Babies are born all the time, with a total of 132,503,469 brought into the world this year so far. Having your first child or welcoming a new addition to the family is a big change, so it’s ideal to start planning before pregnancy.
To make sure your newborn is set up for healthy development, preconception care is essential. Chicago residents looking to give their babies the best care before and after birth can count on Drs. Michele Hakimian, Kate Nash, Matthew King, and the medical team at Progressive Care For Women, S.C.
Before you book your appointment, let’s dive into what preconception means and how we can monitor your health and guide you through the pregnancy process.
Preconception covers a range of things you can do to prepare for pregnancy and childbirth. These include examining risk factors and getting your body ready for carrying your child to delivery.
Estimates show that as many as half of 200 million pregnancies aren’t planned. This can increase the risk of problems due to health issues that exist before pregnancy. Improving lifestyle choices, identifying genetic disorders, and monitoring your overall health all play a vital role in ensuring a healthy pregnancy. Preconception care lowers risk factors and potentially improves the quality of life for you and your child.
To keep you and your baby healthy during pregnancy, various aspects of your current health need to be examined. We do this in a few different ways:
To get a full picture of your health before getting pregnant, we gather as much information as possible about your personal and family medical history, any chronic conditions, and medications you’re taking for them. We also need information about what birth control you’re taking and your menstrual cycle.
Basic testing, such as blood pressure, blood and urine tests, and general examinations, will be necessary, but we may also need to perform reproductive exams to screen for possible illnesses and detect abnormalities. If there’s a history of depression or other mental health issues, we’ll need to manage those issues as well.
The other aspect of preconception care includes counseling. This will educate you on what to expect during pregnancy and help you determine which choices to make throughout the process. Understanding the changes that will occur is essential, and it should happen at least three months before you get pregnant.
In addition to optimizing overall health for you and the baby, this part of the process also covers the best time to conceive, the ideal pregnancy timeline, and when it’s safe to try again if you want to have more children.
If you feel it’s time to start a family or grow the one you have, make an appointment with Drs. Hakimian, Nash, King, and the Progressive Care for Women, S.C. team today to have a safe and healthy pregnancy.
