Facts and Fiction: Trying to Conceive at Your Healthiest
8/16/2022
Welcome to “Facts and Fiction,” a new blog brought to you by Northwest Healthcare providers.
In this edition, Dr. Snigdha Toodi, OB/GYN, and Emily Coston, FNP – who care for women and deliver babies with Northwest OB/GYN Houghton – address an important aspect of women’s healthcare: the importance of preparation before trying to conceive. Welcome!
Congratulations will soon be in order: you’ve decided to have a baby.
In the meantime, props to you for preparing your body for the wildest ride it will ever take. Starting now, your smallest daily health decisions – even before sperm meets egg – will affect your baby in the long term. Here are three important things to start thinking about:
- The first thing you (and your partner) need to do? Math! But pregnancy math isn’t like regular math. In brief: You’re already considered two weeks pregnant when you ovulate, which is why many women arrive at the OB/GYN’s office and find out they’re further along in their pregnancies than they thought. (Sometimes – especially for first-time mothers who did regular math – a lot further. You may think your baby is still in a yolk sac, when actually he or she has already moved on to building a skeleton, and you for sure want a good strong skeleton). Again, that’s why it’s so important to make healthy choices before you know you’re pregnant.
- The second thing you (and your partner) need to do: Quit smoking, drinking and using recreational drugs. Yes, your grandmother probably got away with cigarettes and Chardonnay, but she likely didn’t wear a seatbelt in the car, either. Save your wine and smokes money for more important things, including buying an ovulation predictor kit at the drugstore or on Amazon. This kit takes out the guesswork about when you will be ovulating (releasing an egg) and can help you have the best chance of conception.
- Right around this time, or even earlier, is the time to get a clean bill of health from your primary care provider. This appointment will include making sure you’re current on vaccines (MMR, COVID-19); looking at your medications for things like Accutane or retinol (both are dangerous in pregnancy); and starting a prenatal vitamin (which can cut your risk for nausea and vomiting once you do become pregnant).
- Your primary care doctor (and later on, your OB/GYN) will also talk to you about your diet, exercise, sleep and work habits as well as any chronic medical or mental health conditions such as diabetes, depression, hypertension or a sexually-transmitted infection. You’ll discuss any previous pregnancies. If you have unusual issues (say, your job involves chemical solvents or radiation) your provider will help you figure out next steps and/or refer you to someone who can help. Please be honest about anything that might affect your soon-to-be favorite person as he or she floats peacefully in amniotic fluid while listening to everything you say and trying to grow eyes.
Again, congratulations on everything you’re doing now to build a healthy foundation for yourself and your baby. We know it’s a lot, but we also know you can do it. Welcome to your greatest adventure!
Would you like to make an appointment with one of our OB/GYN specialists at Northwest OB/GYN at Houghton? Please give us a call at (520) 885-5300 or visit https://www.nwalliedphysicians.com/ob-gyn.
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