The Crazy Stuff I've Learned

I have been a little obsessive with my research lately. I have a bit of a problem with that. Anytime I decide to do anything, for example when we bought our car, I go a little overboard on reading all the research that there possibly is on the topic so that I can be as prepared as I possibly can. I know that there is no way that I can be prepared for everything, but I think learning from other people is much easier than having to go through the trial and error myself, right? Here are a few things that I learned while perusing baby websites last night:

A guy’s sperm is negatively affected by heat. Sitting in hot tubs can decrease a man’s sperm count significantly for up to three days! His sperm counts are highest in cold months and lowest in warm months. It is also higher when the core body temperature is colder like first thing in the morning.

Heat can also be a bad thing for women shortly after conception. Hot tubs have been linked to an increase in miscarriage in the first trimester. Temperatures over 102°F should be avoided throughout pregnancy but a woman in her first trimester should avoid raising her core body temperature at all. Hot tubs kept at a low 98° are okay, but most are much warmer.

Sperm can live inside the uterus for up to 72 hours. An egg, conversely, can only live for 12-24 hours which is what makes conception so tricky. Having sex several days before ovulation, as well as during, increases the likelihood that there will be sperm available to contact the egg.

The earliest that most OB/GYN’s will see a woman who has been confirmed pregnant is at about 8 weeks. That’s because that is the earliest time that a vaginal ultrasound can be performed. Before that point, the doctor isn’t likely to see anything. Surprisingly, at only 8 weeks you can often hear the first signs of a heartbeat! I’m sure that it will be incredibly stressful to have to wait that long to see the Dr. after finding out that you are definitely pregnant though.

I am sure that I will be addicted to this researching for quite some time so there will likely be another post with more crazy things I have learned.