You have pointed out every adorable kid on the street to your husband for the last six months.  You’ve dog-eared pages of baby magazines and left them casually on the coffee table.  You’ve directed your sweetie’s attention to all of the darling outfits in the windows of Baby Gap.  He gets it; you’re ready to have one of your own.  Surprise, surprise!  After all of your scheming and plotting he is ready too.  You’re on the same page and you can’t wait to bring your own bundle of joy home from the hospital.  But before you gear up for diaper changes and two AM feedings make sure that your body is well prepared for the journey that lies ahead.

1.) See your Doctor for a Preconception Visit.  Asking questions will give you valuable information and also offers you the chance to get to know your doctor better.  Your doctor will probably perform a routine check-up, talk to you about your medical history, and make sure that your immunization records are up to date.  This visit will also give you a chance to formulate your plan for getting off birth control and getting your body back to its natural cycle.

 2.) Do a Diet Overhaul.  Experts agree that the food you eat has an effect on how fertile you are.  Not getting the required nutrients can cause shifts in your period, which can complicate your ability to pinpoint ovulation.  Or worse still, ovulation may not occur at all in women who are severely underweight or obese.  None of this mattered to you back in college when beer and pizza were your late-night staples.  But back then you weren’t trying to have a baby!  Now that you are, it’s important to take stock of your diet and make some simple, but necessary, changes that will make the road to conception and a healthy baby that much smoother. 

Boosting your intake of fruits, vegetables, calcium, and whole grains is the best way to clean up your act in a hurry.  Instead of eating your turkey on white, try switching to whole wheat bread and topping your sandwich off with romaine lettuce, tomatoes, and crisp cucumbers.  For a healthy snack, ditch the chips and grab a calcium-rich yogurt.  Choose citrus fruit, strawberries, potatoes, and peppers for the extra vitamin C.  Go with green, leafy vegetables like spinach and broccoli, for their folic acid.  Score some vitamin E by sprinkling chick peas and sliced avocados over your salad.  Make sure to share these colorful foods with your husband; the nutrients they provide are also important for the production of healthy sperm!

Cutting down on caffeine, or, better yet, cutting it out entirely is a good way to get your body ready for conception.  It is widely held that high caffeine consumption is bad for fertility.  If you can’t make it through the day without your can of cola, keep in mind that most experts agree that up to 300 mgs per day probably won’t harm your chances of conceiving.  But, if you want to play it safe you can skip the afternoon coffee run and hit the water cooler instead.

3.) Take your Vitamins.  Now that your diet is impeccable and you’re eating more fruits and vegetables than ever before, you think that you’re off the hook with regard to vitamins.  Right?  Wrong.  No matter how many improvements you’ve made, getting enough of all of the essential vitamins and minerals is difficult.  But it doesn’t have to be this way.  Taking a multivitamin once a day for at least three months prior to conception makes it easy to fill the holes in your diet before you start eating for two.  Whether you choose to begin taking prenatal vitamins at that time or continuing to take a regular multivitamin is up to you; as long as it contains at least 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid.  This essential B vitamin is recommended for all women of child-bearing age for its ability to prevent neural tube defects.  If you’re looking for foods that are packed with folic acid be sure to include fortified bread products and cereals, orange juice, beans, and leafy vegetables in your diet.

4.) Get Fit.  Achieving a healthy weight is essential to your overall wellbeing, but it is even more important now that you’re thinking about starting a family.  Eating well and cutting toxins out of your life is a great start, but it’s also time to think about total body fitness.  Adopting a simple routine of 20-30 minutes of moderate cardio activity and light resistance work three times a week is an excellent way to jump start your physical fitness.  Getting in shape can aid you in conceiving and will also make pregnancy, delivery, and recovery a breeze.  

5.) Quit your Vices.  Smoking, drinking alcohol, and using illegal drugs are absolute no-nos during pregnancy.  They have been shown to cause miscarriage, preterm labor, low birth weight, birth defects, fetal alcohol syndrome, and serious mental health problems.  Make it easier on yourself and your baby and quit now.

6.) Get to Know your Body.  Getting pregnant is all about timing.  Knowing what time is best for you to conceive each month is largely a product of getting in tune with your cycles.  Jot down the first day of your period on the calendar; this is day one of your cycle.  Try to keep a record of the signs your body is giving you around the middle of your cycle, when ovulation typically occurs.  For women with a 28 day cycle this takes place at around day 14.  But since many women have a longer or shorter cycle, it is important to pinpoint when ovulation occurs for you.  You are most fertile for a few days leading up to ovulation and the day that ovulation occurs.  Since your egg lives for only 12-24 hours, the window of opportunity for the sperm to reach it is small.  Because of this, some women choose to chart their temperature each day with a basal body thermometer.  Using this device, which measures body temperature to the fraction of a degree, you can zero in your most fertile days.  Whether you choose to chart your cycles, use a basal thermometer, buy an ovulation predictor kit, or just take the old fashioned approach, remember that a healthy couple only has a 25 percent chance of getting pregnant each month.  So, try not to stress out if it doesn’t happen for you right away. 

7.) Take a Break Together.  Whether that means taking a trip to the Bahamas, going on a long weekend to visit old friends, or just scheduling an hour to play a game of Scrabble, make sure to enjoy your time alone with your spouse.  Once the baby train pulls into the station it will be a lot harder to find the time to be alone together.