5 Common Mistakes You Might Be Making When Trying to Conceive
Making a baby isn’t exactly rocket science. After all, you’ve spent the better part of your adult years (so far) trying to avoid it. But now the only things on your mind are onesies, receiving blankets and all-terrain, ergonomically designed jog strollers. Hey, you’re not conception crazy — you’re just a normal girl trying to make an obviously above-average baby! Even though getting pregnant seems like it should be totally natural, sometimes it’s not an instant success. Check out some of the most common mistakes that mamas-to-be make when trying to conceive.
1. Birth Control Timing Blunder: You faithfully swallowed a pill daily. Now that you’re ready to be a mommy, you decided to ditch the day of the week pack. Your BFF’s sister’s college roommate got pregnant that one day she forget to take her birth control, so it would seem about right that you could get pregnant the day after you stop popping your prescription. Technically, anything is possible. But it’s not likely that you’ll end up preggo the second you stop the pill, since it usually takes a few months for your fertility to return to normal. Don’t worry too much about the long-term effect of the pill — researchers from the Boston University School of Public Health found that oral contraceptive use doesn’t hurt a woman’s chances of conceiving (of course, that means after she stops taking the pill).
2. Self-Blame Game: It’s been a few months and still no baby, and you automatically blame yourself first. Unless the doc has said that it’s 100 percent you, don’t rule out the possibility that your guy’s swimmers aren’t exactly mini Michael Phelpses. According to the CDC stats, 7.5 percent of men under age 45 seek help from a fertility specialist. If that seems small, it isn’t; that figure represents between 3.3 and 4.7 million men. Also, blaming doesn’t help either of you before you have all the info.
3. Ovulation Math Mishaps: Without an egg, you can’t get pregnant. Seems simple. You do the math and boom — you’ve got the magic days when it’s egg-releasing time! But before assuming you’re infertile, make sure that you’ve got the correct ovulation days on your calendar. There’s no shortage of ovulation calculation apps out there. Even though many apps can accurately calculate the average woman’s ovulation days, it’s not a perfect science. Your cycle might get thrown off by stress, your periods might not be regular or you may have flubbed the math a bit. Whatever the reason, sometimes you need to combine the math with physical signs of ovulation (such as a rise in basal body temperature or an increase in cervical mucus).
4. Stockpiling Too Long: That sperm your guy is harboring are basically like gold. Stock it up and wait until you’re absolutely, positively, completely sure that it’s baby-making time. That means no sex until that precious egg is on its way out, right? Actually, no; not only might you accidentally pass up your most fertile days by trying to stock up on sperm, but days of no sex can quickly turn into weeks of no sex. When it gets to that point, you’re definitely missing out on your prime days. Instead of saving yourself (or, rather saving up your guy’s self), go for it whenever you’re both ready.
5. Forgetting About Fun: Bringing your X-chromosome together with his Y sounds very technical. Yeah, the mechanics of baby-making (such as calculating ovulation and measuring your BBT) aren’t exactly exciting. But that doesn’t mean baby-making sex has to be boring. It’s easy to turn sex into a chore when a baby is your end goal, and that can quickly kill the romance. Think about those wild days when you and your honey were first crazily, passionately and lustily in love, and get back to having fun in the bedroom. There’s no rule that says conception has to be cold and clinical.
What’s your favorite piece of baby-making advice that you’ve gotten? Share your tips and tweet us @BritandCo !
(Photos via Getty)