Increase Your Odds of Conception
We will cover the best tips to increase your odds of conception in this blog. In my last blog about fertility, I talked about the basics in creating another life by following a love story of a maiden (egg) and her knight (sperm). What is seemingly a simple story that should have a happy ending, has proved to be a more complex task to achieve. At some point in puberty, we find out about the Birds and the Bees through family, friends, health class, reading, pictures, and exploration of our sexuality. Only to realize later in life that what we once believed right about sex and baby-making may have been a rumor or misconstrued by our undeveloped brain. Consequently, we will focus on relearning (and exploring) the birds and the bees once more (with our adult brain) to create the optimal chances of conception. Now that we understand the HOW, let’s explore the ways to increase your odds of a successful, healthy conception Humor me and increase your odds of conception Pretend you are about to grow your food in your yard by your own hands. Let’s consider the necessary steps needed before starting this project: Decide on the types of crops that will grow in your area Understand how a growing season plays out Become familiar with different kinds of food crops Develop a farm plan on the land you intend to use Plan your storage method Determine benefits vs. cost Begin the project in stages Break ground FERTILIZE soil, lay off rows Place seeds in the furrow at the precise depth Cultivate crops when needed Watch for insects & animals that may damage plants Harvest and preserve If you’ve ever actually tended your garden, you are well-aware of the time, effort, money, blood, sweat, and tears associated. The steps I’ve listed were fundamental. Nonetheless, a lot of thought and time goes into this process. If we don’t take these steps seriously, one by one, we may not get the best outcome. Maybe only half the crops thrive, or perhaps nothing will grow at all. If this were another time, we could starve. Let’s put that into perspective when pondering “growing a human.” If possible, consider a version of the steps above before “planting the human seed.” Starting with a healthy egg and sperm. Therefore, we need healthy parents-to-be. Incidentally, it’s never too late to boost the health of the embryo-fetus-baby, so don’t slack off after pregnancy is achieved. Both Partners can help increase your odds of conception I know it is difficult to make changes to your lifestyle, but this is where you want to invest in your future mini-me. By creating the healthiest versions of yourselves, you’ll ensure the best possible outcome and create a baby ready to fight off germs. Spend some time doing inventory on your eating habits, exercise, vitamins, mental health, relationship health, finances, and work-life balance for a few weeks before any radical changes. Once you can pinpoint areas that need adjusting, start slow. Too much at once can make you throw in the towel before giving it an honest attempt. Remember, it takes four months to cycle a new healthier egg and sperm. Start with these tips: Get a check-up with your regular doctor and obstetrician-gynecologist and talk about your desire to get pregnant. Ask for STD (sexually transmitted disease) testing, even if you think you’re safe. Consider a detox Aim for the fertility diet: Avoid soy, eat organic when possible, eat foods in their most natural state, decrease meat consumption, favor veggie sources of protein, eat good fats (olive, flax, nut, fish & coconut oil) avoid dangerous fats (hydrogenated, vegetable fat, hardened vegetable fat, trans fat), use clarified butter/ghee or coconut oil when cooking and filtered water. Foods to improve sperm; banana, tomato, garlic, apples, cashew nuts, pomegranates, avocados, asparagus, pumpkin seeds, and oysters. Start taking quality vitamins that include; zinc, selenium, magnesium, calcium, b6, b12, folic acid, vitamin c, omega three fats, vitamin d3 Exercise Reduce risk factors; smoking, drinking, street drugs, medications, caffeine, environmental hazards, stress, dangerous behaviors, etc. Did you know? Sperm disorders contribute to 40% of infertility. One cup of coffee per day decreases the chance of fertility by 55%. Women who drank coffee before and during pregnancy had 2x the miscarriage rate. One glass of alcohol can reduce fertility by 50%. Light smoking in men can reduce sperm quality and motility. Heavy smoking in men can change the shape of sperm (which makes sperm swim incorrectly- missing their mark). Men who quit smoking for 5+ months before conceiving can increase sperm count by 800%. 60% of infertility could be corrected with STD medication. If only one partner is treated for an STD, he or she will reinfect the other. Yeast is an STD. Trans fats can increase infertility by 70%. Trans fats are used to extend shelf life, eat fresh. Animal-derived estrogens can decrease fertility. Dairy accounts for 60-70% of estrogens consumed. By devoting time and effort into designing your best selves, you’ll be able to increase the odds of conception, the vitality of a pregnancy, the immune system of your baby, and as parents you’ll be in a better position to fight germs and keep up with the little one. Win-win!! Read the next fertility blog to dive deeper into causes and overcoming infertility. Happy Parenting-to-be!
Chow Time with Kids
Chow time with kids can go either way. Every day is a new adventure with the fickle offspring. For a parent, planning and preparing meals is likely a daunting task and can make for tension around mealtimes. Finding what pleases everyone in a family could make you wish for a chef. Kids have a love-hate relationship with food. Have you ever noticed how fast their favorite meal this week is the hated one next week? When you think you’ve found a mealtime pattern of happiness, those little monsters go switching things up. In our house, a favorite saying is, “Which way is the wind blowing today?” Meaning, do you like bananas (or some other food) or not? I still say this to my 13-year-old-eye roll! I’ll be honest here, with almost 32 years of experience raising 7-of-those-that-make-us-question-everything, I found no magic that has them approve or disapprove a specific food. Nor have I concocted any spell that makes my offspring try everything I put in front of them. The best tip I learned, by default; The busier I was the less I worried about what they were eating. Don’t worry; I didn’t let them starve or eat ring dings (are they even still around?) for breakfast. I always put out a plate of nutritionally balanced food and prayed for the best. Sometimes I was lucky and other times, not so much. Depending on my hustle of the day, I may choose to fight about chow time with kids or let it go. No Perfection Here Truthfully, I raised my children in a home where we offered foods in their most natural state as possible-most of the time. We belonged to CSA’s, planted food in our yard, had reciprocal bounty sharing with friends, went to Farmer’s Markets, frequented health food stores, and tried to teach the brood how crucial healthy food was to our existence. There was no perfect parenting, though! We still had the occasional fast food stop, boxed food night, or indulgent dessert. We did our best to instill good choices with balance as they evolved into young adults. We were hoping that we inspired enough for them to make healthy decisions throughout their lives. From infancy through adulthood, each child had their food quirks. As you probably have figured by now, it’s impossible to keep those youngsters in a bubble. They quickly learn all about the foods you’re trying to limit, from friends and other family members or commercials and society in general. Nevermind attending another little one’s birthday party, complete with all the processed, food dye, deep-fried, sugar-laden carbs you can find. So What’s a Parent to Do? My current binge-watching TV show is set in the 1700s, and while it may not be a perfect depiction, I have been observing how the children were parented. Good, bad, or indifferent-who knows? I will attest that 300 years ago when it was mealtime, everyone sat together and had a bowl or plate with the same food. Chow time with kids was no different. Either they ate what they had or went hungry. Sounds simple, right? As with all things parenting by today’s standards, we put too much time effort and energy into overthinking childrearing-including feeding them. Maybe if we had chores from sun up to sun down like those yesteryears, we wouldn’t be helicopter parents. Those families had no time to worry about everything little Billy did all day long. Plus, those children had chores a good portion of the time as well, even at 4-5-6 years old. So, for the sake of simplicity, why not back off? Keep a regular mealtime plan, limit the options, set down a colorful plate of whole foods, and go about your own business. No conversation about food, no debate, no switching anything-just plain old “this is what you get!” What’s the worst that could happen? Hungry kid, temper tantrum, wasted food, arguments amongst adults or with child-or both? All manageable. Enough hunger and eventually, they would concede the battle. Just In Case; For Chow Time with Kids Besides the “back off” method, I do have a few tips I found helpful through the years. Some worked better on one tot or another, but overall these were successful resolutions for chow time with kids. Stick to a routine whenever possible. Kids thrive on a predictable day. Avoid letting the tykes snack an hour before dinner. Hungrier is better. Encourage building an appetite. Outside play, chores, exercise, or just dancing can burn extra calories and ensure they will eat when they’re at the table. Make the ambiance upbeat. Have a pleasant meal conversation. Save any heated discussions for after mealtime. Give a warning message, bell, music, etc. 10 minutes before the kid needs to eat. They don’t like to disrupt playtime, and this will help make the transition. Enlist the help of those that will be eating. Even simple things for smaller ones like carry the cups to the table. Keep distractions out of the eating area, including all screens, toys, mail, homework, movies, etc. Please don’t force them to clean their plate. Whatever the little ones finish is a windfall. Give a set time limit that everyone has to stay at the table (10-15 minutes is okay- just be consistent). Remind them it is family time. No negotiating or bribing. It sets you up for more problems in the long run. Make an appropriate sized plate. Use the 1 tablespoon per age rule in the early years. For example, a 2-year-old would get 2 tablespoons worth of chicken, vegetables, and rice; 3 TBS for a 3-year-old, 4 TBS for a 4-year-old, you get the drift. Limit beverages at mealtimes and keep it to water only. Be a good role model. Try not to show your displeasure with food around the children. You can share the things that don’t tickle your palate at another time. Don’t buy junk. Or, if you do, keep it hidden. Kids don’t NEED cookies, soda, and donuts
