Preparing for Pregnancy: My Story
I know this topic will be triggering to some, and irrelevant to others, so I won’t be offended if you don’t read on. Fertility can be a painful area, however, if you think you’d like to conceive in the near to mid-future, OR if you know a friend or relative who does, the info I want to share with you here is invaluable!
It can take women up to 2 years to replenish their bodies after having a baby, which tells us something of how resource-intensive it is to conceive, grow, birth, and nourish a baby.
So much so, that it is highly recommended you spend 3-6 months prior to conceiving preparing your body for this wonderful miracle process. It’s especially important to invest in this preparation time if any of the following are true for you:
You’ve been on any form of hormonal contraception for a over a year
You’ve been on low-fat or any type of fad diet
You’ve been an excessive exerciser
You’ve experienced significant levels of stress within the last couple of years
You’ve been a moderate to heavy consumer of alcohol and/or drugs
You’ve worked or lived in an environment that’s had high toxin exposure for any length of time
You’re prone to skipping meals and/or eating processed foods on a regular basis
You’re prone to eating a high carbohydrate, low-nutrient dense diet
Why is this important and what do we want to achieve in this preparation time?
Replenish any nutrient gaps caused by hormonal contraception, lack of dietary intake or gut imbalances (making a baby is extremely nutrient intensive!)
Ensure there’s minimal circulating toxicity (don’t attempt a heavy detox within 6 months of trying to conceive as released toxins could cause harm to a developing baby)
Understand if there are any hormonal imbalances that might prevent conception or put you at a higher risk of miscarriage (for example, optimal thyroid hormone levels are associated with lower risk of early miscarriage)
Move the body out of any fight or flight stress mode, into rest and procreate mode so your nervous system tells your body it’s safe to conceive and make a baby, with plentiful resources
Optimise blood sugar regulation to reduce the risk of gestational diabetes or high blood sugar affecting baby’s development
This isn’t an exhaustive list, but it gives you an idea of what’s needed!
Getting a bit more personal, I wanted to share more with you about the steps I took before attempting to conceive.
Having had a history of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (read more about my health story here), I got all of my thyroid hormones checked to ensure they were within optimal ranges to avoid early stage miscarriage
I completed a gut healing protocol as I’d had some symptoms of bacteria imbalance which I knew I would pass onto my unborn baby, so I wanted to correct any imbalances in my gut to set my baby up for the best success!
I incorporated a vaginal probiotic into my routine to support my vaginal microbiome (imbalances have been associated with increased miscarriage rates)
I ensured I was consuming plenty of healthy fats in my diet to support the creation of all my sex hormones, and had plenty on hand to support my baby in it’s early developmental stages (such as DHA)
I found a comprehensive fertility multivitamin, antioxidant, and mineral complex that suited my personal nutrient needs (including methylated folate as I wanted to avoid synthetic folic acid supplements)
I made sure that I was consuming 60-75g of protein each day to meet my personal nutrient needs - ensuring my body had the essential building blocks it needed to make a baby
I worked on my blood sugar regulation to ensure my HbA1C levels were no higher than 30 to support my egg health and quality (poor blood sugar dysregulation is associated with lower fertility rates)
If you’re wanting to conceive, or you’ve been struggling to conceive naturally for a while, I highly recommend you take steps to put your body in the best possible place for making a baby. I can absolutely help you to do this!
There are a few different ways I can support you - see the various options below.
Don't keep struggling to figure this out on your own. It can be an emotional and intense journey so finding the right people to go through it with you is key.
All my love and support
Ellie x
Complete my short course: ‘Preparing for Pregnancy (naturally and quickly)’
Book a free discovery call so you can tell me more about your health journey and goals and we can discuss how best to support you
Complete Your Hormone Reset programme to address everything in the lists I’ve discussed above
