Trying To Conceive After Miscarriage: What I Did To Help Myself Get Pregnant And Keep My Rainbow Baby

Trying To Conceive After Miscarriage: What I Did To Help Myself Get Pregnant And Keep My Rainbow Baby

We Are Pregnant With A Double Rainbow Baby

We went to the fertility specialist and found out WE ARE PREGNANT!!! I cannot even believe it!…after 18 long, painful months trying to conceive, two miscarriages and negative after negative on the pregnancy tests we are *finally* pregnant again. Of course, I am being cautiously optimistic, but I have a feeling this little one is going to stick. I’ve gotten a lot of DM’s, comments, and emails asking what I did differently. I did a few things differently – I was literally trying EVERYTHING! I shared a lot about this on our podcast Hot Marriage Cool Parents, but of course I wanted to write up this blog to help any other mamas out there trying to conceive who aren’t keen on podcasts. 🙂

Trying To Conceive After Miscarriage

In 2016, we were pregnant with our first son Johnathan and I suffered a 2nd-trimester loss at 17 weeks, one day. We found out I was pregnant with Henley Grace, our rainbow baby, on his due date. I *truly* believe he is up in Heaven bouncing on clouds, looking after his little sister. When Gracie was about six months old we began trying for another baby. Almost immediately we suffered 2 miscarriages, one was a chemical pregnancy and the other was at 10 weeks. Needless to say, I was devastated.

After 10 months of trying to conceive I got FED up and basically rebelled against pregnancy. I did everything I wouldn’t have been able to do if I were pregnant—so mama had 3 glasses of wine a week, got botox, ate whatever I wanted, barely exercised…you name it. I figured if I’m not pregnant I  may as well enjoy my “freedom.” (Very silly of me, I know. I am almost embarrassed to admit this out loud.) I was honestly just depressed. I saw everyone around me getting pregnant and then going on to carry their babies to term and I had a little of the “Why not me?” syndrome. But after a couple of months of self pity and feeling like poo I was OVER it and I needed and wanted a change. If you’re at this point too, stick with me. I know this blog is a bit longer than my usual ones, but I think you’ll find it helpful. Or at least I hope you do.

What I Did To Help Myself Get Pregnant and Keep My Rainbow Baby

I got pregnant with Gracie, our first rainbow baby, on the Whole 30 diet and I decided to do something similar again. I got pregnant with this baby (or babies ;)) on the Arbonne 30 days of Healthy Living. The first thing I want to tell you is that you do not have to do either of these diets, but I do strongly believe that what you put into your body makes a difference. I mean, changing my lifestyle worked twice for me!

Quick disclaimer: If you have genuine infertility issues this isn’t going to be an easy fix for ya (I am so sorry, mama!!!) but if you are looking for a way to detox, regulate and reset your body I highly, highly recommend making these changes! Trust me, it seems literally *impossible* when you first start, but it isn’t that bad once you get going…and the positive on the stick makes it all worth it in the end! 😉

Here’s EVERYTHING I Did While Trying To Conceive After Miscarriage:

1. I changed my diet to remove any foods that may cause inflammation. I cut out:

Dairy
Gluten
Alcohol
Coffee (this was a bit rough ahhah)
Sugar

I try to buy non-gmo and organic foods. I know that it’s more expensive, but I figure my family’s health is worth it. I legit buy no-sugar-added organic ketchup now. I thought cutting out bread was going to be the most difficult, but I stopped drinking coffee cold turkey and let me tell ya (not even going to sugar coat this) that was absolutely MISERABLE. I began drinking almond milk and oat milk. No more glasses of rosè with my girls – wahh!

After two and a half weeks of the detox it’s like my body adjusted and I no longer had high levels of anxiety. I didn’t need coffee to help me through the day and I was overall more energetic and happier. My husband, Doug, noticed a huge difference too!

And one month later I found out I was pregnant. With my first rainbow baby and this pregnancy now. (At the time I am writing this I am only 6 weeks pregnant so like I said, I’m being cautiously optimistic.)

I’m not sure if you want direct links to the types of foods I substituted, but if you do just comment on instagram and let me know. I read every single comment that’s on all my pics. 🙂

Ok, here are some of the other things I did…

2. I began lightly working out around 2-3 times a week

Not my “prettiest” moment, but I love this stepper thingy. It’s small enough to tuck away in a corner so it’s out of sight, but it’s mighty enough to get my heart pumpin’. If you hate working out or hate going to the gym or just prefer to do an at-home exercise (I’m right there with ya!) this is a good way to begin working out. And don’t let yourself watch your favorite show/read your favorite book unless you are on the stepper/working out. Trust me, it works.
I cannot watch BIP unless my butt is on the stepper…last season was ADDICTING so that definitely got me motivated. Now I need to find a new show to watch while working out. LOL!

I also do 2 sets of 50 leg lifts, 2 sets of one-minute planks, and some arm workouts. I use free weights and I recently bought these resistance band thingys.

These are the exact weights I use at home. 🙂

3. Meditation

I can’t say enough good things about meditation—especially a guided meditation that has positive affirmations in it. I’ve tried several different apps, but the one I want to recommend to you is completely free. (And I like it as much as the ones where you have to pay.) The app is called Insight Timer.  I’ve been doing this almost daily to help with any depression, anxiety, self-doubt, and insomnia. If you have insomnia I recommend finding Kenneth Soares and listening to him before going to sleep. It’s a game-changer.

4. Gratitude Journal

This one is super helpful! People have been known to beat all sorts of different issues—including depression and anxiety—by being thankful for what they do have. To be honest, I haven’t been super consistent with my gratitude journal. I have one that is specifically used to write down what I am thankful for (I’ll link a similar one below for ya), but you can use any old notebook or piece of paper. It doesn’t have to be fancy to be effective.

5. Envisioning becoming preggers

I truly believe what you put out into the universe is powerful – and it will come to you! So I was just trying to think of positive pregnancy vibes always! This may seem strange and kinda like “fluff,” but trust me it is worth it. Just close your eyes and envision yourself 9 months pregnant with a healthy baby bouncing around inside your belly. If nothing else, it will make you smile for a moment.

I did this type of envisioning almost daily. Not for a long amount of time, but just enough to put it out into the universe.

6. Pre-seed lube and lifting legs up after sex

A lot of my girlfrans on social media recommended pre-seed so I hopped on Amazon and bought it! This lube is sperm-friedly and is suppose to help the little guys swim up to meet the egg. We used this the entire time we tried getting pregnant for both Gracie and this current pregnancy. And we consistently lifted my legs up after sex (I know that seems like TMI, but I want to share with you everything we did in hopes it helps you, too!) I linked the pre-seed below for ya.

7. Vitamin D

My vitamin D levels tend to be consistently low. After a little research I’ve found that this could be a contributing factor when trying to conceive. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to begin taking this daily. I linked a good supplement below for ya. It’s for a year’s supply so it is well worth the 15 bucks if you ask me.  One thing to know with Vitamin D – your body cannot absorb it unless it has a form of fat. (Vitamins of  A, D, E, and K are all fat-soluble vitamins.) Without getting too nerdy on ya and bringing out my whole science background (I’m a labor and delivery nurse for those of you who may not know),  just know that you want to either drink with a glass of milk or make sure you take with a meal that has some fat in it in order to better absorb the vitamin. 🙂

8. Baby Asprin

I’ve had a lot of tests done to try to figure out why I had a second trimester loss and why I keep having miscarriages. One of the blood tests came back that I have Factor V which is essentially a blood clotting disorder. I’ll spare you all the details, but essentially this could be contributing to my several pregnancy losses. So the doc recommended I take a baby aspirin daily. Now, this may not be something you need. I’d highly recommend chatting with your doc before taking this one. (I did take it daily with my pregnancy with Gracie and she is healthy and strong today!)

9. Progesterone

Ok…so I didn’t know that you could self-test for low progesterone! I started using Proov 7-10 days after ovulation and not all my tests were positive. Since they measure progesterone metabolites in urine, the results helped me figure out that I needed to chat w my doc about this. The doc listened to my concerns and prescribed progesterone supplements (this needs to be prescribed by a doc). I am taking it now during this pregnancy but never did previously. That being said, I didn’t believe I truly needed it. However, when I stopped taking it my progesterone levels dropped so doc advised I continue to take it. Thanks to Proov tests, I was able to talk to my doc about getting the progesterone supplements.

There you have it! That is literally everything I did differently when we were trying to conceive. I hope and pray this helps you out in one way or another. And if it does, please let me know. It always makes me smile to hear from you. 🙂

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