Janelle McAlpine MMRes BA (Human Bioscience) BMid
Registered Midwife
Visit your GP
If you want to start trying for a baby your GP is a good place to start. A head to toe is highly recommended, including a breast check and a pap smear (a visit to the dentist is also a great idea). If you have an existing health issue, i.e. diabetes, asthma, high blood pressure, genetic disorder or a family history of one, discussing this with your GP will allow for appropriate management of you risk factors from the get go.
Some conditions (such as diabetes) and medications can affect your baby from a very early stage so measures may need to be taken to ensure that both you and your baby are managed appropriately. Your GP will be able to help if you have any concerns about your sexual health, check that your immunisations (such as rubella) are up to date and will be able to provide you with information about achieving a healthy lifestyle.
Healthy weight
Being significantly underweight, overweight or obese can affect your chances of conceiving and can increase the risk of complications when you do become pregnant (see Your BMI). When you start to think about trying for a baby it is a great time to start eating a healthy diet and fitting some regular exercise into your daily routine. This will help you to achieve a healthy weight and make sure your nutrition stores are available to give your baby a healthy start too.
Folic Acid
Requirements during pregnancy are so high that it is almost impossible to achieve the RDA through diet alone. Folic acid (or folate – Vitamin B9) is a vital supplement for women both before pregnancy and in the first trimester to ensure the baby’s proper development, helping prevent birth defects in the brain and spine. It is so important that most commercial flours are fortified with this vitamin. These products and green leafy vegetables are among the best sources of folate. However, even the best of diets will still require supplementation in the first trimester. Starting folic acid supplements when start trying for a baby will ensure that you have given your baby the best chance of healthy neural tube formation.
Stop smoking
If you smoke the best time to quit is before you get pregnant. If you and your partner both smoke, quitting together and at the same time will ensure that you have support. Working toward this very important goal together can also be a relationship strengthening exercise. You will feel the benefits within the first couple of days and have a healthier pregnancy with less risk of pregnancy-related illness. You are also less likely to have complications such as miscarriage, premature birth or a low birthweight baby (1).
This is also something that yourself and your partner can talk to your GP about. There are many options for assistance and support with quitting smoking, and your doctor can discuss these with you.
Alcohol and illegal drugs
There is no known safe level of alcohol consumption or illegal drug use at any time during pregnancy. Both alcohol and illicit drugs can cause harm to your baby (2,3). If there is a chance you are going to become pregnant then the best option for you is to quit drinking or using when you start trying. If this is a problem for you please talk to your GP about stopping safely. While we may quite readily give up after we find out we are pregnant, sometimes it happens when we least expect and we are caught short wondering if that bender we went on last week could have hurt our baby. If you stop when you start trying you can save yourself a whole lot of sleepless nights.
Caffeine
There is no firm evidence to suggest that caffeine affects your fertility. However, the recommended upper limit for caffeine intake during pregnancy is 200mg per day. This is found in 2 mugs of instant coffee or 4 mugs of black tea. It is also found in chocolate, some soft drinks and energy drinks. Cutting back gradually now will be of benefit when you are pregnant. A sudden caffeine reduction can cause withdrawal symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, mood disturbances, and flu-like symptoms (4).
References:
- Hilder, L., Zhichao, Z., Parker, M., & Chambers, G.M. (2014) Australia’s mothers and babies 2012. Perinatal statistics series, no. 20. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
- Varner, M.W., Silver, R.M., Rowland Hogue, C.J., Willinger, M., Parker, C.B., Thorsten, V.R., Goldenberg, R.L., Saade, G.R., Dudley, D.J., Coustan, D., Stoll, B., Bukowski, R., Koch, M.A., Conway, D., Pinar, H., Reddy, U.M. & Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Stillbirth Collaborative Research Network 2014, “Association between stillbirth and illicit drug use and smoking during pregnancy”, Obstetrics and gynecology, vol. 123, no. 1, pp. 113-125.
- National Organisation for Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Related Disorders Inc. http://www.nofasd.org.au/
- Juliano, L.M., Huntley, E.D., Harrell, P.T. & Westerman, A.T. 2012, “Development of the caffeine withdrawal symptom questionnaire: caffeine withdrawal symptoms cluster into 7 factors”, Drug and alcohol dependence, vol. 124, no. 3, pp. 229-234.