Is there a "things you should/shouldn't do when ttc/are pregnant" list?

[DubChick]

Hi

It's been a long time since I was last ttc, and I know things have changed since then.

Is there a list of things we should or shouldn't be doing when ttc, to give ourselves the best chance?

I'm thinking things like hair dye, gel nails etc.

I'm taking pregnancy multivitamins and extra iron as my doctor has said I'm really low in iron, and after this weekend (currently cd19, possibly 4dpo but not entirely sure as this is only my second cycle after coming off the pill and first ttc, so I haven't got cycle data yet) I'll not be drinking alcohol at all.

Are there foods I should avoid or have more of, beauty treatments to avoid or anything else you lovely ladies can offer me advice on please?

So much thanks in anticipation.

Babydust to all! X

 

[chattychar1990]

Gel nails? Why would that effect you TTC?

 

[Lollypop79]

Gel nails themselves wont cause damage but probs not recommended to breathe in all fumes and chemicals that are in the nail places. Think that’s more from when your pregnant though. You can dye your hair and use any skin care products you want. Best to avoid alcohol if being serious about it (that’s what I did) also cutting down on caffeine is good too. I limited myself to 200mg a day but often had none at all. Food just eat healthy. No need to stop certain foods. Again once pregnant there are limitations but all detailed on Nhs website. Also important to take a prenatal vitamin. Seven seas or pregnacare or own brands are fine. Must take folic acid while trying to get pregnant. Good luck xx

 

[Lollypop79]

Little edit. The month I got pregnant I had relaxed and actually had a couple of vodka and cokes so ultimately just relax and don’t go crazy obsessive over things x

 

[DubChick]

Gel nails? Why would that effect you TTC?

My friend was having ivf and was told not to have her nails painted as it can affect the process. X

 

[DubChick]

Gel nails themselves wont cause damage but probs not recommended to breathe in all fumes and chemicals that are in the nail places. Think that’s more from when your pregnant though. You can dye your hair and use any skin care products you want. Best to avoid alcohol if being serious about it (that’s what I did) also cutting down on caffeine is good too. I limited myself to 200mg a day but often had none at all. Food just eat healthy. No need to stop certain foods. Again once pregnant there are limitations but all detailed on Nhs website. Also important to take a prenatal vitamin. Seven seas or pregnacare or own brands are fine. Must take folic acid while trying to get pregnant. Good luck xx

That's great, thank you. I'm definitely avoiding alcohol whilst ttc, I'm not a big drinker anyway so it's no issue. And if I got pg I wouldn't touch anything at all for sure, never have. That's good to know you can dye your hair, is it the same when pg also? I don't know what I'd do if I had to show my badger stripes for months haha!!

I'm currently taking an own brand pregnancy multivitamin every day which has folic acid in it (I compared it to pregnacare and it had the same things in it), plus a separate iron tablet as my doc said I'm low in that.

I'm not going to be obsessed about it, and if it doesn't happen then so be it, but I just want to know that if it did happen then I've done everything I could to try and prevent anything going wrong. If something did go wrong I would be devastated to think it could have been something I did that caused it x

 

[Lollypop79]

That's great, thank you. I'm definitely avoiding alcohol whilst ttc, I'm not a big drinker anyway so it's no issue. And if I got pg I wouldn't touch anything at all for sure, never have. That's good to know you can dye your hair, is it the same when pg also? I don't know what I'd do if I had to show my badger stripes for months haha!!

I'm currently taking an own brand pregnancy multivitamin every day which has folic acid in it (I compared it to pregnacare and it had the same things in it), plus a separate iron tablet as my doc said I'm low in that.

I'm not going to be obsessed about it, and if it doesn't happen then so be it, but I just want to know that if it did happen then I've done everything I could to try and prevent anything going wrong. If something did go wrong I would be devastated to think it could have been something I did that caused it x

I’m currently 14 weeks 3 days and I’ve avoided dying my hair till the second trimester. It’s perfectly safe to dye your hair in pregnancy but I wanted to wait. A lot of women do. X

 

[DubChick]

Little edit. The month I got pregnant I had relaxed and actually had a couple of vodka and cokes so ultimately just relax and don’t go crazy obsessive over things x

Thank you, that seems to be quite common doesn't it. I'm of the opinion that if it happens it happens and if it doesn't then it wasn't meant to be. I just want to make sure that if I did get pg and something went wrong, then it wasn't because I'd caused it to. I had 2 mc years ago and have always done things "properly" when ttc and during pregnancy, so I know it wasn't anything I did but it was still devastating. As I'm a lot older this time I know the risks are higher, so I just want to try and do my best. I won't be using opks or anything like that, I just want to try and be as healthy as possible and give a potential baby the best chance, if you know what I mean x

 

[DubChick]

I’m currently 14 weeks 3 days and I’ve avoided dying my hair till the second trimester. It’s perfectly safe to dye your hair in pregnancy but I wanted to wait. A lot of women do. X

I know what you mean, and I'm sure there was something about using dyes without a certain chemical in when I was last pg (8.5 years ago). I wondered if things were still the same as I would like to give any potential baby the best chance. I've seen first hand with my step-daughter what damage can be done due to lack of care in pregnancy and early childhood, and I want to avoid doing that myself at all costs. X