I want to have a baby. What are some things I should do to get ready?

There’s lots you can do to get ready for your pregnancy and make sure you and your future baby are as healthy as possible.

Visiting your doctor or local Planned Parenthood health center for pre-pregnancy care is a great first step. Pre-pregnancy care (also called preconception care) helps find issues that could affect your pregnancy, so you and your doctor can take steps to avoid potential problems. They can also give you tips on how to get pregnant.

Lifestyle also has an impact on your pregnancy. Avoiding drugs (including cigarettes) and alcohol, exercising, following a healthy diet, and taking prenatal vitamins helps you and your future baby stay healthy. Adopting these habits before you get pregnant lowers your risk of problems.

Your partner may play a big role in planning for a baby. Encouragement and emotional support can be really helpful and important, especially if you’re making lifestyle changes to get ready for pregnancy.

Lastly, fertility awareness can help you get to know what days you ovulate (when you’re most likely to get pregnant). Plan vaginal sex or insemination leading up to and during those days. You can use a fertility chart, fertility app, or ovulation predictor kit to help you figure out when you’re ovulating.

Tags: pregnancy, parenting, pre-pregnancy_health