After my miscarriage earlier this year, followed by my ectopic pregnancy (it seriously feels like I’m cursed by Murphy’s Law) I started to become more and more aware of the importance of a healthy body and fertility. I want to have another baby SO bad it hurts, but I know that in God’s perfect timing he will bless our family again if we’re meant to be parents of TWO.

So a quick little back story..when I lost my first pregnancy, I had no idea of the cause but I spent countless days and nights reading up on all the reasons for miscarriage. There are so many things that can factor into an early pregnancy miscarriage but the single most common reason is a problem with either the egg or sperm’s chromosomes during embryo formation. (Hopefully that eases your mind a little bit if you’ve experienced this tough loss.)

Other factors can include low progesterone (which I hope to write about in a future post because I have reason to believe that was my issue), thyroid disorders, stress, physical complications, immunological disorder and so on. You can read more about miscarriages and my personal story here. 

I don’t really want to focus on pregnancy loss with this post. What I do want to focus on is getting pregnant and how you can make your body a more healthy and viable space for a fertilized egg to take up residency! Woo!

With much thought and research, here are 9 things you can do right now to prepare your body and set yourself up for successful conception.

*Remember, I am not a doctor and this post is in no way shape or form supposed to be taken as medical advice.*

9 Fertility Boosting Actions You Can Take Right Now

1. Know When You’re Ovulating

One of the main reasons people struggle to get pregnant is because they have no clue when they’re ovulating. A lot of people don’t understand that you gotta fill those puppies up (your fallopian tubes) with extra sperm before your mature egg makes its way out of the follicle and down the fallopian tubes. Why? Because eggs live a maximum of 24-hours.. that doesn’t leave a lot of time for fertilization to occur. 

Girlfriend.. if you want to get pregnant quick, you need to be tracking your periods, tracking when your ovulation will occur, noting your fertile window, and having lots of intercourse! Every other day during your fertile window is recommended. I highly recommend the Flo app! It’s helped me track when my most fertile time is so we know when to get it on. It’ll also help you remember your first day of your last period- because the Ob-Gyn is gonna ask you that a million times when you get that positive pregnancy test!

2. Skip the Lube

I have read from multiple sources that lubricant can be detrimental to your partner’s sperm. In fact, American Pregnancy Association says “Most of the commonly sold lubricants harm sperm, which can decrease the likelihood that sperm will be able to survive the difficult journey through the cervix and into the fallopian tubes to meet the egg for fertilization.” You can read more about it here if you want to fall down that rabbit hole.

3. Exercise 

There are multiple reasons why exercise boosts fertility; it helps you to maintain a healthy BMI, it promotes more balanced blood sugar and insulin levels, which is better for hormonal balance and it’s better for your overall. 

There’s no doubt that healthy bodies are better at conceiving and carrying healthy, full-term babies, so make exercise a priority. Ideally, you should exercise five days a week, for at least 30-minutes per day. 

4. Zen Baby, Zen

For years there’s been anecdotal evidence that psychological stress affected fertility rates, but now we have science to prove it. If you’re participating in the traditional, fast-paced, go-go-go culture, odds are you’re experiencing your fair share of stress as well. Add to that the stress of not getting pregnant, and you may be your own worst enemy. Make life changes, and personal changes, to minimize and mitigate stress. Take yoga, go on walks, learn deep breathing techniques, get acupuncture, shift your perspective – do what it takes to minimize stress.

5. Eat Healthy 

Your eating habits will affect fertility. Read that again. If you’re trying to get pregnant, your best bet is to focus on a diet made up of lean proteins, whole-grains, lots of fresh fruits and veggies and plenty of water. Since many herbicides/pesticides are associated with infertility issues – prioritize meat and veggies that are raised and grown without them. Try to eliminate processed foods and snacks along with white flour and white sugars. 

6. Eliminate endocrine disruptors and other toxins from your home

If you’ve seen me post about Young Living .. this is why. THIS! I got involved with Young Living during my first pregnancy loss and the more I read about the toxins in our homes, the more I started ditching and switching. Toxic laundry soap, gone. Toxic household cleaners, gone. If it isn’t considered “eco-friendly,” odds are it contains endocrine disruptors – chemicals that mimic estrogen or other hormones and can disrupt your own hormone balance. SCARY STUFF!

7. Inspect Your Medicine Cabinet

This one is a no-brainer. Some prescription medications may be unsafe during pregnancy or make it more difficult to get pregnant. Review the medications you’re taking with your health care provider.

8. Start a Prenatal

Doctors used to tell women to take folic acid as soon as they got pregnant. Now, experts suggest starting a prenatal vitamin with 400 micrograms of folic acid before you try to have a baby. This important nutrient prevents spinal defects in growing babies.

See if your prenatal vitamin has DHA. This type of omega-3 fatty acid can help the health of your baby once you get pregnant. You need 200 milligrams of it every day during pregnancy. Some prenatal vitamins have it, but not all of them. So ask your doctor if you should take a separate DHA supplement.

Your doctor could also suggest extra vitamin D. If you’re low, you may have trouble getting pregnant in the first place.

9. Watch What you do After Sex

A few things to avoid after sex include saunas, long runs, hot tubs or other activities that raise your body temperature. You should also skip douching after sex because it puts you at risk for a pelvic infection.

Sending You All the Baby Dust

It’s so crazy to me because after I had my first child and was officially a mother, I never thought I would find myself having problems trying to have another baby, yet here we are. (Insert fake toothy smile) 

I hope that this post will be helpful to another mother, or mother to be, who is out there trying to get the deed done. I’m rooting for YOU and sending you all the baby dust!

Now spam me with all of your happy rainbow baby stories on my instagram page. LEt’s connect. This mama needs a little encouragement herself.