You can start preparing your body for pregnancy now, even if you are not thinking about starting a family for another few months or even years.  To ensure that you and your baby have the best chance at good health, take a few extra steps to prepare for this important phase in advance. In today’s health-conscious society, you have more choices than ever when it comes to proper nutrition.

Following are five healthy habits to consider before attempting to conceive, as reported by Sally Watts at Charleston.net.

Fat can be good!  According to Dr. Craig Koniver, owner of Primary Plus Family Medicine and founder of The Center for Organic Medicine in Charleston, most with women of childbearing age do not consume enough healthy fat. Healthy omega-3 fats can be found in fatty fish, such as salmon or sardines, as well as foods that contain flax. You can control your omega-3 intake with fish oil and/or flax-seed oil.

Take your vitamins!  It is critical that you take a balanced prenatal multivitamin that contains folic acid, as well as other healthy minerals. Folic acid is vital to fetal development and guards against several congenital malformations. Dr. Koniver also suggests taking selenium, a trace mineral crucial for proper immune system and thyroid function.

Keep the fruits and veges coming!  You should try to consume as many organic fruits and vegetables as possible. Avoiding pesticides and fungicides will help maintain the delicate hormone balance during pregnancy, says Dr. Koniver.

Keep refilling that glass of water! To keep all body systems running smoothly, it’s important to stay hydrated.  A woman’s total blood volume increases by 20 percent or more during pregnancy, and hydration is critical in maintaining health.  According to the March of Dimes, lack of proper hydration can trigger preterm contractions.

Cut back on coffee!  The March of Dimes also suggests women cut back on caffeine before they become pregnant, as caffeine has been linked to miscarriage in studies. For those with a slight caffeine addiction, it’s better to kick the habit before pregnancy begins so you can avoid the struggle once you conceive.

The article then goes on to discuss when exactly pregnancy begins according to a medical view, vs. a religious view. From a medical point of view “pregnancy does not occur at the moment of conception. It occurs, instead, when an embryo (a fertilized egg that has divided over the course of a few days) attaches itself to the woman’s uterus, a stage known as implantation.” It goes on to discuss how the morning-after pill functions and how to define the term “abortion” in relation to this early stage.  Also interesting are the parallels drawn between this situation and in-vitro fertilization.

Anyway, I won’t try to summerize it any further but read the article here at FindLaw if you are interested in more details.

Remembering Our Babies was created to provide support, education and awareness for those who are suffering or may know someone who has suffered a miscarriage, an ectopic pregnancy, a still birth, or the loss of an infant. We hope that we can help you by giving you and all of the other parents, grandparents, siblings, relatives, and friends a special day of remembrance. This special day of Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance is October 15th of every year.

You can find news articles, resources, ideas to help, and aticles dealing with grief and rememberance. Maternity.net feels sorrow and would like to extend our support to all those who have lost babies.

But, apparently, not everyone feels this way. So if you are dying to get as much bang for your buck as possible, here’s an article by the American Chronicle with “unique ideas”to tell your husband you are expecting… making the occasion “so much more memorable” and creating a “great story to tell your child when they grow up.”

I admit to being pleasantly surprised and thinking that some of the ideas are actually cute!

The good news is that if you start planning early on in your pregnancy, you should be able to ensure your financial stability even during those unpaid weeks of maternity leave.

Suite101 provides some guidelines on how to plan for those first precious weeks with your baby.  They point out that, although saving money can be a daunting task if you are among the 41 percent of Americans living paycheck to paycheck, it is most definitely possible with a bit of forethought and planning.

Most companies provide up to 12 weeks of maternity leave, though this is usually unpaid. The first thing to do is find out from your Human Resources department exactly how much time off you can get and how much of it will be paid. Even 50% of your paycheck is helpful. Also, some companies will allow you to use any your sick days and vacation time first.

Draw up a careful list of how much you have been spending every month (rent, bills, groceries, eating out, insurance, car payments, and all the miscellaneous items), and compare it with how much money is coming in. Calculate how many paychecks you’ll be missing when the baby arrives, and how much money you will need to have saved to pull you through that time period.

You can start saving money by cutting back on the things that are non-essential, such as eating out and weekly manicures. Put this money into your savings.  If you’ll be receiving any extra money for birthdays, tax refunds, or a bonus at work, Suite101 suggests putting that directly into your savings account as well.

Lastly, when calculating how much time you’ll be taking off to care for your  new baby, err on the side of caution.  You may find that you wish you had more time with your little one. It is always easier to return to work early, rather than trying to extend your maternity leave. You can also find out if there is an option to start back part-time, or even work from home for a few months. This way you can ease back into the working world while still maximizing your bonding time with your precious baby.

“My second pregnancy – so unexpected, so intensely emotional – was terrifying in ways I could never have imagined.” And when little Chip was born, a beautiful, healthy baby, the feeling of everyone involved was incredible relief.

How does Lisa feel about this experience? She has taken a lesson for life that she carries with her all the time. “Those nine months of unrelenting worry, to this day, remind me of the futility of anxiety,” she writes. The realization that she spent so much time and energy in futile worrying helps her stay calm when problems arise. She has become a better friend, kinder, and more empathetic. And she can put things into perspective.

Of course, worrying is normal. “Like it or not, a certain amount of anxiety signals your induction into the Mommy Club.” The worry doesn’t stop with the birth of a healthy baby, you just find different things to worry about. But the lesson Lisa wants to share is not to let anxiety debilitate you, to live in the moment, and be optimistic. Life throws you curves but also gives you the strength to handle them. As her pediatrician told her, “We all have something to deal with and so will he, even if it’s not autism. And that’s OK.”

Ask Moxie answers this question with good old common sense. She’s not a proffesional, just a mom like you who gives good advice. She says that if you are thinking about seeing a therapist, that probably means you could benefit by it. It doesn’t mean you have a problem, it just means you need someone objective to talk to and help sort yourself out. You don’t need to make a comitment, just one or two visits can make you feel so much better.  She took her own advice and saw a therapist a few times, which “was all it took to get me to a better place so I could get through the rest of the pregnancy… And deciding to see the therapist was a big step in deciding to take myself and my own feelings seriously for a change. That was a big thing for me.”

Read more personal experiences with depression under the comments section.

Seems there is a scientific basis for this interesting trend. A study published in the British Journal of Nutrition found that rats fed junk food during pregnancy and lactation gave birth to offspring that preferred these types of foods.

This could be why certain people crave sweets and junk food, even when offered healthier choices. In light of the growing obesity crises, this could shed light on how mom’s can protect their children… even before they are born!  If you try to cut back on high-fat, high-sugar foods during pregnancy and lactation, you may be giving your child a head-start in leading a healthy, nutritious lifestyle!

Source: Food&Drink Europe.com

• Smoking makes it harder to conceive. Smokers (both men and women) have lower fertility rates. Also, a child born to a mother who smoked is more likely to have trouble becoming pregnant in the future.
• Smoke carries toxins through the umbilical cord and to the fetus. Smoking also replaces the oxygen a baby should be receiving with cabon monoxide. This can damage the placental function, and cause fetal heartbeat to rise.
• Smoking while pregnant increases the risk of miscarriage and stillborn babies.
• Babies of smoking mothers are more likey to be born premature and with low birth weight.  They have smaller organs and poorer lung function.
• Babies of smoking mothers get sick and need to be hospitalized more often. Problems includes respitory illness, asthma, and pneumonia.
• They are also more likey to die of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome).
• These babies have up to 30% more chance of being born with limb defects, such as extra or missing fingers or toes. Risks of cleft lip and palette have also been linked to mothers who smoke.
• Smoking increases the risk of a baby born with cerebral palsey and interferes with brain development.

If you are pregnant and still smoking, it is not too late! Every unsmoked cigarette will add to your babies chances of being born healthy. “Much of the damage caused by smoking can be reversed because your body is a living organism that has the ability to heal itself,” according to NetDoctor. Even moderate cigarette smoking is harmful to your baby, so the most important thing you can do is stop immediately and seek help. Don’t be embarrassed to let your doctor know you are having trouble quitting. He may be able to help you or refer you to someone who can.

Your baby can also be harmed by people smoking around you, so it’s important for your partner to quit, or at least stay well away while smoking. You should continue to maintain a smoke-free environment during your child’s developing years.

You can get an idea of what expenses are involved at MSN Money and Essential Baby. They give some suggestions on how to cut costs too, such as borrowing baby furniture, strollers, and clothes, or buying second hand. Using cloth diapers, while it does involve a lot of work, is more economical and environmentally-friendly. And of course, aside from the health benefits of breastfeeding, it’s a free food supply for at least the first 6 months of your baby’s life!

The NY State Society of CPA’s has some suggestions on how to plan financially for baby. These include revising your budget, applying for a social security number, reviewing your insurance coverage, revising your W-4, naming a guardian in your will, opening a child care flexible spending account, and (of course) consulting with a CPA. They can advise you on tax benefits and how to modify your financial plan to accommodate the new family member.

As far as insurance goes, they advise to you have a life insurance policy which will provide for your family in the event of a parent’s untimely death, and disability insurance to replace your income should you become disabled. Of course you need to make sure that your child will be covered by your medical insurance policies. 

In this article called 10 financial changes to make for your new baby you can find some more helpful hints on how to plan and save at a time you may need it most (some of these are applicable only in the UK).  If you have debts or credit problems, ClearPoint Credit Counseling Solutions has advice on how to get it together in stages.