(And why does it matter, anyway?)
Pregnancy, as you probably know, is nine months long (or thirty-eight weeks from conception, if you’re really serious about keeping count). And if you’ve ever been pregnant before, you probably think that’s plenty long enough. Maybe even a little too long, especially once your belly’s the size of a prize-winning watermelon and your breasts have worked their way through the cup alphabet … twice.
But is nine months really long enough? Does that time-honored baby-making timetable really stand up to the latest obstetrical science?
According to more and more research—and more and more experts—the answer is, maybe not. From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to a growing body of health professionals—including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the March of Dimes, American College of Nurse Midwives, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Academy of Family Physicians—that traditional nine-month figure is being challenged by a surprising new suggestion: It’s time to add more months to pregnancy.
That’s right, more months. At least three more months, in fact, for a full year (or even more) of baby making. But before you panic (three extra months of not seeing my feet? Of passing on the sushi? Of waiting to hold that bundle of joy?), here’s what you need to know: Those extra months aren’t meant to be spent being pregnant, they’re meant to be spent getting ready to be pregnant.
The truth is, a healthy pregnancy begins before sperm and egg meet up. Before the home pregnancy test announces the good news. Before the queasies kick in and your waistline checks out. Even before you ditch your diaphragm or peel off your patch. A healthy pregnancy begins before you’re expecting—which is why, if you’re planning to get pregnant, you might want to start planning (and prepping) ahead.
And here’s how. What to Expect Before You’re Expecting—a complete, start-to-cuddly-finish preconception plan—is everything you need to know, and everything medical experts recommend you do, to get your body and your partner’s body into the best baby-making shape possible before you start baby making. What baby-friendly foods to order up often, and which fertility-busting foods—and drinks—to keep off the menu. (Hint: Get your sushi while you can, but can the tuna.) How to get your weight where it needs to be for maximum fertility and optimum pregnancy health (packing on too many pounds—or too few—can compromise conception and complicate pregnancy). Which medications need to be shelved (including some surprises, like antihistamines), when to toss your birth control, why your partner should put hot tubs (and spinning classes) on ice, why kicking your smoking habit now can give fertility a boost (while protecting your future baby’s health). How healthier moms and healthier dads can create healthier pregnancies and healthier babies.
Once you’ve prepped for pregnancy, it’s baby-making time. Sounds like the easy (and fun) part—and sometimes it is. But a little conception know-how can help you fast-track your fertility and make those baby dreams come true sooner. You’ll find out how to pinpoint ovulation, when to schedule in sex, how sex toys and lubes fit in, why wet isn’t wild when it comes to baby-making sex, how to keep on-demand sex spicy—plus the lowdown on sex positions and conception. Have you heard a few conception tales already, or read them on the Internet? Fertility fiction and fact are sorted out here, too.
What if you encounter a bump on the way to baby? Fertility challenges—and how to overcome them—are covered, as well as the latest in fertility treatments, from the low tech (nutritional therapies) to the high tech (IVF and more). You’ll also find out when to let nature take its course, and when to seek help.
Whether you’ve begun your conception campaign already, or you’re just starting to think about getting pregnant, it’s never too late—or too early—to start optimizing your preconception profile, giving the baby of your dreams the healthiest possible start in life. So put time on your side, and add a few months to your baby-making calendar. More pregnancy, it turns out, is more.
May all your greatest expectations come true!