When my baby, when my baby smiles at me...

I just got back from a practitioner seminar on fertility and preconception care where I wildly wrote seven pages of notes.

Here’s a handful of interesting facts:

*65% of miscarriages are due to poor sperm quality which is why it is super important for BOTH partners to see a naturopath for a proper pre-conception care program.

*Sperm’s biggest enemy is oxidative stress such as smoking, drinking, excessive exercise and stress. This can be neutralised by a diet high in brightly coloured fruit and vegies like blueberries, spinach, red capsicum and carrots.

*Men: take your mobile phones out of your pockets!! It’s affecting your sperm quality.

*A miscarriage can deplete a woman’s body as much as one and a half pregnancies would. So it’s necessary to wait for at least 6 months until trying again.

*The rate of miscarriage without pre-conception care is 22% as opposed to 6% when pre-conception care was preformed for at least 3 months.

*3 months of pre-conception care can make the health of a woman’s eggs 2 years younger which is incredibly valuable in older women.

*Iron levels should be tested 2-3 times throughout the pregnancy to avoid anaemia. This will ensure you have plenty of energy when you need it most.

*The healthy amount of weight to gain during pregnancy is between 10 to 15 kilos. It is not the time to be eating Mars Bars and doughnuts.

*Morning sickness is most rampant in the morning because blood sugar levels are at their absolute lowest. Snack on small regular protein-rich meals to ease this.

*Some basic pre-conception care tips include eating EIGHT vegies and THREE pieces of fruit each day, daily exercise and sun exposure, practising positive stress management techniques and taking a good quality multivitamin and high strength fish oil.