Where to start??

[Tyler]

Hi girls,

We are looking to start TTC in the next 3 or so months. I've heard you should start taking folic acid, and someone else suggested both going & being fully checked out by our doctors. Would you recommend this?

Anything else I should know? I've heard there is only a couple of days of the month you can actually fall pregnant?

Thanks heaps :wave:

[OopsieDaisy]

Welcome.
It doesn't hurt to see a Dr, but it isn't necessary if you are fairly healthy.
As for falling preg, you need to work out when you are fertile and ovulating if you are serious about TTC, otherwise sit back, take the relaxed approach and enjoy the ride :D

[My Miracle Baby]

I fully recommend going and seeing your doctor before falling pregnant. I had a blood test to make sure my rubella immunity and other things (eg liver and kidneys) was okay. They may also do a pap smear if you haven't had one recently, check your breasts and other womens health things to make sure you are in tip top condition for having a baby. If your immunity to rubella isn't up to scratch, they may give you an injection and I know you have to wait for about 2-3 months after this before you can start trying to conceive. It is also a good opportunity to talk to them, ask questions about pregnancy.

In terms of vitamins, I took elevit pregnancy multivitamins before I started trying. I got this from the chemist. It has folate in it.

I also started to try and eat healthy (lots of fruit and veges) and tried to change bad habits (eg avoiding too much alcohol, caffeine etc) before I even got to the point where I was trying to conceive.

I also bought some books on pregnancy and fertility to start reading up on what you should and shouldn't do when TTC and they also give you tips on how to increase your chances of conceiving.

I wish you all the very best in your journey :)

[Kirst]

I agree with My Miracle Baby about going to the doc to get your rubella, iron and stuff checked - and the dreaded pap smear. That way if there is a low level or something, it can be addressed before you a preggers. Once you're preggers they can't do much.

As for folate, I was recently at the doctor's for another ailment, and we discussed the TTC issue as we are TTC#2. She said that there is recent research that says that you should take pregnancy and breastfeeding vitamin that contains iodine. It assists in the mental development of the baby. She said that research shows that iodine has been shown to increase the child's IQ by about 10 points. That's very significant.

The only pregnancy vitamin that contains iodine is the Blackmore's.

You meake the decision as to which one to take, but I thought that I'd share this little bit of information.
Here's a link if you're interested:
http://www.ranzcog.edu.au/womenshealth/pdfs/OG_IodineInPregnancyAutumn2005.pdf
But if you google any of the keys words you will get enough information to keep you busy.

Good luck. I wish you all the best for your journey. Enjoy it.