6 Tips for Trying to Conceive During The Holidays

These tips for trying to conceive during the holidays is a sponsored conversation from Mums The Word Network and The Stork OTC. All opinions are my own.

It’s no secret that we’ve always wanted more than one child. My husband and I both grew up with siblings and don’t know what it’s like to be an only child. It took us years to come to that decision after having Tatiana. Kids of course are a handful but ultimately we knew that we wanted Tatiana to have siblings

Getting pregnant the second time around was hard, harder than I ever imagined it would be. We spent months trying to conceive. Those months turned something so beautiful into what we thought at the time was the most stressful time of our lives. We desperately wanted another child but for some reason we just couldn’t seem to make it happen.

We gave up. After 8 months of trying to conceive, we just stopped trying. Trying to conceive turned into a chore for us and it wasn’t fun anymore. We were both stressed and we knew that the stress wasn’t good for our bodies or our family. Once we gave up on trying, that’s when it happened.

We were almost at the 1-year mark of trying to conceive when we found out that I was pregnant with Tristan. It was one of the most happiest days of our lives. Tatiana was thrilled to be a big sister. We were so happy to be blessed with a beautiful baby boy that worked so hard for. Now that he’s gone, things are different now. We go back and forth between having more children and not. It’s a tough decision to make after what we’ve been through. How do you decide to have another baby after knowing what the possibilities are? It’s rough. Ultimately we want to make the right decision for our family. We’ve prayed on it. We’ve talked about it as a family multiple times.

We’ve even asked Tristan for guidance.

In our hearts we know that having another baby is something that we want so we’re taking the steps to make it happen. I’m sharing our story with you today in hopes that if you’re in the same situation that we’re in, this helps you. Trying to conceive, especially during the holidays, isn’t easy so I’m sharing some tips about the process we’re taking.

6 Tips for Trying to Conceive During The Holidays

1. Talk to your partner.

The first step before we decided to even try to conceive was talk to each other. After losing a baby, deciding to have another one is truly a hard decision. It takes strength, courage, hope, and faith to move forward. Talking to each other is important because you need to know that you’re both on the same page. We’ve talked about having another baby more times than I can count. We had to decide not only that we wanted another baby but why. Once our decision was made and we knew that we were on the same page, we were ready to take the next step.

2. Talk to your doctor.

Your doctor should be involved in all of your baby making decisions. Why? Your doctor is responsible not only for your health during your pregnancy but your baby’s as well. One of our biggest concerns about having another baby was having another baby born with congenital anomalies. Tristan was born with over a dozen. Yes, a dozen of them. We had no idea that he would be born with so many. Prior to his birth, we only knew of 1.

Although we know that there are certain things that you just can’t avoid, we knew that we had to talk to our team of doctors first before we could make any decisions about growing our family. So we made appointments, lots of them. We did testing, blood work, physicals, pretty much anything that you could think of to make sure that we were in good condition to move forward with our decision.

Before you talk to your doctor you should make a note of anything in your family’s history that might concern you or any current health conditions you or your partner may have. Think about whether or not you may want to undergo genetic testing prior to conceiving to find out if you and your partner are carriers for any genetic disorders.

3. Eat a healthy diet and take vitamins.

This one goes for both you and your partner. Start eating a healthy diet filled with protein, fruits, and vegetables. Dairy is an important part of a good diet too. Personally, I know that a large amount of carbs and sweets are out of the question for me because gestational diabetes is always waiting for me once I get pregnant. Vitamins are important when you’re trying to conceive. They will help you get your daily nutrients needed. Talk to your doctor about what diet and vitamins are best for you.

4. Know when you’re ovulating.

You should know when you’re ovulating if you’re trying to conceive. You’re the most “fertile” when you’re ovulating. If you keep track of your menstrual cycle then your doctor can help you figure out when you should be ovulating. There are also plenty of apps and ovulation calculator tools out there.

5. Consider using The Stork OTC.

If you’re unable to conceive naturally, The Stork OTC may be a good alternative for you. It’s an at-home medical device, found in Target’s family planning section next to the ovulation kits, that can be used at home when trying to conceive. Perfect, right?

6. Don’t let the stress of the holidays stress you out.

Stress is the last thing that you need when trying to conceive. Stress can actually hinder your chances of conceiving. Relax and enjoy the baby making process. Let the stress go!

To learn more about The Stork OTC and trying to conceive during the holidays, join in on the Twitter party on December 21^st at 8pm EST using #gettingpregnant and #stockotc. See you there!