FIRST 8 STEPS AFTER A POSITIVE PREG-TEST AT HOME!

The miraculous + (positive) sign brings in whole lot of emotions – happiness, content, feeling of being complete, nervousness, confusion, worries, anxiety, and the list goes on….

Be it a planned pregnancy or a surprise pregnancy all of us have questions for the life ahead! Definitely pregnancy in itself has a lot of twists and turns but like it is said

“Rome wasn’t conquered in one day”

It is difficult to conquer the pregnancy knowledge and steps in one day!

Small baby steps that are full of patience and compassion would help you to enjoy the most wonderful phase of your life.

Following is the list of things that I did once I found out about a tiny little life within me! 😊

1. BE IN THE MOMENT, FEEL CONTENT AND ENJOY IT!

Ah! I still remember one of the most beautiful memory of our life!

Early morning, we checked for the miraculous positive sign! After planning for months this day was filled with so much of joy, warmth and happiness. We just celebrated it with listening to good music, enjoying the moment with just lazing around and having a lovely breakfast!

I would highly recommend this celebration before the pregnancy symptoms like nausea, sadness, super excitement, panic and what not kicks in 😉.

2. PLAN YOUR PREGNANCY DETAILS

A couple of days after your discovery the tendency of being a responsible parent kicks in!

You of course start saving for the baby’s arrival but what you have to also consider is a healthy and safe pregnancy.

The monthly check ups and tests definitely add up to a good amount and thus you should consider a supported pregnancy usually offered by your employers. I would also suggest enquiring about the insurance policy coverage, which hospitals are covered by your employer’s Mediclaim policy and what all documents are required to be submitted at the time of claims post-delivery.

Also, a support system is needed during pregnancy. Check with your mother and mother-in-law if they would be happy to support you at home. I would say even moral support has worth!

3. DOWNLOAD A PREGNANCY APP

It’s about adding some fun to the pregnancy! There are 1000s of pregnancy apps available in the app stores that offer you infotainment as well as empower you with some really good knowledge. The first thing any pregnancy app does is calculate your due date by understanding your LMP - last menstrual period date. Post identification of the due date you are exposed to a step by step baby development guide that is just so intriguing and fun to know! I will share a list of amazing apps in my next article for your easy reference😊

 4. FIND AND BOOK AN APPOINTMENT WITH OB-GYN

Depending upon the hospital and Mediclaim policy, short list 2-3 OB-GYNs and enquire about their background with your friends or Google reviews or just by visiting the space. Many a times the environment in itself makes you feel uncomfortable and thus you can decide if you would like to go ahead with the complete pregnancy service or not.

Once you are comfortable with one of the doctors please book an appropriate appointment and visit them for pregnancy confirmation. On your first visit the doctor might prescribe a few pregnancy confirmation tests and sonography to rule out any false pregnancy alarms.

 5. TELL YOUR NEAR AND DEAR ONES

Once our doctor and tests confirm our pregnancy we personally informed our parents and very close friends about our content feeling of being pregnant!

Going social is definitely a personal choice however as per old wives tales one should wait till 3 complete months. The core reason behind it is the chances of miscarriage is higher in the first term.

Before you disclose your pregnancy on social media it is important to talk to your employer and feel supported during the tenure. As per Indian Maternity and work law a pregnant woman is supported with law for not doing harmful work, protection from dismissals and right to return to same position. However, it is important that you and your employer are comfortable with the life stage and are open to some flexibility as per your conditions.

 6. STOP ANTI-PREGNANCY HABITS |ROUTINES |DOINGS!

Well, drinking, smoking and other unhealthy habits already have their bad pockets reserved before pregnancy itself. Now that you are in initial stages of pregnancy I would suggest you to stop eating any fast food and foods of hot constituents. If you are one of those who sleep on your stomach you should stop immediately as it offers less breathing space for your tiny one in later stages. Try not to have a random routine as it would cause an upsetting tone altogether in your life!

 7. START AND MAINTAIN YOUR HEALTHY HABITS

Once you have a good habit you should continue it, especially one related to eating, sleeping and exercising. Based on the many studies, doctors suggest to maintain a 45 mins to 1-hour moderate to light exercise routine. Well I will definitely write a complete article about Vihar soon 😊

 8. CLICK YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY PHOTO

This one I regret missing for myself. After you get into the pregnancy mode it would be worth while to go down the memory lane and enjoy admiring yourself. You can also do a per month shoot and see your bump grow! It is really cool and amazing! ( which i will share soon in DIY pregnancy shoot article :))

Let me know how your first steps went and if you had any of the additional first steps to add towards your journey of popping unicorn!

रिchie

PREGNANCY @ HOME REPORT CARD!

Are you feeling pregnant and cannot wait to know the good news?

I was in the same state of mind when I purchased my first pregnancy test kit. I was late by 10 days and wanted to know if it was good news for us. But to my surprise it wasn’t! 

The next cycle my curiosity grew like a cat and I bought 3-4 kits upfront just after a couple of weeks of ovulation 😉 but I ended up using only one and that was good news.😀

Here are quick tips on testing your pregnancy at home!

• PREGNANCY TEST KIT - WHERE TO BUY:

Ideally you will get pregnancy kit at every medical store. If you are feeling hesitant to buy it from a chemist, please click at the following link to buy it on Amazon. 😊

Link: 

Fine note: if you purchase this kit I will get a very tiny commission. This commission is not being charged to you anyway – so please do click to buy the kit without hesitation.

• WHAT TO CONSIDER WHILE BUYING THE KIT?

The kit detects the hormone called hCG. Dr. Shipra explains the home pregnancy test as measurement of hCG (Human chorionic gonadotropin) hormone which is produced and detected well in urine only a few weeks after egg has been implanted in the uterus.

Ideally what you should look at is that the kit is sealed properly when you purchase, as air exposure might get you false results.

Next would be to check the sensitivity of the kit. Few kits available in India have high sensitivity with detect-ability of 6 days earlier. You just have to check miu/ml while purchasing. On an average the sensitivity of 20 -25 miu/ml is available in market which detects pregnancy 3- 4 days after a missed period. The lower the count the earlier is the detection of pregnancy. 

• WHEN TO TAKE THE TEST?

As explained by majority of unicorn mothers as well as Dr.Sathe, 3 - 4 days after a missed period is ideal for taking the pregnancy test as pregnancy hormones are on the surge and could be detected just after a missed period.

For a curious soul like me 3 weeks after ovulation which is somewhere just couple of days before your cycle date could give you positive results as well!  - It’s my personal experience. 😉

So, the pregnancy test window is between 1 and 2 days just prior to your cycle up until 5 to 10 days after the missed cycle.

• WHY NOT TO TAKE THE TEST PRIOR?

An early test would mean that egg might not have been implanted or hCG production is not in a detectable range which is 5miu/ml.

Also, a negative pregnancy test acts as a negative stimulus to your brain which brings in negative emotions which may lead to an undetectable miscarriage as well in the form of periods.

Like other unicorn mothers suggested one should repeat the tests every alternate day if they get an earlier negative result till the next cycle or 8^th week of the pregnancy – I think that explains my move to buy 3 - 4 kits. 😉

• HOW TO USE THE PREGNANCY TEST KIT?

Step 1: Happy Mornings: Mornings are best to take the tests because your hormones are set to give you best results in the morning. So, the first pee of the morning needs to be collected in a small clean container. I would suggest you to keep the container ready in the night itself so you don’t mess around your house while you are a sleepy head. 😉

Step 2: Place well: Once you are done with the first morning routine get the collected sample in the area where you have your kit placed. Open the kit and place the kit on a flat surface. Place the collected sample next to the kit. 

"DO NOT OPEN THE KIT BEFORE YOU COLLECT THE SAMPLE."

Step 3: Fill up Drop out: Fill in the dropper with 4 -5 drops. Add 3 -4 drops into the circular section of the test card, indicated as S in few test cards.

  Step 4: Yeh 3-minutes😉: 

“Yeh teen minute aapse koi nahi cheen sakta!! 😉”

Wait time of 3 -5 minutes as instructed on the test card package is the longest time for any women. It seems like endless span of time that is full of butterflies inside you! These 3 -5 minutes as explained by most of the unicorn mothers is filled with anxiousness, nervousness and a lot of hope!

Well it is difficult to stop your mind from wandering but what you can do is just sit / stand next to the test card to just see the moment come alive – with both the strip turning color! Trust me it is the best feeling in the world!

Step 5: It’s time for results:

Read the results as-

1. 2 Strips as Positive – Congratulations! Welcome to the club.
2. Only C Strip – Negative result – Please don’t be disheartened – try it after couple of days. 😊
3. Only T strip – Negative / Invalid – there had been some mistake in the test. Please do repeat your test.

• FURTHER ACTION:

Well if you get it positive I would suggest thrilling your husband with the news and then scheduling an appointment with a gynecologist!

If you have T strip and very faint C strip, I would suggest you to schedule the appointment with your doctor to get the pregnancy verified. In many cases when the conception happens in the latter half of the cycle the test card could show false results.

Enjoy deducing and popping unicorns!

रिchie

8 EARLY PREGNANCY CUES - BEYOND BOLLYWOOD SYMPTOMS 😉

When we were planning our parenthood… we imagined our first pregnancy symptoms to be something like…

“Craving and hogging on sour food”

or

“Running to get the spew out of me” and realising it as very first symptom of being pregnant

or

“Falling because of Dizziness and weakness” post which when I wake up in front of doctor and my husband congratulates me for being pregnant… Blush! Blush! Blush!

BUT REALITY IS WAY BEYOND ALL THESE FILMY SYMPTOMS 😉

In Real life one doesn’t actually realize the symptoms until she misses her first, which is already 4 – 6 weeks of the pregnancy.

Well majority of women do not realize the difference in early pregnancy symptoms until they check it with home pregnancy test.

So, the biggest symptom is:

• MISSING CYCLE

Well 28 – 30 days just goes by in the spur of a moment and it takes at least a week or 10 days to realize that your cycle is missing or is late! It’s when most of the women tend to check their status by using at home pregnancy test kit.
To one’s surprise at home pregnancy tests detects 5 to 6 weeks pregnancy as well. It’s the easiest and confident cue to be relied on!

Other cues are camouflage in nature.

These symptoms are similar to PMS (Premenstrual syndrome) symptoms for few.

•   CRAVINGS OR AVERSIONS

Yes! Movies tell you the truth 😉

What is not true is the likability for only sour taste!

Many women experience heightened sense of taste. Cravings or aversions can be for sweet, sour or hot food. There is no set rule for it! Sometimes, your favorite food / fragrances could become aversions and not so likable food / fragrances makes you feel good!

It’s a mysterious change in pallet that every woman faces only post 7 – 8 weeks, says Dr. Sathe. It is not a very early pregnancy symptom!

•   CONTINUOUS NAUSEOUS FEEL

Are you nauseous most of the time?

This symptom when seen in combination to overdue period could be in favor of pregnancy. However, if it is only an affair of one or two days please consider it to be a PMS symptom and not a Pregnancy symptom. Though first term of the pregnancy is known for nausea but in majority of cases the morning sickness kicks-in only after deducing the pregnancy.

•    BOOB-E-TRAP

Heaviness | Sensitivity | Tenderness are the symptoms that many feel while expecting and before deducing the pregnancy, due to hormonal changes. However, the occurrence is very low and is been perceived to be one of the common cyclic PMS symptom as well. So, this as well is not a sure shot symptom.

•     DULL ACHE IN THE LOWER ABDOMEN AND/OR BACK

Well this is the most common symptom for PMS and early pregnancy too due to body's preparation for the new life inside you. The slightest of this cue much before the date could mean you are pregnant! Checking with your doctor or at home test should be your next step!

•  FATIGUE | MOOD SWINGS | DIZZINESS | EXCESSIVE SLEEPING

Well hormonal changes and deficiency of glucose in blood might affect your activeness and could make you feel lethargic, tired and sleepy all the time. You would be surprised that husbands are the first ones to pick this 😉.

If you feel this on a continuous basis just before or after 1/2 days overdue of your cycle – please keep yourself hydrated, eat well in small intervals to maintain your sugar levels and check it with at home pregnancy test!

•  START OF THE CYCLE LIKE FEEL

For a few women the feeling of start of the cycle heightens before they get to know about the pregnancy. However, Dr. Shipra says it is purely a psychological phenomenon due to overdue of the date.

• IMPLANTATION BLEEDING

When I was waiting for the time to test I did vouch for this particular symptom which happens in between 6 – 12 days after the egg is fertilized as per American Pregnancy Association. Considering it is almost the time of the arrival for your date this can be easily misinterpreted.

If you have a very light bleeding with no discomfort for hardly a day or two then it might be implantation bleeding, else it is your normal cycle. Dr. Shipra suggests to not get confused with this symptom as it is rarest of the rare symptoms seen in hardly 1 out of 100 women.

Though these symptoms are vague to the core and have some or the other implications, however, if you feel and you think you are pregnant, I would say follow your instinct and go ahead with the at home test 😊

You will be surprised to see it positive!

रिchie

MYSTERIOUS DATE OF THE SPERM AND THE EGG!

Once a successful act - 250 million Sperms leaves their home ground and enter the unknown world of Female reproductive system. Once they enter this Maya Nagri (Magical world) they fall in love       with the Egg!

To decide the true winner these 250 million sperms, tend to participate in a race to be the one who can spend their whole life with the egg!

Image Courtesy: 3 Idiot Movie

This race is full of obstacles and barriers:

• THE EXTREME PRESSURE: The Acidic nature of Vagina in itself poses a strong survival issues for many sperms. The acidic PH inside the vagina kills few sperms as soon as they enter.
• IMMUNE MORTAL COMBAT: Once the fittest sperms pass on to the next phase women’s white blood cells combats sperms as they are detected as enemies in the system leaving only 2 million sperms to enter the cervix.
• VICIOUS SWIM THROUGH: Post entrance in the cervix sperms swim through the cervical mucous and vaginal discharge. Depending on the stage of the cycle the texture and consistency of this liquid is either dense or sheer. During Ovulation as discussed in the 5 visible cues for deducing the magical window of ovulation sheer and thinner liquid compliments the movement of the sperm and makes the environment conducive for them to survive. On the other hand, before and after the Ovulation this liquid is dense and makes the movement of the sperm difficult.
• THE CURVY MAZE: Overall the structure and shape of female reproductive system is complicated itself. Many sperms get caught in the different spaces and cavities and there-by get lost.

Image Courtesy: poppingunicorns.com

The Mediterranean nature of the maze was not enough. To add to it the motion to the left or right of the fallopian tube gets hold of a lot of sperms.

While it all seems really full of struggle but there are few arrangements done by the egg as well to make their journey a bit easy-going.

• NEUTRALIZED LOVE IN THE AIR: Usually sperms are prepared for acidic environment and mortal combat through its seminal liquid. This Seminal liquid neutralizes as an effect of the acidic environment and secretes a sugar that nourishes the sperm and act as a protector during the mortal combat with white blood cells.
• EGG GIVES CLEAR HINT: During egg formation the hormones sends in clear signal to the sperms. These signals acts as a directional hint for the sperms and aids them in selecting the right direction in the maze.
• STRONG CUPID FORCE: Near to the ovulation date the hormones that are produced to help the egg grow also enter the women’s bloodstream. These hormones indicate the muscles of the womb, that are closest, to start a rhythmic contraction so as to slowly move the sperms towards the entrance of the fallopian tube.
• A TINY VALVE OF LOVE: Once the muscles of the womb pulls the sperms near to the fallopian tube the tiny opening of the fallopian tube acts as a valve. This valve opens only for very few sperms and there-by letting only few sperms inside the tube. This is also a process of elimination by women’s body for getting only the best sperms closest to the egg.
• FUN FILLED WAITING AREA: Once inside the fallopian tube Sperm are in the safest environment and they hang out at the walls of the fallopian tube till the egg is realized. In this situation only five to six sperms are successful out of 250 million.
• THE FINAL PROPOSAL: Once the movement of egg is sensed these few sperm get detached from the wall and move to the middle of the Fallopian tube to meet the egg they are in love with 😊.

Once the fastest sperm meets the egg it presents itself with a combination of powerful thrust of the tail and a bag full of enzymes that melts the heart (the outer membrane) of the egg before the egg says yes to the relationship. Once the egg says yes to one sperm it hardens the outer membrane so as to stop entrance of other sperms. Post few hours the tail of the sperm is detached. The chromosome inside the head of the sperm meets the inner part of the membrane to ignite the ray of a new life!

The winning sperm travels only 10 -12 centimeters yet faces a lot of hurdles and challenges to meet the love of his life – something similar to our real lives!

Be active! Be Happy! And Be the winning sperm 😉 to pop a unicorn 😊

रिchie

BE CALM, BE HAPPY AND DO IT RIGHT!

Happy morning! The Ovulation days are here!

Wow these are the day to conceive and be in the act!
It feels like jitters and butterflies within!
It feels happy and cozy all around!

Well you guys know it all about the act. So I am not going to discuss how and what to do, instead I would like to touch upon few must haves …

Like I mentioned earlier – do not take this act as just a baby making act but indulge and make love! Indulge in a quick morning round or an extensive whole day steaming hot moments of togetherness! The more you are together the better are the chances of conception. :)

Even though everyone knows the rules of sex – the universally known pleasurable act, one needs to keep in mind the 4 KAMA MANTRAS OF CONCEPTION….

So let’s start with the first chant … Oooaaammm… ;) just kidding!

1. CHOOSE A POSITION THAT ENSURES A DEEP PENETRATION

The science of conception in Ayurveda suggests to choose a position that ensures a deep penetration. Also it is important to get in to the position where cervix is easily accessible. Though there are a lot of positions like Missionary, Doggy, Glowing Triangle and Anvil, that ensures these two mandates, yet all of them except missionary creates some or the other flaws/ doshas in the baby. Thus the sole position that Ayurveda suggests is the mundane yet effective - Missionary.

2. FOREPLAY IS A MUST

There is a witty yet funny quote:

“Go down a water slide without water and you’ll understand why foreplay is important.” ;)

Well it is important at the time of conception specifically as it creates a conducive environment for the survival of sperm.

Well it is said that, the more you enjoy and forget worries, the more happy sperms would be ejaculated, as oppose to shorter and stressed intimate time that leads to less number of sperm ejaculation.

Thus…

Think of it as fun time for both rather than focusing on the Finish Line! 

3. CONTENT FEELING IS IMPORTANT AND NOT THE ORGASM FOR WOMAN.

There is a myth across that, “great sex means having at least one Orgasm”. However, Dr. Sathe suggests to focus on contentment and satisfaction rather than focusing on the climax.

Well if you get one, there’s nothing like it, however, it’s not a mandate scientifically! 

4. SINGLE DROP OF SPERM DOES THE MAGIC.

Ta-da! Don’t all of us know this?

We do know this yet many of us tried the abdomen uplift trick post the act.

After reading this trick it made real sense to me. By lifting your abdomen and placing a pillow below the thigh after the act gives gravity to the sperm and makes sperm’s movement into the cervix easy. It has purely psychological connect says Dr. Shipra.

On the contrary, Dr. Sathe says this act doesn’t have any scientific roots. People follow all type of tips and tricks like no getting up after the act or sleeping in a single position and keeping the abdomen lifted whole night. Sometimes if the semen comes out of the woman’s body – it is perceived as a personal defect and affects emotionally!

Please don’t bother yourself with this small thing.

As per both Ayurveda as well as modern science a single drop of semen contains 10 million sperms. So even if one gets up after the act, doesn’t follow the abdomen uplift tip and move around after the act the chances of conceiving will be equally high!

This brings me to the end of this article, where I would like to stress upon the fact that….

“This can be your last sex session before any changes in yourself.”

Once conceived you will be a TO BE PARENT!!! So spend these moments wisely ;).

BE HAPPY AND POP A UNICORN!

रिchie

5 VISIBLE CUES FOR DEDUCING MAGICAL WINDOW OF OVULATION

Deducing ovulation is as magical as conceiving a Unicorn baby! The process of ovulation has its own mysteries and joys. Even though some facts remains same for deducing ovulation, however it happens on different day and different time in each month.

Let’s quickly see what Ovulation is?

Ovulation, as it is defined, is a small window of opportunity of 24 hours to conceive when one of your ovaries releases an egg to fertilize. Once the egg is released from your ovaries it has a lifespan of only 24 hours to get fertilized. If no fertilization happens then the thickened lining of the uterus sheds and the process of your cycle starts.

Isn’t this a really small window? Hacking the lucky 24 hours code was a big learning for me, as it was the biggest mistake I did in my process of trying. We tried our chances on nearby days before and after but never on the 24 hour radar ;), until I started to learn about the visible symptoms. :D

So here are the 5 visible cues that will help you to crack the mystery of this magical window ;).

Once I learnt to crack the code I was puzzled with the very question of:

How to time the act in the lucky window of 24 hours?

Well, you know how our office hours are, how your mood fluctuates and on top of it the pressure of conceiving on the very day…huh! It literally gave me goose bumps.

But here is the good news and my great learning!

Hurrah! God is fair on that front ;)

So if you indulge in the act 5 to 3 days leading up to the O-Day the chances to conceive are as high as 33% per day as sperms waits in the fallopian tube for good 4 – 5 days to date the freshly released egg!

Once the egg meets the sperm on its way to uterus lining the magic begins!!!

Enjoy deducing the magic window!

Enjoy making unicorns!

रिchie

DECODINGING AAHAR– DIET TO BOOST THE CHANCES!

I think all of us must have heard a colloquial phrase at least once in our life

“kya kha k paida kiya hain?” (Translation: what did your mother eat, when she was pregnant with you?)

This sounds funny but it does has its roots in science. What every individual eats makes every cell in the body, including Sperm and Ovum.

Image credits: Popping Unicorns

Well this means our husbands also need to take real care of what they are eating for at least 3 months prior to conception. Haha! You got a chance to cut down those junk calories for your husband as well!!!

Jokes apart ;) When I spoke to my friends about Pre-conception diet – most of them had not witnessed any changes in their pre-conception diet, which made me wonder, why?

Well, in India, most of the doctors suggests to be on a balanced diet when trying to conceive.

What is this balanced diet?
A balanced diet, as mentioned by Dr. Sathe, is a complete meal that includes vitamins, minerals, protein, good fats and carbohydrates in an adequate level. As designed by our traditional system, our Indian daily meal i.e. Roti, Sabzi, Dal, Rice, Salad and Curd, does include all the essential nutrients required to maintain good health.

While balanced diet twice a day does its job, what one needs to focus on is sufficient supply of Folic acid, Vitamin E, Iron, Vitamin C, Vitamin B12 and hydration, so that the multiplication of cells required to generate Sperm and Ovum happen seamlessly.

So here comes the list of super foods and fruits that contain the baby making nutrients:

• Folic Acid: The wonder cell development nutrient is found in Leafy greens like Spinach, Sarso and Methi; Beans, Peas and Lentils; Curry leaves, Citrus fruits like Orange and Strawberries; Other fruits like Papaya and Banana as well as Nuts like Almonds and Peanuts. They can also be found in Avocado, Lady Finger, Flax seeds, Cauliflower, Beets and Corn. To maintain quality and quantity of Sperm , a man should consume at least 2 bowls of Urad dal every day, as mentioned in Ayurveda.
• Vitamin E: The fertility vitamin is found in Almonds, Pistachios, Black currents, Apricots, Spinach, Sweet Potato, Avocado, Mango, Kiwi Fruit and Rice Bran oil.
• Iron: This important multifunction mineral is found in Soybean derived products like Tofu, Lentils, Beans, Peas, Flax Seeds, Green Leafy Veggies, Tomato, unpeeled Potato, Prunes, Dates and Mulberries.
• Vitamin C: This wonder vitamin is available mainly in citrus foods like Lemon, Orange, Kiwi, Black Current, Guava, Melon, Amla, Strawberries and Tomato. Surprisingly Papaya and Cauliflower are couple of other foods that are high in Vitamin C.
• Vitamin B12: The DNA synthesising and nerve vitamin is found in Dairy products, Eggs and Fortified Cereals. For non veg lovers sea food is filled with this wonder vitamin.
• Hydration: It is important to be well hydrated with at least 3 -5 litres of fluid per day. In addition to water you can choose to hydrate with coconut water once every day, which not only hydrates your body but, it also flushes out the toxins in the body. Trust me it worked really well for me!

Like I said earlier, diet structure in India is designed to support intake of healthy nutrition, and that is the reason not many women and men change their diets pre-conception in India. However, what one should say NO to is, the addiction bucket. (link to lifestyle changes) This addiction bucket should be stopped at least 4 months prior to conception so as to support healthy cell development.

While, what I mentioned above is more of a pragmatic approach towards conception, however, there is an alternate theory that suggests pre-conception diet, as per the stages of egg development, for women. This alternate theory, though very logical, its application is not very ideal.

So how does this alternate approach work?

It works on three main factors i.e. Food constitution | Climate | Time of Cycle

• Food constitution: Many times we have heard from our elders that a particular food has a hot constitution (गरम तासीर) or a cold constitution (ठंडक तासीर). But what each constituent has in the house is left to one’s assumption ;). So here is a complied list of day to day food items that fall in each of the food constitutions.

Image Courtesy: Popping Unicorns

Time of the cycle: Starting from the day 1 of your cycle, whatever you consume has an impression on your health, as well as, on inception of the unicorn as mentioned in Ayurveda, says Dr. Shipra. So, what should be consumed in each stage of egg developmental cycle?

Info graphic Courtesy: PresentationGo

• Climate: Climatic conditions matter a lot! If one is staying in cold climatic conditions and have hot constitution foods in moderation, it will cause no harm, while if the same is done in moderate or hot weather conditions it will back fire during the early stages of pregnancy. So please, keep a tab on what you eat in a particular climatic condition!

So what’s the bottom line?
No Binge but only balanced diet for 3 – 4 months prior to conception in order to get the healthy Sperm and Ovum.

A balanced diet should include all round nutrients. Include Grains, healthy Vegetables with Leafy Greens, Lentils – especially Urad dal for Men, 2 portions of Milk, one portion of Curd, Salads and one Fruit every day!
I truly believe that, a balanced diet together with good thoughts and a good lifestyle makes the journey of conception much easier and fun!

Enjoy food! Enjoy making unicorns!

रिchie

VIHAR – LIFESTYLE – BEYOND BIRTH CONTROL!

Once in the mind-set of being a parent, span of the flamboyant lifestyle is really short!

Work hard and party harder becomes a distant dream!

You must be wondering – What?!

I am not kidding!

Inception of a unicorn demands much more than just stopping the birth control ;)!

Ayurveda suggests to have balanced body constituents, of both to-be father and mother, to beget and this balance has its roots in the way one chooses to live!

Our Social, hep and demanding lifestyle sometimes becomes hurdle in conception thus creating a catch-22 situation for the couple. Adapting your lifestyle slightly will have a better chance of conception.

Yes it is just adaptions and not a complete change! Believe me! :)

Here are 8 magical adaptations to conception! Cheers with an icy mock-tail ;)

NOTE: THESE ADAPTATIONS ARE SUGGESTED FOR BOTH MEN AND WOMEN BY DOCTORS TO BEGET A HEALTHY BABY!

1. GET CONTROL OVER STRESS

Well! I really don’t have to tell you how stressed today life is with all the gadgets, 24x7 availability and our expectations from self and the world around us!

We get up in the morning with 1000s of TO-Dos top of the mind and sleep with lakhs of thoughts! It becomes imperative to get a control on this part of life. What one needs to do is start the quest of Inner Peace and be a Kung-Fu warrior! Haha!

Work life is one of the major source of stress levels, reportedly.

Image courtesy: Popping Unicorns

Thus, tackling it first should be the utmost priority. The trick to do so is to prioritize and complete the errands within the stipulated time. Like the famous saying goes “WORK NEVER ENDS” – one needs to focus the energy on the most urgent and important tasks of the day and complete your day within office hours! This will not happen with a whim of the wand – it will happen overtime, but you need to start as soon as you think you are ready for Parenthood!

 Another way of achieving better stress handling is through good sleep! Good 8 – 10 hours’ sleep takes care of stress levels in certainly the magical way. Frankly speaking, I struggle to find my sweet spot sleep after being a parent. I would suggest you to relish this time to sleep well and sleep stress free!

2. CURB YOUR ADDICTIONS

MOST FAMOUS | KNOWN | FEARED FACT is NO ADDICTIONS!!! Especially when everyone has one!

Image courtesy: Popping Unicorns

The effect of addictions on inception of your Unicorn is what matters at this stage of a TO-Be Parent.

Drinking and smoking are known to have worst effects on quality of Sperm and Ovum, while Caffeine, Sugar, Junk food and over exercise reduces the chances of conception in the very cycle.

While smoking as an addiction needs a serious help other addictions can be curbed by choosing a substitute and a healthier option – for example: Mock-tail over cocktail or hard drinks in a social setting, small cup of coffee with very low content of caffeine – there are many ways to deal with the addictions if one really wants to!

Make sure you curb your addictions at least 4- 6 month prior to conception. 

3. INDULGE IN HEALTHY EATING

Healthy and mindful eating are talk of the town now a days! One can Google and just get a complete chart of healthy eating. However what one needs to keep in mind while trying for conception is – Schedule | Nutrition | Pre-Natals says Dr. Shipra Katiyar

Image courtesy: Popping Unicorns

Schedule: With our hectic work and personal life, scheduling food intake takes a back seat. The work demands often leads to intake of food at irregular hours. Which results in discomforts and lifestyle diseases. Thus, right time is imperative to gain benefits of food!

Set a routine for your breakfast, lunch, evening snacks and dinner - and stick to it!

Nutrition: This is most important element of healthy eating. Choose to eat nutritious food! Getting over the junk hogging and indulging in food full of vitamins, minerals like calcium and iron takes a good year as per my personal experience. Ultimately, the world of Junks is so tempting and mouth-watering ;) I will discuss the Aahar – Pre-conception Food guide in next article.

 Pre-Natals: Doctors suggest to have Folic acid as the core-natal supplement for mother at least three months prior to conception. Folic acid consumption aids in having a good and fertile ground for the baby to grow, eliminating the chances of having any birth defects. Mother can consume other pre-natal supplements – but make sure you have at least 5mg supply of folic acid consumed per day.

Fathers-to-be are suggested to intake Ashwagandha under Ayurveda to sustain high energy, strong immune and healthy semen production while giving the 4 month sperm development cycle a conducive environment. An average intake of 5 -10 gms of Ashwagandha daily for 90 days is suitable for healthy lifestyle and sperm generation. 

4. WEIGH RIGHT WEIGH HEALTHY!

Right body weight plays a vital role in generation of baby producing elements.
Weighing down during pregnancy is a trend worldwide! But is it a trend that one should follow blindly?

Image courtesy: Popping Unicorns

Well! Doctors says that a BMI between 20 and 24 is optimum for conception. The height to weight ratio describes the need to achieve a balance. The BMI Categories are:

• Underweight = <18.5
• Normal weight = 18.5–24.9
• Overweight = 25–29.9
• Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater

If you want to weigh down before pregnancy, you should look to achieve a healthy weight within the healthy BMI range defiantly not anything less than that!

5. SAY NO TO BIRTH CONTROL AND OVER THE COUNTER DRUGS

Birth control pills modify the egg formation cycle and thus it is important to stop it way in advance. Dr. Shipra Katiyar suggests to stop it 3 months prior to your plan of conception, as it takes at least 3 months to get your cycle to normal. Other birth control methods have no significant effect on Ovum or Sperm generation and thus could be used till the D Date arrives ;)

Image courtesy: Popping Unicorns

When trying to conceive it is important to avoid any types of self-medications as it may lead to miscarriage without you being aware of it. It is difficult to deduce pregnancy until you are 4 -6 weeks into it and thus taking this small preventive step proves to be helpful for many to-be parents.-says Dr. Sathe.

6. TRACK THE CYCLE

Well, tracking your cycle is no rocket science, every girl is born with a mental log of their cycle. However, it is important to track the dates of the cycle as it helps to deduce the ovulation period correctly. For average 28 –30 days cycle, Ovulation is observed to happen in between 10^th and 15^th day. Wow- that’s lots calculation ;). You can get the complete deducing cues here.

Image courtesy: Popping Unicorns

Technology is a boon! With so many mobile applications and at home tests available one can easily keep a track of the cycle without fail. The only thing you need to do is make an entry without forgetting the dates ;)! That is a task, isn’t it!

7. TIME YOUR ACT

Doctors suggests to indulge in the act in between 10^th and 15^th day for optimum results. Couples come under pressure if they have to plan this impromptu, impulsive and spontaneous act.

Image courtesy: Popping Unicorns

The trick is to spend a quality time next to each other - watch romantic movies, cuddle for hours or just enjoy time alone with each other before the act, so as to completely indulge and enjoy the act.

All things set and done, the same feel and pleasure of just being you with your better half won’t be available in plenty, post conception ;).

8. BEWARE OF THE HEALTH ALARMS!

Doctors suggest to get the initial health check-ups done for both mother and father to-be, so that they can decide the line of treatment and consultation at the time of conception. The health tests initially feels overwhelming due to its overall connect with illness, however consider these tests as a sign of better future health and family as these are done with a motive of birth defect prevention.

Depending on the results, Ayurveda suggests detoxification procedures that balances the doshas and toxins of the body so as to avoid any passage of defects to the baby.

Image courtesy: Popping Unicorns

So these tests includes the set of tests for:

• Lifestyle diseases – BP and Diabetes,
• Hormonal Balance – hypo and hyper Thyroid,
• Disorders – Sickle test, thalassemia, HIV, HBSAG
• Basic information like blood group and Haemoglobin test

These adaptations work very well towards a new you! A mother / father you!

Adapt well! Cheers to Unicorn (definitely with a mocktail ;))

रिchie

PS: Thank you S NAGALAKSHMI a guest unicorn with artistic inclination on board. Nagalakshmi believes "art doesn't have any limitations", which is why, she expresses herself in strong yet contemporary and joyful illustrations.