Reply to Planning for Pregnancy

Forum Index » Trying to Conceive (TTC)

Reply to "Planning for Pregnancy"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]No class is necessary. PPs have given you good advice. To add (this info is from [url=https://www.amazon.com/Impatient-Womans-Guide-Getting-Pregnant/dp/1451620705]The Impatient Woman's Guide to Getting Pregnant[/url]):

[u]Nine months - 1 year in advance[/u]
- Learn your workplace's maternity leave policy, and plan to get pregnant around it if necessary.
- Find out what coverage your health insurance provides for prenatal, childbirth/postpartum, and well-baby care). Make changes accordingly.
- Discontinue injectable birth control (e.g. Depo-Provera).
- Make lifestyle changes to achieve a healthy BMI (18.5 to 24.9 is normal). If you're overweight, start a diet and begin exercising to reach a healthy weight before conceiving. If you're underweight with short and/or irregular cycles, gain weight to help your cycles normalize (goal BMI 20).

[u]Six months in advance[/u]
- Discontinue oral contraceptives (if your natural cycles are irregular, or if you've been on the pill for 2+ years).
- Schedule an appointment for a preconception visit with your provider. Important things to do at this visit: get tested for infections, check your rubella immunity status, ask about how any existing health conditions or medication regimens would impact getting/staying pregnant. Make changes as necessary (get MMR booster, wean medications).
- Start charting to learn about your cycles. You can do this on paper or with an app like Clue or Fertility Friend. [url=https://www.amazon.com/Taking-Charge-Your-Fertility-Anniversary/dp/0062326031/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_0/144-2812652-5424027?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=W0XEKRHX0QJCQD1A7PWD]Taking Charge of Your Fertility[/url] (aka "The Bible" or TCOYF) is worth a read when building fertility awareness. CVS makes a reliable basal body thermometer if you want to start temping.
- If you smoke, start a program to quit.
- If you use recreational drugs, stop using them (e.g. marijuana derivatives stay in the body for several months).

[u]Three months in advance[/u]
- Discontinue oral contraceptives, if you haven't already.
- Start charting your cycles, if you haven't already.
- Start eating a healthier diet (you are what you ate 3 months ago, so it's not too early).
- Update your immunizations (especially DTaP, diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis).
- Talk your husband into making a semen analysis appointment.
- Remind your husband to protect his testicles from heat (avoid hot gadgets like laptops and tubs over 99 degrees).
- Encourage your husband to start a men's multivitamin to improve his overall health (and sperm quality, by proxy). Zinc and Vitamin C are most important.

[u]Two months in advance[/u]
- Start taking prenatal vitamins and supplements.
- Reduce or eliminate alcohol use (applies to your husband, too).
- Start reducing caffeine intake.
- Stop taking prescription drugs that aren't safe if your trying to conceive and substitute safer alternatives, if available.
- If you engage in regular, strenuous exercise (especially running), taper down your miles and hours.

[u]One month in advance[/u]
- Buy OPK sticks or a fertility monitor and test sticks.
- Buy several pregnancy tests. ([url=https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-pregnancy-test/]Wirecutter[/url] has solid recommendations. Additionally, there are cheap combo OPK/pregnancy tests kits [Wondfo, Pregmate, Easy@Home] on Amazon if you want to test frequently.)
- See your dentist for a cleaning as well as any other necessary dental work, as you will NOT want to do this during the first trimester.

[u]The cycle you start trying[/u]
- Eat as much healthy food as possible.
- Eliminate or reduce alcohol and caffeine.
- Consult your calendar to determine your most fertile days. The days of your cycle to focus on are 3 days preceding ovulation, ovulation day, and the day after ovulation. TCOYF can break this down for you, as well as tell you how to recognize these days.
- And yes, obviously have sex. Some recommend having sex every other day after your period ends to cover all the bases.

Good luck![/quote]

Out of curiosity, why is teeth cleaning mentioned? Are teeth more sensitive during pregnancy? -Lady TTC who hasn’t seen her dentist in a while[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics