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- Week 1
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Days 8 to 14
- Preparing for pregnancy
The more you prepare your body for pregnancy the better. Obvious things like eating healthily (lots of leafy green veggies); getting some exercise (yoga or swimming are great); and quitting smoking all make a difference. Taking folic acid is important too, as it helps prevent defects such as spina bifida. Try to make friends with your bathroom scales. If you're a tad overweight, this can make it more difficult to conceive. Also talk to close friends and family about how you're feeling. Trying for a baby can be an emotional rollercoaster - make sure you have support.
See how your baby grows in our week by week image gallery.
Timing is everything
Finding out when you're most fertile will maximise your chances of falling pregnant. If you have a 28-day menstrual cycle then you're probably ovulating between days 12 to 16, so the middle days of your menstrual cycle are your most fertile - so have sex on these days. Ok, so choosing the actual days when you're going to have sex isn't very romantic but there are ways around this that can actually help conception. Listening to calming music or simply relaxing with a massage before you dive under the covers can help you both get in the right frame of mind to conceive. So, whether you fancy a bit of Barry White or Brahms, give it a go!
Daddy-to-be: it's not just your diet that's important in making a baby, your partner's diet matters too. Because sperm can take weeks to mature, your partner should be starting to think about his diet three months before you plan to conceive. Eating a diet rich in antioxidants; zinc; selenium (found in foods like tuna, brazil nuts and wholegrains); essential fatty acids (choose oily fish); and manganese (leafy veggies, eggs, wholegrains), will help keep your partner's sperm healthy.
Disclaimer
All content within BBC Health is provided for general information only, and should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of your own doctor or any other health care professional. The BBC is not responsible or liable for any diagnosis made by a user based on the content of the BBC Health website. The BBC is not liable for the contents of any external internet sites listed, nor does it endorse any commercial product or service mentioned or advised on any of the sites. Always consult your own GP if you're in any way concerned about your health.
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