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SPONSORED CONTENT: Having a baby is one of the most joyous, hectic and stressful times in anyone’s life

Having a baby is one of the most joyous, hectic and stressful times in anyone’s life. There are so many ebbs and flows to the entire journey. From the initial announcement to the gender reveal to the frustration of building the crib, the entire nine months is a wonderful journey that culminates with the cutest little baby of all time.

For many couples, the journey started earlier than those nine months. There were plenty of steps and measures that occurred before the process officially began.

If you’re looking to start a family, have a look at the following steps you should follow.

Ask the Big Questions

The first question, obviously, is ‘do you want to have children’. If both of you answered yes then congratulations! You’ve already taken a big step.

But after that, there are plenty of other questions that need to be discussed. Are we financially ready? Do we have any other big life plans before the baby comes? What does parenting look like to us? Where will we live?

You can probably think of hundreds of other questions to ask, but it’s important you both sit down and talk about these, both before, during and after the pregnancy.

Visit Your Doctor

Before you start trying, take a trip to the doctor. Your doctor will want to take various blood and urine tests to make sure there is no risk for the woman getting pregnant. They’ll also likely ask you about your family history and any significant diseases.

Doctors can answer the millions of questions you are likely to have and will likely recommend downloading an ovulation phone application. That way, you both can track when the best days for sexual activity are.

Know the Risks

For women over 35, pregnancies are considered high-risk so be aware of your own personal situation. Your doctor will be able to tell you all of the possible risks during the early stages and it’s better to know about them ahead of time.

This doesn’t mean you should shy away from trying to have a baby, but be aware of the situation going in.

Change Your Diet and Exercise Plan

When you’re trying for a baby, it’s important to eat lots of fruits and vegetables. Start drinking tons of water, stop drinking alcohol and give up smoking if you’re a smoker.

Being as healthy as possible is going to give you a greater chance at conception. This is important for both people in the relationship as well, plus it’s always great to have someone in your foxhole as you snack more on nuts and berries instead of chips.

If you’re already in an exercise routine, consider toning it down a bit. High-intensity workouts can be scaled down and you should be able to modify your activity to stay in shape but not going quite as hard.

If not, now is not the time to start doing crossfit or training for that half-marathon. An hour of physical activity each day is a great starting point.

Vitamins

In addition to your diet and exercise, you’re going to want to start taking prenatal vitamins. These prenatal vitamins are going to contain folic acid, which helps reduce the chance of birth defects.

You should start taking these vitamins as soon as possible to make sure you’re doing the best for you and your baby. Many of these issues can arise before the mother even realizes she’s pregnant, so it’s best to be as far ahead as possible.

Be Patient

Even though movies make it seem like getting pregnant happens at the snap of your fingers, it’s not always like that. The fact is it takes the average couple almost 80 times before successful conception.

So, don’t stress out if you and your partner don’t find out you’re expecting immediately. It may take some time, especially if one or both of you have been having issues with diet, weight or addictions. Be sure to follow the advice of your doctor, track your ovulation cycle and keep eating and exercising.

When it comes to telling others, you may not want to tell people initially as that may add more stress onto the moment or situation. It’s more exciting to tell everyone you’re expecting when you have that positive pregnancy test.


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