A successful pregnancy, labour and the birth of healthy babies are the responsibilities of both parents to the same degree. A baby's health depends to a large extent on the health of her parents at the time of conception, and the baby’s well-being can be put in danger not only by long-standing medical conditions or inherited genetic defects, but also by her parents ' lifestyle prior to conception. A lot of couples do not plan for pregnancy with the same care as other significant life events, yet it is one of the most important things you can do.
Starting a family is a time of re-evaluation because becoming a parent will fundamentally change your life.
Many things that we take for granted - who we are and what we do - will affect or be affected by a baby. Most people's lives are very busy and many new parents think that their new baby will somehow fit in. They don't. Babies and children need a lot of time and attention,
and parents will always have less time than they did before.
In financial terms the average experience is that you will spend 15-25 pen cent of your income, in spite of of how much you earn or the size of your family, on child-related expenses such as clothes and equipment. But there are also hidden costs such as heating, transport, and what you may give up - meals out, holidays, and, perhaps, some of your ambitions.
It is not only your relationship with your partner that alters when you have a baby. Your relationship with your parents will change, and you may find that you grow away from your childless friends and seek new friendships with other parents who are going through the same experiences as you.
One of the most damaging factors to the health of your unborn baby and the major cause of avoidable health problems is smoking. The connected risks include miscarriage and stillbirth, harm to the placenta, a low birth weight baby that fails to prosper, and an increased chance of foetal abnormalities. Smoking is also one of the factors that can cause a low sperm count, and a man who continues to smoke while his partner is pregnant can risk damaging the health of his unborn baby via passive smoking.
Smoking also can have long term effects - children of heavy smokers tested at five, seven, and eleven years have been found to suffer from impaired growth and learning difficulties.
Alcohol is another substance to avoid when pregnant; it is a poison that may damage the sperm and ovum before conception, as well as the budding embryo. The chief risks to the unborn baby are mental retardation, retarded growth, and harm to the brain and nervous system. Alcohol can also cause stillbirth.
Research suggests that the effect of alcohol is variable: some heavy drinkers seem to get away with it while some women who drunkenly a small amount doesn’t. The only sureness is that there will be no effect if alcohol is avoided. Women tend to have a lower tolerance than men, and have a higher proportion of fat to water, so alcohol can become very highly concentrated in the blood that nourishes your developing baby.
Over-the-counter medicines should only be taken when necessary, and social drugs should definitely be cut out before you conceive. Marijuana interferes with the normal production of male sperm, and the effects take three to nine months to wear off. Harder drugs such as cocaine, heroin, and morphine can damage the chromosomes in the sperm and ovum, leading to abnormalities.
Diet and exercise are both vital to your health and the health of your baby. You ought to have a balanced diet that is low in fat content, particularly animal fat, with high intakes of raw fruit and vegetables. Good eating habits must be coupled with moderate forms of exercise.
During pregnancy, all the ligaments and cartilages slacken up so that the pelvis can expand more easily. This can put some strain on your muscles endpoints, and so the fitter you are, the better you will cope.
In terms of age many women are delaying pregnancy until their 30s, and even 40s, and this is no more hazardous than being in your 20s as long as you are fit and healthy. Whatever your age, you are likely to have a standard pregnancy and birth, although some problems such as infertility and chromosomal defects, for example Down's syndrome, become more frequent with the growing age of both parents. Tests for chromosomal abnormalities are always offered to older women.
Lastly be aware of what’s around you, both in and out of the home, and avoid anything that is potentially dangerous. What we eat where we work, the places we travel to, and sometimes even the people we come into contact with may be risky for a pregnant woman.
