Is This the Week You Get Pregnant?!

Find out why so many couples are trying to conceive in December.
Find out why so many couples are trying to conceive in December.

September 16 is the most common birth date in the US, according to government records.

Why talk about this now? Because if September 16 is the date on which the most babies are born, then basic due date calculations can tell you that the date on which the most babies are conceived is December 24.

In fact, if you look at a recent "heat map" of common birth dates created by NPR, a total of 7 dates between September 14 and September 25 make the top 10 list for most popular US birthdays--good proof that even in the midst of all the holiday crazy, lots of couples are still making time for making babies.

Why December? As someone who had a baby on September 25 (yes, exactly nine months after Christmas), here are some reasons why December made sense as the best time to ramp up our TTC efforts:

You're naturally thinking about family. The holidays are all about special time with family, something that helped us to stop and really think about how big we wanted our family to be. Our first child (and at the time, only child) had just turned 3, and we knew we wanted another, but the timing just never seemed right. As we hung up the stockings that year, I, inadvertently, left room on the mantle for one more. When my husband pointed it out, it felt like the sign we had been waiting for.

Holiday good cheer. The holidays are stressful, but they're also happy. As much as you can, harness all those warm and fuzzy emotions because they're good for your fertility! This also means that in the midst of all the holiday hustle and bustle, do your best to make enough time for the two of you to connect.

Related: 7 Unusual Ways to Get Pregnant Faster

You're eating fertility-friendly foods. Here's something I didn't really think about at the time, but now that I look back at all the holiday feasting we did leading up to conceiving baby No. 2, I see that quite a few fertility-friendly foods were on the menu. Sweet potatoes, cranberries, pomegranates, Brussels sprouts, and persimmon are among the fertility-boosters I remember eating that year.

Baby, it's cold outside. I know many couples try to boost their baby making efforts by booking romantic vacations to warm, lush tropical locales. My advice? Go live in a drafty house in New England during the cold, dark days of winter where the only surefire way to warm up is, well, you know...

It worked for us!

Are you TTC this December? Your holiday gift may not be here until September, but trust me, it will be worth the wait!

- By Jacqueline Tourville

For the 7 things to know before you get pregnant, visit BabyZone!

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