Before anything else, here's a disclaimer:

I am not an expert, I have no pregnancy background experience as this is my first time and  it doesn't mean these planning tips will work the same to everyone. I just want to share to you guys what we did and how it worked on us.

I am currently 5 months and 2 weeks pregnant as of writing this post. My OB told us that she is 60% sure that my baby will be a girl. I was 4 months pregnant by then. She's asking us to come back by next month when I am already 6 months preggo so we can all be sure of the baby's gender.

Family & friends' usual reaction to my pregnancy is that: "wow, anbilis nyo!" - which is true. Even us were surprised that we were able to conceive that fast. Not that we didn't plan it at all. But we did not expect it to be that fast either - in less than a month to be quite exact.. We got married on October 17 and the last first day of my menstruation was Nov.9.  So yeah... honeymoon baby it is.

Are you a hopeful wife trying to get pregnant? Planning your pregnancy is very important. This is to avoid miscarriage and to ensure yours and your baby's health. Check out below the pregnancy plan we did:

A screenshot of my Period Tracker App.

1. CALENDAR PERIOD TRACKER

I have this period tracker mobile app installed in my phone waaay before we got married. I have it in my phone for I don't really know how long. Probably a year or more than that. Not that I was planning my pregnancy that early - HAHA! I just installed it to remind me of my upcoming monthly period so I can pop in some sanitary napkin in my purse/bag when it's nearly my period date. (I'm regular, by the way).

So this app can predict my period date very well, about 97% accurate most of the time. The reason I included this in our pregnancy plan is because ever since we tried getting pregnant, I found its other reminders really useful. This app tells me if it's my ovulation day, whether I am fertile or not and the chances of getting pregnant if we have an intercourse on a specific date. It also gives me the options of tracking my emotions, craves and symptoms even sickness, medications, etc. Since my husband and I are already planning to conceive, we made sure to prepare & make love on the days that this application tells us I have the highest chance of getting pregnant. I am convinced it definitely helped us hit our goal.


2. ENJOY, AVOID PRESSURE.

Me and my husband wanted a baby but we were not really sure when exactly do we want to conceive. Although we made sure to make love on days I have the highest chance of getting pregnant, we DON'T really make it a 'super priority goal' to get positive results. We wanted our lovemaking to be passionate... not something that we do for 'baby-making' reasons because that would make it feel like a responsibility or an obligation rather than an act driven by love. To put it simply: we just kind of went with the flow.


3. FOLIC & VITAMINS

A dear nurse friend told me that I could start taking folic early on if I'm planning to get pregnant. She said it will strengthen my chance of getting pregnant plus I can properly prepare my body... and probably my hormones? I honestly forgot her explanation but I'm certain with the "take folic" part, hahahah!

I did a short research though for the sake of this blog post. According to what I read, folic acid does not only help you safeguard the health of your unborn baby but can also help you in conception. Experts did a research and they found out that women who take folic acid everyday have a higher chance of getting pregnant compared to those who don't.

If you want to read more about it, here's the source:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-412334/Folic-acid-helps-fertility-women.html


4. START A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE, AVOID MEDICATIONS

Do you smoke? Do you drink? Eat so much junk? If you are trying to get pregnant, I suggest you stop those.

Here's why:

I didn't want any pressure or disappointments, so I avoided pregnancy tests until my first monthly period delay. Kasi nga regular naman ako, so naisip ko saka na'ko magpi-PT kapag nagdelay ako. So when my Period Tracker App told me I am already 3 days delayed, I went to the nearest pharmacy right away and bought 2 pregnancy tests; Which means I didn't know that I was pregnant until after a month and a week. So what if I had unhealthy lifestyle? What if I smoked and got drunk during those 5 weeks without knowing there's a baby that could be affected inside? (I don't drink and smoke by the way, just a 'WHAT IF') Did you get my point?

Even though I did not know yet during those 5 weeks that I am already pregnant, I already avoided taking meds when I'm not feeling well. I did not take any paracetamol, ibuprofen, etc. I also avoided teas, soft drinks and junk foods. My reason is that I could be pregnant, so I should be taking care of myself just in case. And behold, I was not mistaken.


5. LIMIT CAFFEINE INTAKE

Although there is still quite an argument whether caffeine is really bad or not to pregnant women, better play it safe: just avoid it. It wasn't really a problem on my part because I am not a coffee drinker at the first place. I've worked on graveyard shifts for 2 years before but even that didn't get me to learn liking coffee. I haven't even tried Starbucks at all!

Anyways, the reason you should start cutting back (to gradually stopping) taking caffeine when you're trying to get pregnant is because it can trigger miscarriage and may cause withdrawal after pregnancy.


6. OPT FOR HEALTHIER FOOD CHOICES
 
You don't don't necessarily start eating for two because you aren't pregnant yet. But if you are trying to get pregnant, healthy food choices are your allies. Stocking up enough nutrients to your body can help you avoid deficiencies or any nutrient-related health problems when you're finally pregnant. I don't know if I am right, but I have this notion that the healthier I am, the greater chances I have of getting pregnant.

 
7. WATCH YOUR WEIGHT

I've always monitored my weight even before trying to conceive. But I got conscious about it even more when we started planning to have a baby. I was told that it is important to keep an ideal 'starting weight' before getting pregnant to ensure healthy pregnancy. When you are starting it wrong with the weight, complications and risks are very possible along the way. Don't get too thin either! That's a known fertility meddler.


8. AVOID DANGEROUS ACTIVITIES

Though I changed my lifestyle to make it healthier, I could not avoid the transportation hassles whenever I go with my husband in his travels. We don't own any vehicle yet, so  nagko-commute lang kami. And mostly of the travels we make, the mode of transportation are motorcycle rides. We are living in a province, so mostly of the roads here are really rough and hard. So yun na, sumasama ako sa kanya palagi, nagsi-single motor lang kami at napakahirap pa ng mga daan, super lubak-lubak. It hurts my tummy so much. I didn't know I was pregnant back then. Good thing I have a strong baby. Kumapit sya ng bongga mga bes. So I suggest, if you are trying to get pregnant, avoid risky activities like motorcycle rides for that will hurt you and the baby at nakakapagpababa daw iyan ng matres. Sabi nila.


9. VISIT YOUR OB AS SOON AS YOU GET POSITIVE RESULTS

Yes, visit your OB as soon as possible. I had an ultrasound right away just to make sure that everything is okay with me and my baby and that there is no pregnancy complications.


10. DECIDE WHEN DO YOU WANT/NEED TO ANNOUNCE YOUR PREGNANCY

This wasn't included in our pregnancy plan but I realized this should be a part of the pregnancy planning. On our second child, (yes, gagawa pa kami ng pangalawa someday, haha!) I'll make sure include this in our pregnancy plan.

For plain housewives (like me):
I suggest you wait until you're done with your first trimester before you tell the world about your pregnancy. I was told that the first 3 to 4 months of pregnancy is really crucial because I am still vulnerable and prone to miscarriage. That got me worried and conscious because we already told family and friends about my pregnancy. I could imagine how much pain and hassle it could be to break the bad news about miscarriage if ever that happens. GOSH. Everyday, I prayed to God to keep me and the baby extra safe for the first 4 months. And I am really forever thankful to God for answering my prayers.

For career wives:
If you are working, I suggest you decide carefully whether you should be keeping your pregnancy a secret or not while you are still in your first trimester. If your job involves physical activities or causes you stress, then you better inform your company and colleagues about your pregnancy as soon as possible so they can treat you accordingly. Or you can just select important people/authorities (like your boss or immediate team mates) to inform them about your pregnancy.

 
That's pretty much it! It's not a lot and it's very simple planning but I hope you got some ideas. So here I am with my 5 months old baby bump:

Photo taken during a special event at our Church.

So far, I have a healthy pregnancy though I actually experience some pain here and there at times. The OB said everything is fine and normal with my pregnancy so I'm happy with it. We are hoping for a baby boy... but a baby girl could be adorable too! We are such one happy soon to be parents.

'Til then, see yah!