Prepping My Body For Pregnancy – Before I Conceive

Prepping our bodies for pregnancy is something that isn’t really prioritized even though it should be! When we think we’re ready to have a baby, we may go to our ObGyn and let them know our thoughts. They may then ask us a few questions to make sure we really are ready and then take us off our birth control. (And if we’re really lucky, they’ll advise us to start taking prenatal’s now). But the truth is, there is so much more “housekeeping” we can be doing to prepare our bodies to be the future home for our little ones. We need to be healthy before we conceive if we want to have a healthy baby.

With my first pregnancy, it came as a shock. I was in no way planning to have him at that point in my life. But once I did find out that I was having a little one (2 months into the pregnancy), I changed my ways dramatically. All the research and lists and vitamins and what to eat and not to eat. I literally went crazy.

God blessed me with a beautiful, healthy baby boy. But I’m no longer in my 20’s. My body doesn’t bounce back the way it did 10 years ago. This next pregnancy, I’m aiming to be healthy going in. The more care we give to our bodies before pregnancy, the easier our pregnancy will be on our bodies, the healthier our baby will be, and the less likely we are to suffer from any postpartum issues.

Of course there are certain things that are out of our control and we cannot guarantee that every baby will always be born healthy, but we can do the best we can on our part to ensure a smooth pregnancy and a happy baby.

I’d like to remind you that I am not a doctor. The advice given below is strictly what I am doing for myself to prepare for pregnancy. Always consult with your own doctor before starting a new routine.

This post may contain affiliate links, all opinions are my own.

Before we get started. Birth control. This is a touchy topic. I don’t personally use birth control, and I never have. Most doctors recommend you come off of it 1 month before trying to conceive, however, I’m not sure sure I feel comfortable relaying that information. I feel that the longer you can be off of it before trying to conceive, the better. But you know your heart best, so do what’s right for you.

But why is prepping your body months ahead of time so important?

I get why you might be asking this question. Our society is so go-go-go, until you’re ready and then boom. There are only a few doctors out there who truly promote a “pre-conception plan”. Which is why we need to be our own advocates sometimes and do a little research ourselves.

My first pregnancy was literally the biggest change my body ever went through. And my second will be the second biggest change my body ever goes through! Don’t you think that deserves a little prepping? You’re going to be growing a life inside of you for 9+ months! That’s incredible!

That’s why I think preparing your body for pregnancy is so important. But what works for me, may not work for you, so again, talk to your doctor.

My first pregnancy was so textbook perfect. I gave up eating everything that I wasn’t allowed and I only let the good stuff enter into my mouth. I literally made an exhaustive list of all the vitamins and nutrients my baby needed and then I cross referenced it with another list that I made that consisted of every food I allowed myself to eat and how much of each nutrient & vitamin was in each food. I’m telling you, I was a little bit crazy. But I took motherhood very seriously, even from the very start. Even with all that I was doing for my body and my baby, I still felt super exhausted and nutrient depleted at times. Thankfully I never actually got sick from my morning sickness, but the nausea (and food aversions) alone can deter you from eating (and getting nutrition into your body). That’s why it’s so important to go into pregnancy with an already healthy body.

So here’s how I’m setting myself up for success!

In many books and articles I’ve read, experts seem to agree that you should start prepping your body a year in advanced. My advice though? It’s never too soon to start prepping. Your body is your temple, and it should always be treated as such.

Schedule an appointment with your Doctor

There are a lot of holistic doctors out there who understand the value of preparing your body for pregnancy before you get pregnant. Even if you don’t want to completely change over to a holistic healing doctor, I recommend finding one for pre-prenatal care.

If you are currently having abnormal period symptoms, talk to a doctor to get this figured out. This is your body’s way of saying something isn’t right. You’ll want to get this figured out and fixed before you grow a baby in there!

Do a Detox

Detoxing is not something you should do while pregnant OR breastfeeding. I do think it’s important to get all of the toxin out of my body though and then start fresh before I attempt to get pregnant. Please realize there is a healthy way to detox, and an unhealthy way to detox. This is why you need to talk to you doctor before figuring out what kind of detox would be best for you.

For me, I wanted to detox from unhealthy products I’ve been using (more information on that below) and well as from any parasites that may be taking home within me. I know this sounds absolutely disgusting, but do you know how many of us are walking around with parasites without even knowing!? A lot. Have you ever eaten sushi? Then yeah, you probably need a parasite detox too.

I think wormwood is the best way to naturally detox. I also do cardio daily (to the point of sweating), as well as dry brushing, drinking acv every night to promote healthy bowel movements, limiting caffeine, filtering my drinking water, installed a shower filter, and drinking 2 liters of water every day.

Eat Healthy

In order to have a smooth pregnancy and a conception that “takes”, we need to be feeding our bodies with nutrients.

We also need to be sure that we’re not starving ourselves. The constant dieting and starvation methods only hurt our fertility and destroy our bodies.

I once went 8 months without getting my period because I was over-working out and under-eating. After that, I went to the doctor because I was concerned and they said that I had destroyed my body so badly they didn’t think I’d ever be able to have another baby.

Maybe that’s another reason I’m starting to prepare my body now. Because I’m here to prove them wrong! (My periods have since become normal again and I’m the healthiest weight I’ve been since high school!).

Not only do I need to be eating more, but I also need to be eating more nutritious foods. When choosing what foods to feed your body, choose a high produce diet (great for vitamins and minerals), as well as legumes, meats, seeds, and even whole grains.

This one may be tough for some, but I think it’s important. I think giving up alcohol now instead of after you find out your pregnant is also one of the healthiest things you can do for your body and fertility. If this is a hard one for you, aim to give it up just 3 months before you start trying.

Take your vitamins

My doctor told me to start taking prenatal’s the moment I consider conceiving. And with all the research that I’ve done, it’s never too early to start. Actually, optimally, you should start taking your prenatal’s 1 year before conception. It takes our bodies a few months to start regulating and restoring our levels, and there’s no harm in taking them sooner.

It’s important that your vitamins have folate, choline, and magnesium in them. If you’re taking a prenatal, you should be covered, however, if you’re taking a multivitamin, consider adding these extra’s into the mix. These are extremely important for a healthy pregnancy and for the healthy development of your baby.

Make sure that you are taking folate and NOT folic acid. Folic acid is not absorbed in our bodies the way folate is.

Change your products

There are actually a lot of products that cause harm to our fertility, and even to our newborn babies. If it’s not healthy for a newborn, what makes it okay for us as adults?

I was never a health nut before, but the past few years have changed me a bit. If you want to create a healthier body, you need to start looking at the products you’ve been using. You may be shocked at how much of an affect they really do have on you.

You should be shopping non-toxic products from here on out.

Think about how many products we use on a daily basis. We have shampoo, makeup, medicine, and even our soaps and laundry detergents.

I’ve linked all of my favorites in the paragraph above, but feel free to do your own research. Just be sure that your products don’t contain xenoestrogens. This is highly harmful to us!

Xenoestrogen is an artificial hormone that disrupts our bodies. This is awful for our hormones and fertility! And I honestly wouldn’t go back to those toxic products, even after having a baby.

I’m not saying that you need to throw everything away and spend hundreds on new products. But start small. When you run out of something, look more closely at the ingredient list the next time you go to refill it.

Read Books

This book literally changed my life. Next on my list is this book; if I’ve piqued your interest with the holistic wellness, you’ll love it! One other book I want to mention is this one; this is a great smoothie recipe book specifically for pre-conception, pregnancy and babies. It will help you get in all the nutrients you need, while also being palatable for those times that you don’t feel like eating.

Listen to Podcasts

There are so many great podcasts out there to listen to! Whether you’re thinking about conceiving, currently pregnant, or already a mom, there are just so many good ones to listen to.

Start planning now

There are a few things that you need to make sure you’re life is ready for when it comes to having a baby. Sometimes people get too excited over the fact that they’re having a baby (or ready to start trying for a baby), that they overlook small & big life details. Having a baby is the biggest thing you will ever do in your life. That baby is going to be with you forever. My life will never go back to being the same that it was pre-baby.

And if you already have a child and are having another one, even that is going to be a change. Having your first vs having your second are two totally different experiences.

Some things you may want to start planning for: the type of car you’ll need, how much it will cost (don’t forget pregnancy & delivery), how your work-life will change, how much savings you’ll need, how strong your relationship is. Good luck on your journey!

Until next time, Lauren Elizabeth xx

Everything is possible from here.