So, you are wanting to become pregnant?Both mom and dad should be their healthiest. While mom will carry the baby to term, dad is obviously 50% of the equation for a healthy baby. Healthy life styles for both parents would include 8 hours of high quality sleep nightly, control stress-meditation is the gold standard here, nutrition-minimize added sugars and processed foods, movement-moderate exercise is great, and of course healthy social contacts.
Men should not carry their cell phones in their front pant pockets unless it is in airplane mode or turned off. Doing so can impact sperm count and quality.
Women and men should both get the best nutrition. It may be best to have this in place 3-6 months before conceptions to help insure that your gene expression is its healthiest. You can help facilitate this by eating darker leafy green, beans and lentils, onions and garlic and of course a rainbow of brightly colored fruits and vegetables, preferably organic to decrease pesticide residue. Minimize or eliminate processed foods with their unhealthy vegetable oils (soy, corn, canola, sunflower, safflower), artificial dyes, preservatives, and chemicals. Several varieties of added sugars can be added to any one processed food. If you would add all these sugars together and they could very well add up to be the main ingredient. If you eat meat, the best option is grass fed or pasture raised. If you eat fish, they should be wild caught and not farmed.
Avoid smoking and minimize alcohol consumption. Women, it may be best to avoid alcohol altogether. Alcohol is extremely detrimental to the fetus. The first three months, the first trimester, are critical during fetal development. It is during this time that the neural tube develops. This is the structure which forms the brain, spinal cord and other key structures of the nervous system. This first trimester is a critical time and may be well under way before mom is even aware she is pregnant.
If mom is on any medication, be sure to let your physician know you are improving your diet and wanting to become pregnant. First, you may improve your health so quickly through better nutrition that medication dosages may need to be adjusted or even stopped. Second, some medications can be harmful to a fetus. A discussion with your physician is important to evaluate the risk benefit ratio of continuing a medication during pregnancy. Do NOT stop any medication without speaking with your physician. Both mom and baby must be healthy.
In taking these early steps, you have given a precious gift that cannot be given any other time in your childs life. The child needs to grow in an optimal environment from conception. This can be the first step to a happy, healthy child with a bright future.
Donna K. Kelly, RPh, INHC
816-830-1645
