[name_m]Hi[/name_m] All. It’s still 2025 but 2026 is only a few months away.
[name_f][/name_f]I thought it would be nice to get the thread started for those of us planning to TTC, as I know many start prepping a while before.
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I’m 32. I have one son, born January 2025 so he’s almost 9mos old. We live on the east coast USA but could move literally anywhere my husband gets a job (Lord willing) next year.
DH and I decided to YOLO it this month for a July 2026 due date as it’ll probably be wisest to wait until next summer to start again (he’s a teacher and I had a really poor postpartum experience with my son in January 2025 because his school treated us terribly…it’s a long story. Hooray US policy).
Anyway, we had been trying for a May baby for that reason but it took almost a year so we had a late January baby instead. Wouldn’t change him for the world but I really don’t want to repeat the postpartum experience I had with 1 on 1 with me alone and 2 children so we decided to just give it a shot. This is also the first month I will barely be or just under the minimum recommended wait time after a c-section for a VBAC.
We would prefer the first 2 to be closer and then be able to space out the remaining children a little bit more, although it’s very much a wait-and-see. If we end up not conceiving until next summer, the later children will be much more evenly spaced or closer together.
Thus, barring a miracle where I’m not really even tracking and potentially not ovulating, I’ll be here and preparing by losing (hopefully) 60+lbs before next summer (gained 35 with DS) and maybe my cycles will be regular by then.
Hello to all! 
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[name_m]Just[/name_m] popping in to send all the good vibes and baby dust to you all. 
Crossing my fingers that you’re all going to get sticky babies who will be very lucky to have you 
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Best of luck! It’s such a struggle trying to balance preferred timing with when to have a baby.
[name_f][/name_f][name_f]My[/name_f] husband and I are planning on trying for our first in [name_m]February[/name_m]. It doesn’t quite feel real as we’ve been together almost 8 years, and had baby fever about 1 year in (some of you might recognise me as being fairly active here in early 2019).
[name_f][/name_f]With being ~4 months out I will be stopping my hormonal contraception very soon. It’s the mini pill and I know I still ovulate on it sometimes, but my cycles are irregular and I hope they will stabilise by the time we start trying. I used to have painful periods without contraception so hopefully that’s something I’ve grown out of.
[name_f][/name_f]I need to schedule an appointment with my doctor to discuss my medication with TTC/pregnancy, and get clarity on what I need to look for in supplements.
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I’ll most likely be a part of this group too, if we don’t go wild & start trying this year lol.
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[name_m]Hi[/name_m] there! We’re planning to TTC next year for baby #2[name_f][/name_f], more likely start in late spring or summer. We have a 10 months old baby boy. He’s wonderful and I wouldn’t change anything but he does make me wonder how many I can handle lol.
[name_f][/name_f]If I can choose I’d like spring/early-mid summer birth this time. Took us a few cycles (though with some delays in between) to conceive him, so here’s hoping next time wouldn’t be much longer. 
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[name_m]Hi[/name_m] All!
[name_f][/name_f]I didn’t think I’d be a part of this group or if I was it would be late [name_f]Fall[/name_f], but new information about family fertility is making me reconsider. I am 36 and I have a 2 year old daughter but my husband and I would like to have three kids. I also work full time and I’m in grad school so those are complicating factors to say the least. I’m hoping to finish grad school by the summer instead of next [name_f]Fall[/name_f], meaning I could start TTC in late Summer/early [name_f]Fall[/name_f]. It took us a year after our first miscarriage to conceive my daughter and I’m older so I anticipate the process taking some time. Hopefully not too much time!
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hi friends!
our midwife recommended we wait until january or february of 2026 to ttc, since i am wanting to try a vbac for baby no. 2. dh and i are still praying and thinking on what will be right and best for our little family, but i have a good feeling we’ll be ttc at some point this coming year!
[name_f][/name_f]if anyone has any advice for preparing for pregnancy after sudden and severe preeclampsia (they diagnosed me when i was in labor) and/or a c-section i’m all ears!
[name_f][/name_f]sending love and baby dust to all of you 
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all i know about preeclampsia prevention is from my studies so no first-/second hand experience here! (and also not a doctor so read with caution)
[name_f][/name_f]Exercise is helpful in preventing preeclampsia, since it helps lower blood pressure. It’s recommended that everyone should do mild-to-moderately intensive exercise for at least 150min/week, regardless of any health issues. Obviously it depends on your lifestyle if this is actually feasible for you, but just remember that any movement is better than no movement 
Another thing I’ve come across is taking aspirin during your pregnancy, but that’s definitely something you should discuss with your doctor, since they’ll know more about specific dosages and when to try that!
[name_f][/name_f][name_f]Hope[/name_f] this helps in some way
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I have been induced with both of my kids because of preclampsia, this last time it resulted in my baby being born prematurely (36w) and with low weight, and who knows what might happen the next time, so I’ve decided that before getting pregnant again I’m going to spend at least a couple of years exercising and loosing weight, I’m not succeeding yet as I’ve since the birth 4 months ago gained more weight than ever 
. I dont know other ways of trying to prevent preeclampsia other than starting the pregnancy being fit and with a normal BMI. Good luck and I’m sorry you had severe preeclampsia!
My history with preeclampsia along with the fact that I just had two babies very close together (they are 24 months apart) puts my next TTC phase at least by the middle of 2027, but I have to say it’s hard because my baby girl gives me so much baby fever! Am I crazy? I want to give all my attention to my current children and wait a few years before trying for my third but I feel I’m obsessed about pregnancy and babies at the moment, someone’s gone through the same thing? Anyway I’m going to follow this thread and accompany you all though we’re not planning to conceive anytime soon.
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Hi friends!
my husband and I recently moved to Europe from Canada for work. Its been a lot of ups and downs, but honestly were just aching to move back home as soon as makes sense. We were originially wanting to start TTC our first in 2026, but are now debating waiting until we are back around to have a support system. Since it would be our first, we really dont know what to expect (timelines, health issues, etc.). Baby fever is BAD and we would love to start our family, but the isolation will be a huge deciding factor.
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@highhippogriff[name_f][/name_f] thank you so much for your insight. i currently do about 30-60 minutes of outdoor walking with my daughter each day, and then a small pilates or yoga workout once she is asleep at night, and i have always had a normal bmi, so hopefully i can at least have that tiny boost in my favor. i have read about success with a mediterranean diet helping prevent preeclampsia, so looking into that as well! my midwife did mention the baby aspirin, which i am open to, but usually try to favor more natural medicine so it does scare me a little! i think the anxiety around this for me is that it was so[name_f][/name_f] unexpected. i had almost no usual symptoms either!
[name_f][/name_f]@AlSP[name_f][/name_f] thank you so much for your insight! i am so sorry the same happened to you and that your little one’s birth was affected by it. it is a very scary thing to go through and i can imagine it’s only harder if you have to deliver your baby sooner as a result. i will keep you in my prayers as far as baby no. 3 coming when the time is best for your little family and that you have a healthy, safe pregnancy! also, i am totally in the same boat as you with baby fever, yet not feeling totally ready, so do not feel bad about that!!
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I was assessed as high risk for developing pre-eclampsia at my morphology scan. I chose midwife led care and non-medicated home birth. These are the things we did to manage my pre-eclampsia risk:
[name_f][/name_f]- [name_f][/name_f]
- Low dose aspirin (I prefer to avoid medications but the benefits to me and my baby outweighed those preferences and it is an evidence-based intervention). [name_f][/name_f]
- Low processed sugar, higher protein and a magnesium and choline rich diet. I focused on eating whole foods, increased my daily egg and dairy consumption, used readily absorbed iron (ferrous bisglycinate) and introduced fish to my diet (I was vegetarian). [name_f][/name_f]
- Discussed the symptoms to look out for, not waiting to seek help, and trusting my instincts. [name_f][/name_f]
This episode[name_f][/name_f] from Evidence Based Birth may also interest you and I also recommend the website as a great resource for information or other stories. Sara Wickham[name_f][/name_f] also has excellent articles on evidence-based birth and midwifery-led care.
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oh, this is wonderful. thank you so much for sharing!! 
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@kachenka[name_f][/name_f] Evidence Based Birth looks like a great resource, I’ll definitely look into it!
[name_f][/name_f][name_f][/name_f]
I just wanted to say hi even though I won’t be part of this group. As much as I’d love a small age gap, caring for two is pretty much unthinkable at the moment. We talked about it this week and agreed on aiming for (at least) a three year gap. I don’t know what that means ttc-wise, as we relied on assisted fertility with R and might have to for 2 as well, so that’s definitely something I’ll discuss with my doctor when I see him next month. But all in all I’m pretty sure we’re not trying again before 2027.
[name_f][/name_f]I will still check in here to read up on how everyone’s doing from time to time, so don’t be surprised if you see me lurking and liking posts 
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I am having a baby in a few weeks and 100% will not be TTC in 2026, but I popped in here for a moment and just wanted to comment on the preeclampsia discussion. I was fortunate not to have it, but for those that are concerned about reoccurrence you may want to check out “The Unexpected” by [name_f]Emily[/name_f] Oster (author of Expecting Better and a few other books). The whole premise of the book (which is coauthored by a MD) is about the odds of recurrence of specific pregnancy-related complications. I know there is a section on preeclampsia, so that may be worth perusing!
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Very cautiously dipping my toes in here! I’ve been on here since the early 2010s, but mostly to hang out in the Name Games forum. [name_f]Baby[/name_f] fever was strong, and thinking too hard about my own list made it way worse!
[name_f][/name_f]After a few years of going back and forth on it, I’ve recently started IVF to be a single mom. I’m on day 5 of injections and still waiting for someone to burst through the door and tell me I’m not allowed to be doing this. Like, sure, I’m in my mid-30s, but it definitely feels sometimes like I’m actually three 10-year-olds stacked on top of each other in a trench coat. 
[name_f][/name_f] I barely remember to switch my wet laundry over to the dryer some days, and people are letting me make an actual human being??
Crossing my fingers for quick positives for everyone here!
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[name_m]Hi[/name_m] all! I will be in this thread unless it happens for us in [name_f]December[/name_f] 
[name_f][/name_f] Our youngest is 20 months. We tried for a few cycles this spring and summer and then paused, hoping for better timing (my husband’s work schedule makes a midsummer birth less than ideal.) I had wanted to be pregnant by now, but it turned out well since I just had to have a root canal and wouldn’t have wanted to deal with urgent dental care decisions while pregnant. God’s timing is better than mine 
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[name_f][/name_f]
i needed this reminder today 
my husband has a heavy schedule in the summer as well, which is why we’re hoping for a pregnancy that goes from february/march-november/december.
[name_f][/name_f]wishing you the very best, friend!!
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Thank you [name_f][/name_f] All the best to you also. The baby fever is real!
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