How To Get Pregnant Fast. Five Steps I Took To Get Pregnant

This post was written right after I got my BFP (big fat positive) home pregnancy test. It's fun to look back after everything is said and done. After waiting and waiting for our rainbow baby (that's what a baby after miscarriage or stillbirth is called), it's so crazy that he is finally here. We are so happy! Read on to find out what I did differently the month before I found out I was pregnant. I made a few lifestyle changes and got pregnant fast!

More about my infertility and miscarriages right here on Babytalk! Infertility: Reducing the Stigma

Oh my god! I just took a test and it's positive...I'm talking about a pregnancy test. It's actually positive. Not one of those "I have to squint and tilt it into the light" positives. No, it's actually a positive pregnancy test. EEEEEEEKK, I'm freaking out!!!

Our Journey To a Healthy Pregnancy

These are the things I changed this month during our journey to a healthy pregnancy.

#1: I Worked Out

I've been working out every day, doing something called Tabata Yoga, which is more aerobic style yoga with more intense poses.  I took a course taught by Sadie Nardini, it's over on DailyOM and I absolutely loved it! (this is not a paid ad, I just loved the course). I also try to go walking every day. Staying active and healthy was my goal. Not only to conceive but to improve my overall health and self-esteem. I've never been crazy good at working out, but there's always room for improvement, right?

#2: I Eliminated My Main Vice: Caffeine

I cut out caffeine completely. Now, anyone who knows me knows how much I love coffee. I probably could drink it all day. Oh, how I love it. Originally when we started trying for a baby I had cut my caffeine intake significantly, I allowed myself one cup in the morning. But, as the months went on and I wasn't getting pregnant (or I lost the pregnancy), the coffee intake started creeping up. Last month I was still having about 2-3 cups a day. Plus a tea at night, and sometimes a diet coke. Oh, and lots and lots of chocolate. I wanted to get pregnant fast, so I knew I couldn't keep it up. This month I cut it cold turkey! I still allow myself a cup of decaf coffee in the morning. Just as a ritual.

What's The Evidence?

The evidence is mixed on whether caffeine is harmful to fertility or not. Right now, doctors recommend a maximum of 200-300 mg a day which is one big cup. My thought was, if there is any risk, why even take that risk. Everyone's body is different, what if my body can't handle that amount of caffeine? I just decided to skip it completely. Cutting it out sucked. I really felt like crap for the first three to four days. I was groggy, had a headache all the time and was just plain irritable. But it got way better after that! Once my body was over the initial shock of quitting caffeine, I felt amazing! It was probably a combination of everything I was doing differently, but I was sleeping better, I had way more energy and just had an overall good feeling, enjoying life to the fullest. Don't get me wrong, I'll probably transition back to regular coffee after the pregnancy, but it was actually much easier to quit than I thought. You can do it too!

#3: I Changed My Eating Habits

The other thing I did differently this month was eating healthy. I'm typically a pretty healthy eater, but this month I went all out. I didn't allow much in the way of sugar. No ice cream, cookies, chocolate (more caffeine in that), etc. Instead, I had lots of fruit and nuts and raisins. I ate a ton of salads and cut out a lot of soy in my diet (I'm vegetarian). I only ate food with ingredients I understood, I decreased the amount of carbs I was eating and I stayed away from fast foods. Nothing fancy really! I'm no scientist and have no idea whether my choices are backed up by science. I just wanted to clean up my diet. It's good for me, so I thought what the heck! It must be good for optimal fertility as well.

#4: I Practiced Meditation and Visualization

More from Babytalk: Expectful. Meditation for Fertility, Pregnancy and Motherhood

I meditated every day and thought positively about everything. I made up secret names for my unborn babies and talked to them. It sounds hokey pokey, but I believe in it 100%. I love, love, love the meditation app from Expectful! It's amazingly helpful if you've never meditated before. When I meditated I thought about where in my cycle I was, so for example before ovulation I thought about my ovaries and asked them to release a healthy egg. When I was in the luteal phase (when the embryo is starting to develop), I thought about how I wanted it to implant in my uterine lining. Basically, just using imagery to actively get my body to work properly. Oh my goodness!! My period is actually supposed to start tomorrow and I was planning on testing in a couple of days. But I just couldn't wait, I had to pee on a stick.

#5: I Tracked My Cycle

I've been tracking my cycle for about a year and a half. I use the Glow app which helped me pinpoint when I was ovulating. I also used a bunch of ovulation sticks. Usually, I started using them at about day ten of my cycle until I got a strong positive. It's most important to have sex on the days leading up to ovulation.

Read about all the sticks I've peed on! How to Pee on A Stick: Adventures in Trying to Conceive.

After I had been tracking my cycle for a while, I was able to feel when I was ovulating. Usually, I got a bit more bloated and felt some mild pain in my ovaries. Also, watch out for that cervical mucus! When you have that super stretchy, egg-white looking type stuff, it's GO time. That stuff will keep the sperm alive the longest and is usually present a day or two BEFORE ovulation. That's when you want to have the most fun in the bedroom. I'm talking about sex here people. :) Once you have a strong positive on your ovulation test strip, you'll probably ovulate within the next 12-48 hours. That's when you want to get busy! And I mean busy in the bedroom. That's code for sex. In the TTC community (trying to conceive) it's also called baby dancing!

We Actually Got Pregnant FAST!

I really don't have many symptoms, just about the same as my premenstrual symptoms. My boobs always hurt before my period. I did notice that they hurt way more the last couple of days. But that's about it! I'm actually pregnant, this is happening. It's such a mix of emotions. I'm going to try to take it a day at a time and hope for the best. With my history of loss and my age, anything can happen. But for now, I am pregnant.