Advice for preconception

[LukesMum]

I'd like to ask you ladies any advice on preparing for conception. I'm 35 years old and nursing my 22 month old so cleanses are out (i think?) I'm a vegetarian and eat a very healthy diet and am also in good physical shape--walking 30-40 min daily and practicing and teaching yoga 4-5x a week. I have a morning coffee habit right now but stopped when I got pregnant last time. I don't take a daily supp. other than floradix (know this??) which I often forget to take. Any advice would be helpful-I'm about 5 months from "trying"

[Modesto Doula]

I think you are in better shape to be pregnant than I am, and I am pregnant!!
You are already eating well and excersizing normally. You may wish to make taking your supplement a regular thing every day, so you minimize your chances of forgetting a few days at a time. If you plan to nurse your son through your pregnancy, then you don't have to worry about weaning him now, and it wont hurt him to do so. Be forewarned, even if you don't experience nipple pain and sensitivity in the beginning of your pregnancy that things will change in the milk-making department.
(I am currently nursing my two year old and 19 weeks pregnant. For the last month, my breasts have felt very full and nursing wasnt relieving most of the fullness. Then nursing began to hurt. Badly. I didnt realize that my milk would turn to colostrum so early, but it has, and my DD still wants to nurse. I have limited her feedings to a few minutes when they become painful, but plan to nurse her as long as possible, if only for 2 minutes at a time.)
If you are not planning on tandem nursing, or would not want to, you may wish to start the weaning process before or right around the time you start trying. It can take several months to wean a toddler completely, and you will want to do it gradually to make it easier on him.

[LukesMum]

thnaks Brooke--no plans to wean as of now--it is just so important to him...his home base--but we'll see. What supp.s did you take??

[Modesto Doula]

As far as supplements go, I am only taking the usual prenatal vitamin. I have been thinking about switching to floradix <sp?> because I cant keep down the pill unless I take it right before I go to sleep. That never was a problem, except lately I have been taking a little longer to go to sleep, and if I have those pills in my system more than 5 minutes before I am sleeping, they make me sick. I have heard that floradix is easier on your system and less likely to make me sick. If I go another few days without my regular vitamins, I am going to go get some.
You said you were vegetarian, you may need additional vitamin b-12 supplements if you dont eat any dairy. B-12 is very important to the developing baby. You can talk to a nutritionalist or a pharmacist for more information on supplements for that. Many natural food stores carry them.