The day we decided that it’s time to start trying (one of my happiest days so far), we agreed to not make it another project to stress about and rather just enjoy the this time of our lives and let nature take care of the rest…
But who was I kidding!? 🙂 It took me about half an hour before I Googled “how to get pregnant quickly”, marked the best days in my Outlook calendar (hesitated whether to add them to my partner’s calendar too but stopped myself last minute) and started screening baby names.
Oh well.
I pride myself for having pretty decent project management skills – Well planned is half done right? So I thought to myself, if there’s simply no way to avoid “Project Baby” I might as well try to turn this approach to baby making into a positive and ensure I do what I can to make me feel (!) as I’ve tried my best to enhance our chances to conceive naturally and have a healthy child.
My to-do list:
- Figure out when I can actually get pregnant (read: when do I ovulate)
- Make sure my partner and I are in the same country/city/room on those days (and ditch contraception, obviously)
- Start taking supplementary folic acid and vitamin B12
- Check diet
- Limit physical and emotional stress
Not rocket science, but this got me started.
Now, to elaborate a little what the above meant for me…
- When can I get pregnant? This is pretty simple with a regular period (2 weeks from the first day of last period) at least in theory. I am happy to say that for the past four months my cycle has been as regular as it can be! For me this has been a victory as I have previously suffered from irregular or complete lack of period (amenorrhea) due to e.g. stress, excessive exercise, low(ish) body fat and low oestrogen levels – or all of the above. This always made me anxious, and even more so as I started to dream about a family of my own. So, some months ago I decided to stop all hormonal contraception to monitor my natural cycle while I put more effort into healthy diet (more energy but from the good stuff) and tried to remember to chill out a bit more – and eventually it worked!
- So the window to conceive is actually pretty short, just about five days a month. And of course I had my calendar full of business related trips just during “those days” (can’t really cancel on this excuse). But where there is will, there is a way! I am still touched by his effort to come visit me in Paris for two days during one of my trips!
- I’m sure there are many adequate (and excessive) supplements out there but the first one that caught my eye on the shelf was Pregnacare Conception. It has the exact recommended daily amount of folic acid (400 mcg) and vitamin B12, and in addition zinc, iron, magnesium and vitamin D. Folic acid plays an important role in the process of cell division, but also contributes to maternal tissue growth during pregnancy. Just one tablet a day!
- My diet overall is pretty healthy and my biggest pitfall is skipping meals when I’m tired, or replacing them with snacks of lower nutritional value. So extra effort into making my meals regular! During the week I have 1-2 cups of coffee per day. While I’ve read contradictory views about the effect of caffeine to fertility and baby, I’m trying to cut back to 1, just in case. I have also reduced raw fish for listeria risk, just in case I’d already be pregnant. By common sense, if I eat everything in moderation, I should not get too much of anything. I’ll look into dietary recommendations in more details when I’m pregnant.
- Starting with physical stress related to my training: Quick Googling will give you recommendations to exercise before, during and after pregnancy. But what about when your workout routine is already in place and is, well, pretty strenuous? I have yet to find a source I trust on this but for now I decided to trust on three guidelines
- Do what your body is used to doing
- Remember recovery not to put too much stress on the body
- Listen to your body.
What about emotional stress then? It’s the end of the year and work is hectic and there is no escaping the stress (applies both to myself and him). Simultaneously we are in the process of selling our flat and buying a house, which is a huge decision, and a tedious process with all the admin that comes with it. And then there’s the “Project Baby”… What I’ve learnt is that:
- Yoga. Always. Helps.
- And speaking to someone. That’s’ great too. Although I can only really speak to him as we haven’t shared our plans with anyone else yet (but he’s lovely)
- And writing, maybe a blog, if you are like me
You can only do your best. Maybe my “preparations” are a bit silly but at least I find comfort in trying my best. What’ll come will come.
xoxoxo,
Sini