Preparing For Pregnancy:
Your Checklist of Must Do's
Before Conceiving

Preparing for pregnancy should be taken as seriously as when you actually are pregnant.
Would you run a marathon without solid preparation?
Remember, pregnancy is no small feat - you will be building a human being inside your body! So the house your baby will live in has to be nice - one that he or she can just move into!
So how do you do that?
You start by putting good planning into it, and you start taking better care of your body, and your mind. Let your body be your temple.
In preparing for pregnancy, it's better for you to take care of some of the things before you become pregnant anyway.
The last thing you want to do is stress yourself with things like planning health insurance when you finally do become pregnant.
Get things like this out the way now!

The following is a checklist of things you should consider doing before you are pregnant.

Some ideas are practical, and will come in good use for you, and others may be just fun and a way to provide you with some fun in what can be a stressful time!

12 Months Before Conception

Keep A Fertility Folder

Preparing for pregnancy should start with a fertility folder.
You can build it up by keeping all the information you collect over time about your fertility, health, appointments and findings.
This folder may include things such as printed copies of any charting you have done during your cycles (basal body temperature recording, cervical mucus recording, documenting of when you have taken certain medications to aid in your fertility etc).
This is where you can keep all your copies of test results, appointments, brochures, fertility clinic information and scripts.
Having everything in one place makes it easy for you, because if you have an appointment that you need to bring results to - you just go to your folder and grab what you need from there, without the stress of hunting around for it!

Start Putting Money Aside

If you are preparing for pregnancy it’s probably a good time for you to start putting money aside.
Not only will you need money for your oncoming bubba once you are pregnant, but there are costs you may discover you need money for that you didn't even think of.
For instance, in my personal situation, I have spent about $3000 so far on fertility appointments, progesterone injections, sperm tests for my partner, and various other things related to trying to fall pregnant.
Even if you can only put $10 aside a week, you may be thankful when you find you have an extra $100 to put towards the cost of an appointment, or medication.
And if you don't have to spend it, keep it accumulating until a baby does come along, or until you go down the adoption or surrogacy route (if it's not happening for you and this becomes a valid option for you!).
Look at it this way, even if your journey to pregnancy does come relatively easy, any money you have been saving will be certainly useful for buying all those baby things you are going to need.
Preparing for pregnancy is one thing, but once you do fall pregnant you will be surprised how quickly 9 months will pass!

Record and Monitor your Cycle

If you have been trying for a while (say 6 months), and you are finding things harder going than initially thought, try charting your cycle so as you can see a pattern of things.
Not only will this method help you pinpoint ovulation so you can find your most fertile time of the month, but it can help you see what your body is doing.
For instance, if your luteal phase (the 2 weeks from ovulation to the first day of your period) is short, you may find you are running a little low on the hormone progesterone (which is the primary hormone needed to help house the egg in your uterus).
Knowing things like this can help you to take the right course of action to set you on the best path to overcoming your fertility problems, and help you to finally fall pregnant.

Investigate Private Health Insurance

It could be a good idea to invest in private health insurance, this is because if you need to have any assisted fertility procedures, you may end up needing to go to hospital, and the fees for a day bed are really expensive without it.
Check for the level of cover you may feel you need. It is better to get it before you start the process if you are going to need assisted fertility, that’s because there is usually a 12 month waiting period on hospital cover, yet in some circumstances (in Australia) there is only a 2 month wait if you take out cover before finding out the need for hospital.

See your Doctor

When preparing for pregnancy, most couples (90%) will fall pregnant in the first 12 months of trying.
Whether you do or don’t, it’s still recommended to get a full check up from your doctor – including a pap smear and breast check, along with any vaccinations you may require.
It’s also crucial to take folate acid as it will help decrease the incident of your baby having Spina Bifida, one of the most common birth defects.
Folate can be found in the following foods: Spinach, Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Asparagus, Berries, Avocado, Beef / Yeast Extracts (e.g. Vegemite), Eggs, Bran Flakes, Chick Peas, Soy Beans, Oranges, and Grapefruit.

Visit Your Dentist

Preparing for pregnancy should also include a visit to your dentist.
You need to check your teeth are in good order, because once you are pregnant you aren’t able to have some of the usual treatments.
Also, it's known that bad dental hygiene can actually impact on your ability to conceive, so it's worth getting things in order for that reason alone.

Start Investigating Options for Pregnancy Care

If you are preparing for pregnancy, you should know that there can be some big waiting lists in hospitals so now would be a good time to investigate whether you want to go private, public, or experience a home-birth.
You don't want to have to worry about that once you do fall pregnant, sort it out now, to save stress down the track.

Start Eating Healthily And Exercising

Cut back on all the nasty stuff and replace it with good healthy options!
Now is the time to get your body in prime condition for fertility, that means cutting back on alcohol, quitting smoking, eliminating social drugs, and cutting back on your caffeine intake.
Exercise promotes good health too of course, so even if you do some brisk walking three times a week you will be helping to get your bodies metabolism going. This will stimulate movement and activity to the parts of your body that need to be in good working order to allow for optimum conception.
Healthier eating and regular exercise - we've all heard it before, but the benefits of them are so true, even when it comes to helping your fertility levels!

Check Your Family Medical History

Now is the time to also check for any genetic disorders or health problems that exist in your family.
When preparing for pregnancy it might be a good idea to ask family members if there have been any pre-existing conditions that you should be aware of, that may impact on a healthy pregnancy, or even a healthy delivery of your baby.
There may even be some pre-existing problems that prevent you from being able to fall pregnant in the first place! Recognising any impending problems can help you to find them, and work with them to fast-track your journey to falling pregnant.

Register With Medicare Online

When you are preparing for pregnancy, particularly if you are having trouble falling pregnant, you will find the need for regular appointments, and possibly treatments, so with that, it is a good idea to register with Medicare (for Australian Residents).
This is because in Australia if you go over a certain amount of spending on medical expenses, you can get some rebates back. Check to see if there is anything like this in your country.
The sad fact is, if you do need assisted fertility treatment, it will not only chew into your precious time but will also force you to put your hand in your pocket too.
Registering online also provides a way for you to see at a glance all you have spent (through Australian Medicare), and also saves a trip to Medicare to get your refund, as when you lodge your bank account details with Medicare they will automatically refund your amount straight into your bank for you.

Have Some Fun! Do Some 'Research'

Preparing for pregnancy can be pretty stressful, especially when do don't even know if or when it will happen, so now might be the time to have some fun, while you still can!
Take a holiday now, you may not get the chance to once you have a baby! Other things you can do to 'kill time', is look up things you will need for your baby. Perhaps you can start putting a little baby hamper aside. Buy a big plastic tub and start filling it with things like bibs, diapers, blankets, dummies, and anything you can think of that might help ease the burden of having to buy it all at once, when baby does come along.