Planning on getting pregnant? Keep in mind; it can take longer than you think. Yes, there are couples who are very fertile and will conceive on the first try, or get pregnant after having sex only once, but the chances of this scenario are slimmer than you may think.

We are taught to never have unprotected sex, in order to avoid an unwanted pregnancy. Although, it is a good way to avoid an unwanted pregnancy as well as sexually transmitted diseases, it leads to misconceptions of the actual chances of conception. Here are some facts you may want to take into consideration while planning to conceive. Don’t be discouraged, but have patience.

After getting off birth control pills it can (but doesn’t have to) take a little while before you become pregnant. Some healthcare providers say that your body needs to ‘clean itself out off the hormones’, while others say there is no truth to this statement. Regardless of which of the two you choose to believe, be aware that you may not conceive the month following termination of your birth control pills. This is not an indication for a problem. Take your time and continue trying.

Stress is a major factor in delayed conception. When trying to get pregnant, try to avoid stress in your life. If you exercise, continue to do so, or find another way to relax. Stressing over the coveted pregnancy that does not happen can delay it as well. Plan a romantic getaway for two and try to ‘let it happen’ rather than force it on.

To get pregnant faster, you certainly need to have frequent sex, preferably before you ovulate (after which it is too late for this month. But no worries, there is always next month). Sperm can live for three to five days in your body, which means you can have sex even several days before you ovulate and still conceive.

To increase your chances of conception, start having sex every day (or every other day) on the 10^th day of your cycle (start counting on the first day of your period). Try to keep stress levels in your life low, especially does related to whether or not you become pregnant, but also at work, home, etc. Eat healthy and exercise and do not get discouraged if it takes longer than desired. Most couples will achieve a pregnancy within the first 12-18 months. After 12 months, you can speak to your ob/gyn about other options for you and your partner.

Best of luck! And stay positive. Attitude does make a difference!

There are different symptoms that can suggest a pregnancy. First, and usually the most obvious, is a missed period. Although, it is possible to be spotting while pregnant, a late or missed period is usually the first indication you should check if you are pregnant or not.

Most common early pregnancy symptoms include:

Fatigue. Increased, unusual or unexplained fatigue is one of the first symptoms of pregnancy. There is not much you can do to prevent it but rest. Usually fatigue is associated with the first trimester and disappears around the 12^th-14^th week.

Nausea is probably the most know symptom of early pregnancy. Also called morning sickness, but can occur at any time of the day. This pregnancy symptom usually lasts between the 6^th and 12^th weeks of the pregnancy. Make sure you are hydrated.

Sore, swollen breasts are caused by increased blood flow. Other changes to your breasts will come throughout the pregnancy. Read more about breast changes.

The only way to confirm a pregnancy is to take a pregnancy blood test. Yes, you can start with the home pregnancy tests, which these days are becoming more and more accurate, but a blood test is still the most accurate way to get an absolute answer. It’s better than guessing or relaying on symptoms, which if you are not pregnant may need to be checked.

Happy pregnancy!

There is no shame in trying to conceive with no immediate results. It could happen that you will get pregnant on your first try, but let’s face it, the chances are slim. Most people who have an unwanted pregnancy can vouch that they were not careful on more than one occasion before they actually became pregnant.

Planed or not, a pregnancy needs “just the right conditions”. Even if one variable is out of line, there will be no pregnancy.

Before you seek medical help, make sure you have been trying for a minimum of 12 months unsuccessfully. It can take up to 18 months or more for a fertile couple to conceive. ‘What’s the delay?’ Well, it can be any one or a combination of reasons. First you need to ask yourself how often and when you have intercourse. Be true to yourself. If you have sex once a month, your chances of hitting just the right day and time are slim. A woman is ovulating usually between the 10^th and 21^st day of her menstrual cycle, which means you want to make sure you are sexually active during these days.

If all else hasn’t proven successful (and you are not yet pregnant), you can now make a consultation appointment with your OB/GYN. This appointment is for the both of you, so take your partner in crime (aka hubby) with you.

Infertility may be caused by one or more reasons, it can occur with you, your partner, or the combination of the two of you. Fortunately, there are ways to diagnose the cause and depending on the result, there may very well be a solution at hand. But before you concern yourself with alternate possibilities to overcoming infertility, speak to your doctor and see if you should consider having a consult.

No matter what, keep having sex! That’s your safest bet for conceiving..

While pregnancy is not an illness, it may have various affects on your body. Not every women experience pregnancy related problems, and you may very well be lucky enough for these problems to never arise. Like with your delivery, you want to plan for the best, but be open to whatever comes your way, for you do not control it (or most of it) and more reassuringly, whatever problem(s) you are experiencing, it will be gone with the arrival of your baby or shortly after.

Even the most fit women may experience common pregnancy problems. A healthy lifestyle may help prevent some issues, but genealogy is always a factor as well as the nature of each individual pregnancy (even in the same women). Even though not avoidable, many of the common pregnancy problems can be treated for relief.

Nausea, also known as morning sickness, doesn’t always occur in the morning. Some women experience nausea or vomiting during different times of the day or its entirety. You can take comfort on the fact that this usually disappears after 14-16 weeks.

Fatigue is common in the first and third trimesters. During the first trimester your body is undergoing many changes, which affect your energy levels. Fatigue during the third trimester is due to the baby’s size and weight, which are grater now and harder to carry.

Mood changes are common during pregnancy. This is cause both by hormone level changes and the stress that may come with the realization of the responsibility that comes with parenthood. If you are concerned, talk to your healthcare provider.

Constipation is caused by a hormone that relaxes the intestinal muscle. To avoid constipation drink plenty of fluids and eat foods that are rich with fiber.

Gas is on the embarrassing side of pregnancy problems. It is caused by much higher levels of progesterone, a hormone that relaxes smooth muscle tissue throughout your body, including your gastrointestinal tract. This relaxation slows down your digestive processes, which can lead to gas, bloating, burping, and flatulence and generally create miserable sensations in your gut, especially after a big meal. To overcome it, eat smaller, more frequent meals. You can also try Simethicon..

Heartburn is caused by the hormone progesterone that is produced by the placenta. It relaxes the valve that separates the esophagus from the stomach, allowing gastric acids to seep back up, which causes a burning sensation. To prevent heartburn, avoid carbonated drinks, chocolate, caffeine and acidic foods. Speak to your doctor to see what medication you can take for it if you experience chronic heartburn.

Hemorrhoids are painful, swollen veins in the lower portion of the
rectum or anus; they are usually a result of constipation (which is common during pregnancy). They can be treated with a cream. Consult your healthcare provider for a cream or other solution.

Oedema is swelling in your ankles, feet and hands. This happens due to fluid retention and more blood in your body during pregnancy. Try to rest with your feet elevated, and know that it will disappear after your delivery.

These are some of pregnancy’s common problems; most of which are treatable or will disappear shortly after the delivery. Other problems include headaches, diarrhea, vaginal discharge and Sciatica pain. You may or may not suffer from any pregnancy problems. If you are one of the lucky ones, enjoy your problem free pregnancy while it lasts.  For the rest of you, take care of the problems that do show up to avoid discomfort. And remember, it is only temporary.

After roughly 40 weeks of pregnancy, usually even a month or so earlier, you are ready for the last stage of the pregnancy – the delivery. Hopefully by now you have mastered all the birth preparation courses offered by your hospital (if you chose to take them), and your hospital bag is ready (or you at least have a good idea what it should contain).

At this point it is probably safe to assume you understand that there is no way back and the only way to get this baby out is to go through with childbirth. You may be concerned and even frightened about the pain of the actual birth, wonder about contractions and how they feel, and be impatient in expectation for the big day to finally arrive.

While you wait for your little one to make its way down the birth canal and your cervix to start dilating, you can take action as well to prepare your body for the delivery. What can you do? To start, you can drink loose leaf red raspberry tea. This tea is known to help strengthen the muscles of the pelvic floor and induce labor. While not medically proven, it is widely used by midwives throughout the world, and if you are ready to meet your little one sooner, why not try?

At around 35 weeks, it is time to start thinking about tearing, episiotomies and how you may be able to avoid them. An episiotomy is a surgical cut in the muscular area between the vagina and the anus (the area called the perineum) made just before delivery to enlarge your vaginal opening. Buy almond oil and start with tri-weekly perineum massage. You may need to engage your partner in this activity, for it may be challenging to reach your perineum area with a big prego belly..

To help speed along the arrival of your baby you can try to help your pelvis to open up by bouncing on a birth (aka Pilate’s) ball with your legs spread apart, or walk up stairs two at a time; it is said that taking a long walk can help, as well as swimming (belly down); having sex is another way to help speed things along. There are many other tricks to induce labor you can try, but your best bet is to enjoy the time you have of your life as you know it pre baby and let your baby do what’s best for him.

Have an easy delivery!

When you think of your pregnancy, or your baby, you don’t commonly consider the changes that your body will endure in the process. Yes, you expect your belly to grow, but once you deliver you also wish for your body back and your baby belly to disappear. After all, you delivered, the baby is no longer inside and therefore your belly should go back to its normal state. Right? Well, not quite…it may take a little while.

Your genes (go ask you Mother about her experience to know what your starting point is!), along with your diet and lifestyle will dictate how your body will act post delivery. There is no magic wand to help you get your flat belly back (be true to yourself, was it really flat before the pregnancy?), and no way around having to exercise. Do so only after your doctor clears you to, after your six weeks postpartum check up.

Stretch marks appear due to stretching of your skin during pregnancy. If you have stretch marks, they are probably purple red in color. They will fade to some degree, but a scar will remain. If you absolutely can not live with these scars, wait for at least one year before you consider surgery. Tanning helps in some cases too.

Your breasts will endure the most dramatic change. During pregnancy you may have noticed that your breasts have increased in size. After delivery they enlarge even more due to your milk coming in. If you are breastfeeding you may also experience nipple pains such as cracking, engorgement of your breasts and leaking. These conditions will stabilize within a month or so. Just be patent and use lanolin or another ointment to relive the pain.

After nine month without experiencing your period, it may take you by surprise that you are bleeding so heavily and for so long after you give birth. Lochia (postpartum bleeding) usually lasts 4-8 weeks. This is normal. Your body is cleaning itself and unless you are passing through large clots of blood, there is no reason to be alarmed. The bleeding will get less intense and the red color will change to a brownish one. During this time use heavy duty pads. Do not use tampons.

Yes, things change after having a baby, your body included. Embrace the changes you approve of or cannot control (like sleepless nights with your baby and new emotions of love), and take action to change the ones you disapprove of (maybe start exercising to get your pre pregnancy shape back).

Pregnancy is a miraculous thing. The formation of new life is fascinating, and if you follow your pregnancy week-by-week, you’ll find that this change in your life includes more than just morning sickness  and doctor visits, right from the beginning.

Each woman experiences pregnancy differently, but each woman can experience difference with each subsequent pregnancy as well. Therefore, asking your friends and family about their pregnancies may not help you understand your own, because it is likely you’ll have a very unique experience with only a few shared similarities.

Throughout your pregnancy you will see( should see) your obstetric/gynecologist regularly, so make sure you are satisfied with him/her. If you aren’t, take the time to find another health professional for the duration of your pregnancy. Prenatal visits are important for monitoring your baby’s health and development as well as your own health. Throughout your pregnancy you will be asked to take several different prenatal tests – all aimed at ensuring your pregnancy is progressing properly. Genetic testing may be done depending on yours and your family’s health history.

Some very Common pregnancy problems include nausea, fatigue, mood changes, vaginal discharge, fluid retention, back and leg pains, diarrhea, dizziness, gas, headaches, heartburn, insomnia, hemorrhoids, sinus problems. These discomforts may or may not affect you. There is no way to foresee which pregnancy related issues may affect you, nor is there a way to prevent them. Therefore, it is best to not worry about what could happen. Remember that pregnancy problems are usually not severe and in most cases will disappear after the delivery. If you do suffer from any of the symptoms above or happen to be blessed with multiple issues – you should know that there are ways to minimize your discomfort. Talk to your doctor about your symptoms for a solution.

A pregnancy is not an illness. You can continue your life almost as you have before, as long as you are healthy and lead a healthy lifestyle. If you had engaged in regular exercise before pregancy, you can continue exercising until your doctor tells you otherwise. You may want to consider prenatal yoga. What you should change once you find out your pregnant is your diet. Avoid raw meats, seafood, raw eggs, high mercury fish, soft cheese, caffeine and more. Learn about what foods you should avoid and speak to your doctor about any questions you may have.

You should know that most pregnancies do not involve complications and even if you suffer from discomforts, they do not have to take over your life and ruin this miraculous experience for you. Expect for the best, but be flexible and learn to accept whatever comes your way. This nine months journey may be overwhelming at times, but it is temporary, and at its end you will meet your baby and your life will change forever…

A pregnancy takes its tall on your body in different ways. One of which includes the changes in your skin. Some of which include acne, melasma (also known as “mask of pregnancy”), pregnancy glow, Varicose veins, Spider veins, Linea nigra, stretch marks and other more or less pleasant changes. Not all women experience changes to their skin, but it is likely to occur, more so to lighter skinned women.

Stretch marks, also called striae gravidarum, are caused by excessive stretching of the skin accompanied by hormone changes. The hormone relaxin, that causes collagen levels in skin fibers to drop, makes the skin more vulnerable to getting stretch marks. The type of extreme stretching of the skin mostly happens during the third trimester, though it can happen earlier.

Pregnancy related stretch marks will usually develop on the abdomen, though it is common to get them on the buttocks, hips, breasts and thighs as well.  Therefore, if you choose to use lotion / butter / other products in attempt to avoid getting them, make sure you ‘attack’ all the above areas at minimum.

Will lotions and the like make a difference?

It is said that cocoa butter, vitamin E and alpha hydroxy acids lotions and other products are helpful in preventing the appearance of stretch marks. As of today, no method is medically proven to have a direct effect on the appearance of stretch marks, so don’t expect miracles. At the same time, it never hurts to try – at a bare minimum (no pun intended) these lotions may help relive the itchiness of the skin caused by the excessive stretching.

Who will get them?

Your genetic make up is key in knowing weather or not you should expect stretch marks, and if so, how sever they may be. However, your lifestyle and diet may have an impact on the elasticity of your skin as well.

If all else fails, you can be comforted by the fact that with time your stretch marks will fade to some degree. Tanning will help conceal them as well. But simply accepting them as a part of the changes you had to go through on your way to motherthood is the best approach..

It really isn’t that bad, to be truthful. Maternity clothes have come a long way since we were where in the womb, and there are so many choices, styles, and directions you can take your maternity wardrobe these days.

First of, you should know that you will not need maternity clothes right away. After all, it will take time for your belly to grow, and for the rest of your body to change in preparation for both the pregnancy and the birth. In other words, there is no need to go shopping for maternity clothes the moment you find out about the pregnancy. Give yourself and your partner time to digest the news before you redo your closet.

You will know when you need to widen your wardrobe (usually closer to the end of the first trimester if not later). When you (and your changing body) are ready to shop for maternity clothes, you want to take a minute before running to the store and look at yourself in the mirror.

Consider the fact that your body will go through a series of changes – it will both expand and contract again and so you will want a wardrobe that can keep with all these changes.  Therefore, keep in mind that you will be wearing your maternity clothes while you are pregnant AND for a while after you give birth.

Considering all these changes you want to look for maternity clothes of a good quality, which will retain their elasticity and still look good as you return to your pre-pregnancy shape. If you are planning to breastfeed, it will also be smart to plan ahead and buy maternity tops and dresses that are also designed for discreet nursing.

In all likelihood, you will be in your maternity clothes for about nine months to a year, and you may need two different sizes (one for earlier in the pregnancy and later after the birth, the other for your last trimester and right after the birth). So plan accordingly when you start expanding your wardrobe.

When we were about eight months pregnant, we met friends (a couple with two children) for dinner. We were going to talk about babies, and what we need to have ready before our daughter is born, what to purchase, what to expect, etc. Instead, we dove into a conversation about politics and almost completely neglected the baby topic, which was no big deal since we were having so much fun.

Somehow during desert, we got back on topic long enough to hear one statement that has stayed with me since: “Daddy is always three months behind”. That is, Daddy is three month behind Mommy in understanding and accepting the major changes that are happening in a couple’s life when they are expecting a baby.

Not to say that this statement is absolute, but it made sense to some degree for us, and in different ways to other (but of course not all) couples.

It is natural for the Mom-to-be to realize the changes to come during her pregnancy, for she is carrying the baby for the duration of the pregnancy and by that possibly even developing a connection with her unborn baby. For Dad-to-be, it could be harder to connect or even to comprehend that a big change is to come. While this difference between man and woman is natural, it does not have to be this way.

It all starts from the womb

You can help your partner in crime, the “Soon to be a Daddy”  have a better grasp on the new life growing inside you, and the changes to come by asking him to join you at the Doctor’s office on your monthly prenatal visits. When the baby is big enough for you to feel kicks, you can have Daddy put his hand on your belly so he can feel the baby kicking as well.

You can look for baby names together, decide on a theme for the baby’s room and prepare a list of things you will need once the baby is born. You can also talk about your birth plan and put together a bag for the hospital in preparation for the big day.

And then you become a parent

The first three months of most babies’ lives revolve around sleeping and eating. Both rocking your newborn to sleep and feeding him are wonderful opportunities for Daddy to bond with the baby. If you are nursing, you can pump and let your partner feed.

As your baby grows, there will be many activities and opportunities for each of you to bond with him, each in your own way. With time, family activities and play, the three months delay will disappear.