work for 90 days or more than to die. So it’s important to have long-term disability to help take care of you and your family if you have to stop working because of a health condition. You can buy long-term disability insurance on your own, or sometimes you can get it from your employer. Talk with your partner about what kind of long-term disability insurance you need.

Do you need a will?

Yes. A will is a legal document that gives directions for what you want to happen when you die. In your will, you list your beneficiaries and what money or things you want each of them to get. You also say whom you want to take care of your children. You may want to hire a lawyer to help you write your will, or you can look online for information about how to do it yourself.

For more information

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

CDC Show Your Love Campaign

womenshealth.gov

Last reviewed June, 2017

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How to prepare for conception?

Pregnancy planning is really necessary, especially in our time, when a healthy woman is the exception rather than the rule. Not to mention the fact that pregnancy is a serious test for the body of even a perfectly healthy woman.

It can be said that entering into a pregnancy without prior preparation for it is the same as flying on an airplane that has not been checked in advance: maybe it will cost, or maybe not. Of course, aircraft are tested before each flight. So why does a woman, ready to give birth to a new human being, not always conduct a similar check of her body? After all, the price of her neglect of herself and her health can be the life of the unborn child. nine0005

The process of preparing for pregnancy is quite complex and includes several stages. It is worth starting planning a few months (at least three) before the time when the couple intends to conceive a baby.

And at the stage of pregnancy planning , it is necessary to understand that the bearing and birth of a baby is not a woman's business, but a married couple's. Therefore, the active participation of the father in planning pregnancy is extremely necessary and important for himself, and for his wife, and for the unborn baby. nine0005

Without the help of doctors, it will not be possible to manage even at this stage. A visit to the gynecologist will allow you to identify possible diseases and treat them in a timely manner. After the first appeal, future parents undergo several examinations and pass certain tests in order to find out how ready their bodies are for conceiving a baby, as well as to prevent possible problems when carrying a child. The gynecologist will tell you what to do if, before planning a pregnancy, a woman was protected with hormonal contraceptives. It is necessary to stop taking hormonal contraceptives 3 months before the planned pregnancy. nine0005

It is important for a future mother to understand that only a healthy woman can bear and give birth to a healthy baby. In this regard, you need to start taking care of your own health long before conception. Good physical shape, the absence of diseases, proper nutrition and the rejection of bad habits, hygiene and a measured lifestyle - all this has a beneficial effect on the female body and subsequently makes it easier to endure pregnancy. However, not all vitamins can be obtained from food. For example, the body can only obtain folic acid in an artificial form, since its counterpart (folate), found in green vegetables, beans, asparagus, and citrus fruits, is much less absorbed. Folic acid is very important for the development of the baby to take place correctly, and the need for its intake exists throughout pregnancy. If the mother's body during the bearing of the child receives a sufficient amount of this substance, then the risk of pathology from the nervous system is minimized. nine0005

What tests should a married couple undergo

before planning a pregnancy?

1. Gynecological examination, colposcopy for women.
2. Blood type, Rh factor for both spouses. If a woman has a positive Rh factor, there is no problem. If a woman has a negative Rh factor - antibodies to the Rh factor (even if a man is also negative). If they are positive, pregnancy is not currently possible and needs to be corrected. If negative - repeat this analysis once a month, starting from 8 weeks of pregnancy. If a woman has 1 group, and a man has any other group, incompatibility by blood types is possible. An analysis for group antibodies, as well as an analysis for antibodies to the Rh factor, is carried out once a month, starting from 8 weeks of pregnancy. nine0028
3. Tests for infections: routine smear, PCR for latent infections - both spouses.
4. Blood test for TORCH-complex. Antibodies to rubella, toxoplasma, herpes, CMV, chlamydia - quantitative analysis (with titer). The presence of IgG antibodies means immunity to these infections, and is not an obstacle to pregnancy. The presence of IgM means an acute stage, planning in this case must be postponed until recovery. If there are no IgG antibodies to rubella, it is necessary to be vaccinated and protected for another 3 months after it. nine0028
5. A trip to the dentist, a therapist, chest x-ray is a must for both spouses. By appointment of the therapist - consultation of narrow specialists (ENT doctor, urologist, endocrinologist, cardiologist, gastroenterologist).
6. Spermogram. Desirable, but not required. It is done to determine the quality of spermatozoa and identify a hidden inflammatory process (a much more informative analysis than any smears and PCR).
nine0027 Ultrasound of the pelvic organs - at least 2 times per cycle: after menstruation and before menstruation. For the first time, the general condition of the pelvic organs is assessed, in the second, the presence of a corpus luteum and endometrial transformation, indicating that ovulation has occurred. Ideally, an intermediate third ultrasound on the eve of the expected ovulation is to detect the dominant follicle.
7. Blood test for hormones of the reproductive system, thyroid gland, adrenal glands - according to indications.
nine0027 Ultrasound of the thyroid gland, mammary glands - according to indications.
8. Hemostasiogram, coagulogram. - according to indications.
9. General clinical blood test (hemoglobin, erythrocytes, leukocytes, platelets, ESR, color index, leukocyte formula). Finger blood. General urinalysis (morning portion of urine - completely collected, it is important that the analysis does not include discharge from neighboring organs).
10. Blood tests for syphilis, HIV, hepatitis B and C - for both spouses. nine0028
11. If there was a case of hereditary diseases in the family, miscarriages, spontaneous miscarriages, seek advice from a medical genetic consultation (Krasnoyarsk Regional Consultative and Diagnostic Center for Medical Genetics, Krasnoyarsk, Molokova St. 7, t. 55-99-20).

Pregnancy planning tips: what to look out for and how to prepare

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