Hubby and I are finally going to TTC in late January.
Im wondering if anyone can give me some advice on things I can do now to help conceive future bub.
So far I'm.....
Taking Folate daily.
Dont smoke.
Lost 26kg (more on that in a bit).
Drink minimal alcohol.
My last planned outting (re alcohol) is Xmas day. We plan on starting after my cycle mid January. That will be approx 1mth.
Re the weight loss, Ive lost 26kg since December 2009, I have 50 more to lose. We would like to start TTC with the intention to continue losing weight.
Is there anything hubby should do? Hes not so forward with being excited but does like to discuss it with me. We do have one of his brothers living with us so doesnt want anything 'obvious' around the house.
I have also started to take more notice of my body and cycle.
For hubby, the biggest thing I've ever been told is watch the soft drinks, particularly diet ones. The artificial sweetener is actually a sperm killer! So if he MUST keep drinking soft drinks, the full sugar ones are actually more healthy. Apart from that, Menevit will do wonders for him, I think its a once a day thing, so he can keep it at work if he doesn't want it lying around. And nice loose undies
For you, it might be an idea to see a naturopath/iridologist/acupuncturist. I've been amazed at the help they've given me, both with weight loss and with fertility. Not cheap, but if you've got private health cover it should help
TTC is so exciting (for the first few months! LOL). If I were you I would chart for a month to see where your cycles were at and learn what are your fertile and pre-O symptoms.
Get hubby onto a good multivitamin.
Otherwise, just relax, enjoy christmas, and sex without a purpose .
I would talk to a doctor before trying to conceive as wanting to lose 50kg , to be the weight you want, and to continue losing weight whilst pregnant is impossible. ( of course you don't expect drastic weight loss but you will put more on ) also , the health side of things if you need to lose the weight.
Other than that, ( and sorry to be a downer) Goodluck with your ttc journey, Sounds like you have everything else sorted
With hubby, I cut out his alcohol intake (what's good for the goose etc) and also ensured he was more hydrated - got him to cut down on caffeine and drink more water-based drinks like cordial. Definately start to chart your cycle now - when we started TTC I had no idea when my fertile times were etc!
Also set yourself some lose "targets". EG - give it 3 months of relaxed TTC before charting temps or using O prediction kits. That way you (hopefully) won't get too stressed and lose the "fun" in TTC!
Francesca Naish has some good books on what to do to prepare for TTC. She's a naturopath specialising in conception/pregnancy.
One thing I'd recommend is finding out how much heavy metal you have in your body. You'll be surprised. I recently had a hair analysis done and the results are disturbing - things like high levels of aluminium and copper can be detrimental to bub. So i'm trying to get rid of it. Unfortunately, it looks like the copper is in the water, so we're going to have to get really good filters.
Hubby should be on menevit or some other zinc based vitamin. He also needs to cut/reduce alcohol and caffeine. If he's exposed to chemicals at work, he may need to look at that - various chemicals can really damage sperm/DNA.
Get some blood tests done - look for things like Vitamin D levels, zinc, folate. Lots of women are low in vitamin D and you want to get this up before bub is conceived. Also, check for your levels of immunisation to things like rubella, tetanus and whooping cough - you may need a booster before getting pregnant. Your GP should be able to recommend a pre-conception panel. Expect to have 8-10 vials of blood taken.
Eat healthily, exercise a lot, get lots of sleep - all the good things that will benefit both you and bub. Don't freak out if you indulge now and again on something - you don't want to get all resentful.
Hubby was drinking diet soft drink because I do. Hes more than happy to swap to 'full strength' drinks.
He doesnt drink coffee, alcohol or smoke.
He did have a read over my shoulder and is going to get some zinc tablets and said hes happy to let the 'boys' swing in the wind
We have decided to 'see how it goes' from Jan to April and then start to get more serious about it. I know 4months isnt a long time but this has been on and off since we got married in 2007 lol.
Wanted pre TTC Advice pls.
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