How I’m Preparing for Pregnancy in My Mid 30s

When women hit the age of 35 all of a sudden you are all of a sudden termed a geriatric pregnancy or advanced maternal age. I know that can be a real shocker when you go to the doctor and hear the term geriatric, usually that brings up thoughts of nursing homes. Knowing how to boost fertility in your 30s can help you overcome all those geriatric statistics.

I myself have taken a lot more thought and consideration as I prepare for my own future geriatric pregnancy. My first two pregnancies I went into it without a lot of thought. This time as my risks and likelihood a pregnancy goes down and I am being much more proactive to help boost fertility as well as helping my husband to do the same.

Why Am I Preparing?

Everyone will warn you of the challenges of pregnancy in your thirties and the risks involved. I am very aware of the many statistics that I now fall into. I think that is why I am taking things a bit more seriously.

We are all born with all the eggs we will ever have. The longer they have been around the less there will be and also the quality will also decrease. Kindof like how all of a sudden when you turned thirty you had more aches and pains than you use to and you just don’t feel as energized as you once were. Our bodies are getting older just like those eggs.

Women over the age of thirty have increased risk of infertility or difficulty conceiving. We have increased chance of miscarriage, still birth, chromosomal abnormalities, gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, risk of c-section or developing blood clots. We are also at greater likelihood to have multiple pregnancies due to hormonal changes that can lead to release of more than one egg in a cycle.

So I am choosing to be more proactive when it comes to this pregnancy and giving myself, my current family, and hopefully a new baby the best chance possible.

How I’m Personally Preparing

Everyone’s preparation will look a little different depending on your current health and your specific needs. I would advise that you speak with your healthcare provider to develop the best plan for you. Here are some how to boost your fertility in your 30s tips!

Eating Healthier

I am trying to focus my nutrition on including more vegetable and protein sources from plants, less refined sugars, increasing my water intake, and limiting meat in my diet. I have struggled with anemia in my past and so I try not to exclude meat entirely, but I have always tried to limit my meat intake. I am seriously addicted to sweets so this is always a challenge to cut out sugars.

I am also trying to limit my caffeine intake and hoping to completely cut it out. With my daughter’s pregnancy I stopped caffeine completely which was a challenge working in the ER, but I found that it could be done. I was a little more relaxed in my second pregnancy. I can’t say that I saw a huge difference between the two but personally I feel better when I am not dependent on caffeine. I notice it impacts my moods and I get horrible headaches when I stop drinking caffeine for short periods of time. I already don’t feel the need for it like I use to as I’ve prioritized my sleep.

Prenatal & Supplements

I am currently trying a new prenatal that I have fallen in love with. I started taking Perelel prenatal vitamin for Conception Support Pack. The reason I love them is that they are a women owned company. They developed these vitamins after finding a hole in the market themselves while choosing their own vitamins and supplements during pregnancy. They have tailored your vitamins and supplements to what you need during every phase of trying to conceive to the postnatal period. it is all packed in a daily packetm which I find is more cost effective than finding all the right supplements on their own. Most prenatals do not have all the nutrients you need so you have to supplement by buying DHA, iron, calcium, or other vitamins separately that can be very costly. They are also in their bioavailable forms so that your body can more easily absorb them. They have taken all the research out of figuring out what you need during every phase of pregnancy by doing it for you and it comes sustainably packaged.

So if you are like me and have little time to research and think about one more thing check out Perelel.

Establishing a Healthy Workout Routine

I have had a hard time sticking to working out since starting my first nursing job over 5 years ago. I was working night shift and turned into a total zombie. It was all about survival at that point. I got pregnant twice and with both or my pregnancies I never really got into a healthy routine. Luckily I have a very active job that I always rationalized was like working out. I averaged about 5 miles a shift. Now with two kids I know that if I want to be able to keep up with these two toddlers and have a healthy pregnancy it is an absolute necessity.

I am not following a specific workout routine. I am currently just doing the types of workouts that I love the most to help establish the routine of making time for it everyday and will eventually tailor it to the types of exercise that is best during each phase of pregnancy.

Prioritizing Sleep

I started prioritizing sleep long before I started thinking about having more children. One reason was because I noticed that when I am tired I am much less patient as a mother. I felt like they deserved better than what I was giving them. So I made some huge changes in my career and daily routines to prioritize going to sleep earlier and get more quality sleep.

I started using the Savor Beauty Planner to help me stick to my daily routines and establish some better self care routines. It has been a major factor in helping me stick to my goals and stick to following these new healthy routines to prioritize sleep.

Removing Toxins from my Environment

This is something I have been working on for many years. I always assumed that the products on all the shelves in the store were safe to use but I have learned that there is little to no regulations to protect us. Our self care and household products are filled will all kinds of toxins that we constantly are taking in which harm our fertility and also our developing fetus.

I have changed all my cleaning products, household products, and most personal care products. I have just recently made some big changes in the makeup and skincare products that I use. If you have any specific questions or would like recommendations please reach out in the comments section. This is something I am extremely passionate about and spend a lot of time researching.

Tips for a Successful Pregnancy in Your 30s and Beyond

So how to boost fertility in your 30s:

• Start early and give yourself at least 3 months to adopt these healthy changes.
• Meet with your healthcare team before you become pregnant and create a plan specific to you.
• Take one step at a time. Don’t try to make all these changes overnight. I started a lot of these changes long before I was even really thinking I wanted another child. I just wanted to be a better mom. One of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite podcasts (chooseFI) is, “get 1% better.” Everyone can make a small change today to get 1% better than they were yesterday.
• Stay organized. I feel that the more organized I am the less stressed I feel overall. I keep everything in my daily planner. It helps me stay focused and know where everything is.
• Get an accountability partner. My husband is very supportive and holds me accountable and encourages me frequently to continue to make the healthy choices I desire. He is also making these changes with me. I have also been pregnant around the same time as other friends. Having a friend going through the same thing really supports both of us as we encourage each other along the way.
• Incorporate mental health practices to support your mental health through each stage regardless of outcomes.

Conclusion

Everyone is different and this is how I am choosing to prepare for a pregnancy. Will I be successful? I don’t know. Will it make a difference? I believe so. This is not a comprehensive list of how to boost fertility in your 30s, but it’s a great starting point. I believe and I have faith that making these small changes will be worth it and even if it doesn’t work out at least I know I put my best foot forward. I am grateful for the family that I have now. I know many couples are aching for the family I have and I hope and pray you will have the family you desire.