Increasing Your Chances of Parenthood
If you and your partner have been thinking about having children and want to know what to do (or not to do) to increase your chances, there are several things that you can do to ensure that the two of you will be parents sooner rather than later. So, if you think you’re ready to start getting the baby’s room ready, and can’t wait to hear the pitter patter of little feet around the house, here are some suggestions to increase your chances of bringing home a bundle of joy.
Take on some new habits-and lose a few old ones.
If you want to have a baby, it’s best to make sure that you start making certain choices concerning your diet and lifestyle that will be ideal for raising a family-and a healthy baby. For instance, if you and your spouse are used to going out every weekend, or a couple of times during the week, pay special attention to the activities that you usually engage in. more than likely, they aren’t kid-friendly, and if you don’t have close friends and family nearby, you may have to decrease the time you spend with friends-unless you invite everyone to your house every once in a while. It’s essential to get in the habit of making time for a child, even before you know that you and your partner are expecting, so that sacrifice won’t be so hard on you once the baby is actually here. This, of course, doesn’t mean you can never step outside of the house again, but the time you spend with the baby will be a priority, and if you practice taking that time before you’re pregnant, you’ll be much more prepared for parenthood.
You’ll also want to make sure that you gradually cut down on things like smoking and drinking if you’re seriously thinking about having a baby. It has been proven that women who smoke are less fertile (your eggs can age up to 15 years), and women who smoke during pregnancy are more likely to deliver babies with birth defects. Smoking is a tough habit to kick for most people, so once you and your spouse decide to have a child, it’s time to reduce the amount of cigarettes per day until you’ve stopped completely-and that goes for you and your partner.
Eating a healthy diet full of fruits, vegetables, and protein is also a great way to increase your chances of conception. In addition to a diet that is full of raw foods, fish, and lean meats, you may also want to start taking prenatal vitamins to make sure that you have enough vitamins and minerals stored up when you do actually conceive. And, if you drink coffee or other drinks with high caffeine content, start reducing your intake.
Relax-and enjoy the process.
One of the most effective things you and your partner can do to make sure that you conceive is to relax and ‘let nature take its course.’ It may sound too simple to be true, but if you’re stressed or uptight about trying to conceive, you probably won’t even be relaxed enough to enjoy the process. If you become stressed out about trying to conceive, and have to schedule times for ‘trying’, then the process becomes too much like work, and it’s actually hard for sperm and egg to meet under these circumstances.
Another way to relax is to make sure that you’re exercising more. Try to work out with your partner so that the two of you can establish another form of connection, and create yet another bond-this will make it much easier to feel intimate toward one another, which will inevitably lead to a baby. This will also help you to get your weight under control-and since pregnancy adds a considerable amount of weight, you’ll be glad you’re in shape when you finally do conceive.
Learn from experience-other people’s experiences.
Even though you may feel a little out of place with your friends and family if “everyone” has a baby or is pregnant and you and your partner are still ‘trying’, that’s still no reason to rush conception. Baby-sit as much as you can, so that you can get used to having a baby around. Of course, this won’t be exactly the same as having your own child, but it’s definitely good practice when it comes to changing diapers and learning about naptime. You should also talk to other couples with children to get an idea of the different challenges and joys that come with being a parent, so that you’ll have an idea of what to expect, and what to avoid when your time comes. With a clean bill of health and the advice of loved ones, you’ll be more prepared than you think for the birth of your new baby.
