What to expect when you're expecting Read Online Free PDF

possibility that you’ll have succeeded—and drinking during pregnancy isn’t recommended.
    Quit smoking. Did you know that smoking can not only interfere with fertility but also cause your eggs to age? That’s right—a 30-year-old smoker’s eggs act more like 40-year-old eggs, making conception more difficult and miscarriage more likely. Kicking the habit now is not only the best gift you can give your baby-to-be (before and after birth), but it can make it more likely that you’ll conceive that baby-to-be. For some practical tips to help you quit, check out pages 74 –75.
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    Conception Misconceptions

    You’ve heard plenty of old wives’—and new Internet—tales about how best to make a baby. Here are a few that are ready to be taken off the circuit:
    Myth: Having sex every day will decrease sperm count, making conception more elusive.
    Fact: Though this was once believed to be true, more recent research has shown that having sex every day around the time of ovulation is slightly more likely to end in pregnancy than having sex every other day. More, apparently, is more.
    Myth : Wearing boxer shorts will increase fertility.
    Fact: Scientists have yet to rule definitively on the boxers versus briefs debate, but most experts seem to think that the underwear a man favors has little effect on the baby race. Though there is something to be said for keeping the testicles cool and giving them a little breathing room (see page 13 ).
    Myth: Missionary position intercourse is the best way for sperm to reach their target.
    Fact: The cervical mucus that turns thin and stretchy around the time of ovulation is the perfect medium for sperm, helping those boys swim up the vaginal tract, through the cervix, past the uterus, and up the fallopian tubes to the awaiting egg. Unless sperm have a motility problem, they’ll reach their target no matter what position you’re in while you’re doing it. It doesn’t hurt, however, to lie down for a while after intercourse so the sperm don’t run out of the vagina before they even get a running start.
    Myth: Lubricant will help the sperm hitch a ride to Egg Central.
    Fact: Actually, the opposite is true. Lubricants can change the pH balance in the vagina, creating an inhospitable environment for the sperm. So lay off the Astroglide until after your conception mission is accomplished.
    Myth: Daytime sex helps you conceive faster.
    Fact: Sperm levels do seem to be higher in the morning, but no clinical evidence supports that making hay while the sun shines will increase your chances of conception. (But don’t let that stop you if you’d like to grab a quickie before you grab your lunch-break sandwich!)
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    Just say no to illegal drugs. Marijuana, cocaine, crack, heroin, and other illicit drugs can be dangerous to your pregnancy. To varying degrees they can prevent your conceiving, and then, if you do succeed, they may be potentially harmful to the fetus and also may increase the risks of miscarriage, prematurity, and stillbirths. If you use drugs, casually or regularly, stop all useimmediately. If you can’t stop, seek help before trying to conceive.
    Avoid unnecessary exposure to radiation. If X-rays are necessary for medical reasons, be sure your reproductive organs are protected (unless they are being targeted. and the lowest radiation doses possible are used. Once you start trying to conceive, inform any technicians taking X-rays that you could be pregnant, and ask them to take all necessary precautions.
    Avoid environmental hazards. Some chemicals—though far from all and usually only in very large doses—are potentially harmful to your eggs before conception and, later, to a developing embryo or fetus. Though the risk in most cases is slight or even just hypothetical, play it safe by avoiding potentially hazardous exposure on the job. Take special care in certain fields (medicine and dentistry, art, photography, transportation, farming and landscaping, construction,