Ready for a Baby This Year? - Preconception Planning for a Healthy Pregnancy

Not so many years ago, women trying to have a baby didn't think much about their health until they were pregnant. Today, that focus has shifted. More and more women are ensuring they're in good health before they start trying to conceive.

"Pregnant women now are a little bit of a different crowd," says Dr. Boris Petrikovsky. "As a group, they're older, more educated, more financially stable and more aware of how their preconception health can impact their pregnancy and their baby. Preconception planning is not only trendy, but also important to the health of mother and baby during the pregnancy and in the future."

Talking About Pregnancy The first thing women considering getting pregnant need to do is talk with their relatives and their partner's relatives about the family medical history. Ask if the parents or grandparents had a history of miscarriages or any genetic birth defects. Ask if diabetes runs in the family, or if there are any other potentially inheritable diseases. Consider your ethnicity. If you're African-American or Mediterranean, your doctor may want to test you for sickle cell disease. If you're Caucasian and have a family history of cystic fibrosis, your doctor may run a test for that disease.

Next, the couple should consider their own health and habits. Is the woman older than 35? If so, she needs to be aware of potential birth defects associated with having a baby at an older age. Are the woman's immunizations up-to-date and are they still effective?

"You want to be sure your vaccinations are current for rubella, chicken pox and tetanus," says Dr. Jill Powell, OB/GYN and professor at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine. "If you're not sure, you should be tested for immunity prior to becoming pregnant. If a woman contracts rubella or chicken pox when she's pregnant, it can have serious consequences for her and the baby."

Postpartum Depression in Canada - More Than the Baby Blues

After the birth of my first child eight years ago, I was seized by terrifying feelings of panic at the thought of being alone with him. When my husband dragged me out on a grocery expedition two weeks after he was born, I experienced heart palpitations and dizziness. It would be many months before I would be able to leave the house alone with him. I felt completely incapable of taking charge of this new life. Eventually, I found out that I was experiencing symptoms of postpartum depression.

Who Is at Risk?

Postpartum depression occurs in as many as one in five women, according to Ann Douglas, author of The Mother of All Baby Books and The Mother of All Pregnancy Books from Peterborough, Ontario. "It generally appears at some point during the first six to eight weeks after delivery, but it can show up at any time during the year after birth," she says.

Often symptoms of postpartum depression kick in with a vengeance after supportive family members go back to their normal lives.

A study published in the BioMed Central Family Practice Journal looked at a sample of 875 women who gave birth in five Ontario hospitals. Up to 15 percent of the otherwise healthy women who participated in this research had high scores on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression survey – an indicator that they were suffering from postpartum depression. The best predictors of a significantly high score on this survey were: lack of social support, lack of emotional support, a household income of less than $20,000, the desire to spend more time in hospital, self-identified care needs for a mental health problem and the mother's rating of her own and the baby's health as poor.

This study shows that there is a need to screen Canadian women for depression early in the postnatal period, as none of these women had been previously identified. In 1998, a hospital stay of less than 48 hours following an uncomplicated delivery had become normal practice in Ontario, which "reduced access to in-hospital identification and treatment of postpartum complications," according to the study. Now, Ontario policymakers have offered women the option of a 60-hour stay at the discretion of the mother.

How Soon After Birth Control Pills Can I Conceive?

How Soon After Birth Control Pills Can I Conceive?
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Eddy_R]Eddy R

A common contraceptive used by a lot of woman today is the birth control pill or also known as an oral contraceptive. They are aware that they need to stop using the pill so they can become pregnant when they have made the decision they are prepared to have a child. How long do they need to wait, after they have stopped using the pill, before attempting to conceive? This now becomes the question.

Even though it was never proven, doctors once felt a waiting period of two or three menstrual cycles was the acceptable time frame. This was they believed there was a higher probability of having a miscarriage if you became pregnant sooner.

One of the advantages of the birth control pill is the amount of time it becomes ineffective after you quit using it. In a matter of two to six weeks you could be ovulating again. It may be a bit more difficult to determine when you did ovulate which will then make your due date less accurate.

Some women worry after they cease taking birth control pills, because they do not become pregnant immediately. There is a possibility of becoming pregnant during every ovulation cycle; however healthy couples with no difficulties can take a long time to become pregnant. So this could be a needless concern.

To assist in becoming as healthy as possible and to quit using a birth control pill, a talk with a midwife or your doctor is advised. A pre-conception appointment is suggested when you have made the decision to become pregnant and have a child.

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How to conceive twins naturally

Author: Eddyz R

There are many factors that influence the chance of you having twins, but it is advantageous to know that in the United States out of every 1,000 births 32 are twin births. Normally you cannot predict twin births, but there is the slight possibility than any woman can give birth to twins. Basically if your body, age, your genetics, the correct sperm and egg meet up there is a pretty good possibility of conceiving twins naturally.
In our society twins are more prevalent due to the use of fertility drugs. Multiple births are a result of this use in more cases than they are not. Most of the twin birth increase of 400% over the past twenty years can be attributed to the use of fertility drugs. The woman who do become pregnant with twins are many times astonished at the fact.
If you are concerned you may be pregnant with twins, you probably have nothing to be concerned about. To relieve your worry, look to your mother's side in the family history. The odds of you having twins are low if there is not an extended history of fraternal or identical twins. This is contingent on the fact you have not in the past had twins yourself.
If you are attempting to have twins, the chances increase as you get older as opposed to when you were younger. Hormones and the release of eggs become just a bit out of sync so this increases your chance of having twins later in your life.
It has been shown that your race can also influence the odds of your having twins naturally. Twin pregnancies occur more with African American woman than woman of the other races. This is not to say you will have twins, just the odds are better if you are an African American female.
Good signs that you have a chance to become pregnant with twins naturally are age, race, and genetics. Even without these indicators there is still a small chance of having twins. Ultimately the correct egg and sperm need to meet along with the right parents to make a twin pregnancy without the use of fertility drugs. If you truly wish to become pregnant with twins having sex further along in the ovulation cycle or by eating yams are methods that many doctors believe will make you more likely to have twins.
Identical and fraternal are the two kinds of twins you could give birth to. Growing in the same amniotic sac, identical twins arise from a single fertilized egg that separated into two pieces. Fraternal twins are produced by the fertilization of two separate eggs. Each egg then grows as if it was a single pregnancy. Normally the type of twin you are likely to have is determined by genetics. But the same as in a single pregnancy a woman may have fraternal or identical twins even with on past instances of twins in the family.

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Trying to Conceive Diet Tips

Author: Eddyz R

Are you engulfed by the ever changing diet, food and nutrition research and studies being done? If so, here are 6 simple lifestyle alterations to encourage and make your body ready for conception proactively. These top 6 recommendations are from Cynhthia Stadd, who is the Director of Nutrition Services at The Berkley Center.

1. Because it can reduce blood flow being a vasoconstrictor you should cut back drastically or take out caffeine and coffee from your diet.
2. Start a diet that is based on whole foods and easy to include with your particular lifestyle with very little animal protein. Seeds, nuts, grains and whole vegetables should be included. A appointment with a nutritionist can help you find out what whole foods you should pick. They can also help with the amounts you need, food preparation ideas and shopping help. This all done to maximize your digestion and health.
3. What may seem as a healthy substitution for water, such as the current high vitamin, high energy and natural food drinks for sale today, may not be as advantageous as you think. You want to drink a sufficient amount of water, but you want to avoid sugar laced liquids.
4. Get taught how to read a food label. Know the artificial sweeteners to keep away from. Get introduced to some natural sweeteners that you did not even know about. By using strong nutritional and dietary advice, you will commence adding to your fertility quotient.
5. Dairy intake should be restricted. Find the frightening association of reproductive health and cow's milk. Find current information on soy, organics and hormones seeing how they affect the reproductive health.
6. Control cravings that are unhealthy. Eat breakfast since bypassing this meal will only make the cravings worse. This easy solution can be implemented as soon as tomorrow. Emotion issues, unhealthy cravings may be keeping your body from conceiving. By teaming with a dietician you can learn solutions to these problems and any other problems you may be having.

Extremely important from a reproductive health stand point is proper nutrition. You can obtain a list of food and drinks that you should not take and also a list that be part of your daily nutritional intake from a registered nutritionist. They will guide you point to point with a fitness and nutrition plan that is customized personally to you and your situation. It is important for you to follow their guidelines and suggestions, as they have a great impact on your general and reproductive health overall.

A nutritionist will assist you in reaching your healthy and ideal weight. Help you to see that your ability to conceive is influenced by your lifestyle choices. They will implement a manageable, exercise workout, help to reduce your daily stress levels and assist in you developing a balance in your life. They are there to support you on your road to conception and the getting ready for parenthood.

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If periods come then also any chances to conceive?

If periods come then also any chances to conceive?

Can you get pregnant while on your period? This is a question that is frequently asked by females in their reproductive years. The answer depends on the situation of each individual woman. There are women who ovulate very predictably on a certain day of their menstrual cycles, and there are women whose cycles are much more erratic. Ultimately, it is very difficult to tell if you personally can get pregnant while on your period.

Some studies suggest that women with menstrual cycles shorter than twenty-eight days have a greater chance of getting pregnant while on their period. This is not the norm for the majority of women. If you have a relatively short cycle, then this could be the case for you.

Whether it is possible for to get pregnant while on your period or not, it certainly does not maximize your chances. If you engage in intercourse only while on your period, you may find it very difficult to conceive. You will have to have relations at varying times to increase the chances of having had relations while your body was ready to conceive.

Most women are the most fertile about one to two weeks after the end of their last menstrual period. This is about the time it takes for your body to rebuild the uterine lining in preparation for a possible pregnancy and release an egg through ovulation. If you are trying to get pregnant, be sure to have sexual relations at various times throughout your cycle in order to hit ovulation, but concentrate your efforts on the week or two after your period. This will increase your chances for conception.

If you are not sure how long your menstrual cycles typically are, you may want to keep track of the time from the first day of one period to the first day of your next period. You can make little marks on your daily calendar and no one will suspect a thing! If your cycles are less than twenty-eight days long on average, then it may be possible for you to get pregnant while you are on your period.

Ultimately, getting pregnant is a very unpredictable thing. If you are looking to start your family, be sure to engage in regular sexual intercourse throughout the entire month. This will increase your chances of having intercourse during your ovulation period and getting pregnant. If you have been having regular intercourse for at least a year or two, with no pregnancy, you may want to get more information on your menstrual cycle. There are many methods available to assist you in determining whether or not you are fertile at any given time, including if you can get pregnant while you are on your period.

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Can a healthy 40 year old woman conceive ?

Can a healthy 40 year old woman conceive ?

You can overcome infertility after 40 by applying certain natural fertility methods correctly. Many older women failed to get pregnant just simply because they can't find the right time when they can fall pregnant.

And there is a biological basis for it. The ability of women to fall pregnant decreases with age. That means the older you are there are fewer days in a month you can fall pregnant. And after 35 - 40 you may only have 1-2 days in a few months you are able to conceive.

So what time of the month are you fertile?

You are most fertile 12 to 14 days before the beginning of your next period. But this time can vary depending on many factors: stress level, illness, changing your environment and the like.

If your ovulation does not come every month (like for many women after 35-40), it is very difficult to pinpoint the time when you are fertile. So, checking on your ovulation time gets more important the older you get.

Secondly, a healthy baby doesn't result just because 'egg meets sperm'. It is necessary to have a freshly released egg and new sperm to conceive at an older age. To avoid old sperm you should stop having intercourse a couple of days before ovulation, as sperm can last up to 3 days inside the body.

To avoid old eggs you should not have intercourse just after your peak ovulation day. Although the egg is still viable (up to 24 hours after release), the problem is aging and potential defects that can occur to the egg especially in older women. Remember that a woman is born with all the eggs she will ever have, so an egg when you are 40 has been around as long as you have.

The right time to conceive would be at the peak day of ovulation. It is the time when you should have frequent intercourse and when a fresh released egg can meet fresh released sperm.

Thirdly, it is important to build up the sperm count prior to intercourse. There are techniques that men can use to build up their sperm count, so that the day before you ovulate they are able to deliver the maximum number of healthy sperm.

One of the simple strategies to build up sperm account is abstain from sex 3-4 days before the woman's ovulation time. But no longer, because any longer than this you will risk sperm ageing prior to ejaculation.

To conclude, these simple strategies (pinpointing your ovulation, avoiding old eggs and sperm and building up sperm prior to conception) can be a number one strategy you can use to fall pregnant at an older age. These techniques are natural, non-invasive, harmless and very effective. Applying them correctly may save you from having to have IVF or other surgical procedures to get pregnant.


This article is based on the book, "Pregnancy Miracle" by Lisa Olson. Lisa is an author, researcher, nutritionist and health consultant who dedicated her life to creating the ultimate pregnancy solution guaranteed to permanently reverse the root of infertility, help you get pregnant quickly and naturally and dramatically improve the overall quality of your life, without the use prescription medication and without any surgical procedures. Learn more by visiting her website here