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Conception

When's the best time to get pregnant? Use our interactive ovulation calculator to work out when you're most fertile and most likely to conceive.

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Original poster

Preparing my Body

35 replies

Lauren2105 · 30/04/2006 18:25

Would be grateful for some advice please - I would like to know what I can do to prepare my body for pregnancy and helping to concieve. My husband and I are starting to try for our first baby in 3-6 months time. I have started taking folic acid and have been off of the contraceptive pill for over a year.

I want to know if there is anything else I can do at this stage to prepare my body and mind for this exciting time. Also is there anything my husband can do?

Thanks

OP posts:

Hattie05 · 30/04/2006 18:40

Any reason why you are waiting that long? . Some are lucky and fall pg straight away, but for others it can take several months or more (i've had one of each!).

Other than folic acid, theres not much else to do except keep healthy diets, and something i wish i'd done this time round but havn't, is get in shape physically. Once you're pg its too late to start any vigorous excercise regimes and prior to conceiving this time i'd been pretty lazy - now worried that i'll have a whole lot more to shift once the babies born!

And good luck!

SomethingAboutMary · 30/04/2006 18:41

Both stop drinking, smoking if you do this, eat well with variety, take some vitamins those sort of things.

Original poster

Lauren2105 · 30/04/2006 18:51

Waiting as dh is in process of setting up own pluming and heating business and want to know that we have a steady income.

I hope I am lucky and fall pg straight away!

It is so exciting just planning - but I do think that you can easily get carried away and this can cause you to stress out and perhaps find it harder to fall pg - will have to calm down!

OP posts:

Original poster

Lauren2105 · 30/04/2006 18:54

Also, just wondering as I am only 8 stone in weight and 5ft 7" in height - will being so skinny have an impact on whether I can concieve.

One further thing - triplets run in my family and twins in dh. Is it true that the skinnier you are, the more less likely it is to have multiple births?

OP posts:

Natty1806 · 30/04/2006 19:04

Don't take this the wrong way, but it does appear that you are about a stone under weight but if you are having regular periods i am sure you will be fine.

Original poster

Lauren2105 · 30/04/2006 19:15

Yeah my periods are regular - about every 38 days and normally last for 6-7 days.

Weight does worry me but I do eat well and have always been on the small side so I am hoping this is not going to affect me.

OP posts:

bobblehead · 30/04/2006 19:35

I would find some "project" (such as getting fit or learning something) to occupy you while ttc. Its so hard not to become fixated even after a month and it can take a while. Dd only took 2 months to conceive but believe me it felt forever as I was like you and knew we would start trying at a certain time so was on my mind a while. I started driving lessons which gave me another goal other than conception and kept my mind on other things (though obviously I still obsessed about getting pregnant too)

Natty1806 · 30/04/2006 21:46

Hi Lauren

Sounds like you are sorted then, good luck and all the best to you. x

Hattie05 · 30/04/2006 21:48

I dislike the whole term 'trying to conceive' (unless of course people have not been successful for some time and therefore need to make more of an effort in calculating dates and temperatures etc.

But both times i have conceived i just stop the contraception and as i always say, let nature do its thing! As you say, don't go thinking about it and counting days etc, a) you'll drive yourself mad and b) the stress won't help.

There is never a good time to have a baby, if i were you i'd drop the contraception now and go with the flow. My dp got made redundant (but without a redundancy package cos the company went bust) when i found out i was pregnant with dd - we still managed!

Nature will bring you your gift when it decides you're good and ready .

skerriesmum · 30/04/2006 21:50

Lauren,
If you haven't already done this you should have a chat with your gp, get a smear test, explain you're ttc. Also he/she will explain about maternity services where you live and about what you should do once you test positive, booking a consultant etc.
You might also ask about your cycle; 38 days is quite long, not necessarily a problem though, don't want to worry you!
Good luck!

AttilaTheMeerkat · 01/05/2006 08:13

Lauren,

I would also ask about your 38 day cycle. Although regularly 38 days it does seem slightly longer than it perhaps should be.

BeckiF · 01/05/2006 09:56

Good luck Lauren! TTC can be a long and emotional path, or if you are lucky it will just happen. I disagree with Hatties post, which was almost, and please don't take offence Hattie, smug. Nature often needs a helping hand, we aren't all as blessed to just stop contraception and fall pregnant.

As for your cycle length, if it is regular and has always been ths way then don't worry about it. Why are so many obsessed with the text book 28 day cycle? We are all different and so have different cycles. However, I do agree that you shouldn't be obsessed with TTC! So, do what you can and just relax as much as possible.

Hattie05 · 01/05/2006 22:40

I didn't mean to sound smug at all! As i said in my first post, i have experienced both - falling pg immediately, and second time round had complications and need to make more of an effort in ttc.

I wasn't blessed with falling pg immediately. But for a first timer trying, i'd definitely recommend chilling out and hoping that nature does do its thing, before you need to get on an emotional rollercoaster of counting dates etc.

Your last comment shows that we are in agreement there - about not getting obsessed with ttc, which is all i tried to get accross.

I have taken offence i'm afraid

decafgirl · 02/05/2006 12:48

Hi, DH and I also planned quite far ahead so that we could move house before we started 'proper'. The only thing I did that hasn't been mentioned already is get tested (at the gp) for immunity to rubella. Even if you were vaccinated at school it's best to check. If you're not immune you will need to be vaccinated and because it's a live vaccine you will then need to wait three months before ttc. Rubella in pregnancy can be very serious so I would advise getting it checked just be on the safe side. Ooh, just as an after thought, I've also gone decaf (as the name suggests!) Good luck! xxx

BeckiF · 02/05/2006 17:53

That's another thing I did, cut the caffeine out in tea and coffee and fizzy drinks!

Hattie05 · 02/05/2006 17:53

No apology then!

toadstool · 02/05/2006 18:50

An addition - If possible, get checked for slapped cheek ('fifth disease' or parvovirus) immunity - 50 percent of us are immune anyway. GPs don't do the screening routinely but I suspect it's responsible for my recent mc (it increases risk of mc before week 20 by 10-15 percent). If you don't already have children it's a good idea to avoid toddlers and play groups until week 20, and to ask any friends with small children to let you know if they go down with it becasue you will need to keep away. Hard to avoid if you do have nursery age kids, though.

peachygirl · 02/05/2006 19:12

How bizarre toad stool we have slapped cheek going round at the school where I work at the moment. I hadn't been to my doc for immunity teats as I has my rubella checked a few years ago when I had a hep B jab but maybe I should go.
Sorry to hear about your loss.

Moomin · 02/05/2006 19:18

[poking nose in emoticon]
hattie05 - think it's a bit cheeky expecting beckif to apologise! you didn't actually mention it had taken you some time to get pg 2nd time round and i agree it did sound a bit smug. but there again if you haven't spent years ttc (as i did and i know beckif has been) it can all seem very simple and straightforward. i was one of the lucky ones but i know many more people on the boards who are still trying and it can be a very sensitive time.

btw, good luck lauren2105 (and continued good luck to you too beckif)

BeckiF · 02/05/2006 19:19

None required Hattie, other than what I put in my original post. I expressed an opinion and if you don't like that then maybe you shouldn't be on an open forum. However, this is not about you or I, it is about Lauren. It's not the done thing to have private fall outs in this manner.

Hattie05 · 02/05/2006 21:29

I didn't really expect apology, but just felt you were a bit rude not acknowledging my post at all. And i don't get why people say "don't take offence" when they quite obviously are going to be offended.

I said "i've had one of each" in my original post, implying that i struggled second time, but not wanting to dampen Lauren's hopes. Because i truely believe that it is far healthier to start out being relaxed and not get obsessed as you said yourself.
Sorry that you interpretted as smug but that is all i meant by it.

Look at the numbers of people that go through ivf for many years unsuccessfully, then when they give up completely on ttc, they fall pg unaided - (i know three people myself and have read about many more).

Lauren, sorry to have hijacked your thread a bit, and i wish you all the luck.

Hattie05 · 02/05/2006 21:33

I know its a sensitive subject, but BeckiF has so kindly pointed out to me it is an open forum. And for you information i don't wish to have a 'private fall out', just thought a decent acknowledgement would have been nice.

BeckiF · 02/05/2006 22:16

Without exasperating matters Hattie this is Laurens thread. Take matters outside the forum if you are unhappy. And I will answer posts or add comments where I feel it is appropriate and not to pacify others.

Original poster

Lauren2105 · 03/05/2006 21:14

Sorry everyone for not replying sooner - been tied up with work commitments and decorating - this website is so addictive!

I have taken everyone's comments on board and I appreciate all the tips! I gave up tea and fizzy drinks yesterday morning, and will let you know when dh and I are activly trying - as I originally said should be around 3 months but you never know if I should be blessed sooner. I will post any news and also if I need any further advice as I am sure I will!

Hope everything is alright between the upset on this thread

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Original poster

Lauren2105 · 03/05/2006 21:16

Sorry one other thing, I wrote in a previous message about how triplets run in my family and twins in dh. Is it true that the skinnier you are, the more less likely it is to have multiple births - does anyone know the answer to this? I've also been told that if you are to skinny then the docs will look at aborting either one or two of the babies and that is something that I would find extremely difficult to come to terms with - can anyone tell me if this is true?

OP posts:

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