Parenthood is one of the most challenging yet fulfilling roles anyone can undertake. Preparing yourself allows you to enjoy the process and evolve with the changes that a baby will bring.
Emotional Preparation
Talk to your partner about your expectations and practical issues such as financial and childcare arrangements. Sorting through some of these issues will definitely reduce risks of conflicts and unhappiness with unfulfilled expectations on either side.
Being a parent will always be a work-in-progress experience. Keeping an open mind and accepting that there will be unforeseen circumstances will help to smoothen out the process, while remembering that no partner would wish to harm his or her own child is key to the parenthood journey.
Physical Preparation
For couples trying to conceive, the odds of a woman getting pregnant are 15-25% in a given month. The older a woman is, the lower the odds in general; the same holds true for men.
The best time to conceive would be around the time of ovulation. This is calculated by observing one’s cycle length for the preceding three cycles – the date of ovulation is 14 days before the onset of the next menses.
If one has a regular 28-day cycle, then ovulation occurs on Day 14 of the cycle. Day 1 is always the date menses begins.
However, our bodies do not always run like clockwork, so increase your chances of conceiving by having sex at least two or three times around the time of ovulation. For a 28-day cycle, one should try on days 12, 14 and 16.
Being underweight or overweight can consuming excessive alcohol or caffeine can affect women. Men should avoid using laptops on their laps and/or using saunas as excessive radiation or heat will damage the quality of the sperm. It is also best to quite or minimize smoking as much as possible as smoking will negatively affect the quality of both eggs and sperms.
Being a parent means being responsible for another life besides your own. Make positive lifestyle choices – eat healthily, hydrate well, exercise regularly, and get enough rest and good-quality sleep.
