When trying to conceive....

PanteraGirl

So last month...we decided to start trying to conceive our first. I am seriously struggling as to what I can and can't do anymore.

Some friends say no more riding the ATV, some friends have been all the time while trying to conceive and kept riding while pregnant (not crazy riding anyway) (easy riding)

Some people say...depending on where you are in a month you could have a beer or two....some say no......

Others started restricting themselves from coffee and pop and other things the second they started trying....but other say they continued everything they were doing before....just in moderation....and altered their life styles when they found out they were pregnant.

I just don't know...and I want to continue my lifestyle....and have fun trying to conceive....but I think I'm stressing myself out with all these thoughts......

What did you do while trying to conceive??? Restrict yourself...or just moderate????

I would like to hear from others please. Oh yah....and some say that dieting and exercising isn't good either.

Thank you!

SkateboardFi

i'd like to know the answer to these questions as well

Heather75

I thought all you had to do was have lots of sex. Clearly, I didn't realise it was so complicated.

brown_eyed_girl_06

*bump*

RdySetGO11

When we tried to conceive our first, I didn't restrict anything. Just kinda let nature take wheel. I still ate healthy and I didn't drink alcohol or anything.

tritta01

I would stay ask the doctor.. however dont restrict your body from the things you normally do just because your trying to conceive I dont see how that would change anything... but this is a very good topic and im interested to see what others say too. and most of all relax stressing over it will make it worse. Good luck!

Jenscan

Wow, I'm sorry people got you so confused. Some folks tend to really overdo things. TTC does NOT equal pregnant! You can still do EVERYTHING you normally do! The only change I made was to take prenatal vitamins and no booze the second half of my cycle.

I can see starting to alter your lifestyle while TTC if something needs to be gradually cut out, like say starting to cut down on caffeine... but there's a point at where it becomes overkill.

kiltbunny

I'm no expert, but I've heard that it's appropriate to continue your daily activities, otherwise your body recognizes the changes and may not be as receptive to conceiving. Of course, I'd steer clear of anything in excess - don't go on a drinking binge. The calmer and happier you are, the easier it will be to conceive. Contact your OBGYN and I'm sure they can give you a fairly good run-down. It's always good to have a "pre-conception" discussion with your doctor regardless to make sure your body is in prime baby-making condition. Good luck and HAVE FUN!!

apenabaz

My opinion is that you should continue your lifestyle until you find out you are pregnant. But, I would start taking pre-natal vitamins at least 3 months before trying to conceive. I asked my doctor when I was pregnant with my first, and she said not to worry until you know you are pregnant. Then, you modify your lifestyle. You can still exercise while pregnant, just nothing too intense.

MrsCon40

Back in olden times people just had sex. They pretty much had to go on about their normal business of working (often strenuously), riding horses, scrubbing the floors and beating their laundry against rocks.

And once they got knocked up they still had to go about their business of not having our modern, coddled, worry-wart lives.

Unless you have a SPECIFIC medical reason to not do something - carry on with your life. And copulate. A lot.

ETA: I was a professional horseback rider until I was in my 7th month of pregnancy - with the blessings of my doctor.

DietingMommy08

When you are trying to concieve then you should just live your lifestyle all the same. BUT as soon as you are prego thats when everything changes... not drastically... just slows down. The 1st 3mos are the most vital for your child... No alcohol, of course.... Caffiene is linked to miscarriages... exercise can still be done... just not as heavely... and riding your atv... the bumps will only make you run to the potty more often.

I hope this helps a lil...

Good luck!!

zml_mom

first off coffee (for the male anyway) actually helps in the TTC area because coffee helps their "guys" swim harder and faster- I found this out when I was pregnant with my first.
you can drink beer if you want on occ. just stop if you find out your pregnant it WILL NOT keep you from getting pregnant

you can still rider ATV's if you want, i just wouldn't suggest further into a pregnancy

do everything your currently doing

the biggest thing that will keep you from getting pregnant is stressing over all the little things like this

DietingMommy08

http://www.howtogetpregnantwithpcos.com/pregnancy-tips/trying-to-conceive/

DietingMommy08

first off coffee (for the male anyway) actually helps in the TTC area because coffee helps their "guys" swim harder and faster- I found this out when I was pregnant with my first.
you can drink beer if you want on occ. just stop if you find out your pregnant it WILL NOT keep you from getting pregnant

you can still rider ATV's if you want, i just wouldn't suggest further into a pregnancy

do everything your currently doing

the biggest thing that will keep you from getting pregnant is stressing over all the little things like this

I was talking about caffiene while you are prego.

Coffee and Miscarriage
Recent studies have focused on the effects of coffee intake during pregnancy. A large-scale Danish study polled more than 80,000 pregnant women regarding their coffee intake. This study found that women who drank large amounts of coffee during pregnancy were more likely to experience a miscarriage. Women who drank more than 2 cups of coffee a day had a slightly increased risk of miscarriage, while those that drank 8 or more cups experienced a 59% increase. This is why it is so important to watch your caffeine intake during pregnancy.

CraftyGirl4

Honestly, one of the biggest problems with couples trying to concieve is stress. So, stop overthinking it! Have fun trying to have a baby! :-) When your mind and body are stressed out, you're telling it "This is a stressful environment" and your body will think twice, so to speak, about holding on to a fertilized egg because it's a dicey situation.

There is no reason to stop drinking caffeine containing foods or alcohol prior to the pregnancy or engaging in rougher activities. Alcohol is not recommended during the pregnancy, however, because there are some women who drink to excess during pregnancy and have perfectly normal babies and there are some women who have one glass of wine and have a baby with severe problems. We simply don't know enough to recommend drinking during pregnancy.

As far as activities or other foods when you're trying to concieve, eat plenty of iron and folic acid. Iron is essential for normal blood formation and folic acid is essential for preventing neural tube defects (I wouldn't recommend Google-ing what that is unless you have a strong stomach for terrible photos) but basically, it helps the baby's spinal cord develop normally. Not enough folic acid will result in a baby whose spinal cord doesn't close. That's probably enough of a mental image for you.

When you are pregnant, no one will ever be able to tell you something that works for everyone. You will be the pregnant lady, you get to decide. I know women who have gone skiing at 6 months pregnant.

baisleac

Stress is the worst.

90% of your normal activities can be done while pregnant.

If you drank coffee before, you can drink coffee now... and at reduced amounts during your pregnancy.

If you drank wine/beer before, you can drink wine/beer now... and at very reduced amounts during your pregnancy (and yes this goes against everything the U.S. medical community will tell you... look at other countries with lower infant mortality and FAS rates).

Unknown

This content has been removed.

CraftyGirl4

first off coffee (for the male anyway) actually helps in the TTC area because coffee helps their "guys" swim harder and faster- I found this out when I was pregnant with my first.
you can drink beer if you want on occ. just stop if you find out your pregnant it WILL NOT keep you from getting pregnant

you can still rider ATV's if you want, i just wouldn't suggest further into a pregnancy

do everything your currently doing

the biggest thing that will keep you from getting pregnant is stressing over all the little things like this

I was talking about caffiene while you are prego.

Coffee and Miscarriage
Recent studies have focused on the effects of coffee intake during pregnancy. A large-scale Danish study polled more than 80,000 pregnant women regarding their coffee intake. This study found that women who drank large amounts of coffee during pregnancy were more likely to experience a miscarriage. Women who drank more than 2 cups of coffee a day had a slightly increased risk of miscarriage, while those that drank 8 or more cups experienced a 59% increase. This is why it is so important to watch your caffeine intake during pregnancy.

About 40% of all pregnancies end in miscarriage so I wonder if this study took that into account. Many pregancies are just in the first trimester when the women hasn't even figured it out yet though.

atcbabe1

When we first started ttc i watched everything i did and tried to be perfect. Slowly i relaxed as the process went along. 18months after we first started I now just live my life normal. If / when we get pregnant I will then stop the things that i need to but until then no point in diving my self nuts. That being said i don't drink caffeine more then once a week or so and alcohol only once or twice a month but that is just my regular life. Try to relax and enjoy the process and DON'T stress. It may only take a month or two, or you could be at it for a while.

ludugirl

After years of trying to conceive (we're on year #9!!) with no luck, here's what I've heard from everyone from the Doctor to Grandma...

1. DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT. Especially in the first year! If after a year you still haven't conceived, go see a doctor. But in the meantime, just have fun. Your body will know what to do. Some woman are lucky enough to conceive the first month, but for most women, it's after 6 months. So seriously, just go on with normal life during that first year of "trying," relishing in the fact that you're not using any form of birth control.

2. Continue to eat healthy and exercise--it will actually help with conception! If you do get pregnant, make an appointment to see your doctor. Bring with you a sample of what you're eating and doing for exercise. He/she will let you know if you need to change anything. Usually, as long as you're not doing a starvation diet (shame on you, if you are!!), you most likely won't need to change anything. Baby will take from you whatever it needs. Exercising and stretching is good for your body, even when you're pregnant!

3. Drinking alcohol is NOT OKAY when you're pregnant (in my line of work, I see a lot of sad, sad results of children born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome). Doctors do not know how much is "safe" and how much isn't. For one person, a glass a day may be too much, and for another, it won't be. Don't take the risk. Since you don't know when you're pregnant until a month or later, don't take the risk. If you can live without the beer, start doing it now because once you know you're preggers, you're not going to be drinking it anyway.

Anyway, those are my thoughts on it. Good luck! (PS: Grandma's advice was the most embarrassing of all... it had to do with "magic babymaker positions." Mortifying only because the advice came from my husband's grandma...)

Ashley_Panda

Don't stress!
Start taking a prenatal vitamin. They're good for you before, during and after. Plus they make your hair and nails look nice.
Ovulation tests are fun and accurate if you want a foot up on the trying process.
I stopped drinking alcohol and don't really drink soda that much any way.

Monica_has_a_goal

I had a hard time conceiving .. it took me 3 years and just when I was going to give up .. "SURPRISE!" ..

When I found out I was pregnant there wasn't anything I wouldn't give up to have a happy healthy baby. I gave up caffeine, soda, coffee, added sugar, added salt, chile, gassy foods.
I did have natural cravings and I gave into those, like watermelon, grapes, lean chicken and turkey.. While my hubby wanted Weinerschnitzel.. haha.. I was never addicted to drugs or cigs but I did give up ALL alcohol. (even though I only drank a glass every 3 months).
I ate healthy and exercised.. nothing bouncy, just lots of walking and swimming. I think I was at my healthiest during my pregnancy and I wish I was that healthy today.. and I will be.. soon! :happy:

I wish you success and welcome to Happy Parenthood! :flowerforyou:

JDRBT

Stress is BAD for reproductive cycle. I would just live your life, enjoy it, and RELAX.

I actually hate that couples say they are "trying" to get pregnant. Technically any time people are not protecting, they are "trying - maybe not on purpose, but they are "trying".

I'm in the medical field and people get pregnant all the time - even high as a kite on drugs and/or on "the pill"! So what you "should" and "shouldn't" do when you're trying - the only thing I think you "should" do is continue in a healthy life style (all things in moderation), stay active, and "pull the goalie" (referring to whatever form of birth control you use).

When my guy and I decide to extend our family of 2, we'll be pulling the goalie for 2 years and going about our lives. IF for some reason I don't get pregnant during that time, we'll look into other options - like adoption! (Being adopted myself, I'm really excited about the possibility!)

The US has a LOT of restrictions on pregnant women that the rest of the world doesn't use. Sure, we have healthy kids, but so do Japan (and they eat sushi all the time) and France (where wine is a staple w/ meals). So my vote is for "all things in moderation" just like you're living now. Too much of anything is bad for your body, so hang in there.

TheMaidOfAstolat

Don't worry....that's the biggest issue. I was 18 when I conceived and had my daughter. Have sex and stress less. After you become pregnant worry about your intake of alcohol, caffeine, or other substances. Don't stop what you normally do just to conceive...it'll only make you stress out more.
Don't change your schedule...your body is used to it...if you do ATV or such...it's no big deal. Dear Lord, I was moving furniture a day before I went into labor. I ran, worked out, and did everything that I was used to doing while pregnant that I did when I wasn't. My only consession was switching to decaf coffee. I didn't drink or injest anything harmful. For that matter I stopped being vegan and went vegetarian because my body (fetus) was craving more protein. Listen to your body...do what works for you and do not focus on the negative aspects of trying to conceive. Also, if you can't....please consider the alteranatives...my daughter would have been put up for adoption if I hadn't protested it. Good luck....sending baby wishes and vibes your way!

TheNewLK

:drinker: SEX!! LOTS OF SEX!!! Did I mention....SEX....worked wonders for me

PeachyKeene

:drinker: SEX!! LOTS OF SEX!!! Did I mention....SEX....worked wonders for me

^^^Yep, that should do it!

hypotrochoid

Coffee and Miscarriage
Recent studies have focused on the effects of coffee intake during pregnancy. A large-scale Danish study polled more than 80,000 pregnant women regarding their coffee intake. This study found that women who drank large amounts of coffee during pregnancy were more likely to experience a miscarriage. Women who drank more than 2 cups of coffee a day had a slightly increased risk of miscarriage, while those that drank 8 or more cups experienced a 59% increase. This is why it is so important to watch your caffeine intake during pregnancy.

In the two years leading up to pregnancy.

Here's the exact quote: "Experts from the Danish Cancer Society compared the number of miscarriages among women who drank only small quantities of caffeine in the two years prior to pregnancy to those who drank one or more large cups a day"

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-204205/Miscarriage-coffee-link.html#ixzz1TzArHwSL

There was another study that linked coffee with birth defects, but the problem with that one is most of the participants were also smokers.

That being said, it's a good idea to limit caffeine intake during pregnancy as it will raise your baby's heart rate and make the baby super active, mostly because the little guy/girl won't be able to process it as effectively.

So, um... yeah. *hops off soap box*

zml_mom

yes caffeine in large amounts while pregnant is bad, but I do not agree that it's a huge factor in m/c, I mean they have said that pretty much every leads to a miscarriage when bottom line is that 9 of 10 m/c have something to do with a chemical inbalance in the body and most of the time your body knows something would be wrong with the pregnancy and ends it.

we did a ton of research and talked to a ton of dr's while pregnant with my first because i was told I could never had kids and if i did get pregnant i would m/c before i even found out. because my progesterone levels were so bad.

so when i got pregnant with my oldest i freaked out and found out as much as i could, they put me on progesterone as a precaution just in case and i had a perfect pregnancy and had another one shortly after that as well.

so most m/c have nothing to do with how much caffeine a person drank before they even knew they were pregnant.

darkrider42

Back in olden times people just had sex. They pretty much had to go on about their normal business of working (often strenuously), riding horses, scrubbing the floors and beating their laundry against rocks.

And once they got knocked up they still had to go about their business of not having our modern, coddled, worry-wart lives.

Unless you have a SPECIFIC medical reason to not do something - carry on with your life. And copulate. A lot.

ETA: I was a professional horseback rider until I was in my 7th month of pregnancy - with the blessings of my doctor.

Yes, this^. :-) You don't want to take up motocross racing or running after you become preggers, but anything your body was already accustomed to doing beforehand is safe until it's no longer comfortable to do so.

AJDL

Both of my pregnancies were surprises. I'm not a big drinker, maybe 1 drink every 3-5 months. I eat healthy, When my 1st was 2, I exercised hard to lose the weight from that pregancy, lost 15 pounds, then got pregnant- figures! I still was exercising pretty hard in the begining of my 2nd pregnancy(didn't know yet). So, as long as you aren't too crazy, keep doing what you do. You can always make a few changes when you find out you are carrying a precious angel.

Ali_TSO

I thought all you had to do was have lots of sex. Clearly, I didn't realise it was so complicated.

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: