My Almost 40 Trying for Baby Story and Simple Ways to Increase Your Chances of Getting Pregnant

*This is a sponsored conversation from Mums the Word Network and The Stork OTC. All opinions are my own. This post may contain affiliate links.

When I was in my 20s and early 30s, life was happening. My career was everything. Working hard, and playing harder was at the top of my list. Planning for a family still seemed like an eternity away. It wasn't until I was 35, was married for slightly over 1 year when we decided to start a family. I worked out a schedule in my head so we could have two kids spaced appropriately. Well... things don't always work out that way. Here's how it happened for us with some simple ways to increase your chances of getting pregnant.

My Almost 40 Trying for Baby Story...

We got pregnant with our first baby, a boy, immediately after I left a very stressful work situation for a new opportunity. So far, so good!

I was healthy and still felt young despite the OB/GYN sending me to a specialist due to my "geriatric" age. Older moms, brace yourselves. There may be times you are going to be made to feel like you are a pregnant senior citizen.

After a healthy and fairly routine hospital birth, our gorgeous and perfect baby boy was brought into the world at the end of 2015.

I love his "who the heck are you" face.

I loved being a brand-new SAHM but at the same time, being a parent was a lot of work! We weren't sure we wanted or needed to have another child just yet. I don't care how young or old you are. There is a serious adjustment period for dealing with everything from the total lack of sleep to a post-meltdown diaper explosion at the grocery store.

We probably took a little more time than we should have weighing the pros and cons of having a second child before making our decision to move ahead.

Hanging a wish on a tree. Sometimes you need more than a wish...

This is when time seemed to accelerate. The pressure is on and that dreaded biological alarm clock is about to strike. Just like so many other women following the trend of life first, kids later, I was wondering how to make conception happen naturally, yet easily, of course quickly and conveniently, and oh yeah, don't forget to be romantic!

Yes, we actually made it to Las Vegas - just the TWO of us!!!

This is how we woke up. Maybe we would try somewhere more "romantic" and less "party all night long" next time...

They say fertility declines at a very steep curve from 15% to 5% chance of pregnancy between ages 30 and 40. At 38 years old, we did not get the instant win like we had experienced the first time. We decided to be a little more deliberate in our approach.

Before you start picturing the most unromantic, overly-scheduled, clinical exchange of bodily fluids imaginable, there are many methods that you can use to increase your chances of getting pregnant without involving a medical team, fluorescent lighting, and paper tunic.

Innovation and science has provided us with everything from basal temperature analysis and ovulation test strips, to The Stork OTC. I recommend using these non-invasive, relatively inexpensive tools so you can maximize your chances of getting pregnant while experiencing the love that got you and your partner to this point (lingerie, mood lighting, smooth jazz optional).

How to increase your chances of getting pregnant

So it took slightly more planning but we were happy to find that within a year of trying, we were pregnant a second time! It's scary to say that we almost gave up. I was almost 40 and trying to conceive was NOT happening. Yet we stuck it out, using all the tools and tricks and gave it the 20 years-past-college try and it worked.

After another "geriatric" pregnancy, we delivered a beautiful, healthy baby girl. (I had the nurse checking the birth certificate information questioning my age because she thought 39 yrs seemed a little bit too old for this youthful looking energetic vegan - thank you very much!)

I think my most helpful advice for anyone trying to conceive at almost 40, is to use the Stork OTC at the correct time you've pinpointed in your cycle, and early on in your process. It can be picked up at your local Walgreens or at Target and has shown to deliver 3 times the sperm value at the cervix.

With the indecisiveness and fears we had about having a second child, the thought that we could have missed that opportunity makes me wish we hadn't waited so long in the first place. I wouldn't trade her for the world!

Finally, good luck to all the families and future families out there whether you are just old enough to vote or old enough that some hipster who thinks a heavy metal is classic rock just called you ma'am.