It was 1:30 am late last night when I remembered that I had my preconception consultation this morning at 10 am! I immediately got excited, reviewed the questions I had prepared a month ago, added some more and then promptly went to bed. Here is the Q & A session my OBGYN and I had this morning:
Q: Is it okay to have unprotected sex immediately after I stop taking my birth control pills?
A: Yes. The birth control hormones will take 90 days to completely exit your system, but it is completely possible to get pregnant within the first month of trying, and it is completely safe as well.
Q: About how long could it take for us to get pregnant?
A: 50% of couples get pregnant within 3 months of trying. 80% of couples get pregnant within 1 year. (My doctor told me that if we're not pregnant by February 2013, we should contact him to set up some tests.)
Q: Will my women's multivitamin (I take the HyVee brand called One Daily Women's Multivitamin) suffice for a prenatal vitamin or should I take something else?
A: You need to have 1 milligram of folic acid per day and the multivitamin only has 400 micrograms. You can finish off the multivitamin, you just need to supplement it with an additional 600 micrograms of folic acid. Then you can switch to a prenatal vitamin.
Q: Can I still take my allergy medicine (I take the Kroger brand called 24 hour Allergy Relief with 10 mg Loratadine).
A: Yes, this is comparable to Claritin and that is fine.
Q: What kinds of pain relievers can I take if I have a headache?
A: Regular Tylenol 325 mg 1-2 tablets every 4 hours. (My doctor gave me a handout that lists all of the different medications I can take for colds/allergies, heartburn/indigestion, constipation, diarrhea, nausea/vomiting, fever, and headaches).
Q: Do I need any immunizations now, before I am pregnant?
A: We will need to test your blood to see if you are immune to rubella (measles). If the results show that you are immune, you won't need to be immunized. If you are not immune, you will need to get the rubella immunization before you are pregnant. (I got the blood test done today so hopefully we will get the results soon.)
Q: Can I still run while I'm pregnant?
A: Yes. If you are used to running, you may continue until it makes you uncomfortable. (I told my doctor that right now I'm running on average 8-10 miles per week.)
Q: Will the difficult menstrual cycles I've been having affect my ovulation at all? (For the past 4 years I have had 2 periods per month despite having a D&C and trying many different kinds of birth control pills.)
A: No, in fact as you come off of the birth control pills, your cycle may start to regulate itself out. Be sure to keep track of everything (your bleeding) from month to month.
Q: What kinds of foods do I need to avoid while pregnant?
A: Shark, limit the amount of tuna you eat (no more than once a week), and no sushi with raw fish in
Q: What about deli meat and caffeine?
A: Even though some people recommend avoiding deli meat, he has been researching still births in women for the past 20 years and none of them were due to eating deli meat. He also said that it is still okay to have caffeine, just to limit it to 3-4 beverages per day. I laughed and said I don't even drink that much caffeine as it is!
Q: When is the earliest I can come in for a pregnancy test?
A: As soon as you have a positive home pregnancy test, you can call us and come in for a blood test.
My husband just returned from school and I filled him in on everything. He seemed the most interested in the bandaid on my arm from my blood test. haha I'm super excited to have all of my questions answered now. At the end of my consultation, my doctor shook my hand, said good luck and he hopes to see me in the next few months! If we're lucky I guess! :)
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