10 Tips For Planning A Family

If you are thinking that the time may be right to become a parent, these ten tips for planning a family will get you off to a good start. Some of these family planning tips are more fun than others, but that is also true of becoming a parent. Take the good with bad and get ready to roll with the punches. Here are ten tips for planning a family:

1. Discuss the harsh realities of parenthood. Becoming a parent isn't easy. In fact, some days it is a wonder mankind has survived at all. As soon as that pregnancy test comes back positive, life as you know it is forever changed. Sleeping late on the weekends and leisurely reading the newspaper over breakfast are now a thing of the past. You get to look forward to poopy diapers and spit up. You also get to look forward to snuggles and unconditional love.
2. Take a long, hard look at your lifestyle. When you decide the time is right to become a parent, it becomes time to look at your lifestyle. Is it necessary to work twelve hour days? Is a two hour commute truly worthwhile? Decide what is truly important and begin changing the rest.
3. Talk to a doctor. This is an especially a good idea if either of you have genetic disorders. Planning a family doesn't just mean conceiving and giving birth. It may also includes adoption, surrogates and egg donors.
4. Make changes to diet and exercise regimen. Being fit and healthy before a pregnancy maximizes the chance of a healthy pregnancy. By the time a missed period occurs, a woman is already two weeks pregnant. It is better to be in shape beforehand than to start a new regimen once pregnant. Men should get on board with their partner as a show of support.
5. Stop recreational drug use, drinking and smoking. All three have been shown to have a negative impact on fertility, thus decreasing your chances of conception.
6. Determine how many children you wish to have. It may seem trivial to think about the overall size of your family when you are planning on adding one new member to it, but there is a growing number of multiple births, especially if you have to start infertility treatments. You may be trying to have one child and end up pregnant with three or four.
7. Determine your fertile period. Women typically ovulate fourteen days from their last period, but this can vary wildly if her cycle is not regular. A woman can use the Fertility Awareness Method to help pinpoint her most fertile days or use an ovulation kit.
8. Stop using birth control. Pretty self explanatory.
9. Change your underwear habits. If tighty whiteys are a part of your daily routine, they could be lowering sperm count, thus hindering your chances of conceiving. Boxers hold the testicles further away from the body and lowers their temp. This lower temp makes for happier sperm.
10. Indulge in a healthy, active sex life. You know what they say-practice makes perfect! It may very well also make a baby. Relax and enjoy yourselves and let nature take its course. Typically, there is no cause for alarm unless you have been having well timed, birth control free sex for a year or more. After that time, you will want to talk to a fertility specialist.