Preparing for Pregnancy - Tesco

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When you’re ready for pregnancy Talking it through It’s a good idea, particularly when you’re first starting a family, to swap notes before you make a final decision about whether and when you try for a baby. One good way to do this is to list the reasons you each have for wanting a child. List the tasks you know will be part of child rearing and who will do them. List the additional money and time you’ll need to spend on a child. List the changes that will happen to your lives after the birth - particularly, who will give up paid work. Then compare notes. Where you find differences, talk these through until you understand each other and agree as far as possible. It’ll also help to read some parenting books and talk to other parents to find out what parenting’s really like. Then make your decision with confidence that you both have the same attitude to creating a baby. Reasons to wait Sometimes having a baby may seem the solution to problems in some people’s lives. But if you have any of the following issues, the stress of parenthood will only make them worse: • only one of you wants a child • your relationship’s under strain • you have financial problems • you’re unhappy with yourself or your life Hold back until you’ve got things sorted between you. 14 FAMILYPLANNING Who can help? When you decide to start trying for a baby,Tesco Pharmacists can support by advising you on nutrition, diet and vitamins, how to stop smoking, how and why you could use ovulation tests and pregnancy tests. Trying for a baby Awoman releases just one egg each cycle - a process known as ovulation. This is the 'fertile time', so if you want to maximise your chances of conception, you need to make love on the day before and the day of ovulation. However, sperm can live up to 7 days, so making love within a few days prior to ovulation can also result in pregnancy. An ovulation test will help you trackyour own unique cycle so that you can detect your most fertile time. Start well in advance You probably won't know you are pregnant until at least a few weeks after conception has occurred. But those first few weeks of pregnancy are the ones where your baby’s most vulnerable. So you both need to start looking after yourselves well before trying to conceive. 15 FAMILYPLANNING See the doctor Before actually trying for a baby, it's good for you both to go to see your GP to have a sort of 'MOT'. That way you can check your physical wellbeing and get advice on a lifestyle that will help you plan a happy, healthy pregnancy. You are then reassured that you are both physically and mentally ready to start trying for a baby. Pregnancy testing When a woman becomes pregnant her hormone levels change - she produces a hormone called human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) that can be detected in urine. If you think you might be pregnant you can buy a pregnancy test from Tesco - if used correctly it's just as accurate and reliable as going to the GP or Family Planning Clinic.
Preparing for Pregnancy Whether you’re trying for a baby or trying to avoid having one, your local Tesco Pharmacist can give you advice that’s free, immediate, and confidential; and can also advise you on the best supplements to maximise your health and to help with the birth of a healthy baby. 16 FAMILYPLANNING Ahealthy diet and lifestyle and a relaxed approach to conceiving may help you more than you first think. Being stressed about the matter won’t help at all, so do try to eat well, take gentle exercise and get plenty of rest and sleep. Being in the best of health contributes to your chances of conceiving and will help you to have a healthy pregnancy. A new baby can be physically and emotionally exhausting, so both partners should take good care of themselves when planning to conceive, throughout pregnancy and after the birth of the baby. Men can try boosting their intake of zinc, iron, selenium and foods rich in vitamin E, such as lean red meat, poultry, fish, wholegrain cereals and green vegetables. These foods benefit women too, as do foods rich in vitamin B6 such as wholemeal bread, bananas and peas. Avoid skipping meals even if you just have a light, healthy snack. Folic Acid is very important – ask your Tesco Pharmacist for advice. For more tips for would-be mums and dads, see page 19. Advertisement Promotion Testing for Pregnancy and Ovulation You can find out easily if you are pregnant by using a home pregnancy test. When you are pregnant your body produces a hormone called human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) that can be detected in your urine. When performed correctly most pregnancy tests are over 99% accurate when used from the day your period is due. Some pregnancy tests have unique features which help ensure that you get a reliable result. Contrary to popular belief women’s menstrual cycles are not always 28 days, this is simply an average. Knowing your usual cycle length means that you’ll know when your period is due. Count the day your period starts (first day of full menstrual flow) as Day 1, and continue counting through to the day before your next period starts. The number of days is your cycle length for that cycle. If you make a note each time your period starts, you’ll understand your cycles much better. If you are trying to get pregnant, having an understanding of your own unique cycle becomes even more important. You are only fertile for a few days each cycle and are most fertile on only 2 of those days – close to the time that you ovulate (when your body releases an egg). When these days occur during the cycle varies between women and from one cycle to another. Clearblue Ovulation Test can find your two days by detecting the increase (surge) of Luteinising Hormone (LH) in your urine. The LH surge occurs approximately 24-36 hours prior to ovulation. You are at your most fertile on the day of your LH surge and the day after; these are the best 2 days to conceive your baby. The tests are easy to use – like a pregnancy test - and are 99% accurate. Clearblue Digital Pregnancy Test displays a ‘Pregnant’ or ‘Not Pregnant’ result in words so it’s very easy to read. www.Clearblue.info
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