Since my husband and I started planning for a family, I have been doing research on fertility and tracking my cycle. There are old-fashioned (tried and true) methods such as taking your temperature every day (immediately upon waking). I’m doing this, but with my erratic sleep schedule, it’s proving hard to do. I think the best aspect of taking my temperature will be when my temp stays raised once I’ve conceived, letting me know sooner than later that I’m pregnant.
On the advice from a good friend, I bought the Clear Blue Easy Fertility Monitor to track my cycle. And, it’s really cool. Basically, I pee on a stick every morning, insert the stick into the machine, and get a reading for my daily fertility. It’s fun, especially when I see the little egg symbol meaning that it’s the right time to try if we’re ready. It’s not an inexpensive gadget (the sticks you have to keep buying or the monitor) but I decided it was worth it. If we decide to have more than one baby, I’ll use it again. And, when the time comes, I’ll pass it on to someone else to use.
The reason I started using it now is because it can take a couple of months to “learn” your cycle and because I was dying to know if an egg would show up. Whew! It did! The Amazon reviews on the Clear Blue Easy Fertility Monitor are terrific, check them out. Some things I’ve learned so far are 1) make sure you use the first pee of the morning and 2) pee for a full three seconds on the stick (count 1-Mississippi, 2-Mississippi, 3-Mississippi).
Other things I’m doing for pregnancy prep:
1. Researching various topics such as breastfeeding, vaccines, and homebirth
2. Finding a midwife and doula
3. Trying (and checking) into different pre-natal options for those times I might need extra help if I think my diet lacks on a particular day, or when traveling
4. Eating extra healthy (lots of plant blood, extra protein, etc) Obviously being HRAV (high raw, all vegan) gives me a great advantage because this lifestyle is already extra healthy.
5. Eliminating toxins from my life (hair, body, home)
6. Putting on a couple extra pounds so I’m at a healthy weight for getting pregnant
7. Researching supplementation of B-complex and DHA
Many other things…
haha… had to update you with something Raw and fun. It’s night time and I was craving cookies BIG TIME so this is what I did. Not even measuring, I tossed the following into my food processor and processed until coarsely ground: soaked and dehydrated buckwheat groats, almonds and pecans, dried unsweetened coconut, cinnamon, nutmeg, Himalayan crystal salt, and cacao nibs. Then, I added currants and dried cherries and processed it until it was mixed well. Voila! Took me about 3 minutes to make a HUGE bowl of it which will last for well over a week (maybe! haha). Anytime I get a craving, I simply open up my refrigerator and take a few spoonfuls! YUM!