Bipolar & Pregnancy...?

I have bipolar disorder, and was diagnosed 7 years ago after a full-blown psychotic manic episode. My husband and I are ready to start TTC, but I’m nervous/scared. Mostly about whether or not I’m going to go back through something like that again because I’m now unmedicated for the first time since my diagnosis.

My psychiatrist said he thinks I’ll do fine, but I had to come off my meds since they can cause serious birth defects. I cut the dosage in half for the month of June and have been completely off of them since July 1. I also have taken prenatal vitamins since June 1 and am really excited at the prospect of becoming a mother.

However, I do have a high-stress job, and have been in the position less than a year so it’s still a big learning experience and I get overwhelmed pretty often. At least I am in a much better place than when I did have that episode — steady job that I really enjoy, healthy relationship, great friends and family support (this point probably has me feeling the most optimistic that it’ll be all right).

I’m basically writing in hopes that someone can reassure me that they’ve dealt with this illness or something similar and had a decent pregnancy regardless. I’m scared that the hormones and my predisposition to become depressed or manic might be a terrible combination. Does anyone have tips for managing stress — yoga, exercise, etc.? The current plan is to form healthy habits for dealing with those feelings if they come up, and not even starting to try at least for another month, once I know I’ve been off meds long enough to have noticed if my moods were going to get back to being drastically erratic.

Thank you so much in advance for reading this and for any advice! ❤️