To-Do List Update

Okay, here is an update on my to do list for planning/preparing for a pregnancy . . .

1. Talk with my OB/GYN.
Got an appointment for November 8th to talk to doctor and get my IUD removed! Yay! Then we can really get it started!

Topics to discuss:

• medication: with a history of back surgery, I need to know what pain medicines are safe to take
• diet/weight/exercise
• vitamins

2. Take folic acid (and watch out for vitamin A). 
Got started on some prenatal vitamins provided by my bestest.

3. Give up drinking, most of the time.
You should abstain from alcohol all together during the last two weeks of your cycle in case you've conceived.

4. Eat healthy.
What I am really bad at, though, is getting enough food to eat. Using this new calorie tracker with fitnesspal.com. Need a little practice with planning my menu.

5. Give up coffee/caffeine. 
I have limited myself to one cup of coffee or one soda a day. But, I was recently informed that caffeine has no effect on fertility, as long as the hubby stays away from Mt. Dew. :-)

6. Get your weight in check.
I am about 90 lbs overweight, losing some of that extra baggage can actually help us to conceive. First step, get the IUD removed. Then, just sit back and watch the pounds melt away. Yeah, okay!

Seriously, though, I am already a pound down, but it's really hard!

7. Pay attention to the fish you eat. 
Eat no more than 6 ounces (1 serving) of solid white canned tuna per week. Eat up to 12 ounces (2 servings) a week of fish that are not high in mercury. (Good choices include herring, farm_raised rainbow trout, salmon, and sardines.)

8. Create and follow an exercise program. 
I need a health body for me and baby and . . . working up a little sweat is a great way to relieve the stress that can get in the way of getting pregnant.

I need to ease into an exercise routine. Starting with something tame, like taking the dogs for daily walks, walking the long way to the bathroom, tend to the yard,  play with the kiddies, etc. Also, trying to get an accountability partner to walk with at lunch...

9. See the dentist, in January.
Hormonal shifts can do a number on your teeth and I am already due for a root canal.

10. Consider money matters.
Start a savings account with the credit union. Budget at least 10% savings each payday.

Got an appt with the hubby for Thursday and/or Friday to start a savings account with the credit union.

11. Consider your mental health.
I have been clinically diagnosed with PTSD for more than half my life. I am currently medication free, but that can change at any time. This is definitely something to talk to my doctor about.

12. Get a flu shot.


13. Figure out when you ovulate.
A gracious friend of mine has provided me with her leftover tests! Yay!

14. Toss your birth control.
Got the appointment to get my IUD removed.

15. Stock up on sleep.
Don't wait until you are prego and can't get comfy. Sleep also cuts down on stress and increases your chances of conceiving.

16. Start Journaling again.
Hello, that's what my blog is for.

17. Deal with where you want to live.
Already started talking to the hubby. Probably same house, be we have a long way to go to deciding where baby will actually sleep.

18. Schedule that trip I’ve been talking about.
I have been talking for years of a trip back to Colorado. I want to go back and do all the touristy stuff that I never did as a kid. It's time to start thinking about it...(maybe)

19. Discontinue the hair coloring.
Most experts recommend trying to minimize your exposure to the chemicals, especially in the first trimester when your baby's major organ growth takes place.

20. Stop buying clothes.
Maternity clothes don't count.

21. Have a parenting talk.
Already started talking about circumcision...need some more research there. Yes, we are (he is) hoping for a boy.
Still need to consider childcare...I am thinking of a daycare right across the street from work. Hoping this will help me breastfeed longer.