Tick-Tock, Tick- Tock.  Is your maternal clock ticking?  I know the feeling, and when it is time to have a baby, IT IS TIME!  What most people don’t know is that, when you want to have a baby, it may not be on your time.  However, there are several simple things you and your partner can do to prime yourselves for pregnancy and create the optimal conditions so you can avoid the frustrations of “trying” and actually get pregnant quickly!

Click Here for the Pregnancy Miracle Guide.

They are:

1. Eat Well

You must put good things in to your body both while trying to conceive, and while you are pregnant.  A simple way to feed yourself well is to focus on fresh,whole foods and avoid refined sugars, white flour, and other processed, pre-packaged food. All of the vitamins, minerals, proteins and carbohydrates you need to get pregnant now can be found in simple foods.  Eat protein each day from cheese, milk, nuts, beans, eggs or lean meats such as fish and chicken.  Get plenty of leafy greens such as Romaine lettuce, kale, greens and several differently colored fresh fruits and vegetables each day. (Think red or green pepper, orange carrot, yellow squash, red strawberry, blue blue berry, yellow banana and so on.)  Also eat whole grains such as oatmeal and rice, and if you have to eat bread or pasta be sure it is whole grain.  Eat a little healthy fat from real butter or olive oil, and very little sugar and drink plenty of clean water.  Every thing that you put in your body either builds it or destroys it.  Be sure you are building yours!

2. Get Moving

Regular exercise of at least 20-30 minutes, 3 times a week will help to increase your chances of becoming pregnant more quickly for several reasons.  It will help regulate the metabolic and hormonal processes that are key in getting pregnant.  It will also help you keep an optimal weight and will help you relax. You can do any activity you enjoy, such as walking, jogging, bicycling or swimming.  I think that walking a mile each day at a comfortable pace would be a good starting point for any woman.  The important thing is to just get moving!

3. Find and Keep Your Optimal Weight

Being excessively overweight or underweight can both hinder attempts at getting pregnant quickly.  Both groups are often malnourished and are not receiving the proper amounts of nutrition to for reproductive health.  Overweight women often have high blood sugar, high blood pressure or other health problems that may or may not have been diagnosed, which can cause difficulty in getting pregnant. On the flip side, underweight women may also have underlying health problems which would make pregnancy difficult including nutritional deficits and too little body fat to successfully carry a pregnancy to term.  Both overweight women and underweight women would benefit from the dietary changes described above.

4. Stop Smoking and Avoid Second-Hand Smoke

Smoking is another harmful habit that both the male and female partner should quit while trying to become pregnant.  Smoking greatly decreases fertility in both men and women by damaging both the eggs and the sperm.  And,.if you stop smoking now, you won’t have to worry about harming your unborn child in-utero from the habit.  Second-hand smoke is just as harmful if not more, and it should be avoided as well.

5. Stop Caffeine Consumption

There is some debate about the safety of caffeine during pregnancy, with claims that it can cause miscarriage and preterm labor, and evidence now shows that it decreases fertility as well.  There is also debate as to how much caffeine is harmful, with some experts saying even the smallest amounts are harmful, and others saying that up to three cups of coffee are safe.  This being said, if you want to get pregnancy quickly, the best thing to do is to cut it out all together.

6. Avoid Drugs and Alcohol

Now this may sound like an obvious thing to do while pregnant, but avoiding drugs and alcohol is important while trying to get pregnant, too.  Drugs and alcohol effect the reproductive systems of both the man and the woman, so it is important that both partners avoid them while trying to conceive.  It is also just good common sense to avoid them while not using birth control because you may not know that you are pregnant for 6-8 weeks or more after conceiving, and using these substances would be harming your unborn child.

7.  RELAX!

Stress is a part of all of our daily lives, but it can be even more stressful when you are “trying” to conceive a baby.  Timing, taking your temperature, and keeping a log of your fertitle times and then trying to have sex at the optimal times can be stressful for both partners, and can leave one or both of you feeling frustrated and inadequate.  And doctor visits and fertility treatments can be physically and emotionally as well as financially draining.  Try instead focusing on having fun with your partner.  Take walks or baths to relax and reduce daily stresses as much as possible.   A woman will naturally be more easily aroused when the egg is ready to be fertilized, as long as she is not overly tired or stressed.  Then will be the perfect time to “try”.

Click Here for the Pregnancy Miracle Guide.

Congratulations on your decision to have a baby!  When you do get pregnant, you can also use these tips for having a healthier pregnancy and a healthier baby.  Good luck!