Pregnancy Diary – November 2016

I’ve mentioned it before in a previous blog post, but I can’t stress enough how important it is to consider your pre-conception health before trying to conceive…so that’s why my pregnancy diary starts here!

Towards the back end of 2016 we were finally in a position to start trying to conceive again! And, when I say we were ready, we really were ready…

  • We’d waited for the test results on my placenta and Jiya’s post-mortem. Both were inconclusive and didn’t reveal a cause for her death.
  • I’d undergone surgery for a uterine septum and completed the follow up hormone treatment to regenerate the lining of the womb.
  • We’d completed a few sessions of counselling to deal with all of our losses. In actual fact, the conselling confirmed to us that we were already pretty good at communicating and had done 80% of the work on our own to come to terms with everything that had happened over the previous few years. This actually felt really reassuring.
  • I’d started weekly Chinese acupuncture 2 months before trying to conceive. My acupuncturist usually recommends 3 months of acupuncture before trying to conceive, but as this wasn’t my first pregnancy with supporting acupuncture, I felt like 2 months was sufficient. For those that haven’t heard me bang on about it before, I’m a real advocate for Chinese acupuncture. It was recommended to me after my 6th miscarriage and I connected with it immediately. I was told that it’s purpose is to re-balance/remove blockages in your body’s flow of energy (Qi). I left my first ever session feeling like I could sleep for a week, indeed I did sleep amazingly well every night that week! I felt extremely relaxed during and after each session I had, so if it did nothing else but help me de-stress and relax, it was worth it. But my acupuncturist was noticing things that I would never have been able to spot, such as a change in my pulse. When I went for my initial consultation, she really really struggled to find my pulse and was shocked that for someone so young and (relatively) fit, the pulse was so weak. After a good few months of treatment, she was able to find a strong pulse within seconds, meaning some of the blockages had been removed, blood flow improved and energy increased. I can’t vouch for those claims, but I do know that it makes a difference for me and I wouldn’t be without it in this or any future pregnancy. Learn more about Traditional Chinese Medicine or find an acupuncturist near you.
  • I’d started my pre-natal medications and supplements 2-3 months before trying to conceive. This included a daily pregnancy vitamin (containing folic acid), omega 3, 2 vitamin D supplements (as I already have low Vit D) and baby aspirin (due to a blood clotting condition I get in pregnancy). I’d been told to start these before conception, so I did.
  • I’d also had a few sessions of Bowen therapy from a family friend, Vera. This was new to me, in fact I’d never even heard of it before Vera offered me a treatment. I found this therapy absolutely fascinating!! Vera did some small movements, some felt like pinches, on targeted parts of the body – in my case around my lower back and coccyx and upper thigh/bum cheek. It was really odd, but enlightening. One side of my body was much more tender and I could feel my body tighten every time she touched that side, but I was fine when she touched the other side. Hovering her hand over my uterus, Vera felt it’s energy. I’d only had 2 sessions and Vera said my body was ready to have a baby and that it wouldn’t be long at all til I was pregnant. Time would tell…and true to her word, 2 months later I was indeed pregnant. Vera also recommended I take a supplement called Royal Jelly. Having done my research into the supplement, both Sukhie and I decided to start taking it. I don’t claim to understand and am unable to prove it’s role in supporting fertility, but I can point you in the direction of some facts, just click here, so you can decide for yourself if it is something you wish to consider or discuss with your Doctor when trying to conceive.
  • We’d tweaked our diet so it was full of good, fresh, nutritious, fertility friendly foods and fresh juices. I followed some of the teachings/recipes in a book by Zeta West, called Eat Yourself Pregnant.  You can read a summary of the key factors in the book in this article.
  • I’d reduced my stress and hectic lifestyle by leaving work. It sounds drastic doesn’t it, but when you’ve tried everything, sometimes you need to tackle the elephant in the room – stress! I never thought I was that stressed at work, but Sukhie would totally disagree with that statement. On top of a demanding role, managing a team and pursuing my own career interests, I had a daily 2.5-hour round-trip commute to and from work. I can look back now and say, without hesitation, that eliminating all of this was just what the doctor ordered.
  • And…we’d just returned from a spiritual holiday to India, were regularly practising mindfulness and had ultimate faith in God. We felt good. We were in a good place. And we didn’t put any pressure on ourselves, we trusted that what was to be, would be.

All of this, coupled with an open mind, positive outlook and being at peace with whatever was to come, we really were in the best position to begin the next chapter on our journey to parenthood. And as I mentioned above, just 2 months later, we were pregnant!

Believe good things

Though I haven’t tried these, I’ve had people recommend stomach massage, caster oil compress’, Chinese herbs, cupping and acupressure, as well as ovulation monitoring/charting. And there’s also advice from the NHS on things to consider when planning a pregnancy.

Hopefully this blog post provides some food for thought for those looking to embark on another pregnancy. It is just my experience, but it’s worked for me and I wanted to share it in the hope it helps someone else…please feel free to message me for more information or advice if you need it.

It’s worth saying, as with anything, it’s best to discuss with your doctor or consultant and research fully before trying out any new treatment or combination of treatments. What works for one person, may not make any difference to another. So, see what feels right for you based on your particular needs/concerns.

…to be continued. Coming soon – Getting that positive pregnancy test!