Editor’s Note: Are you planning for a baby? Then it is time to get some order back into your life. Right from your diet to exercises. Our member shares some tips with us on how to get pregnant. Share yours with us too, here.
Are you planning to get pregnant? Have you discussed with your husband and both of you think that it is time to prepare yourself for parenthood. Well then you need to prepare your body for motherhood. Need help for getting pregnant? Following are the tips that will help maximize your chances for conceiving and delivering a healthy baby.
You need to do a thorough check up of your body which includes blood pressure, weight, chronic conditions such as diabetes, and many other factors which can affect your ability to carry and deliver a healthy baby.
Your diet should be balanced and full of nutrients. That means a balanced diet complete with protein, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and a minimum of sweets and fats.
Stop using all methods of birth control. If you are using contraceptive pills then stop them immediately in order to allow your body to conceive. Seems obvious, but some forms of birth control have more lasting effects than others. It is recommended that you continue taking the pills to the end of your current cycle before stopping the pills, and then start trying the next month. If you use condoms, a cervical cap, or a diaphragm, all you need to do is put them away.
Know when you ovulate because that’s the time when you are most fertile and you can conceive. When ovulation occurs, your body produces a slippery, thin substance called cervical mucus to help facilitate the passage of sperm. Hence you need to examine yourself daily for a vaginal discharge that’s transparent and stretchy between your fingers, like egg white, on your most fertile days. Know your cycle. If your cycle is 28 days long, that makes day 12-14 (counting from the first day of your last period) your most fertile day. But if you have a 30-day cycle, day 15-17 is the most fertile, and 32-dayers should go for it on day 18.
For sex use missionary position a lot. Because his semen needs to go directly into your uterus and so positions like–man on top, doggy style, side-by-side–is okay, but please avoid woman on top, standing, or leaning positions, which discourage the flow of semen to the uterus.
Take folic acid. Your body needs it to produce red blood cells, as well as norepinephrine and seratonin (chemical components of the nervous system). Folic acid is also one of the few nutrients known to prevent neural tube birth defects, such as spina bifida. These defects can occur in the foetus even before the mother knows she is pregnant.
Your man needs to take care too. It is advisable that he wears loose pants and underwear because according to studies sperm count drops–sometimes drastically–when the testicles are constricted or overheated. Tell your partner to avoid hot tubs, saunas, and hundred-mile runs (hot showers and moderate exercise are okay).
Quit smoking, drinking, and drugs.
