You weren’t planning to be pregnant now. In fact, you aren’t even sure you were planning to be pregnant later. And now you find yourself staring at two blue lines on a pregnancy test and wondering how in the world you ended up with a mistimed pregnancy. A mistimed pregnancy can be a minor inconvenience or a major headache. Before you decide which it is, it’s important that you take the time to get more information. A free pregnancy test with a medical professional is a good place to start. A free ultrasound might be another smart move. After all, timing is the issue at hand and an ultrasound can help you accurately date your pregnancy.

Once you’ve confirmed that you are pregnant and you have an idea of how far along you are, the next thing you need to do is to separate fact from fiction. According to the CDC, a mistimed pregnancy can be associated with “an increased risk of problems for the mom and baby”. This is because the woman with a mistimed pregnancy may have unhealthy behaviors or she may delay getting health care which can negatively impact the pregnancy. So if you are facing a mistimed pregnancy, it might be a good time to assess your current lifestyle and determine whether you are currently engaging in unhealthy or risky behaviors. While you can’t undo the past, you can choose to make healthy choices going forward. The CDC provides a list of healthy behaviors they recommend for all women of reproductive age. It includes things such as taking folic acid, exercising, avoiding tobacco, and more. You can read more about their recommendations here.

In addition to the CDC recommendations regarding healthy behaviors, check out this blog post about nine things to avoid during pregnancy.

One thing that sometimes concerns women with mistimed pregnancies is the use of alcohol. It’s important to remember that unless you were actively trying to get pregnant, most women don’t know they are pregnant until a missed period. By that point, you would be several weeks pregnant. Rather than dwelling on your fear, according to the CDC, “the most important thing is that you have completely stopped alcohol use after learning of your pregnancy. It is never too late to stop alcohol use during pregnancy. Because brain growth takes place throughout pregnancy, stopping alcohol use will improve the baby’s health and well-being.” You can read more about alcohol and pregnancy here.

At the end of the day, whether a mistimed pregnancy is a minor inconvenience or a major headache depends on you and your unique situation. At Alcove Health Women’s Clinic, we provide a safe space for you to process your options and to receive the valuable medical information you need regarding your mistimed pregnancy. We offer pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, STI testing, and we provide those services at no cost to you. Give us a call or click here to request your free medical appointment today.