Check the vaccination status before a planned pregnancy | Pregnancy preparation

Check the vaccination status before a planned pregnancy

Smokers who wish to have a child should start to reduce their cigarette consumption before the planned pregnancy. Since it is not easy to give up smoking, it should be started early. If your partner is also a smoker, he or she should also participate in the process of quitting smoking.

If only one partner tries to stop smoking, this procedure has little chance of success in the long term. However, it is very important to quit smoking in order not to endanger the health of the child. Women who smoke during pregnancy have a higher risk of losing the child during pregnancy.

Premature births and sudden infant death are also much more common among women smokers. Last but not least, nicotine consumption influences the development of children to such an extent that they are often born with a significantly lower birth weight. The mental development of the child may also be impaired.

Passive smoking is just as harmful to the mother as when she herself is an active smoker. It is therefore extremely important that the partner also stops smoking. Regarding alcohol consumption, it should be said that it is absolutely forbidden during pregnancy.

Alcohol has a toxic effect on all cells of the organism, but it is especially dangerous for the child’s brain, which is still developing. Women who consume alcohol during pregnancy often give birth to children with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). The children go through withdrawal symptoms after giving birth because they were constantly exposed to the mother’s alcohol level during pregnancy.

These children often have behavioural problems, are developmentally retarded and sometimes have reduced intelligence. In addition, there are specific physical abnormalities (narrow upper lip red, eyes set wide apart, low set ears, etc.). ), which already make it externally recognizable that a fetal alcohol syndrome is present.

Communication and Planning

In general, it can make a lot of things easier if you think about life with your planned offspring early on. Some things should be clarified in advance. It is especially important that both partners are sure that the right time has come for a new generation.

The desire to have children should never be one-sided. This has a high potential for conflict later on. If this basis is clearly there, there are other important factors that need to be clarified.

These include in particular the financial background. Also, how the care of the child can be ensured should be discussed in advance. Which partner stays at home?

Is there a relative nearby who can and wants to help out? Are there any accommodations in the vicinity (daycare centers or similar)? How does the couple envisage their everyday life with a child?

Of course, not too much planning should be done before pregnancy. This can increase the pressure in case of difficulties in getting pregnant. However, it is beneficial if the basics are clarified in advance, as this can save the couple a lot of stress during pregnancy.