A discussion on the importance of staying healthy when trying to conceive
Eating well during pregnancy is essential but your baby’s health begins before conception. Only healthy sperm and a healthy egg can create a new human life. Health professionals advise couples planning a pregnancy to allow at least three to six months preparation before conceiving so the red blood cells in your body can fully regenerate. During this time, particular attention should be given to diet, stress and conserving your energy levels as all these factors affect your chances of conceiving, the health of your pregnancy and ultimately the wellbeing of your baby.
The health of both the male and female is as equally important. Poor health, exhaustion and a low immune system at the time of conception can influence your baby’s development, both within the womb and throughout its entire life.
Fertility problems often arise through long-term dietary and hormonal deficiencies that can be corrected. If you are eating good quality food, your natural ability to maintain high energy levels and manage stress will be greater.
Foresight, a highly-reputed organisation based in England committed to preconception care and reproductive health, cites nutrition as one of the leading factors in determining successful conception, pregnancy and birth.
Chemically free, organic food not only tastes better but also provides higher levels of nutrients that are often leached during commercial farming practices. What you eat now become the building blocks of your child’s lifelong health and prepares you for parenthood. In the first days following childbirth, your body is at risk of nutritional deficiencies. Click through to out our Health and Fitness section for ideas on how you can physically prepare your body for becoming a parent.
Steps to follow
These simple steps will go a long way:
- plan balanced meals
- drink lots of fresh water
- cut down on ready prepared foods and junk food
- stock up on vegetables
- introduce fresh fruits instead of sweets
- make the transition gradually so it becomes a way of life rather than just a fad
- take zinc and folic acid
- cut out coffee
- try dry skin brushing
- drink freshly squeezed juices
- sessions of reflexology will help balance the endocrine system in preparation for conception
- women should drink raspberry leaf tea, known to balance reproductive hormones
Be sensible and intuitive. Once you are pregnant, nature provides its own screening mechanism to protect the growing foetus. It is common for women to give up coffee, smoking and alcohol, among other things, during pregnancy. Statistics show that pregnant women eating nutritious foods have better pregnancy outcomes than those with poor diets.