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Planning a baby is a much more complex process than many of us give it credit for. But at the end of the day, there are few bigger life decisions that any of us will make. Bringing a baby into this world means accepting a whole person’s worth of responsibility. It’s important that you are 100% certain that this is the right decision for you and that it is a life path that you want to go down. Hopefully, some suggestions below will help you with this journey.
Important Discussions
If you are having a child with a partner, it is absolutely essential that you have some serious conversations before going ahead and commencing the pregnancy. You need to make sure that you are on the same page regarding important issues that concern your child’s upbringing and what you want for them. There are some major incompatibilities that could cause difficulty or friction between parents and that could negatively impact a child. It’s important to be mature and discuss these before having a child together. You need to find ways that you can compromise, or this may not be the best route for you to go down. Some major talking points should revolve around real life matters and scenarios. What kind of upbringing do you want your child to have? How should you support God’s children? How will you financially provide for them? Will they have a religious upbringing? Do you agree on vaccination? Do you agree on what will happen if you and your partner were to split? Where will you live? What kind of schooling will they have? What will you do if your baby is disabled or experiences some sort of birth injury that requires compensation? There are countless subjects to discuss and it’s important to make sure that you and your partner are on the same page for the important ones.
Stopping Birth Control
Of course, if you are on birth control and you plan to have a child, you’re going to have to come off it. The best process for this will depend on you as an individual, what kind of birth control you are using and what your doctor recommends. For exemple, if you use the contraceptive coil or implant, you will need to have an appointment for your doctor or another qualified healthcare professional to remove it. If you have had the contraceptive injection, you may need to wait for it to wear off. If you are on the pill, you may simply need to stop taking it. If you are on the pill for other reasons, as well as or besides contraception, such as acne control, you may need to speak to your doctor about how to control other issues without the contraceptive. Discuss this with your doctor or family planning clinic to help yourself along the way.
Monitoring Your Cycle
You’re much more likely to get pregnant if you are sexually active during your ovulation. This means it’s a good idea to start tracking your cycle. There are apps that can assist with this, as well as special kits that can indicate whether you are ovulating or not. Make sure to try during periods of ovulation wherever possible. This will maximise your chances of getting pregnant.
Quit Smoking And Drinking
Smoking and drinking can impact fertility for both genders. It’s important that you and your partner quit smoking and reduce or quit drinking if you want to maximise your chances of getting pregnant. This can be difficult, but there are plenty of sources of support out there.
Get Financially Ready
Babies are expensive. There’s no two ways about it. Caring for and raising an entire person is going to cost a lot of money. So, you need to make sure that you are as financially stable as possible if you’re planning on having a baby. Push forwards in your career. Maximise savings. This will help to contribute towards initial costs and outgoings, which are plentiful. Just think about how much you will need to spend on prams, cots, changing tables, bottles, sanitisers, nappies, formula, baby food, toys, blankets, bedding, clothes and so much more throughout the course of your baby’s early stages of development. You should do what you can to be as best prepared on this front as possible.
Consider Prenatal Supplements
It’s important to eat a healthy and balanced diet at all times, but it’s particularly important if you’re planning a baby in the near future. As well as a good diet, you may want to consider taking some prenatal supplements. These are specially designed to help fill occasional gaps in your diet. They can help to ensure that you are healthier, which can help to maximise your chances of realising a healthy and successful pregnancy. Browse different options available to you and read verified and professional reviews. You should be able to find some that work for you!
Consider A Move
Does your current home tick the boxes for being a good family home? You may find that you need to find somewhere more child friendly. Whether that’s somewhere that’s bigger, in a safer area or closer to good schools for when your little one is ready to head off to education.
Names
Thinking of appropriate baby names is a really fun part of the process. It’s recommended that you and your partner draw up a list of names that you like and work together to eliminate options and whittle down your choices to find something that both of you love. It could be a family name, a sentimental name or simply a name that you both like and can see yourself calling your little one.
There are so many steps that go into planning a baby that it would be nigh on impossible to discuss them all here. However, some of the suggestions above should help you to get the journey started out in the right direction. Give them some though and consideration and see how you get on!