Before you conceive, understand the transformation from adulthood to parenthood

Dr Ashwini Anil Kumar Sirapanasetty *

Physically healthy body & mental well being decides the healthy pregnancy and quick recovery from postpartum phase as well.

Pregnancy is a complex process where every nine months the mother's body system goes through a lot of changes to adapt and provide a healthy environment internally to the growing foetus. At the same time, it’s challenging to maintain emotional stability. Pregnancy process is anyway controlled by hormones throughout the nine months, mainly progesterone due to hormonal control every mother goes through every shade of emotions.

So, now the question is does conceiving or normal delivery or healthy baby are only prime objects? Or besides this one suppose to consider physical and mental well being post delivery and postpartum as well?

How does your preconception well-being decide all your future recovery?

During a mother's nine months of pregnancy, the uterus, which is initially a pelvic organ in the first trimester, becomes an abdominal organ due to growing foetus inside the uterus. This expansion of the uterus from pelvic organ to abdominal organ leads to intense stretching of uterine muscles and abdominal muscles as well.

Recovery of all these intensely stretched muscles or torn muscles during the course of delivery depends upon strength and build of your own body during the preconception phase. It’s almost impossible for that matter to gain and achieve a previous or original elasticity of muscles if one does not focus or take preconception time periods as prime assets.

Right preconception planning makes the transformation of your life easy from an individual adulthood to parenthood.

1. Have a pre-pregnancy parenting talk

Expert and real parents agree: If you’re partnered, it’s important to chat with your future co-parent about some of the biggest parenting issues—like how you’ll share child care duties, how you plan to raise your children, working versus staying home, and religious traditions—before you start trying to conceive.

But before you freak out over differing opinions on circumcision, public or private schools, or other things that are way down the road, remember that you can and may change your mind about a lot of these issues as you go along. The important thing is for couples to start talking about their priorities, expectations, and fears throughout the entire process, especially before you get pregnant

2. Start saving & plan finances

Emotionally when a couple get pregnant, they are going through the zone of adulthood to parenthood which is definitely overwhelming however it’s a lifetime responsibility as well because becoming a parent makes you a lifetime investor for your child (at least till they Graduate). Soon, you’ll start saving money away for college, diapers, and all that baby stuff.

“But even pregnancy itself can be more costly than you’d anticipate. Having financial planning and assets provide security to your child and also to you as a parent besides it gives an assurance of successful and stress-free survival.

o Inquire about prenatal coverage on your insurance.
o Research the cost of prenatal services in your area.
o Look into workplace family medical leave.
o Find financial aid and check eligibility.
o Research childcare services.

3. Figure out your living situation

If you’re happy where you live, don’t feel like you have to move now that you’re family-planning; you don’t need a big, multi-bedroom house in suburbia to raise a baby. Remember that many infants sleep in their parents’ bedroom for the first few months, and a baby won’t be any happier just because they have their own nursery and playroom.

You’ll have plenty of time to make the big move later on if you end up needing or wanting more space in the future.On the other hand if you need to move for more space, a better location, or any other reason?

If so, our advice is to do it soon. Getting settled—ideally, somewhere you want to be for at least a couple of years—and feeling good about your home may help you feel more prepared for pregnancy. You certainly won’t want to deal with packing, movers, renovations, lawyers, landlords, or closings once you’re pregnant if you can help it.

4. Check your stress

Remember your physical and mental fitness are two wheels of your life cycle.

Research shows that having high stress levels can delay your ability to get pregnant (by making ovulation wacky, or by interfering with an embryo’s ability to implant in the uterus). Take an emotional gut check now, make sure you feel calm and prepared for this next phase of your life, and figure out what helps you relax best.

Maybe it’s sipping tea and reading your favourite books, going out for a three-mile run, or just unloading on your best friend. Whatever it is, if it works for you now, it will help you when you’re pregnant or a new mom. Remember healthy psychology develops healthy emotions and good emotional control leads to healthy & safe pregnancy.

5. Stock up on sleep cycle

Most of us anticipate sleepless nights once the baby arrives, but it can also be tough to get a decent night’s rest during pregnancy when things like heartburn, getting up to pee, and adjusting to side-snoozing can keep some expectant people tossing and turning.Getting enough sleep may even help you get pregnant faster; people who get too little shut-eye tend to have more problems ovulating regularly than those who don’t.

Accountability! From adulthood to responsible parenthood

Expanding family makes life better anyways however due to lack of knowledge for better choices most of the couples’ land into this phase of adulthood to parenthood with unplanned & unprepared mind. Many people still believe that conceiving or having a baby is what makes one’s life complete but it’s indeed more than that.

Making a responsible better choice not only provides security to little one but more than that it provides physical & mental security to your own self after becoming a parent in long run hence it’s extremely important to know where you are standing now as an individual adult Couple and how you want to successfully transform in parenthood considering your life too as a priority.