4 Factors to Consider Before Starting a Family

 

Welcoming a child into the world will change your life in various ways. If you feel you are ready to become a parent, you might be eager to start a family as soon as possible.

However, there are various considerations to make in order for you to enjoy a smoother experience when planning and raising children. Read the following four factors and consider each one before deciding starting a family.

1.   Your Health

Many women often need to make changes to their health and lifestyle when planning a baby. It is recommended to adopt a nutritionally dense diet and to take a daily pre-natal vitamin that contains between 400 to 800 micrograms of folic acid.

If you are using birth control, you will need to stop it for three months before trying to conceive. A pre-natal check could also help you identify factors that might make it harder to conceive, so you can make the appropriate changes to your lifestyle. For example, you may need to gain weight, lose weight, stop smoking, or decrease your exposure to dangerous chemicals.

2.   Your Cycle

Monitoring your cycle could help you become pregnant at a faster rate. For example, if your cycle is an average of 28 days, you will ovulate on day 14, and you could be fertile on days 12, 13, and 14. However, if your cycle is every 35 days, ovulation will occur on day 21, so your most fertile days are days 19, 20, and 21. It might help to buy an ovulation test to identify your most fertile days and improve your likelihood of conception.

3.   Your Property

While your current home might be ideal for your needs at present, it could be too small to raise a family. A baby might be small in size, but he or she will more than make up for it in belongings.

If you are eager to start a family, you might need to consider moving to a property that’s bigger in size and within close proximity to good schools, stores, and green spaces. Simplify the process by looking for an experienced estate agency, such as Pointons, who can help you find the family home of your dreams.

4.   Your Finances

Babies can be expensive. You will not only need to buy a constant supply of diapers and clothing in their first two years of life, but your baby will need a bassinet, a crib, a stroller, toys, books, and much more.

For the above reasons, you must aim to take control of your finances when planning a family. To do so, you must identify how much money you will need to budget for a baby, as well as the general costs of childcare if needed. 

Also, it is a good time to consider your financial future. For instance, you should secure life insurance, write a will, and build a nest egg. It will provide peace of mind that your family will be protected.