The Official TTC Thread!

[HOUMedGal]

Date: 1/27/2010 8:36:55 AM
Author: Bliss
Hey ladies! Feb will be awesome!!! Lots of Valentine''s babies, I hope!

HOU, this is craaaaazy but I stopped abruptly on CD4, too! So eerie! Nothing last night, nothing this morning! I guess it''s true what they say about AF being weird after a m/c! But the uncanny thing is - we both had the same thing happen! Ohhh, I hope we get KTFU at the same time and go on to both have really healthy pregnancies.

Bliss, we are totally kindred spirits. Which is great, because I really like you!! hehe!

I have the same hopes for us...healthy pregnancies at the same time, won''t that be fun!?! I mentioned to my mom about the Christmas Eve due date thing I told you about, and she said "Well, you can just have the baby and I''ll take it home with me when we come visit, and I''ll just keep it until you finish residency (6 mos later)!" Ha. Is she excited or what?!!

AF hasn''t come back after the abrupt stop, and it''s CD 6 now...maybe since it was an anovulatory cycle??? Or just because my lining may have been thinner for the 1st post-D&C cycle? I dunno. Either way, it''s all good. I''m just so happy to have had my 1st post-MC AF!! WOOHOOOOOOO!!! LOL.

 

[HOUMedGal]

Date: 1/27/2010 8:54:23 AM
Author: Lanie
Hello ladies!!! I hope February is exciting for many girls as well!!! I''m on CD 5 and plan to do the Robutissin route, Preseed, OPKS with my monitor, and just pray I ovulate this cycle. My HSG is scheduled for Tuesday and boy am I nervous. While my OB prescribed me with Clomid, I''m going to wait until next cycle to take it. I want to make sure to get all of the testing out of the way before starting anything new. I''ve made the mistake of reading about HSG''s online and I wish I didn''t. If anyone went through it, please let me know it''s okay. I''ve heard that if your tubes are blocked, then it''s painful. ARGH!!!! I''ll definitely report back the findings in case anyone else has to do it.

I myself won''t be one of those with phantom pregnancy symptoms...I don''t want to jinx anything and get my hopes up. I think I''ll be a silent TTCer...hee hee! I don''t like the pressure of people waiting for me to POAS!!!

Fisher -- my biggest prayers are for you this cycle. You''ve been here as everyone''s cheerleader, and frankly, it''s your turn!

Laila -- are you out there???

Good to see HOU and the rest. Bliss, you are such a joy to have on here. I can genuinely feel you jumping out of your computer screen everytime we get another BFP!

Hey Lanie!!

Good to see you too!! Good luck with the Robitussin and Preseed....both very good things!! I will send mucho ovulation vibes your way, and I will be thinking about you on Tuesday. I have heard plenty of "oh wow, that was really uneventful" type stories with HSG''s and not really any "wow that hurt" type stories. I''m sure it will be fine.

 

[HOUMedGal]

Date: 1/27/2010 8:53:53 PM
Author: icekid
Fingers crossed for all of our Feb crew. We are in the BD marathon, but I am having a difficult time telling the difference between CM and uh... you know, my hubby''s stuff. I''m not used to this confusion! The neurotic-ness that accompanies TTC has gotten me, I think. I used to love the fact that my cycles were long when I was stressed, but TTC is a new mindset

Who knows when O will happen; don''t suspect I''ll be able to tell grr. Might have to consider OPKs at some point. Really though, this is my easiest rotation of the year by far (only 10 hour days!) so I''d rather just get knocked up now.

You go, girl!!! Run that marathon!!

At this point, don''t worry about CM vs man juice....heed Nike slogan and JUST DO IT!!! If you can keep up every other day or every 3 days, you will still have a good chance at getting preggers even if you can''t pinpoint ovulation very well. I can''t remember if you''ve been temping...??? That has been the single most informative thing I have done...I was always able to see a definite temp spike when I O''ed, despite sometimes having very confusing CM. Ovulation predictors were somewhat helpful too, although I was never 100% sure what to call "positive" with them because I never had a result that was darker than the control line (only had lines that were *maybe* as dark as the control, but that was the cycle I got pregnant, so apparently I did ovulate!)

 

[HOUMedGal]

Bliss: re: BBT and thermometers....


Defnitely go get a thermometer that is labeled as a basal body temp thermometer....they are a tad more sensitive and will give you a result with 2 decimal places, which is really what you need.

As far as when to temp, I have had pretty good luck with picking a time and setting an alarm on my cell phone so that I semi-wake up enough to stick it in my mouth and record the result, then go back to sleep until my "real" wake-up time. My real wake up time was varying a lot when I started temping (and still does, depending on what rotation I''m on) and when I tried to put in results based on differing times, the result was a really wonky chart. BUT when I decided that 5:00am was going to be temp time REGARDLESS of when I was really getting up for the day, it made all the difference and my charts became very nice and easy to interpret. So for you, maybe that does mean having hubby stick the therm in your mouth when he gets up. Or, set a cell-phone alarm for an hour before anyone gets up and temp then go back to sleep. I think the key is consistency of timing. And yes, you do get warmer the later it gets in the morning.

 

[Bella_mezzo]

ARGH!!!! It''s CD10, I have EWCF, and I get home tonight from class and DH is sick

Sometimes I feel like this is never going to happen

 

[Lynnie]

Bella, I''m sorry but I just have to say....

I think your DH needs some ''sexual healing''

 

[dcgator]

Date: 1/28/2010 4:42:23 PM
Author: Hudson_Hawk
DO NOT GET THE CVS BRAND BBT. It sucks.

HH, Why do you say the CVS brand sucks? That is what I have been using so far and I haven''t really noticed any issues. Is there some accuracy issue I should be worried about with it? If so, I need to get a new thermometer stat!

 

[dcgator]

Date: 1/28/2010 4:37:29 PM
Author: Bliss
dcgator, thanks! I think I will join your reign as Queen of the Wonky Charts!

Oh man, I can''t wait for FF to start changing my O day around! Do you have corresponding EWCF? Oh boy, I just know that''s what I''m in for! We are both charting for the first time! Hooray! Thanks for helping me! The temp memory is key, thank you! With the last one I had, I was forgetting all the time! LOL

I think I need a new thermometer - maybe I will buy a BBT thermometer today. My schedule is like yours except instead of a kitty, I have an early rising DH! I wish your cat could stick the thermometer in your mouth! I''m going to see how it works with DH sticking it in my mouth in the mornings while I''m barely groggy. If it freaks me out too much, I''ll just do it myself later when I wake up fully! It is definitely colder the deeper I am in REM sleep!

Bliss,

Yes, very cool on charting for the first time

. And I am more than happy to offer what little insight I have on this process so far. This is actually my first time off BC in about 10 years, so I am finding it very liberating, although somewhat confusing! I have contradictory body temperature and fertility signs, which is why FF can''t get me straight! I have had "fertile" EWCM from CD 16 to 22, although my temperature rise was CD 14. However, b/c of my wonky signs and then a dip below my coverline CD 19, FF had moved my O date from CD 14 to CD 15 to CD 19 and now back to CD 14. Uggh, what a PITA. I just want my body to make up its mind already, lol

As for our early morning wake up''s, I will work on teaching the kitty to stick the thermometer in my mouth, though that opposable thumbs thing is a little tricky

. I am sure your husband will be much better at it than my kitty...

Remind me, are you trying to get KU this month or were you taking a month off?

 

[Bliss]

Lanie, good luck on your HSG!

Big big hugs. We'll send dust your way. I hope they give you great news and you get more answers. Have you ever tried yoga? I have heard that deep yogic breathing helps during the procedure. I tried it during my MVA and it helped calm me down and relax through the cramps.

icekid - Go team Feb!!! Cupid's Crew! I also get confused telling the difference between CM and BD fluid. HOU, you crack e up! MJ?! Hahahahahaha!!!!!! You're so lucky in that your temps spiked when you O'd. I hope mine do, too. The odds are in my favor, as we are cycle twins!

HOU, thanks for the recommendation. I need a BBT, stat! Didn't have time to get one yesterday but today I'm going to! I'm experimenting with my temps and it looks like my temps are pretty consistent either early am when DH wakes up or a couple of hours later when I naturally wake up. So I'm going to stick with my normal time because I've already started charting in that range and I don't want to undo my last few days of work! DH stuck the thermometer in my mouth today - he initially forgot and didn't understand my sleepy finger pointing to the thermometer on the nightstand. But he did it pretty well! Hahahaha. So cute.

Maybe next month we'll try charting when he wakes up because it's more consistent. He felt really left out last time and wants to get more involved. I can't imagine how mysterious this whole process seems to men! He also said he didn't want to be "milked" anymore because it wasn't romantic! So Bessie and Farmer Bliss are retiring.

DH asked if I could let him know about fertile days in advance so it could be more meaningful and romantic. I think he wants the conception to be as special as possible. But you ladies know that when CF and O come, it's go time! So this will be very interesting. Heehee. In my mind, there will barely be enough time to light a candle before I tackle him!

Bella, EWCF!!! YAY!!!!!!

dcgator, how great! Thank you SO much for your help. I can't tell you what a relief it's been to have a friend go through this with me! Are you checking your cervix? If my temps get too wonky to read, I think I'll start checking my cervix. But I feel like it's too far up there to check! That or my fingers aren't long enough? TMI, I know! But I also don't want to disturb my cervix! I imagine it to be this immensely dignified and regal entity that I'll be poking in the eye & groping for its position, firmness and etc. Wow, so you have lots of EWCM! That is good, right? GAH! I'd be frustrated if FF started moving my O date around, too! Maybe it's just because this is your first cycle off BC! As for whether DH and I are going to TTC this month... we're still not sure! For now, I'm going to chart and see if I even get fertility signs this month... Is it crazy that I want my cycle to speed up so I can see what it looks like from beginning to end? It's just so incredibly cool. HUGS and thanks again, dcgator!

Love and dust to you all!

 

[Bliss]

HOU! I totally didn't see your last post until now! I am cracking up about your mom! Awwww, that is SO cute. I'm sure my mom will try to kidnap our baby, too! She's going to show up with all her bags and just move in with us, I am sure. OMG, I think you are such a soul sister, it is crazy how we went through all of this together. I can't wait for you to start TTC. I feel that you will be a jerk store again!

About Aunt Flo, maybe there was just a little less flow this time because of the procedure. While I spotted a little longer than you did, my period was super light compared to my normal periods. On my heaviest days in this cycle, those were kind of like medium to light days of my normal cycle. Charting is fun! I only wish I could fast forward to the O day to see if I O and if there's a temp spike! Man, I just know I'm going to drive myself nuts after O watching the temps go up and down. THAT is going to be major torture! Every dip will make me freak out, every rise will make me freak out...EEEEK!

 

[Ryan Claire]

Good luck with the HSG Lanie - please let us know how it goes!

As far as temping goes... I am a light sleeper as is and I found it very stressful at first. I would wake up every hour to check the clock to see if I had 3 hours of sleep or if I should be temping. I took the same route as HouMG and I now just set my alarm for 5 am and just go with that... even if I haven''t had 3 hours of consecutive sleep I am hoping the patterns are still detectable. My BBT did not show up until CD14 so it''s not much of a help so far this cycle. As for the CBEFM I am on CD28 today - Low for the 3rd day in a row... so that was Low CD6-8, High CD8-25, Low CD25-present. No peaks and no AF yet... I hope she does decide to show up in the next week or two. It would be the first natural period I''ve had since September and a sign that my body is getting back into a groove after being off BC for 5 months (on for 10 years). Looking forward to getting this show on the road.

Icekid, Bella, Alllie, IHA - I hope that your BD marathons are successful... lots of dust for February conceptions. Bella did you manage to coax your hubby into any "sexual healing" as Lynnie put it?

Are you guys trying any suppliments or super-fertility foods like Royal Jelly/Bee Pollen or Goji Juice or Maca Root? Just curious.

 

[Lanie]

Ryan Claire -- hey fellow CBEFM user! I''m on CD 7 and I had a "high" reading this morning. It took me by surprise. I hope it''s not doing another cycle of "let''s make Lanie POAS every morning for 3 weeks". I don''t know what it will do if I never ovulate! Last cycle, it "predicted" my period for CD28 and since that didn''t happen, I''m sure it was really confused. I went all the way to CD42 before I could start a new cycle.

 

[Ryan Claire]

That does seem early Lanie - but hopefully this cycle will be different. Are you gonna start DTD this early? They say it can take 3 months for the monitor to get to know you... but patience isn''t my forte

 

[Lanie]

3 months! Holy cow! I hadn't read that. I don't really know what to do regarding DTD. My other signs (cervical position, mucus, etc) don't really add up either, and I don't temp bc that was all over the place as well. So who knows. I would bet a million dollars my doc will put me on Clomid after the HSG. I think it's all hormonal and my ovaries aren't getting the message to ovulate. So until then, I'll either run my DH dry (hahaha) or just DTD as we please.

 

[Bella_mezzo]

Just taking a moment to be sad:

DH is officailly sick. I totally understand that he is not into BD when sick (and I really don''t want to get this nasty sinus infection he has) but I''m really kind of bummed that we have to wait until the end of the month now to try

 

[Lanie]

What day are you on Bella? Is there still time possibly? Just trying to think positive but I know those infections can be nasty and can linger. I'm sorry to hear about your DH.

Eta-- just read you are on day 11. Are you sure you are ovulating?

 

[icekid]

Bella- So sorry about DH being sick, chica! I''ll trade you my late O for your normal one so we can both have great timing

Hou- I am not temping (yet!) I''m just not yet ready to interrupt my sleep. Sleeping is not my forte, so once I wake up- that''s it! And as a resident, you know how much sleep means. So for now CM has been guiding the way (hence my frustration with CM / man stuff confusion

)

Bliss- So glad I''m not the only silly one who can''t tell CM from BD fluid (nice euphemism

) So glad you and Hou are getting your cycles back on track together. Your hubby is so sweet wanting to make sure BD is special.

Lanie- We''ll be thinking of you for Tuesday!

Ryan Claire- Must admit that I''ve never heard of those supplements! Just prenatals for me.

I looooooove how busy this thread is lately. Going through TTC with all of you wonderful ladies makes it so much more tolerable

 

[HOUMedGal]

Bella: BOOOOOO for hubby being sick!! I hope he feels better very sooooooooon (maybe soon enough to catch the tail end of your fertile window??

)

Ohhh Miss Bliss, we are indeed soul sisters!!

I hope soooo much that we get to be jerkstores again together. It has been a true blessing to have you around to share this experience with me. And I mean it. *BIG HUGS*

And yes, I did say man juice. LOL! "Semen" just sounds so cold and clinical! HA! I had forgotten about Bessie and Farmer Bliss!! Ohhh, good times, good times.

I think it''s ridiculously cute how your hubbs wants to be more involved this time around...and I love that he wants conception to be really special. That''s awesome.

I think you''ve got a keeper on your hands!! Oh, and re: cervix checking...I never had any luck with that. What I thought my cervix was doing was never what it should have been doing according to what time of month it was, and honestly, I found it very hard to tell the difference between open, partially open, and closed. I guess the easiest thing for me to tell was firm vs soft, but I had a really hard time telling the difference between high, medium, and low. I hope your temps end up being nice for you so you don''t have to worry so much about the other stuff!!

IceKid, I definitely understand the importance of sleep right now!!! Seriously, sleeping is my most favorite hobby. In fact, it may be my ONLY hobby, because residency has killed all the other hobbies off!! Luckily, I can almost always go back to sleep, so sometimes I don''t even really remember waking up to temp....it''s like I''ve gotten so much into the habit that I go on autopilot!! I hope you end up getting preggers without having to resort to temping, since it doesn''t sound like it is the best plan for you....perhaps OPK''s should be the next thing you try if you have any trouble. I got a bunch really cheap on early pregnancy tests .com, and I think there are some other sites that sell them cheap too. I just googled "cheap ovulation predictors".

DUST ALL AROUND!!! Fabulous February is almost here, ladies!!!

 

[Bella_mezzo]

Thanks for commiserating everyone.

DH sounds miserable he''s super congested in his sinuses and the sinus pressure is making his eyes water, so he looks like he''s crying

This is CD 11 for me. I had a little EWCF on CD9 and 10 and a big glob of lotiony CF today. I have a 27-28 day cycle (except for last month when it was 30). I don''t temp or use OPKs. I usually just gauge my CF (I''m going to start using OPKs next cycle).

Our plan was to BD everyday from CD9-CD16 and see what happened (but I was pretty confident that my fertile window would be CD10-14).

So...what do you think?

At this point we''ll BD whenever he feels up to it (I bought a huge stockpile of afrin, sinus pressure tylenol, and assorted soups and teas to try and get him better faster

) If he''s not better, or if we BD and don''t get KTFU then I''m busting out the OPKS at the end of the month

Any other ideas?

Dr peeps, any ideas to get him better faster?

 

[Kunzite]

RE: waking temps, I have to take my temp when DH gets up as well. I was in the same boat as most of you because he gets up about an hour before me and I would always wake up. So now his alarm goes off and he instantly goes, "momma, temp time!" I found that if I stressed about getting three hours of sleep I would never temp. I had to discard my entire first chart because there were so few temps recorded because I would never get three solid hours of sleep.

Bella - That''s eight straight days of BD. You''re a crazy woman! I know a lot of people talk about not charting because they want to take a relaxed approach, but for me the opposite is true. I like that I now have a fairly small window of when I O (it varies by about two days) that I don''t really have to plan a marathon. Instead I can plan much more accurately. I think a week straight might feel like a chore, but that''s just me.

 

[dcgator]

Date: 1/29/2010 10:46:30 AM
Author: Bliss

dcgator, how great! Thank you SO much for your help. I can''t tell you what a relief it''s been to have a friend go through this with me! Are you checking your cervix? If my temps get too wonky to read, I think I''ll start checking my cervix. But I feel like it''s too far up there to check! That or my fingers aren''t long enough? TMI, I know! But I also don''t want to disturb my cervix! I imagine it to be this immensely dignified and regal entity that I''ll be poking in the eye & groping for its position, firmness and etc. Wow, so you have lots of EWCM! That is good, right? GAH! I''d be frustrated if FF started moving my O date around, too! Maybe it''s just because this is your first cycle off BC! As for whether DH and I are going to TTC this month... we''re still not sure! For now, I''m going to chart and see if I even get fertility signs this month... Is it crazy that I want my cycle to speed up so I can see what it looks like from beginning to end? It''s just so incredibly cool. HUGS and thanks again, dcgator!

Love and dust to you all!

Bliss,

You really are such a joy and full of positive energy. What a pleasure to share my journey with you

. As to your question on checking cervix position, no I have not gone there yet and don''t intend to. It''s a little too touchy feely for me. Too much poking indeed! I think I will start with OPK''s next month instead of the groping. But, let''s hope that our cycles will regulate themselves soon enough so we won''t need to mess with all those secondary signs.

As for your TTC status, I am exactly where you are too. We are not necesarily TTC, just hoping to get my timing down, but perhaps I will be another jerk store as well. We shall see. And can I get an Amen on the speeding the cycle up already. It needs to just get over itself

.

Much dust to you and all the ladies GFG in the coming weeks. May we be fruitful in our efforts!

 

[Dreamer_D]

Bella Go get him some good meds and them march in there and tell him to take one for the team... or give one for the team. I mean, really, he can just lay there. Right? haha... Sperm can live for like 5 days in fertile CF so even once in the window and you are good.

 

[icekid]

Date: 1/30/2010 1:48:31 AM
Author: dreamer_dachsie
Bella Go get him some good meds and them march in there and tell him to take one for the team... or give one for the team. I mean, really, he can just lay there. Right? haha... Sperm can live for like 5 days in fertile CF so even once in the window and you are good.

cough cough... that is what I tell hubby when he does not feel like it. Just lay there

hahaha. Hope you can do some convincing, Bella.

 

[Bella_mezzo]

yeah, he's pretty finicky, the "lay there and take one for the team" thing doesn't work on him.

We're watching the foodnetwork right now YUM. he sounds worse today, so I think the end of the month it is. It just sucks b/c we both had the flu in Dec and missed that cycle too, so we've been trying since Nov, but really only 2 cycles

we'll i guess I can still go for the gold at the end of the month

it makes me feel better that I got 2 fertile windows this month. It's the same length cycle, just how the dates line up, but some how "the end of Feb" doesn't feel as far away as March

 

[Puppmom]

Bella, I feel your pain...on our 3rd or 4th cycle trying DH broke his hand right at the beginning of my fertile window! I was so disappointed that we couldn''t try that month. Making him BD then would have been spousal abuse

We ended up getting pregnant two cycles later. Good luck!

 

[Bella_mezzo]

thanks puppmom-You give me hope

DH is zonked out on the couch right now surrounded by kleenexes. he's so sweet b/c he was all "I'm disappointed too, you're my wife, I love you, I love BDing, I want to start a family with you, and can't wait to meet our children, I just don't feel well enough to do anything right now'

He's so sweet.

Also, I've always wanted to have a family by birth and by adoption and he's starting to think that's the way to go too. So, now when I stress out about how long it seems to be taking to get pregnant, he says "Bella, God will give us children when he wants to and if TTC isn't the way, then we'll adopt" I'm like, right, yeah, I guess I don't need to freak out

Hope everyone else's BDing is going well!!!!

 

[icekid]

aww, sorry Bella. Here''s to hoping that he makes a miraculous recovery before O

As for me, I am pretty darn sure EWCM has finally appeared since we took a few days off from BD. Yay! The unfortunate thing is that I am on call tomorrow, which means working 7 A- 8:30 the next morning! Hubby has agreed to wake up at 5 AM for a little lovin'' if I agree to steak for dinner tonight. Hahaha.. bribery AND giving up pre-call sleep. I''ll stoop to anything, these days.

 

[Bella_mezzo]

Way to negotiate ICE Can''t wait to see what February brings for all of you awesome ladies!!!

 

[AllieLuv83]

Well I am officially on week 4 of the worst cold known to man kind. It has mutated now into a really horrible sore throat with congestion. While we were BD earlier today I had to stop and cough all over poor DH. It was like moan, cough cough.

I should really see a doctor!

 

[Bella_mezzo]

Allie-I''m sorry you''re sick! Hope the BDing is going well! DH is pretty much on strike until he feels better, so I''m hoping for the end of the month instead...