Lifestyle checklist before planning for a baby

If you are planning to extend your family, then it has to be considered as a big step on your part. Okay, it is admitted that you are quite excited to welcome a baby and that the idea has raised your motivational level to a considerable extent! But have you tried to make an evaluation on your present status?

Are you ready to extend your family at this point of time? Will your resources support the family extension? Are you sharing a strong bond with your partner? Are you really prepared for what you are going to experience in the next 9 months?

Here is a checklist which will enable you to evaluate your present status and to find out whether you are really ready to welcome a baby in your family:

1. Are you on the proper diet?

This is the most important change that a mother-to-be needs to make by removing all the junk foods from the house and including all the nutritious foods in her meals. A balanced diet in all the three meals of the day is essential to support the pregnancy.

A woman who is trying to conceive should include at least five portions of fruit or vegetables in her daily meals. Three of the most important nutrients for a healthy pregnancy are calcium, iron and folic acid. Drink plenty of water and milk. Take citrus fruits and juices, dark green leafy vegetables, nuts, whole grains and fortified breads and cereals.

 is one of the most trusted source of information about good health and wellness. To those who want to manage their health themselves, LifeMojo provides necessary information, tips, tracking tools and support to help them stay informed and motivated.

2. Do you have the habit of smoking/ drinking?

Several studies have shown that alcohol, smoking and drug abuse are not good in pregnancies and that these habits are all connected to miscarriages, low birth weight, still births and premature births. Babies of women who drink more than two units of alcohol a day throughout their pregnancy are more likely to have more problems with learning speech, attention span, language and hyperactivity than the babies of women who do not drink.

3. Have you taken care to eliminate the possible hazards in your surroundings?

You may be involved in a job that requires you travel quite frequently. If you have to stand for the entire day or to fly a lot, or if you are exposed to chemicals or radiation on a regular basis then you may need to reconsider your pregnancy.

Talk to your doctor about it and see if you both can come up with any possible option or a solution to this. You can probably ask your superior to let you work from home or to allow you to reduce the frequency of your travels.

4. Are you sticking to your exercise plan?

Having your own exercise regime will provide you with great stamina, strength and flexibility to carry the baby throughout the nine months. You'll need all these three things to lift and carry your baby, run after your small child and to cope up with the day-to-day stresses of motherhood.

In addition, it will also help you maintain your shape during the post delivery period. If you work on strengthening your back muscles, it will easily heal your back pain which is very common in pregnancy. Aerobic exercise can improve your mood and energy levels apart from allowing you to achieve a healthy pre-pregnancy weight.

Great exercises to help you get into shape during pregnancy include running and jogging, walking, swimming, bicycling and aerobics.

5. Have you evaluated your financial position?

Studies have shown that having babies is expensive and that a family's cost goes on increasing till children turn 18. Start saving on minor things because you will not want to miss out anything that you have planned for your baby!

For example, you will wish to buy the best of clothes, a good cradle and other furniture, safe and non edgy toys and good diapers! You will also want to invest on decorating your baby's room. You will obviously not want to settle with anything cheaper!

6. Are you having a strong bond with your partner?

Last but not the least, you need to know how strong the bond is, between you and your partner? With the arrival of a new baby, a lot of things may change in your relationship.

A new mother and her partner may get very little time to spend with each other because of the growing demands of the baby, more stress and more duties to be performed. This might be frustrating at times!

Try and focus on your communication with each other and increase the level of understanding between you before you have a third member in your family. Look for mutual support and care from each other so that both of you can take part proudly in a healthy and successful pregnancy.

Conceiving and carrying a baby to term is just the beginning of a long journey. It's all about lifetime bonding, responsibility and care-giving. Healthy balanced diet, support and love from the partner and some healthy lifestyle changes will definitely help you to define yourselves as a family!