Trying to Get Pregnant - Vancouver,WA

The "average" time it takes most normally fertile couples to conceive is 3-6 months. Doctors don't usually even begin to get concerned about infertility until after a couple has been "trying" to conceive for a year, without success. So, try to sit back, relax, and enjoy the process. :) All the advice the other poster gave you was also very good. All the best!

Hi E.-

I am a Parent Coach and a Certified Professional Nanny. I’ve worked with new Mom’s and want to be Mom’s quite often. In fact, my best friend had the same worries when they were 6 month into trying and no baby yet. Here is what I told her.

Many doctors will tell families trying to get pregnant that it could take 12-18 months before a pregnancy occurs, which I know is scary & frustrating. I strongly suggest you start taking prenatal vitamins today. They will help your body prepare for pregnancy. Also, bump up your vitamin D, calcium and omega-3 intake. All have show good results for pregnancy and conception.

I also strongly suggest focusing on a healthy diet focusing on lean protein and vegetables. A good diet means a good body and a better ability to accept and keep a pregnancy.

If you just stopped birth control, I’ve hear it can take a while for your system to get back into a regular cycle.

Lastly, whether you’re concerned about a health issue or not, it’s always a good idea to get a full check-up to make sure you’re healthy. If you’re body isn’t healthy, you may not be able to conceive.

I wish you the best of luck.

If you have further questions, I am here to listen and provide my suggestions.

Sincerely,

R. Magby
Parent Coach
Everything Baby, LLC
www.everythingbabyllc.com

First of all, here's a piece of unsolicited advice: I see you're starting a master's program this fall. Why not wait to conceive until that's done? Lot's of women think they can continue to live life as usual with a new baby, but it'll be much harder than you think. It's also very, VERY difficult to leave a new baby with a caregiver that's not you. Seriously. Your hormones will be so whacked out, and you think now it'll be easy, but all the new moms that I know agree that it's next to impossible to leave your baby with someone else. You're still young, and getting your master's out of the way before the baby would be such a good idea.

Other than that, I'd highly recommend the book "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" by Toni Wensch (sp?). I used it and got pg after only 2 months of trying. All my friends got pg quickly using these techniques, even the friends who had been trying for months or years. It's a fabulous book, and so interesting to read.

Good luck!

The best way to get prego (sex aside, obviously :p) is to chart your cycles. I don't mean the rhythm method (which is going by when your period usually hits, and marking that on a calendar).

When we women are fertile, our bodies make it very obvious. It's our job to learn how to read these signs, and then it's very easy to know when we are fertile and when the best time to conceive is.

Taking our temp, observing our cervical mucous - those are a couple of ways.

Pick up "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" by Tony Weschler (sp?). I prefer an NFP approach, myself, but this seems to be a mainstream favorite.

Also - if you've been on artificial birth control, it is very very common to not be able to conceive for a while after initially going off of them. The hormones in the ABC mess with our systems more than you would think.

Good luck!

Hi E.,
I'm an acupuncturist and Chinese herbalist, and my biggest piece of advice is to not worry about getting pregnant or not. I know that sounds crazy - how do I not really think about it? But in Chinese medicine, if you over think a problem or get stressed out about it, it has a HUGE effect on your ability to conceive (and MANY other health symptoms as well).
There are other factors to having difficulties with conception, most of which have to do with being deficient. Many women experience being deficient as being exhausted, having irregular periods, having digestive problems, and sleep difficulties to name just a few.
If you're interested in chatting about conception, feel free to call or email me!

Best of luck getting pregnant, and remember to stay relaxed about it! :)

B. Seitz, MAcOM, LAc