Preconception Planning - Part 1 - Prepare for Pregnancy with your Mindset
Preconception Planning
Part 1 of a 3-part series
Prepare for Pregnancy with your Mindset
Congratulations, you and your partner are ready to start trying to have baby! The thought of opening up your lives to the possibly of having children is a very exciting time. Chances are you have spent years preventing getting pregnant so that you could pursue your career, gain financial stability, and enjoy the freedoms of your youth. You got so comfortable avoiding pregnancy, it feels a bit unfamiliar trying to prepare for pregnancy! I believe that with a little guidance you can learn what you need to know about preparing your body for pregnancy, conceiving with ease, and carrying to term confidently!
The preconception period is important for establishing the quality of your eggs (and his sperm), the ease at which you achieve pregnancy, your health throughout pregnancy, and the growth and development your baby. During the prenatal period you have a unique opportunity to lay the best foundations for the health of your future children by properly preparing for pregnancy.
At a minimum, I recommend spending 3 months preparing for pregnancy in order to lay the foundations for optimum health prior to trying to conceive. If either partner has a health condition, a history of hormonal imbalances, or has been on hormonal birth control (the pill or IUD) for a number of years I would recommend 6 months of preconception care prior to trying to conceive. By properly laying the foundations for individual health it is possible to remove obstacles that reduce fertility and negatively impact pregnancy.
My goal is to empower you to take charge of your health and be proactive about preparing your body for pregnancy. I am committed to supporting you from preconception to postpartum to build the family that you have always wanted. I want to work with you to establish sustainable nutrition and lifestyle habits that fuel your body for pregnancy. I want to support all aspects of your health so that your body, soul, and mind feel strong, nourished, and confident throughout pregnancy.
When it comes to a mindset equipped for pregnancy I believe it is important to be proactive, adaptable, and resilient.
MINDSET
Proactive
Schedule a routine health assessment with your primary care provider
Go see your doctor (ND or MD) and let them know that you are planning to get pregnant. Getting routine tests out of the way can put your mind at ease and give you the green light to start trying.
Work with your doctor to get routine lab tests done.
Get a Pap smear done if you haven’t had one in the last 3 years, or if you will be due for one soon.
Discuss any health conditions that you currently have and how those might be impacted if you were to get pregnant.
Discuss with them any medications that you are currently taking or that you have recently taken. Your doctor will guide you on which ones to discontinue should you fall pregnant.
Schedule an in-depth health and wellness visit with your Naturopathic Physician
Speak with your ND about establishing the foundations of health. Discuss key indicators of health to optimize your individual wellness in preparation for supporting your baby’s life. I strongly believe it is better to be prepared than to play catch up later.
Identify suboptimal markers of health. Assess thyroid, blood sugar, and oxidative stress in order to support underlying factors that impact fertility outcomes.
Uncover nutrient deficiencies, and replace missing macro and micronutrients.
Carefully review your menstrual history and discuss areas for improvement. Regulating your cycles with supplements and herbs during the preconception period improves pregnancy rates.
Targeted fertility testing to assess fertility status, in order to guide treatment options given desired timelines.
Discuss stress, energy, digestion, mood, and sleep. Explore how to balance and optimize these key health indicators to enhance vitality and resilience.
Have the opportunity to spend time with your healthcare provider to ask questions. Get the answers about what to expect at every stage.
Adaptable
Reflect on and reassess your habits
Take the time to check in with yourself and even consider journaling about your lifestyle habits. The only way to identify the areas for improvement is to tune in to your current habits.
How often do you exercise? What types of exercise do you do? What is the intensity of the exercise that you do?
What are your environmental exposures to toxins? Any occupational exposures to strong chemicals? Do you use a lot of plastic in your home? Do your eat organic foods or are you exposed to pesticides regularly?
How much coffee do you drink? If not coffee, what about caffeine?
How much alcohol do you have on a daily or weekly basis?
Do you use cannabis? Any other recreational drugs?
How high is your stress? What are your triggers? What are your coping mechanisms?
Resilient
Acknowledge possible outcomes and build a resilient mindset
When it comes to starting a family it is hard to think about the outcomes that could leave you upset or disappointed. I believe that being aware of the possible challenges and how they can be overcome is better that being blindsided by an outcome you didn’t think was possible.
Some couples struggle to get pregnant right away. The likelihood of a young couple conceiving in a single cycle in only about 20%. Be prepared that it can take several months to conceive.
1 in 6 couples in Canada struggle with infertility. These couples often require some additional support in order to get pregnant. Whether it is supplements, herbs, acupuncture, or higher level assisted reproductive technologies, there is no harm to adding in the therapeutics that are going to increase your odds of getting pregnant.
Though miscarriage is common (1 in 5 pregnancies ends in a miscarriage), very few women experience multiple miscarriages. Miscarriage is much more common in women over 40 years of age. If you have previously had a miscarriage this is another reason to get a thorough health evaluation. Some factors that increase the risk of miscarriage are modifiable.
When it comes to fertility and pregnancy women tend to take on a lot of the responsibility, and if it doesn’t go well, they also take on the guilt. This is an opportunity to realize that fertility requires the health of both partners. Involve your partner in the process of preconception planning, and prenatal health optimization to grow together, rather than grow apart.
Getting pregnant is a big transition for your body. Sometimes it is an even bigger tradition for your mind. Developing a good mindset during the preconception phase will prepare you for all the changes ahead in pregnancy and motherhood. Use these mindset tips and book a preconception care appointment in order to prepare for your pregnancy.
Take care,
Dr. Laura Nicholas, ND
This content is not intended to be substituted or interpreted as medical advice and should not be used to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health concern. Please book a consultation with me or a qualified healthcare professional before acting on any information presented here.
References
Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada. SOGC Guidelines. Retrieved from https://sogc.org/en/content/guidelines-jogc/guidelines-and-jogc.aspx?hkey=aa09f753-7812-462a-9d80-3e6b609f6ec6.
Tori Hudson. (2008). Women’s Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine.