Being a mother is a job of responsibility and maturity. If a woman is ready to conceive she needs to get rid of all the bad habits which be unhealthy for herself during pregnancy. Such bad habits can increase the chances of infertility or can even lead to premature birth.
A healthy baby is the result of a healthy lifestyle. It is hard to give up bad habits, but for a healthy pregnancy; the mother needs to leave them. Drugs, alcohols are not good for the body and can cause complications during pregnancy. These factors also lead to infertility.
7 Habits to Kick Off Before Pregnancy
Smoking
Smoking is harmful to everyone, not only to the lungs, but can affect fertility in both males and females. In females, smoking increases the risk of :
- Problems with fallopian tubes, including the chances of ectopic pregnancy (implantation of fertilized egg other than it’s usual site)
- Increase the chances of cervical cancer
- Damage to the egg during their development in the ovaries
- Increased risk of miscarriage
While in males, smoking causes a reduction in semen quality and can even cause impotency by changing the hormone levels. These changes can cause infertility but, if fertilization occurs still then it may harm the baby. Both the partners should quit smoking during pregnancy as secondhand smoke or passive smoking can also harm the baby.
Smoking is addictive, and it is hard to quit. But one can do it with support. Speaking to the doctor and under the guidance, one can quit smoking.
Alcohol
Drinking alcohol in today’s era is considered cool. Therefore, many people are into this. But in case a female who is trying to get conceive should avoid excessive intake of alcohol as heavy drinking interferes in the process of conceiving or affects fertility. It even increases the risk of miscarriage and premature birth. The brain as well as the nervous system of the developing baby is affected, which can cause fetal alcohol syndrome. Pregnant mothers should minimize alcohol consumption. They should instead go for juices or smoothies.
Prescription Drugs
Certain prescription drugs that belong to C, D, and X category should be avoided during pregnancy. Category C drugs have shown harmful effects in animal studies while category D drugs are recognized to cause potential fetal risks. Drugs from category X can cause fetal malformations or abnormalities. Therefore, it is important to consult a doctor before taking prescription drugs once the female has conceived.
Caffeine
For the coffee lovers, it’s hard to cut off a coffee from their daily life but if the female is planning for pregnancy, then it is important. Researchers say even 2 cups of coffee daily can cause fertility issues due to caffeine. It can even lead to miscarriage. Caffeine causes poor sleep habits. During pregnancy, it is better to switch to tea to avoid such problems.
Junk food
Junk food is an all-time favourite for everyone, but during pregnancy, one should stay away from it. This is because junk food is extremely oily and can cause overweight in mothers as well as a baby, which is can cause complications during pregnancy as well as delivery. It can also increase the risk of high blood sugar levels and can cause gestational diabetes. Instead of junk food, the pregnant woman should consume a well-balanced, healthy diet with limited sugar intake.
Sugar
Consuming too much sugar through candies or ice-creams during pregnancy is not good as it can give the baby a sweet tooth. Also, the blood sugar levels are already high in a pregnant woman and with such consumption, there are high chances of gestational diabetes. Therefore, it is advised to fulfill the mother’s craving for sweets through fruits and dry fruits as they contain natural sugar which is not harmful to herself and her baby.
Stress
Stress should be kept away, that’s why even for working women, maternity leave is given. During pregnancy, the woman should not take any kind of stress as this would drastically affect the health of the pregnant woman and her baby. A high level of stress can even lead to problems in conceiving and cannot be treated with medications. During pregnancy to relax mentally as well as physically, pregnant women should go for regular yoga, listen to music, and seek for family support.
Conclusion
It is not easy to quit bad habits and many times one may feel frustrated and can give up even before they start. But even a single step towards health makes a difference. One should work hard and quit. This will make the mother and baby safe and healthy to survive in the world.
Resources:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7784851/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1490545/
