* Pre Conception Care

Hi!
I have been preparing for TTC for the last three months. My gyno recommended I take a multivitamin specifically designed for three months before pregnancy, all through pregnancy and whilst breastfeeding. .You can just ask at a chemist and they'll direct you. Before this I was taking a whole range of things, but now Im able to cut down on all that and just take this one tablet. I also have a tablespoon of flaxseed oil every morning (not the most delicious thing) but it's jam packed of omega 3 and 6 which is so important for bubs and mum. I also take a flora tablet for the good bacteria.
I bought a book on eating for pre pregnancy, and have increased the salmon I eat, and also eat lots of grains. Have cut out yeast and wheat as much as possble and trying to cut down on sugar. Won't touch coffee either. Have a good tea I drink which is a red tea and is caffeine free. It's from South Africa and Sth African women drink it through pregnancy. You can add milk and sugar if desired and it tastes JUST like black tea. You can get it at supermarket or health food stores.
I have checked all this with my natropath. Im also going to her next week to get special herbs for pregnancy.
Also increasing water intake just for health. And every morning I make a juice. I try not to have too many carrots incase Im pregnant. Im not sure the Vit A in carrots would be harmful, but if Im juicing 6 carrots you never know, so I put in one or two plus apple, ginger, cucumber and whatever else is on hand. Good idea to juice spinach for folate. Add it in and you can't taste it.
One last thing, I've cut down on my exercise and now just walk and swim. (not all that often, must increase that!!!). Just don't want anything strenuous. I also do some hand weights.
Hope that's been helpful, just some ideas. I am so keen to get it right this time. When I was pregnant with my daughter I was unaware and was in UK partying for the first 6 weeks of pregnancy. It was awful to go through the next 8 months and worry about the first part. So this time Im prepared!!
xoxo

Hi Meg,

The vitamin A in carrots is beta carotene which is fine during pg. It's the retinol form of vitamin A that you have to watch out for. You might like to check out THIS thread on vitamin A. HTH.

Good luck!

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do any of you know the affects of lots of caffeiene before/during pregnancy/TTC??

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My OB has a theory that caffine when TTC and in the first tri is the cause of many MC's........becasue it can effect the ph balance of the uterus and make it difficult for a fertilised egg too properly implant...

I gave up coffee and all caffine before trying again for Olivia and haven't had any coffee or caffine in this pregnancy just in case (I had a late missed mc with my first pregnancy, before Olivia, when I was drinking a fair amount of coffee, so I couldn't help but wonder if there is something in his theory?)

Thank you Angel for clearing up the carrot thing. I am relieved and now can go back to my usual juice!!
Also the caffeine thing is interesting. I had a miscarriage 2 years ago and probably was drinking coffee, not too much though. I don't have any at all now, but am wondering, would chocolate be a prob with the caffeine in that? I seem to have trippled my choc intake very recently!!! No one may know the answer to that, and Im not sure how much caffeine is actually in chocolate, but it's worth asking in case anyone has any idea!

Not too sure about the chocolate thing, Meg. I'd say as long as you're having it in moderation and not overdoing it too often then it should be okay. A little choccy binge every now and then won't be a problem I don't think! I honestly don't know but I would have thought there wouldn't be a great amount of caffeine in choc (not like in coffee anyway). Personally I think I'd be more concerned about the amount of sugar.

Hey Gemma

Was wondering if you could tell me more about the hyper thyroid. My temps are usually very low at start of cycle - around 36....

Just curious what you found out about that.


Keen

Well now easter's over, Im stopping the chocolate. I usually have very little sugar in my diet, it really effects me, its' just that going without always ends in a binge!! Im back on track now though, it's been hard with my daughter having chocolate everywhere I look!!
Another thing I've been having alot of is lentil and watercress soup. The recipe is from my pre pregnancy and pregnancy diet book. I have this alot as watercress is such a good form of folic acid. I also juice watercress sometimes!
I have put the recipe on the belly belly recipe page!

Hey Keen,

I have hyperthyroidism (part of my Graves Disease). Let me know if there's anything I can help you out with. I never noticed low temps with my charts though. Temps starting around 36 sound okay to me. I would have thought that, if anything, low temps might indicate hypothyroidism, as being hyperthyroid tends to make you feel hotter and and more active.

Congrats ladies on making the effort to prepare your body for pregnancy. A suject very close to my heart as my DH and I did for 3 months prior to TTC and we also conceived on our first try. My pregnancy was a healthy one... well apart from the morning sickness, labour was a different story but something to work on for next time!

Both of us cut all crap (caffiene, alcohol, etc) out of our diet, exercised a little more, I basically did alot of walking and yoga and we both took supplements. I took Blackmores Pregnancy formula, evening primerose oil and vitamin C and DH took zinc, which are good for the swimmers.

I sort of know where you are coming from Suga, I was a big wine drinker socially and was always heading out for coffee with friends. What I did was aviod these situations and started doing other things with my friends, like going to yoga class with one g/f with whom I would go out for coffee with and stuff like that. DH never drank much anyway so cutting out that stuff was easier for him, he even stop all caffiene.

Gemma, we got our hints from 'The Natural Way to a Better Pregnancy' as well - great book! Love the idea of going to a naturpath as well.

Hope this helps you girls!

thanks for that Angel. Is something I might ask my specialist about.


Keen

Hi Keen,

My naturopath picked up the problem with my thryroid. My temps were below 36 at the start of the cycle. The herbal formula helped pick the temps up but my blood thryroid results have always come back normal. As Angel said 36 is probable okay. Good idea to speak to your specialist about it.

Thryoids are complex and I don't know much about it. I actually misunderstood my OB getting results on the phone for one of the thyroid blood results and started taking the herbal formula again during pg. When I went to see him he said my thyrois was a little over active rather than under active so I have learnt a lesson not to self-diagnose without professional guidence.

Nell - The book 'Natural way to a better pg' is great too, I have bought all of the books in the range now and will read the 'The Natural way to better birth and bonding' and 'The Natural way to better breastfeeding' again before I give birth.

Hi Suga,
I am ttc, no 3,an am still able to drink coffee and enjoy it-however did find with both my other pregnancies couldnt drink coffe or stand the smell of it even before i got a positive preg result.!! As for the alcohol i am still drinking moderately a glass or 3 of wine once a week. i stopped totally the minute my result was positive. What i was thinking of is drinking only when i've got my af,otherwise don't risk it cause somebaby precious could be forming... :-k

Pauline

Hey there Suga,

That's a good question! I'm new and have thought the same thing. I usually on average will have a few glasses of wine twice a week. I have a coffee every morning and a few weak teas throughout the day.

I do (if I think there is any possiblilty that I might be PG) stop drinking alcohol in the 2WW just in case. I don't know if this is the right thing to do or not - but that's what I do.

I still have a glass or two of wine every now and then ... mostly when AF shows up, and rarely in the TWW. I haven't had a problem with people asking questions about why I'm not drinking - I just offer to be the designated driver, and they're usually so grateful they don't question it.

I haven't stopped drinking coffee though - you'd have to chisel it away from my lips LOL.

When I conceived Gemma I gave up alcohol and coffee completely and that cycle I got pregnant.I think it was more the alcohol then the coffee. IYKWIM?Alcohol is ten times worse while ttc.I must admit I do have the odd glass of red wine still but we haven't actually started TTC yet as I'm still waiting on AF!But I have given up coffee already, but I've never been a big coffee drinker anyway.

I stopped drinking coffee about 8 months before TTC (although partly due to other reasons). And I stopped drinking alcohol about 3 months prior to TTC. And I haven't touched a drop since!

I have been doing preconception care for about the last 3-4 months. I haven't been drinking any caffine or alcohol or soft drinks. If someone asks I just say I am on antibiotics for a bladder infection. After a few months of not drinking coffee and no pregnancy announcement people just assume you are being healthy for healths sake.

Hi Suga

All the best with TTC!!

I read that caffeine can reduce your fertility, but provided everything is a-ok that doesn't mean you have to cut it out all together. Once you're pregnant they say no more than 400 mg (I think) of caffeine a day - which is a few cups of tea, or a cup of coffee plus a bit of chocolate. Something like that.

You could try cutting down to this while you're trying, since once you're pg you get used to it anyway!

As for alcohol, there aren't really any conclusive tests on how much is safe, since it's kind of hard to 'recruit' pg women for trials! I gather the occasional glass doesn't do any harm, but then again, for the first three months especially you obsess about almost every little thing so if it makes you feel better I'd avoid it. In my case, I completely went off alcohol and could smell it from the other side of the room! I just volunteered to be the driver when we went out and most people I think just assumed I was being nice to my DP!

Good luck!