Pregnancy Preparation
This is our newest section of online information and is still under construction, please check back regularly as information will be regularly added...
‘providing expert advice and current health information on pregnancy preparation…good preconception care is one step in the pathway to the health and wellbeing of a woman and her pregnancy’
Why pregnancy preparation?
Every couple hopes to have a health baby.
There are some couples, however, whose baby may have a problem. Problems in a baby can be either physical or
intellectual, and range from mild to very serious.
What causes the problems?
There are many factors that can contribute to these problems. These include
- The baby being born before full term i.e before 37 weeks
- The baby is born with a low birth weight
- Substances or infections that the parents, particularly the mother, are exposed to before and/or during the pregnancy
- The mother’s physical health
- The mother’s emotional health
- The parent’s genetic make-up
- Changes to the genetic information in the baby that occurs for unknown reasons at or shortly after its conception
What can be done?
One way to help achieve the best possible outcome for a pregnancy is to be as informed as possible before becoming pregnant. Such information may come from various sources including a family doctor, family planning clinics, obstetricians, midwives and written resources.
This website provides relevant information for a woman and her partner.
In some instances, there may be positive action a woman, or a couple, may take as a direct result of having access to this information. About half of all pregnancies are unplanned, however, and therefore it is not always possible to be prepared prior to a pregnancy. Again, in most cases, the outcome will be positive.
Maintaining good maternal health is important for the wellbeing of any future pregnancy.
The pregnancy preparation pages consist of peer reviewed resources providing up-to-date information relating to lifestyle, and emotional and physical wellbeing of a woman and her partner, and how these may affect the outcome of a pregnancy.
- Thinking about your health before a pregnancy - a perspective
- Checklist for Professionals
- There are important considerations in prepregnancy care that may
include:
[back to top]