Pregnancy is a great opportunity to start leading a healthier life for both you and your baby. Dr Chris Steele, resident Dr on TV's This Morning, has compiled a "pregnancy checklist" in association with Sanatogen Pregnancy covering topics such as your pregnancy diet, exercise regime and lifestyle.
1. Eat well. Its sounds simple, but having a well balanced preganancy diet will help both your baby's development and your own well-being. Make sure you eat lots of fresh fruit, vegetables, pulses and whole grains. Men also need to ensure their diet is rich in zinc before conception, by eating foods such as beans, nuts and lean red meat. Both partners should avoid processed food wherever possible.
2. Supplements: To fortify your pregnancy diet, Dr Chris Steele advises that women consider a folic-acid supplement. Likewise, men should take zinc.
So, that's the pregnancy diet. Next, Dr Steele devotes a few points on his pregnancy checklist to trying to conceive.
3. Dr Chris Steele advises that you're at your most fertile 14 days before the start of your next period. In other words, you should count back from you're next period, not forward from your last. Try to have intercourse two days before and after your ovulation day, plus on your day of ovulation itself. Once you've had intercourse, make sure you give your partner's sperm the opportunity to settle in both fallopian tubes, by making sure you don't get up immediately afterwards.
Dr Chris Steele then focuses on the lifestyle choices you should make, before and during pregnancy.
4. Live a stress-free life. Stress is proven to adversely affect your chances of pregnancy. Whatever the cause of tension in your life, choose ways to avoid it. You may want to take up yoga or to go for walks to help you relax.
5. Smoking and excessive drinking are to be avoided. Both are bad news for healthy sperm production.
6. Like most doctors, Dr Chris Steele recommends 30 minutes of exercise every day to keep you in healthy condition.
7. If you are currently taking medication, Dr Chris Steele recommends letting your doctor know that you are trying to get pregnant.
8. Talk. No pregnancy checklist would be complete without some mention of the importance of communication. Having a baby will change your life forever, and it's vital that you talk to your partner about any worries or concerns that you have.
nothing really new here as data but perhaps I'm such an old hand with having tried so hard in the past to avoid pregnancy in others that there are other things to worry about that need elucidation in my book besides basic information about how to make healthy babies;a well written article nonetheless
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