Entering the world of parenthood is a huge commitment. You would have to be responsible for someone other than yourself. It would take a lot of effort, commitment, and patience to raise a baby. Some people would take a long time to decide whether they are ready for a new responsibility while some people would want to have one as soon as they can.
Regardless of which one you are of the two, here are a few signs that you are ready to have a baby:
- You can take care of yourself well including your partner
- You are ready for change
- You are genuinely fond of children
- You are willing and capable of making a lot of sacrifices
- You have a supportive family and friends
- You are able to provide the needs of a child
- You can be selfless and put someone else before your own needs
- You are okay with not sleeping that much for a while
- You are not afraid of a lot of mess and body wastes
- You are physically fit to have and raise a baby
With these in mind, just a reminder that there is no perfect time to have a baby. You do not need to have some sort of checklist to determine if you are ready for the responsibility.
If you feel it in your gut that you and your partner are truly prepared, then the next step would be is to conceive.
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Trying to conceive
Some people has the misconception that the more you do the deed with your partner will ensure you of getting pregnant. However, that is not really the case.
It is true that having frequent sex can give you higher chances but it is also good to consider the best times to have sex. Medical professionals would recommend that you have sex within a day of ovulation.
Tracking when you have your ovulation may be pretty confusing, so it is best if you make use of mobile applications to track it.
It may take a while before you find out whether you are pregnant or not. It usually takes at least a week for an accurate result.
Some people wait until they miss their period before they check if they are pregnant while some are anxious to find out right away. The best and easiest way to find out if you are pregnant or not is with the use of a home pregnancy test.
A home pregnancy test is a tool that tests your urine for a certain type of hormone which is hCG. HCG or Human Chorionic Gonadotropin is a hormone that is only present in pregnant women.
False Pregnancy Test Result
Pregnancy tests are often marketed as 99% accurate. So what about the 1% then? There’s quite a number of reasons as to why some pregnancy tests can produce a false result. Here are some of them:
It is too early
There are times when some women would take test the right after the day of the conception. When you take a test too early, your body may not have produced enough hCG for a pregnancy test to detect it.
It is recommended to take a pregnancy test a few days after your missed period or at least a week or two after conception. By this time, the hCG level in your body will be high enough for the pregnancy test to detect it.
Human error
Pregnancy tests are fairly simple to use. All the instructions will be available in the label. However, there are people who would not read the directions properly or would miss a step.
Drinking too much water
When you drink too much water, there is a possibility that it can interfere with the hCG levels in your urine and affect the result of the test.
Timing
Timing is everything. Once you collect your urine, it is important that you test it right away. Leaving it then testing it later will affect its quality.
It is also advisable to take a test the moment you wake up in the morning as this is when your hCG level is at its highest.
Ectopic pregnancy
Ectopic pregnancy is a condition wherein the egg gets fertilized outside of the uterus. If you feel like you are experiencing this, the best thing to do is to seek medical help as soon as you can.
Medicine and medical conditions
Consuming certain medications can interfere with the accuracy of a test. There are medicines out there for fertility that contains a level of hCG which can make an inaccurate result.
Also, medical conditions like problems with the liver and tumor on reproductive organs can produce a false result.
With keeping these reasons in mind and you still feel like the result of your test is incorrect, then you may want to take multiple pregnancy tests instead.
Take around 2 or more tests so you can be more confident about the test. Another great way for an accurate result is to consult your doctor.
Conclusion
Finally deciding whether you are ready to have a baby is a huge deal. It takes a lot of sacrifices, hard work and patience to raise a baby so it is important that you are fully committed all throughout the process.
There is no perfect time to have one, but there are things that you should consider and traits that you should have to determine if you are ready for a new responsibility. When trying to conceive, the next thing you would probably do is to take a pregnancy test.
Pregnancy tests are marketed as being 99% accurate so there is still a small 1% that the result is wrong. There are a number of reasons that can contribute to a false pregnancy which includes human error, timing, taking it too early, taking certain medicines, ectopic pregnancy, drinking too much water, and medical conditions.
If you suspect that the result of your test is incorrect then you can either take a few more or consult a doctor for a more accurate result.
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