Pregnancy can bring a massive change in your life, so when you are thinking of having a baby, you need to keep various things in mind. If you want to start your family soon, then you need to be mentally and physically prepared to take your relationship with your spouse to another level.
Even though we are mentally prepared, sometimes our body is not physically prepared, and hence we need to do various things to prepare it. The decisions of conceiving can be overwhelming and frightening, so you need to educate yourself properly so that you don’t have to go through any bumpy ride.
To give birth to someone, you need to take a lot of responsibilities. An unborn child needs to stay in a healthy environment for healthy development and growth.
What are the Things To Keep In Mind Before Having A Child
- The decision of having a child should be mutual.
- Both parents should use financially and emotionally stable.
- The mother will have to prepare her body for a healthy pregnancy.
- Having a child can be demanding at times, so you need to accept help.
- Give your baby the credit of being more resilient and strong.
Prepare Yourself For Having A Baby
Mental Preparation
When a couple decides to start a family, then they need to take this decision properly because it demands lifetime commitment and responsibility for both the partners. If any of you is not sure about conceiving or having a child, then you will have to reconsider the decision.
Having a baby must be a mutual decision, and it must involve the consent of you and your partner. Have an open discussion with your partner and talk about whether you both want to have a child or not.
Do not pressurize, force, or emotionally blackmail them to get a favorable answer. If any of you is not sure about this decision, then it is better to keep it on hold for some time.
Financial Preparation
Before welcoming a new person into your loves, you have to be financially prepared. Medical bills, delivery processes, tests, prenatal vitamins, prenatal checkups, and medicines will be expensive.
Make sure you are preparing your finances properly to avoid any unnecessary delays. You should also opt for health insurance that will cover the prenatal expenses or any other medical costs.
Prepare The Body
After financially and mentally preparing yourself to take the big step you will have to take a lot of care of your body because, for nine months, your body will be the home to a new soul.
Visit a reputed gynecologist for a healthy pregnancy. Go for pre-conception medical checkups where the doctor will review your family and personal medical history. You will have to share about all the medications that you are currently taking as it might be unsafe or unhealthy for pregnancy.
You will also have to give up on unhealthy habits, like drinking and smoking. They will also recommend some prenatal vitamins that will help you with immunization and apart from that you need to visit the clinic for more tests. To have a smooth journey, you need a trustworthy and experienced doctor in this field.
Birth Control Pills And Fertility Window
If you are currently taking any birth controlling pills, then you will have to stop it. A woman who is taking pills for several months will have to wait for at least two months before they will again start to ovulate. Keep track of the dates of ovulation that will give you the idea about the fertile window.
If your menstrual cycles are irregular, then you will need to track them to get a clear picture of the fertility days that will help you to increase conceiving chances.
Healthy Weight
Women with high or low BMI will face difficulties when they try to conceive. Make sure you have a healthy weight from the start because it will make the process easy for you.
Try to avoid any type of complications that are related to weight because it will help you to prevent premature delivery or underweight baby. Women who have more weight will have a high chance of suffering from gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, etc.
Vaccinations And Immunization
Update the chart for immunization and ensure that you are immune to chickenpox, flu shots, rubella, etc. This will allow you to avoid any type of pregnancy complication, which may lead to a birth defect or miscarriage.
Prenatal Vitamins
The doctor may recommend you start having folic acid supplements before you begin to plan your pregnancy because it helps to have a healthy pregnancy. It will help your body to prepare itself for conception. The supplements will help in preventing the baby from birth defects like spina bifida.
Breastfeeding Can Be Hard
Initially breastfeeding will be hard, but you need to find all the right information, to begin with. By reaching out to the right support, you will be able to solve maximum breastfeeding issues. You can talk to the lactation consultant. You can ask other people after delivery. The lactation consultant will educate you on how you should breastfeed your newborn.
Stay Active
If you want the baby to be healthy, then you will also need to stay active and do moderate exercises daily. It not only increases your chances of conceiving, but it will benefit the baby and make the pregnancy process easy. According to the recommendation of the Department Of Health, the woman needs to do an aerobic activity of moderate level every week along with strength exercises.
First Three Months Are Hard
In the first three months, you will have to go through different types of physical and hormonal changes, and your child will adjust to the outside life. Give them time as they will learn how to express what they need and adjust according to other’s time.
During this time, you will have to emphasize your child and provide them with whatever they are demanding. You will also experience an avalanche of emotions.
Make sure you are resting, drinking, and eating well. Take good care of yourself and have me time that will allow you to rejuvenate yourself. If you are a happy mother, then it will make your baby happy.
Sleeping Hours For Babies
Every child is different, but in the initial days, a baby’s sleeping time will vary between 12 to 16 hours every day. You might think that as they are going to sleep throughout the day so you can easily do your work, but in reality, they don’t. Not all babies will sleep for long hours. At a stretch, they will sleep for at least two to four hours.
Support
Accept the support of your close ones because the first few months after the delivery will be hard. You can hire a babysitter on the nanny who will help you to take care of your child. You can also hire a house help if you are not getting enough time to manage the household chores.
You will have to monitor your child every minute so you will have to be present with them all the time and also do others work to run a smooth life.
Sleep Deficit
Initially, you will be sleep deprived for several weeks. For every new parent, sleep is considered to be a luxury, so it is advised to sleep when the baby is sleeping. Don’t fold the laundry or start cleaning or cooking when the baby is sleeping. Use this time to give your body enough rest. Research about sleep train or co-sleeping and pick the one that will work for your family.
Physical Space
The house or apartment needs to have enough physical space for the baby’s furniture like a crib. If the area where you are currently living is not large enough to fit the furniture, then you will have to relocate. Make sure that the baby’s room is baby proof.
Maternity Leave
If you are a working woman, then you will have to talk to your boss or HR about maternity leaves. Your husband will need to talk about paternity policies in his company as well. It will help you to understand how your life will be after your baby arrives.
Your Relationship With Your Partner
If you and your partner have a complicated relationship, then you must not have a baby right now. Make sure the relationship with your partner is strong and stable when you are welcoming a new person into your lives.
Visiting Any Place Will Be A Tedious Task
Even if you are talking about going to the departmental store, still it is going to be hard because you need to prepare for 45 minutes to get there. During this time you will be more forgetful, and you will always carry a long list of all the things that the baby will need.
Sheer exhaustion and sleep deprivation will also slow down your pace. You can tackle it by keeping the nappy bag packed all the time. Whenever anything finishes in your house, make sure you are writing it in the checklist so that you won’t have to recall it whenever you are going to the store.
Babies Are More Resilient And Strong
Babies will frequently fall in the initial days, and they will get many bumps, but it is very common if it is not causing much of a harm. Babies tend to explore everything, but since the parents stay exhausted most of the time, so it may create a mess.
The bones of the baby are flexible so it won’t cause any severe damage to them when they fall, unlike an adult. Parents are always concerned about whether their baby has a healthy weight or is eating enough or sleeping enough or why the baby is crying. Do not make this more hard on yourself and try to observe everything carefully. Then you will realize that your baby is an intelligent human and they are growing beautifully.
Development Milestone
The development milestone of every child will be different. Some kids will start to walk or speak earlier than other children. Do not compare them or think that your child is not smart enough. Children have their time frame for development.
Babies Don’t Need Many Things.
You don’t have to purchase a lot when you are having a baby. Make sure you have enough diapers, baby’s sleeping suits, blankets, and burping cloths. They demand your presence and love in abundance. Do not waste money on expensive things and save them for their future.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is it normal for people to be scared of conceiving?
Yes, it is completely normal for some people to be scared about childbirth. By educating yourself with the right information, you will be able to reduce this. If it is extreme, then you can postpone the pregnancy.
Which hormones will make you want to have a baby?
Oxytocin popularly called the hormone of love is responsible for having the feeling to conceive because it is also involved with fertility, birth, labor contractions, breastfeeding, and lovemaking.
What is the right age to have a baby?
According to the biological clock, the right age to have a baby for men is under 40 and for women it is under 35.
How to know that you are fertile?
If you have a regular menstrual cycle of 28 days, then you are going to ovulate on the 14th day. The fertile window will start on the 10th day. So between this 10th to 14th day if you can have sex every day, then there is a high chance to get pregnant.
Verdict
Both the partners should be physically, mentally, and financially stable when they are deciding to have a child. Bringing a newborn into your life can be highly challenging and overwhelming at times. You need to prepare yourself and do thorough research to make it easy for yourself.
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Mother of Two children. I’m a former teacher with a background in child development and a passion for Good parenting. I understand child development and know how to develop activities to help children learn and grow. Spare time, I enjoy spending time with my family, reading, and volunteering in my community.
