Making A Plan For Pregnancy

So you and your partner are thinking about making that big next step of expanding your family. Congratulations! It's a scary process, but it's also very exciting. A lot of the stress can be eliminated if you sit down and come up with a plan for what will occur during those nine months. Make sure this plan involves your spouse, because you will need their support both physically and emotionally throughout the planning process, the pregnancy and for the parenting part of it all. The more prepared you are for your pregnancy, the easier it will be, and the more enjoyable it will be.
If you are planning on conceiving in the next few months it's important to start yourself on a prenatal vitamin regimen. The benefits of this routine are essential during your pregnancy so it's important to get yourself ready a few months prior. This will also give you time to figure out what vitamin works for you, as some of them have been known to cause an upset stomach. If you are on other medications for health issues you have it may be wise to talk to your Doctor before conceiving to find out if your daily medications need to be stopped prior to becoming pregnant and whether or not they should be replaced with another drug that may be a lower dose, and safer for the unborn child. It is also important to not only remain in close touch with your OB/GYN but also with your primary doctor and any other specialists that you see regularly. Any prior condition you have could be exaggerated during pregnancy and it's important for your other doctors to know your plan for conceiving. While you may want a baby more than anything else in the world, it's important to ensure you personally are in the good health to carry a child for nine long months. Follow any orders that your doctors give you, and take what they say seriously. Make sure that they OB/GYN that will be following your pregnancy is someone you feel comfortable with, and is somebody that you can talk to.
Come up with a diet plan that you will follow for nine months. Keep in mind; you're not only eating for yourself now but also for another human being. It's not wise to skip a meal like you might do if you're having a busy day, and it's also not smart to grab fast fixes like fast food or preservative packed ready to eat meals. Fresh vegetables, fruits, and protein enriched meats should be consumed each day along with foods that provide adequate amounts of calcium and iron. Iron deficiency tends to be the biggest cause of exhaustion for pregnant women especially people who have a prior history of anemia. There are a lot of books out there that are specifically written with pregnant women in mind that outline the importance of a good diet, and include meal ideas that will encompass as many vitamins and minerals as possible. It's important to gain a healthy amount of weight during your pregnancy, and a good diet is important for this. There are more vitamins and minerals out there than you can even imagine, so it's a good idea to become educated on food and its nutritional properties, especially if you're used to treating yourself to a lot of fast food or junk food. During pregnancy there's nothing wrong with indulging in your cravings but your baby wants to eat healthy food as well.
Make sure you come up with a household plan for the next nine months. Unless you're one of the lucky ones, there's a good chance there are going to be days where you're not feeling well, and don't feel like doing much more than relaxing on the couch (Don't worry, there's nothing wrong with this). If you're experiencing nausea you might not be able to stomach cooking dinner or cleaning the house because the smells may aggravate your issues. Don't forget about what it takes to prepare your house for a baby. You will want to leave the remodeling and painting to your spouse, and leave yourself the fun tasks such as picking out the bedding, curtains, and decorative items for the new nursery. Getting adequate rest is the most important thing during your pregnancy, so if you are unable to keep every speck of dust out of your home, rely on your spouse or other family members to help out with some household chores, and leave the rest. Your house won't fall apart just because you're expecting a child soon and you're not cleaning up after everyone like normal.
Make sure you have at least thought about what will happen after the baby is born. Will you return to work? If so, who will be watching the baby and what will the costs be? Make sure you look into all possibilities, not only daycare establishments. A lot of older experienced mothers run a business out of their homes where they watch a few children each day. It's a much different setting from a busy daycare center, and your child gets much more attention. Often time's mothers decide to stay home if the costs of childcare absorb most of their paycheck. If they're going to break even, it often makes more sense to stay at home and enjoy that time with your child. If you're going back to work, your employer may even have an on-site childcare center or may offer discounts through another agency. It's important to consider your options, and talk them over with your spouse. If you aren't enthusiastic about leaving your job, maybe going back to work part time would be an option if your employer is flexible. More and more companies are recognizing that they have many mothers working for them, who have a demanding schedule and sometimes require a little flexibility. You may find your boss will be more than understanding and will accommodate you. If you decide to quit your job completely and stay home for a few years, make sure you and your spouse have discussed your finances and you have made sure you can afford to stay home. Don't forget that raising a child costs money and shouldn't put you into debt.
It's important that you and your spouse are on the same page and have a plan for raising your child together. This includes disciplinary ideas, morals and values you would like to instill in your child, and how you anticipate being a tight knit family and keeping the lines of communication open. It's also important that you have a plan on how the two of you will remain a team and keep your relationship strong. It takes a lot of work to plan and have a child; however you can't let it get in the way of the other things that are important as well. You want to provide your child with the most stable and beneficial life that you can, and while you won't be able to stick to your original childcare plan forever, it at least opens up a conversation to generate ideas for the future.