I would encourage a good diet and routine exercise. I regret that I don't do so well in either area. I feel that if I was in better shape I would have better endurance during labor. Think of your pregnancy as training for a marathon. Both your body and spirit need to be strengthened and nourished to give yourself and your baby the best start to life. Though it may be your child being born, it's a new birth for you as well. I also believe that midwives give the best prenatal and postnatal care (assuming there are no major risk factors to consider). You will need to spend some time searching for the right midwife for you, just as you would with an OB. There's something special when you prepare for the birth of your child with another woman who has experience and knowledge. It gives you strength to do the work you were created to do.

Many believe you should prepare yourself months before you even conceive your child. I never got that luxury when I first became pregnant. I had plans on preparing myself before I conceived my second child, only to find out God had His own plan. My third pregnancy was different. I had time to plan. I worked hard to help my body to become balanced following the weaning of my second child. I experienced many unfavorable physical discomforts which led me to be tested for various hormonal problems, only to have the tests show that I "should" have been fine. I continued to struggle but did my best with acupuncture, chiropractic care, eating well, taking supplements, and trying to establish a regular exercise routine. I finally got to a point where I felt comfortable about getting pregnant again. My husband and I never have to "try" and get pregnant. We just stop "trying" not to and get pregnant almost immediately. Needless to say, I was pregnant right away. I realized a few short weeks after conception that something wasn't quite right with the pregnancy. I wasn't nauseated at all, which was strange for me (but don't panic if you aren't sick, some women are lucky that way). Nine weeks into the pregnancy I had a miscarriage.

Very few women can say that a miscarriage is how they want a pregnancy to end. I never imagined having to go through something so sad. I wasn't prepared. Fortunately God was with me and offered me strength. At first I was a bit numb. It was as if the miscarriage wasn't really happening. As the days and weeks unfolded I went through a range of emotions, but was spared any physical pains during the process. My husband and I knew everything was happening under God's watchful eye. We felt Him close and knew our baby was safe with Him, for now. We also knew that my body would heal quickly, which it did, amazingly so. Once I was healed I became pregnant once again, which produced an extremely large and healthy baby. I have had two more babies since and am now enjoying days full of five actively unique children. Only time will tell if/when we will go through the experience of another pregnancy.

Below are some of my personal remedies and suggestions for things related to pregnancy based after my own experience and various other resources.

One of the best tools in trying to conceive, or trying to avoid pregnancy is to be aware of your body, specifically your fertility signs. The best way to do this is to chart your temps and learn how to read your body's indicators of fertility. I first learned about this using the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility. Personally, I choose to avoid chemical forms of birth control. I don't feel they are good for my body and would cause excess worry if I was to become pregnant while taking them. I value life, even if it's unplanned.

When you are ready to conceive then I would highly suggest a good online BBT (basal body temperature) charting program, or buying a program if you don't mind investing the money. You should also be mindful of your environment and how it may affect your ability to conceive as well.

Fertility Friend - "...is the leading internet destination for women trying to conceive. The centerpiece of FertilityFriend.com is a state of the art, easy to use, online fertility charting system."

Ovulation Calculator - "Trying to conceive? Improve your odds of getting pregnant and identify your most fertile time of month with our Ovulation Calculator and Calendar."

Personally, I usually stay away from prenatal testing (I'm not talking about peeing on a stick). Unless there is a reason, a symptom, or some sort of risk factor, I do not feel certain prenatal tests are necessary. Ultrasounds seem to be a very popular prenatal test that I feel is used a bit too freely. I do get at least one ultrasound during each of my pregnancies. I want to confirm it is a single baby and not twins, and I want to make sure there are no major physical deformities that will impede the safety of me or the baby during the homebirth process. I have heard of situations where using this test more frequently is certainly warranted. I just feel using it just to get a recreational peek at the baby may be using it a bit too recklessly considering its safety is not 100% certain.

Obstetric Ultrasound - "...a comprehensive guide to ultrasound scans in pregnancy."

Four out of my six pregnancies have been for boys. My first pregnancy was full term, and my only surviving girl. My third pregnancy ended in an early miscarriage (9weeks), also believed to be a girl. All of the other pregnancies were boys, and they were quite debilitating. With my first, I had nausea and a couple episodes of vomiting, along with being very tired. My second stepped things up a few notches with more intense nausea and increased vomiting. There are few words to explain the intensity and severity of the nausea and vomiting of my fourth, fifth, and sixth pregnancies. These episodes lasted for between 14 and 20 weeks, including dehydration and total inability to function in such a way where I could take care of my family, let alone myself. Thankfully during these times I either had a husband who worked from home and could shoulder the extra burden, or my mother would move in temporarily until my health improved. I tried many different things to try and alleviate the symptoms I was experiencing, but nothing really worked well enough or long enough to make a marked difference long term, but a few things did help at times.

Water - Believe it or not, this causes quite a bit of nausea for many pregnant women, me included. I was always aware of the dangers of dehydration, but wasn't quite sure what it felt like. When I got to the point where I could keep nothing down (fluids or solids) I realized I was in trouble. With my sixth pregnancy I was dealing with a new area and finding new resources. I was informed that water often causes nausea and to think about drinking something else. Once I received an I.V. to help rehydrate and knock down the severe nausea a bit, I was able to maintain a certain level of hydration. Herbal teas and all natural electrolyte drinks were a preferred source of fluids for me. I was able to keep these down if I sipped them all day long. No guzzling for me! I did best with the fluids being close to room temperature or slightly warmer. Anything cold would make me ill. One recommendation that I did not do was to sip broth. For some reason this idea turned my stomach so I stuck to the tea and energy drink, but it may work for you.

Food - At my worse, everything comes up. So when/if I'm able to nibble on something I choose the time of day when I'm not likely to vomit. For me that is mid-morning and early afternoon. Evenings (after 4pm) were hopeless, and early mornings (before 10am) for one of my pregnancies was almost as bad. It was recommended by a nutritionist that fatty foods and sweets would increase nausea, so stay away from those. My best foods would be simply prepared (baked, boiled, steamed) chicken, eggs, and veggies. Munching a tiny bit all day was much better than eating a larger meal at one setting. I found that if I ate enough to keep from feeling hungry, or full, that my nausea wasn't as bad. So between sipping fluids and nibbling on foods, I was always putting something in my mouth. Even so, I didn't become dehydrated again despite vomiting every night like clockwork. Ginger is also a food you can take in many forms to help with nausea. If you don't like the smell or taste (like me) you can try taking it in a capsule form.

Vitamins - Studies have shown that an increased amount of B6 will help nausea in pregnancy. I took a B-complex of vitamins. If I'm ever pregnant again I think I'll try the increased dosage of just B6 and see if it helps me more.

Since everything came up with me, I had to take my supplements late morning when I was less likely to vomit. This gave them a fighting chance of staying in me the longest. Both my midwife and the health clinic I went to suggested Floradix for my iron. It was easily digested and did not cause the constipation and nausea that most other iron supplements would cause. I also used an organic prenatal vitamin to try and make up for all of the foods I would toss up. Vitamin D3 and Omega-3's are also highly recommended supplements to take while pregnant, along with a vitamin B complex. Folic Acid is one that all women should try and find in foods, as well as in a supplement right before pregnancy, and throughout. Yeast can become a problem for many pregnant women, so a good probiotic is a must to help prevent and/or treat yeast infections. I've never had a problem during pregnancy with yeast infections, but I've been more susceptible to them since the birth of my 5th child. If I take my probiotic every morning (20 minutes before my breakfast) I feel great. If I slack off and forget for a few days/weeks then I start feeling it.