You and your partner have made a big decision: it’s time to have a baby. Or another baby. Whether you are trying for your first or your forth, you may suddenly be feeling a bit overwhelmed. If you are not quite sure where to start, don’t worry, that’s pretty normal.

After having our first, we decided to wait until she was 1 year old before we tried to get pregnant again. We tried for 8 months then decided to take a break from tracking my cycle and circling dates on the calendar. That first month of “taking a break” is when we got pregnant again.

For some couples, getting pregnant is easy and happens the first month you try. But for other’s it can take longer. It is important to ensure you are taking care of yourselves during this process. Getting pregnant isn’t an exact science but you can put some planning behind your baby making to help better your chances:

Get Prepped

Take a multivitamin

Start the journey well prepared. Taking a prenatal vitamin prior to pregnancy is an essential part of keeping you and your baby healthy.  The NEW FIRST RESPONSE™ Prenatal Multivitamin is a great option. It helps ensure you and your baby get the essential nutrients needed to stay healthy, maintain immune function and bone health. Two of the vitamin gummies provide the recommended folic acid intake per day to help prevent neural tube defects, which are commonly developed within the first month of pregnancy** and often before many females know they’re pregnant. As a bonus, this vitamin has a naturally sourced fruit flavor, low in sugar and gluten-free—making it easy to remember and delicious to take.

Understand your cycle

Admit it ladies. Most of you don’t know your own ovulation schedules or know when you’re most fertile. But knowing when and if you’re ovulating is going to help you know when to try to conceive. Did you know that there are just two days during your cycle when you’re most likely to conceive? So how do you find these two days?  Pick up a FIRST RESPONSE™ Advanced Digital Ovulation Test. What makes it so great? It’s over 99% accurate in detecting luteinizing hormone (LH) surges in laboratory studies.  LH indicates when you’re most fertile and likely to conceive which is 24-36 hours after you detect your LH surge.

Tip: Be sure to keep a journal as well. This may be an app on your phone, a charting website, or a plain old paper one. The more you know and are in rhythm with your cycle, the more likely you are to pinpoint ovulation. There is a wealth of resources available at  www.1stresponse.ca.

Get Busy … Then Wait

Use a sperm-friendly lube

The last thing you want to do is decrease your chances of getting pregnant because of the lubricant you choose. Pre-Seed™ Fertility-Friendly Lubricant is sperm friendly. It not only enhances your comfort; it’s specially formulated to mimic your body’s fertile fluids. Other lubricants, saliva and even oil can inhibit sperm from reaching the cervical opening but Pre-Seed is pH-balanced and isotonic, allowing sperm to swim freely.

Don’t let the suspense drive you crazy

The amount of time it takes to get pregnant is different for everyone but if you’re “dying” to know, I recommend the FIRST RESPONSE™ Early Result Pregnancy Test. It’s sensitive enough to capture scant amounts of pregnancy hormones to give you results 6 days sooner than your missed period.

Turn to others for advice

Remember, we’re all here to help you along your pregnancy journey—you’re not alone. Chances are, there is someone else out there who is going through the same—or similar—experiences, so don’t be shy about reaching out.

Help spread the conversation

In the spirit of giving advice and sharing to help others in a similar situation, I’d love to hear your conception stories and especially some of your misconceptions around ovulation, birth control and tips for getting pregnant.

Share your stories and engage in the conversation online using #conceptionmisconceptions

* https://sogc.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/gui324CPG1505E.pdf

**Helps to reduce the risk of neural tube defects when taken daily at least three months prior to becoming pregnant and during early pregnancy.

As part of our 2017 Brand Ambassador partnership with Church & Dwight, we receive monetary compensation, as well as products to review and giveaway. The views and opinions expressed are our own.