The idea of starting a family and planning for pregnancy can be overwhelming. From understanding your fertility to how to maintain the healthiest pregnancy journey- there is a lot of information to digest.
And, every journey to pregnancy is individual, so how do you know what¹s right for you?
Mary Jane Minkin, M.D., Yale Clinical Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at Yale University School of Medicine says, ³Let¹s stick to the baby-making basics and keep it simple.
Below she shares an easy checklist to help navigate pregnancy at every step of the way, as well as the less talked about 4th trimester (after the baby is born):
- Find your fertile days: Using an app to track your ovulation is helpful, but an at-home ovulation predictor kit, such as First Response, will identify your two most fertile days. It detects the luteinizing hormone (LH) surge in your urine, or when you are likeliest to conceive, so get busy!
- Rethink your lubricant: Your go-to personal lubricant might actually be hurting your chances of conceiving. Try a fertility-friendly one such as Pre-Seed, which mimics your own fertile fluids and helps support sperm quality.
- Take folic acid before, during, and after pregnancy: A prenatal vitamin with folic acid is important at every stage of your pregnancy journey to support a healthy baby. Your health care provider can prescribe once such as OB Complete, or try an over-the-counter and easy to chew gummy vitamin like vitafusion Prenatal.
- Testing, Testing, Testing: Always have plenty of pregnancy tests on hand. First Response Triple Check helps to reassure your result with three unique, accurate tests in one kit.
- Don’t ignore your health post-baby: The 4th trimester is the period after giving birth and adjusting to your body post-birth is crucial. If you had a vaginal delivery, your pelvic floor might become loose, leading to issues such as urine leakage. Attain is the first over-the-counter solution to help strengthen the pelvic floor and calm the detrusor muscle.
The Editorial Team at Lake Oconee Health is made up of skilled health and wellness writers and experts, led by Daniel Casciato who has over 25 years of experience in healthcare writing. Since 1998, we have produced compelling and informative content for numerous publications, establishing ourselves as a trusted resource for health and wellness information. We aim to provide our readers with valuable insights and guidance to help them lead healthier and happier lives.
