How Much Folic Acid Should I Take
All women of childbearing ages have a recommended daily intake of 400 micrograms (mcg) or .4 milligrams (mg). When pregnant, this recommended daily intake goes up to 600 – 800 mcg. Most prenatal vitamins will contain the proper dosage of folic acid. Folic acid is a water soluble vitamin, and your body will flush the excess if your intake is too high.

Discuss with your doctor how much folic acid you need each day before and after you conceive. If you have a child with neural tube defects or a family history of neural tube defects, work closely with your doctor, as he may advise a higher dosage for you.

Deep green leafy vegetables, like spinach and kale, are a great natural source of folate. It is also found in chicken and beef liver, salmon, eggs, broccoli, asparagus, papaya, citrus fruits, nuts and legumes. Enriched cereal grain products, like flour, pasta, rice and cereal are required by the FDA to add folic acid.

Prenatal vitamins containing folic acid are a great to insure you’re getting your recommended daily intake of folate, just in case you miss a serving or two during the day.

What Does Folic Acid Do
Folic acid is also called folate, folacin and B9. It is integral in producing red blood cells, as well as the chemicals norepinephrin and serotonin, which are found in the nervous system. Folic acid also helps normalize brain functions and is necessary when genetic material synthesize in cells - which happens every moment all over our entire bodies!

Spina bifida is a neural tube defect that affects one in every 1,000 babies born in the US. The Centers for Disease Control reports that taking the recommended dosage of folic acid can reduce your baby’s risk of some types of birth defects by as much as 50%. Additionally, women who do not get enough folic acid may increase their chances of miscarriage or still births.

Doctors use the approximate date of conception and due date to estimate the age of the fetus and gauge the developmental milestones. An ultrasound is usually done in the first trimester to pinpoint the actual gestational age, after which the fetal development milestones can be tracked against a pregnancy calendar.

When you determine you are pregnant, the doctor will ask when your last menstrual period was. The first day of your last menstrual period (LMP), is day zero. The majority of women ovulate two weeks after this first day of their last menstrual period, and this is the most likely time of conception.

Both you and your doctor can track the fetal development progress using a pregnancy calendar. A pregnancy calendar is a great way for you to track development, and connect your signs and symptoms with the development of your baby. It is a great way to measure against the milestones you will be experiencing during your pregnancy, like hearing the baby’s heartbeat for the first time and finding out the sex of the baby.

There are many pregnancy calculators, and they help estimate your due date based on the LMP and date of conception. Pregnancy calculators are based on ‘Naegele’s rule” to estimate the delivery date. Naegele’s rule subtracts three months from the LMP, then adds one year and seven days.

We like the free pregnancy calculator at the Medical College of Wisconsin

While the precise cause of morning sickness is not clear, there are several factors associated with pregnancy that may contribute to the nausea and vomiting. Your hormone levels - estrogen, progesterone and hCG (beta-human Chorionic Gonadotropin) change dramatically during pregnancy. Of these three hormones, doctors believe hCG is considered the most likely culprit. The levels of hCG rise in women immediately following conception and increase until the sixteen week, at which point they begin to diminish.

Minimizing Symptoms
Morning sickness may be unavoidable, however there are ways to minimize the nausea and vomiting symptoms. Try the tips below to help relieve bouts with morning sickness:
- Avoid strong smells or smells that are unappealing to you
- Eat small meals on a regular schedule - do not skip meals
- Include a snack between meals
- Drink 30 min before eating, and not during your meal
- Eat a few crackers first thing in the morning
- Try switching your prenatal vitamins (consult with your doctor first)
- Avoid acidic food, like tomato sauce, and spicy foods
- Try and minimize stressful situations
- Try wearing Sea Bands, accupressure wrist bands developed for motion sickness. They stimulate wrist nerves, which in turn stimulate normal stomach rhythms.

A note about severe nausea and vomiting
A small percentage of pregnant women experience severe nausea and vomiting symptoms, called hypermesis gravidarum. This condition can be life threatening, and you should consult your doctor if your morning symptoms include weight loss, severe nausea, excessive vomiting, headaches or confusion.

For Mom:

* Health insurance card, ob/gyn and pediatrician information
* Nightgowns and bathrobe you’ll be comfortable in
* Slippers for walking the halls
* Socks to keep your feet warm during delivery
* Toiletries (toothbrush/paste, deoderant, make-up, hair care
* Favorite CDs
* Hair clips or rubber bands
* Lotion or massage oil
* Sanitary pads for after delivery
* Nursing bra and pads
* Nursing pillow
* Pillow from home
* Magazines and books
* Favorite CDs
* Hair clips or rubber bands
* Lotion or massage oil
* Sanitary pads for after delivery
* Nursing bra and pads
* Nursing pillow
* Pillow from home
* Magazines and books
* Snacks
* Going home outfit
* Camera and Video Camera
* Address book

For Baby:

* Infant carseat
* Going home outfit
* Blanket/s
* Hat
* Socks

For Dad:

* Snacks
* Changes of clothing
* Xbox or Playstation to hook-up to in-room TV
* Movies/games
* Magazines/books
* Cellphone charger
* Extra film or videotapes and power cords

<b>Coming Home Outfit</b> (1 or 2) Choose something soft, warm and perfect for all of the pictures you’ll be taking.

<b>T-Shirts with Side Snaps</b> (4 - 5) These tees slip on easily over little arms without having to go over the head.

<b>T-Shirts with Snap Crotch</b> (6 - 12) Pick tees with the wide split necks to slip over little heads with ease. Soft, thick cotton bodysuits like the ones from BabyGap wash really well and keep their shape.

<b>Pants</b> (6 - 12) Elastic waist pants are super easy to pull on over diapers

<b>One Piece Outfits</b> (3 - 6) Snap-crotch bodysuits will make sure your little one tops the neighborhood best dressed list.

<b>Nightgowns with elastic bottoms</b> (6 - 12) The stretchy bottoms make it easy to change diapers in the middle of the night.

<b>Socks</b> (10 - 20 pairs) Buy many of the same style at once to help keep matching easy.

Perhaps the most attractive aspect of Dr. Shettles recommendations is that it does not involve costly procedures or controversial medical procedures. This method is all natural, which of course makes is not one hundred foolproof, however for couples wishing to tip the balance in favor of conceiving a boy or a girl, it is a great option.

The basic foundation of the Shettles methodology is that men produce two types of sperm, the X (female) and Y (male). The Y (male) sperm are smaller and weaker, but faster than the X (male) sperm. To tip the balance in your favor of having a child of your preferred sex, the Shettles method has several recommendations to manipulate which sperm (X or Y) will most likely reach and fertilize the egg first.

You’ll want to start tracking your monthly cycle using an ovulation predictor kit available at most pharmacies. The Shettles method contends that if you have sex close to the ovulation date, the chances of conceiving a boy are more likely. The Y sperm will make it to the egg quickly and you’ll have a boy. If you have sex two or three days before ovulation, the Y sperm will die off and there will be more X sperm waiting for the egg to appear, greatly increasing the chances of conceiving a girl.

Another important factor is the pH of the vagina. The pH balance of your vagina changes to alkaline on the day you ovulate and making a favorable environment for Y sperm, enhancing the prospects of conceiving a boy. An acidic environment will kill the Y sperm first, leaving a greater number of X sperm left to fertilize the egg, resulting in a baby girl.

The pH balance of the vagina also comes into play when determining which sexual position to use. Deeper penetration positions favor conceiving a boy, because it places the sperm closer to the egg and gives the faster male sperm a head start. A woman’s vagina is more acidic towards the front, and Dr. Shettles recommends the missionary position for girls where the male sperm will either slow down or die in the more acidic environment.

Following the recommendations of the Shettles method can help you swing the balance in conceiving a boy or girl in a safe and natural way.

After meeting with girlfriends who have read books, consulted doctors and - most importantly - compared success notes, we’ve assembled a list of the most common tactics they swear by:

The most important concept is timing your monthly cycle because it is key in helping to plan the sex of your baby. When you have sex during your cycle will depend on whether you want a boy or a girl. It’s a little complicated, here’s the theory behind the timing:

Sperm is made up of X-chromosome (girl) and Y-chromosome (boy) sperm. When X-chromosome sperm fertilize an egg, it results in a girl baby, Y-chromosome sperm result in a boy baby. The “boy” sperms are fast and tend to get to the egg faster, however they also die much more quickly than “girl” sperm.

The closer you have sex to your ovulation date, the better your chances of having a boy. If you have sex 2 ½ to 3 or more days before ovulation, the majority of “boy” sperm will have died by the time you ovulate, leaving a higher percentage “girl” sperm available when the egg is released and increasing your chance of having a girl.

The pH of a woman’s vagina is also an important factor in planning for a boy or a girl. A more acidic environment, which naturally occurs near the front of the vagina, favors a more conducive environment to “girl” sperm so parents wishing to have a girl should use shallow or missionary-positions. The cervix area of the vagina is more alkaline - more favorable to the “boy” sperm. If you’re trying for a boy, you should use positions that will deposit spearm in this deeper area.

If you want a girl:
Have sex every day from day 1 to day 5, then stop three days before ovulation.
The man should take a hot shower immediately before intercourse.
Women releases a substance at orgasm that will make the environment more alkaline, creating a more favorable environment for the “boy” sperm. If you are trying for a girl, the experts recommend no orgasms!

If you want a boy:
Don’t have sex for 3 - 4 days before you reach your target date (a day or two before ovulation).
Your man should also drink a cup of caffeinated coffee right before sex.
If you have an orgasm, it will make the environment more alkaline, which favors boys.

For more scientific details about choosing the sex of your baby, the book “How To Choose The Sex Of Your Baby” by Dr. Shettles discusses charting cervical mucus, basal body temperature and using ovulation predictor kits.