Planning Pregnancy

The technological ability to control your fertility gives you choices not available when your parents were born. The loosening of social restrictions in the areas of marriage and parenting also affords single men and women the opportunity to become parents. Regardless of whether you are married or single, the preparation to become a parent involves similar considerations and decisions. If you are in the process of deciding whether to have children, you need to take the time to evaluate your emotions, finances, and health.
Emotional Health

The first and foremost evaluation you should make in pregnancy planning is why you want to have a child: To fulfill an inner need to carry on the family? Out of loneliness? Can you care for this new human being in a loving and nurturing manner? Are you ready to make all the sacrifices necessary to bear and raise a child? You can prepare yourself for this change in your life in several ways. Reading about parenthood, taking classes, talking to parents of children of all ages, and joining a support group are all helpful forms of preparation. If you choose to adopt, you will find many support groups available to you as well.
Maternal Health

Before becoming pregnant, a woman should have a thorough medical examination. Preconception care should include assessment of possible pregnancy complications. Medical problems such as diabetes and high blood pressure should be discussed as should any genetic disorders that run in either family.
Paternal Health

It is common wisdom that mothers-to-be should steer clear of toxic chemicals that can cause birth defects. Even women who are trying to conceive are cautioned to avoid toxic environments and to eat a nourishing diet, to stop smoking and drinking alcohol, and to avoid most medications.

Now similar precautions are being urged for fathers-to­be. New research suggests that a man’s exposure to chemicals influences not only his ability to father a child but also the future health of his child. Fathers-to-be have been overlooked in the past for several reasons. Researchers assumed that the genetic damage leading to birth defects and other health problems always occurred while a child was in the mother’s womb. After all, they reasoned, that’s where embryonic and fetal development take place. Conventional medical wisdom also held that defective-looking sperm(those with misshapen heads, crooked tails, or retarded swimming ability) were incapable of fertilizing an egg.

Scientists have recently discovered that how sperm look has little to do with how they act. Misshapen sperm can penetrate an egg, and they do not necessarily carry defective genetic goods. Moreover, sperm that look healthy and swim well can be the true genetic culprits. DNA fluorescent markers have identified normal-looking, yet genetically flawed, sperm that carry too many or too few chromosomes. Fathers contribute the extra chromosome 21 in about 6 percent of children with Down syndrome, which causes mental retardation; the extra X chromosome in 50 percent of boys with Klinefelter’s syndrome, which causes abnormal sexual development; and the shortened chromosome 15 in about 85 percent of children with Prader-Willi syndrome, a disorder characterized by retardation and obesity.

Although some birth defects are caused by the random errors of nature, it now appears that some disorders can be traced to sperm damaged by chemicals. Sperm are naturally vulnerable to toxic assault and genetic damage. Many drugs and ingested chemicals can readily invade the testes from the bloodstream; others ambush sperm after they leave the testes and pass through the epididymides, where they mature and are stored. By one route or another, half of 100 chemicals studied so far (including by-products of cigarette smoke) apparently harm sperm.

Some researchers believe that Vitamin C is nature’s way of protecting sex cells from damage. Bad diets, exposure to toxic chemicals, cigarette smoking, and not enough foods rich in Vitamin C are probably the biggest culprits in sperm damage.
Financial Evolution

You also need to evaluate your finances. First check your medical insurance: Does it provide pregnancy benefits? If not, you can expect to pay between $1,500 and $5,000 for medical care during pregnancy and birth-and substantially more if complications arise. Both partners should find out about their employer’s policies concerning parental leave including length of leave available and conditions for returning to work.

Raising a child exacts a tremendous strain on most family’s finances. Expenses during the first year of life averaged $5,774 in 1990. The expense of raising a child from birth to 21 years of age is presently estimated to be over $250,000­ not including the cost of a college education!

The cost and availability of quality child care should also be considered. Prospective parents should realistically assess how much family assistance they can expect with a new baby as well as the availability of nonfamily child care. While you may be aware of the federal tax credit available for child care, you may not be aware of how little assistance it provides: between a maximum of $480 for one child in a family having income of over $28,000 to a maximum of $720 for one child in a family having income of under $10,000. A second child doubles the credit; but no further assistance is provided for a third child or more children. How much does full-time child care cost? It averages between $5,000 and $10,000 a year, depending on your location(urban areas tend to cost more).
Contingency Planning

A final consideration is how to provide for the child should something happen to you and your partner. If both of you were to die while the child is young, do you have relatives or close friends who would raise the child? If you have more than one child, would they have to be split up or could they be kept together? Unpleasant though it may be to think about, this sort of contingency planning is highly important. Children who lose their parents are usually heartbroken and confused. A prearranged plan of action may help smooth their transition into new families.

RU-486 A steroid hormone that induces abortion by blocking the action of progesterone. Testing in the United States began in late 1994.

Preconception care Medical care received prior to becoming pregnant that helps a woman assess and address potential maternal health.
What do You Think?

Do you think most parents plan when they will have their children? At what point in your life do you think you will be ready to take on the responsibilities of becoming a parent? What are your biggest concerns about parenthood?