Three Simple Steps To Becoming Pregnant

Becoming pregnant is all about maximising your chances by bringing together all the positive factors whilst minimising the negative ones. The following are three simple and positive steps you can take which can help to bring this about. Step One - Diet For both men and women the obvious no-no’s are alcohol, smoking and drugs along with anything that falls under the category of junk food – mainly foods that are high in saturated fat, sugar and preservatives. For Women:rnWomen should seek foods that are high in iron and calcium - sources include green vegetables, nuts, avocados, sunflower, sesame and pumpkin seeds and dairy products such as full fat milk and yoghurt and even ice cream (in moderation!) Meat and poultry both help the body absorb iron into the system however ladies PLEASE NOTE: AVOID LIVER. Fat plays a vital role before and during pregnancy but it is important that you consume healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats along with omega-3 fatty acids such as those found in oily fish e.g. salmon, mackerel and sardines. Women should specifically avoid coffee or energy drinks of the type with a high caffeine content – healthy energy giving smoothies are a good alternative. For Men:rnMen should consume foods with a high zinc and iron content – so once again as for women, plenty of green veg, plus oysters (renowned for their aphrodisiac qualities due to high zinc content) Seeds - pumpkin, watermelon, wheatgerm – Dark chocolate with high cocoa content is also rich in anti-oxidants which keeps sperm cell integrity and motility. Also beef, poultry, dairy, nuts, eggs, whole grains, and beans. Finally, consider taking zinc from a daily multivitamin supplement. Special note for bananas which contain high levels of magnesium which can increase sperm count. Coffee is especially OK for men – recent studies have shown that the stimulant quality in coffee actually helps with sperm motility. rnStep Two - Timing When trying to get pregnant, many couples tend to adopt the scatter gun approach. They figure that the more often they have sex, the greater the chance of them getting pregnant – this is not necessarily the case. The best time for a woman to become pregnant is that one or two day window during her cycle when fertile cervical mucus is present. Fortunately the test for this can be performed on yourself in the privacy of your own home – for the best advice as to how to perform this test you should consult your doctor. rnOnce you are able to predict the one or two days when this happens it’s time for your partner to be prepared. Most healthy men can produce fairly consistent quantities of sperm, however frequent sex will, for want of a better word, “dilute” the quality of sperm and therefore inhibit your chances of becoming pregnant. Male partners should therefore abstain from ejaculating 2-3 days before in order to build up a good stock of high quality sperm. This will have the added effect making sex more enjoyable and less of a task. rnStep Three – Be Positive Perhaps the single most important step you can take to increase your chances of becoming pregnant is to create the right psychological environment within yourself by actually believing that you can become pregnant. Do not underestimate the importance of this final step. It is a well known fact that we can manifest illness and disease in our bodies just by being negative, this usually happens when we are worried or anxious about something. Why does this work so well to produce negative results? Because the negative thoughts we are having are born in an environment of emotion – worry and anxiety are powerful but negative emotions and will actually manifest the very thing you are worrying about. Thankfully, the opposite is also true. If you have happy and positive thoughts, in this case those of becoming pregnant, you have a much better chance of manifesting your pregnancy if you can think those thoughts when you are experiencing happy emotions. This is easier said than done especially when you are already worried and anxious about the fact that you haven’t become pregnant yet. Therefore you have to become proactive to induce a positive emotional state within yourself where your belief will be made real. So, just for the moment you need to put any negative beliefs, diagnoses or preconceived ideas to one side and single-mindedly focus on the definite and positive event of becoming pregnant. Don't fret about how this is going to happen or what obstacles you need to overcome, just find somewhere quiet to sit or lay down, take a deep breath, relax, play your favourite calming music and think happy thoughts - let your mind wander off. Imagine how it feels to have a new life growing inside you, give yourself permission to daydream and feel good about yourself - wallow in the warmth of these positive feelings and feel happy. Do this exercise whenever you have the opportunity and especially before falling asleep and just after you’ve awakened. You want to get these positive thoughts ingrained into your subconscious mind which is most accessible at these times. Finally, continue to generally think in a positive way about your pregnancy, enjoy sex in the manner and times outlined in step two, don’t rush off when you are finished. Bathe in the afterglow with your partner, visualising yourself actually becoming pregnant and all the wonderful feelings that will bring into your life – remember, relax be happy and believe.