Preparing for pregnancy: Essential steps and preconception care

Planning to start a family? There are certain essential steps a woman must take to ensure a healthy pregnancy because having a healthy baby starts before you get pregnant.

Get a preconception check-up to make sure your body is ready for pregnancy at Darekar Hospital, the best hospital for gynaecology in Pune. It is imperative that at your check-up you share your family health history with your gynaecologist.

Some important tips in prepping for pregnancy are

Take a vitamin supplement-- 400 micrograms of folic acid every day that will help in the prevention of birth faults of the brain and spine in your baby.

Work on gaining a healthy weight before you get pregnant. Consume healthy foods and keep yourself active each day.

Don’t smoke, consume alcohol, or ingest street or prescription drugs. All of these will be harmful to your baby’s health when you conceive.

What is preconception health?

Preconception health is your health prior to getting pregnant. Being healthy before pregnancy can help boost your chances of conceiving. It also can help avert pregnancy problems when you get pregnant. Good preconception health includes getting a preconception check-up and talking with your gynaecologist about health problems at Darekar Hospital with the best gynaecologist in Pune. It is important to take folic acid to help prevent birth flaws and ensuring you make the necessary changes in your life that may affect the health of your baby when you do get pregnant.

If you’re considering getting pregnant, start focusing on your health at least three months before you start trying to get pregnant. If you have health conditions that may affect pregnancy, you may need longer to get your body ready to get pregnant.

What is a preconception checkup?

A preconception check-up is a medical check-up you get before pregnancy. It helps your healthcare provider ensure you’re healthy and that your body is pregnancy ready. The check-up aids your provider treat and sometimes preventing health conditions that may impact your pregnancy. Your medical provider checks to make sure your vaccinations are up to date and administers you any you may need before pregnancy.

If you can, get your preconception check-up with the best gynaecologist in Pune at Darekar Hospital who will take care of you when you do get pregnant. You can get a preconception check-up at any time. Get one even if you’ve already had a baby. Your health may have experienced changes since you were last pregnant.

What is the significance of family health history and why is it important to know all of it before you get pregnant?

Your family health history is a chronicle of any health conditions and treatments that you, your partner and everyone in your respective families have had. It’s a smart idea to start putting your family history together before you get pregnant so you can share it with your provider at your preconception check-up.

What is folic acid and why is it important to have it before getting pregnant?

Folic acid is a B vitamin that every cell in the human body needs for healthy growth and development. Taking it prior to and through early pregnancy can help protect your baby from birth flaws of the brain and spine. Birth imperfections are health problems that are prevailing at birth. Birth shortcomings change the shape or function of one or more parts of the baby’s body. They can cause difficulties in overall health, in how the baby’s body develops or in how the body works.

To help prevent birth drawbacks in your baby, start taking 400 mcg of folic acid every day before you get pregnant. A supplement is a capsule you take to make up for certain nutrients that you don’t get enough of in the foods you are eating. Start taking 400 mcg of folic acid vitamin each day at least 1 month before pregnancy and through the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.