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| You're
Pregnant | The
Trimesters |
Ideally, you should start preparing yourself for pregnancy for
about 3 to 4 months before you actually try to conceive. This
is the time to get your body ready for the pregnancy so that when
you do get pregnant your body is in its optimum
shape. Being prepared beforehand improves the odds of a
normal and health pregnancy and delivery. This
"pre-pregnancy" approach to a healthy child is based on
the fact that a fetus starts to form in the early weeks of
pregnancy--often before a woman even realizes that she has
conceived. Your physical and nutritional well being will
impact the very early growth of the embryo, perhaps before you even
know you're pregnant, and will be a critical determinant of
pregnancy outcome.
Conceiving:
The key to getting pregnant is understanding how your monthly
ovulation cycle works, so you can better determine when you're most
likely to conceive and can schedule intercourse around that time.
Take the BabiesDirect
Conception Quiz if you unsure of some things regarding
conceiving. The length of time for getting pregnant varies
for couples naturally. Normally fertile couples have a 25
percent chance of getting pregnant each cycle, and a cumulative
pregnancy rate of 85 percent over the course of one year.
Still, it can even take longer than a year for some healthy couples
to get pregnant.
Pregnancy FAQ
Nutrition before getting pregnant (See
Chart):
Eating right before you become pregnant can help ensure that you
and your baby start out with the nutrients you both need. The
first step towards healthy eating is to evaluate the foods in your
daily diet. This is a good time to drop the poor eating
habits like chips, soda and chocolate bars and substitute healthy
foods such as fruit, yogurt and raw vegetables. Also you need
to include a multivitamin in your diet to make sure that you will
get the recommended 0.4-0.8 mg of folic acid daily. Folic
acid stored in your body has taken on new importance for woman who
wish to become pregnant. Recent studies find that folic acid
may help to prevent certain birth defects, called neural tube
defects. More...
You will need to
follow a balanced, healthy diet to make sure that you get the
proper nutrition needed for your baby to grow normally. A balanced,
healthy diet means you consume a variety of types of foods that
contain an adequate supply of essential nutrients, including
proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. To determine
whether your diet is balanced, you need to analyze everything you
eat to see whether each food item provides the recommended amounts
of each nutrient. The easiest way is to use the concept of food
groups.
The
five basic food groups are (1) bread, cereal, rice, and
pasta, (2) vegetables, (3) fruits, (4) milk, yogurt,
and cheese, and (5) meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs,
and nuts. The fruit and vegetable groups supply us with
vitamins A and C and some minerals, carbohydrates, and fiber. Foods
in the grain group provide B vitamins, iron, fiber, and
carbohydrates. The milk group gives us calcium, protein, and
vitamin B2. The meat group supplies protein, niacin, thiamine, and
iron.
The
recommended daily servings from each group for women who are not
pregnant women are: 6-11 servings from the bread/cereal group ; 3-5
servings from the vegetable group ; 2-4 servings from the fruit
group; 2-3 servings from the milk group; 2-3 servings from the
meat/beans group. Fats, oils, and sweets are to be used sparingly. During
pregnancy, you'll need to increase servings from the milk group to
4 and servings from the meat group to 3. Variety helps to
ensure that you're getting all the necessary nutrients, so try not
to eat the same food from each group every day. Serving sizes are
also very important. You need to know what is the normal size for a
serving of milk or meat for example. See our chart
for proper servings sizes in each food group. More...
Pregnancy
Trimesters
Exercise before getting pregnant:
It
is good to be active when you are trying to conceive. Being in
shape and healthy before the pregnancy starts will make the
pregnancy much easier. If you do not have a regular exercise
program, a regular walking program is a good thing to start.
Check with your doctor to find out what is the best exercise for
you.
Pregnancy
signs/symptoms
| You're
Pregnant | The
Trimesters
| |
