3 Steps If You Want to get Pregnant this Year!
Do you want to get pregnant this year?
Preparing your body 6 to 12 months in advance of trying to conceive is the best thing you can do for your health, your baby's development and their lifelong health!
Our society's expectation of just stopping birth control and trying to conceive that month blows my mind and should not be done!! I highly recommend you do not do this.
Making simple changes to your diet, lifestyle and adding key supplements will …
Help you get pregnant faster!
Reduce your risk of miscarriage
Feel amazing during pregnancy
Grow a healthier baby
Heal faster postpartum (ps. I am NOT referring to “snapping back”, fuck snap back culture!!)
And sooo many more benefits but that's not what this blog post is about so let me get back on track!
Now that you know the importance of preparing 6 to 12 months (minimum) for pregnancy! Let's talk about where to begin! These 3 steps are the perfect place to start your preparation journey!
3 Steps If You Want to get Pregnant this Year!
STEP 1: Get off *hormonal* birth control ASAP!
Get off ALL birth control except barrier methods such as condoms. This includes all hormonal birth control; the birth control pill, the patch, hormonal IUD, shots, injections, anything else that is considered hormonal birth control! It is really important to give yourself time to heal and recover from hormonal birth control. It is so easily prescribed, for more things than just contraception such as acne, and to “balance your hormones” which we know it does NOT do, right? It just masks your hormonal problems and when you come off hormonal birth control you will have the same problems but probably more severe.
There are 2 main reasons why stopping birth control a minimum of 12 months before trying to conceive will give you the best results.
Nutrient Deficiencies
Hormonal birth control depletes your body of nutrients that are required to grow your baby, especially in those early months of pregnancy. Correcting nutrient deficiencies does not happen overnight. Your body needs time to rebuild its levels to where they are supposed to be. This can take on average 6 months to do which is why starting to correct these issues the month you try to conceive will put you and your babies health at risk.
What nutrients does hormonal birth control deplete?
Riboflavin
How is it Important?
Riboflavin is required for growth, repair and conversion of carbohydrates, proteins and fats into energy and building blocks for our bodies. It allows oxygen to be used by our body.
Vitamin B6
Why is it Important?
Vitamin B6 is required for proper development of the babies nervous system including the brain, spinal cord, nerves and more. Also critical for mom’s health and her body's ability to deal with our main stress hormone cortisol.
Vitamin B12
Why is it Important?
Vitamin B12 helps make DNA, blood cells and nerves in the baby. That's a pretty important job, so I'm not going to add more.
Folate
Why is it Important?
Folate is critical for pregnancy and preventing neural tube defects and helps create DNA. It is essential for rapid cell division, and organ and tissue development.
**Please NOTE**
Never take folic acid. Folic acid is the synthetic form of folate and is not absorbed at the same rate as folate. Taking folic acid can actually lead to developmental issues with your baby.
Vitamin C
Why is it Important?
Vitamin C is a beautiful and strong antioxidant to help improve sperm and egg quality, support the immune system, needed for collagen formation, iron absorption, wound healing and the growth and maintenance of bones, teeth and cartilage. Sounds pretty important for mom and baby, right??
Vitamin E
Why is it Important?
Vitamin E is also a strong antioxidant for the health of mom and dad before getting pregnant. Will optimize mom and dads egg and sperm quality and overall health which, on an epigenetics level, will aid in growing a very healthy baby!
Magnesium
Why is it Important?
74% of people 19+ years in Canada are deficient in magnesium. Magnesium is critical for bone development and repair, reducing the risk of fetal mortality and preeclampsia in pregnant women. It will help regulate your blood pressure, supports quality sleep, helps relax muscles and more! Magnesium plays a huge role in pregnancy for the mama and for the growing baby.
Selenium
Why is it Important?
When you see selenium I want you to think thyroid function and metabolism. Your thyroid produces hormones that are key in your hormone balance and allowing you to get pregnant and feel great. Your thyroid is under major stress during pregnancy since demands for thyroid hormone are higher for mama and baby. Hypothyroidism is the most common issue among postpartum women leading to the inability to lose the baby weight, feeling extra tired, impair thinking and more.
Zinc
Why is it Important?
Zinc is critical for immune health which is very important for mom during pregnancy since your immune system will be lowered. It is also important for metabolism and the development of babies ability to taste and smell!
I don't think I have to repeat myself on this. Your baby uses your nutrient stores to grow and develop. Your baby will take as much as it needs, if you have enough! If you don't then you baby does without and there are developmental problems. This is sooo easily prevented by taking time to prepare your body for pregnancy! You want your nutrient levels to be OPTIMAL, not “normal” but optimal so there is plenty for you and your growing baby!
2. Start cycling naturally without synthetic hormones!
This is really important. You need to see how your body cycles. When you are on hormonal birth control you are not cycling at all. Hormonal birth control shuts down communication between your brain and your ovaries at your brain level. It stops your brain from sending signals to your ovaries. You need to know what your natural rhythm is and is your have any hormonal imbalances that need to be addressed before trying to conceive!
STEP 2: Tracking your Cycle and Your Health
You need to be doing this if you aren't already!
Tracking your cycle is critical to get pregnant but also to know how your overall health is. If you don't ovulate, you wont get pregnant! Lets learn if you are ovulating and what the other phases of your cycle are telling you and how that relates to your fertility and overall health. Remember: your overall health is a critical component in getting pregnant.
I wrote a blog all about how to track your cycle, what to look for and why! Check it out here!
STEP 3: Do a Pre-Pregnancy Detox
I hate the word detox but it gets the point across. I am not talking about juice cleanse or crazy detoxes. I am talking about gentle, natural detox to reduce your toxic load so you can feel better during pregnancy and so you are not exposing your growing baby to harmful chemicals. This detox I do with all of my clients who are planning on getting pregnant. It is important to do this at least 6 months before trying to conceive to ensure all toxins and chemicals have fully left your body. I work with my clients to do this and also guide my students through a detailed step by step process in “My 90 Day Fertility Plan” online course!
DISCLAIMER:
**I also recommend working with a healthcare professional who specializes in fertility and pregnancy to guide you through a pre-pregnancy detox. It is really important to do it properly to ensure the toxins you are liberating are being fully excreted from your body. **
Why is a Pre-Pregnancy Detox so important?
We use to think that the placenta acted as a barrier for the baby, stopping toxins and chemicals that the mom was exposed to. In 2005, the Environmental Working Group did a study called The Body Burden Study. They looked at the cord blood of newborn babies and found over 200 toxic chemicals. Many of these chemicals are known carcinogens, interfere with development and can cause epigenetic changes to the babies DNA. These chemicals were from pollutants from gasoline, flame retardants, plastic food wrapping, teflon, fabric protecting sprays, industrial bleaching, pesticides, wood preservatives, industrial lubricants and more.
This is a scary reality BUT there is so much you can do to minimize your baby's exposure. I have created a specific detox protocol that utilizes your body's own natural detox pathways in combination with key supplements, food and lifestyle factors to eliminate as many of these toxins as possible before you get pregnant! I have an entire module in my online course dedicated entirely to my natural and gentle detox protocol.
You will forever thank yourself for taking the time to properly prepare yourself for pregnancy. Not only will you be able to feel your best but you are going to grow the healthies baby possible!
I know I do!
I am so grateful to have started with these exact steps that helped my get pregnant the first time my husband and I tried, to feel amazing during my pregnancy and to be knowing that I am growing the healthies baby!! This is me at 26 weeks pregnant, feeling great with no “classic pregnancy symptoms”!
