There are many women in the world who have trouble conceiving babies and starting their pregnancy journey. There are also those women who have no problem conceiving at all. There are some women who want to have kids but don’t want to go through the process of pregnancy and some who want to go through pregnancy but don’t want to have kids.
Regardless of what your mind is contemplating, if you have decided to have children, then you are most likely going through the preconception phase.
What Is Preconception?
After you have decided that you want to have kids and before you embark on your pregnancy journey, there is a stage in between called the pre-conception stage. It is the stage that comes after your pre-pregnancy phase where you are still pondering over the concept of having babies, and you have decided that you would like to hop on this roller-coaster ride.
This phase, just like all the other phases of pregnancy, is vital. It is a time when you try to conceive and decide how you would like to go about this journey.
Significance of the Preconception Phase
The preconception phase has high value because of the sole reason that this is the phase where you are deciding to conceive a child or have a child by any other means, your health at this stage is of utmost importance.
You will see many healthcare providers talk about preconception health and how women should take care of themselves during this phase and keep away from things that are to be avoided during pregnancy, such as smoking, etc.
There are many reasons why preconception health is talked about, and doctors often say that your health at the time of conception is directly proportional to how your pregnancy journey will be.
Poor preconception health could lead to multiple issues such as miscarriage, Spina Bifida, IUGR, and many other risks. If you are worried about your preconception health, the best would be to get an appointment with your healthcare provider, they will do a thorough check-up and might run a few tests which will be of immense help to you.
Different Ways of Having a Baby
We all know one way of having a baby, the most common one of all. But did you know that ‘THAT’ way is not the only way? You can have a baby in multiple ways, all thanks to science and the advent of technology.
1. Conception
The most common way of having a baby is through conception. Conception basically means getting pregnant, which means carrying your baby inside of you for nine months and then delivering your baby. There are different ways to conceive a child.
Natural Conception
Natural conception means to conceive a child after having sex. This is the most common and needless to say, natural way of getting pregnant. If you are looking to conceive naturally, you should know the dates on which you are ovulating as those are the best days to conceive.
However, this is not the only way to get pregnant. Many a time, women have difficulty getting pregnant naturally and so they opt for fertility treatments or conception treatments.
In Vitro Fertilization
This is a fertility treatment for women who have trouble conceiving naturally. During In vitro fertilization, eggs are taken from a woman’s ovaries and are fertilized artificially. Once fertilized, they are put back inside the woman’s uterus and that is how they start their pregnancy journey and enter their first trimester.
Intrauterine Insemination
Intrauterine insemination, or artificial insemination means injecting healthy sperm into a woman’s uterus while she is ovulating so that fertilization takes place and the woman can have a healthy pregnancy.
2. Surrogacy
Surrogacy is a legally binding agreement where a couple decides to have a child but does not want to get pregnant so they make an arrangement with a woman to get pregnant on their behalf, nurture the baby inside the womb, and deliver the baby. Once the baby is delivered, the parents take the baby home.
Usually in surrogacy, the sperm of the father is used to fertilize the eggs of the intended mother and injected into the surrogate mother. The surrogate mother is the woman who carried the baby inside for nine months but the birth mother is the mother who takes the baby home.
3. Adoption
Another great way to have a baby is to adopt a child. Adoption means to legally take a child and nurture them as your own. The child will legally be yours and will take your name on all documentation. Adoption is a great option for people who want to have kids but do not want to go through the process of pregnancy.
There are many ways to adopt a child and you will have to go through eligibility criteria and many other rules and regulations to adopt and foster a child. Child adoption has strict laws in most countries and you have to surpass great ordeals in order to adopt a child. All these strict laws are put forth for the safety and sanctity of the child’s life.
Adoption is wonderful but just make sure you are ready to own one’s child as your own and give them due rights, care, and affection if you do decide to step aboard this path.
My Preconception Journey
My preconception journey was nothing to write home about. When I conceived my firstborn, it was natural and I didn’t even know I had conceived till I missed my period.
My second born came after a wait of a year. I just couldn’t conceive naturally, and before going for fertility treatments (yes, you could have conception issues even if you have children) I had a chat with my ob-gyn who told me to just eat healthy, exercise, and stay happy. Once I did that, I conceived naturally.
Stress is an obstacle in the way of conception and should be avoided. Stress about not conceiving and not getting pregnant is also stress per se. One thing I learned through this is that you should be happy and have fun, the more you stress, the more you are putting yourself away from conceiving a baby.
If you think you need to look for fertility treatment options, that is completely fine too. Make sure you have a chat with your healthcare provider and they will guide you the best.
Conclusion
No matter which option you choose to have a child, you should know that motherhood will come to you naturally and instinctively. This is the best part about being a woman, once you have a child inside you or in your arms, you can’t contain the motherly feeling that is overwhelming.
Having a child is a beautiful, life-changing but stressful journey. It doesn’t get easy, and it is a testing job that you will be on 24/7 but despite that, it is definitely one of the most beautiful journeys that people go on. It is empowering, and fulfilling and shows you just how strong you are.
To all the lovely girls out there thinking of embarking on this journey, please remember to always put yourself first and prioritize your health and well-being before all. It is absolutely essential to have a healthy mama if we need healthy babies!
