Are you hoping to become pregnant within the next few months? If so, you might be feeling excited at the thought of growing a baby and adding a new person to your family.

With such a life-changing event on the horizon, though, you could also have some worries. Perhaps you have questions about nutrition, exercise, your medical history, or concerns about fertility.

 At Magnolia Birth House, we want to listen to your concerns, intentionally nurturing you even before your parenthood journey begins. That’s why we offer a free preconception checkup to all prospective clients.

 It’s important to understand that this preconception counseling visit is not a well-woman exam where we might order lab work. Rather, the preconception counseling appointment is largely a discussion to ensure you are physically and emotionally prepared for pregnancy. It also gives you the opportunity to meet one of our midwives and tour the birth center.

Here are 5 valuable questions to ask during your preconception checkup, along with our insight on why these questions matter.

1. How can I physically prepare my body for pregnancy?

When you’re trying to conceive, it’s a great idea to start treating your body how you will when you’re pregnant. That means you should stop smoking and drinking alcohol. When it comes to nutrition, eat a whole-food diet full of healthy items like fruits, vegetables, protein, whole grains, and calcium-rich dairy. Fish has healthy fats, but stay away from types high in mercury. And be sure to drink lots of water.

If you’re getting enough nutrients directly from food, supplements most likely are not necessary. However, a prenatal vitamin with 400 micrograms of folic acid a day has been proven to help prevent birth defects, so start taking one when you’re trying to conceive.

If you exercise regularly, continue doing so when you’re trying to conceive and throughout pregnancy. If you don’t get frequent exercise, consider starting with something low impact, like walking or yoga. It will help prepare your body for pregnancy and relieve stress.

2. How do I know if I have any risk factors?

One of the purposes of the Magnolia Birth House preconception counseling appointment is to help you understand what it means to be low risk and establish if you meet that criteria.

We will talk through your health history, asking about things like chronic conditions or medical problems. It’s helpful if you have a good knowledge of your health history, including your mental health. This includes previous pregnancies and birth experiences, especially if there was birth trauma.

Another important topic to discuss during the preconception visit is your family history. We like to know if there’s a history of cancer, heart disease, or diabetes, as well as a history of multiples, like twins or triplets, in your family. During your visit will be review the risk assessment documents designed for licensed midwives and birthing centers in Florida and ensure that you are low risk based on those screening tools.

3. How do I know if and when I’m fertile?

If you have recently stopped using a hormonal form of birth control, your body may need a few weeks or months to reset. During your preconception checkup, we will talk about fertility awareness and whether your cycles are regular or irregular.

We want you to know when you’re ovulating and understand how tracking your cycles can help you recognize the signs of ovulation. If you’re planning to get pregnant, you need to have sex on the right days.

If you’ve been trying to conceive for a while and need some extra support, we are happy to discuss alternative therapies that can support fertility. We can also refer you to an obstetrician or a nurse practitioner for a well visit if you haven’t had one in a while. Finally, sometimes a geneticist who offers genetic counseling can be helpful in assisting with fertility challenges.

4. How do I know if out-of-hospital birth is right for me?

We love to hear about your hopes for your pregnancy and birth. Are you considering delivering at the birth center, or do you have an interest in home birth?

Two of the benefits of a Magnolia Birth House preconception counseling visit are the chance to meet one of our licensed midwives and the opportunity to tour the birth center. These two things will go a long way in helping you determine if out-of-hospital birth is the right choice for you.

We believe in the birth center model, and it’s important for prospective clients to have access to midwifery care at Magnolia. When you come to your preconception checkup, you should be thinking about whether Magnolia feels like a good fit for you.

5. What if I’m not sure I’m ready to conceive?

Approaching pregnancy can be complicated, and we want to support you in your decisions. You might have some things in your life that you are waiting to fall into place. Or perhaps you have health concerns that you are working through. It’s OK if you’re unsure or if you’d like to take some time before deciding that you want to get pregnant.

If you have health concerns you want to discuss or family history that brings questions to your mind, we can work through those together. We can talk about possible timelines and help you understand how conception dates affect due dates.

Next steps

Ultimately, the preconception checkup is a time for information gathering — for you to get acquainted with Magnolia and for us to learn about you. The more you know, the more prepared you’ll be for conception and out-of-hospital birth.

You never know how long it will take to get pregnant, but it’s helpful to schedule your preconception checkup 3-12 months before you plan on conceiving. Are you ready to schedule your preconception counseling visit? Fill out the form!