The Official TTC Thread!

[fisherofmengirly]

Blen,

I''m sorry for making a sleepy, pregnant you get up early on a Saturday. Don''t get up early tomorrow on account of thinking I tested; now I''m thinking about riding it out until Monday or Tuesday, to see if my period comes.

Honestly, I think it''s about the FRERs. Around here, everyone seems to swear by them and I''m afraid that if I get a negative on them, I''ll have to believe the answer. With the cheapy tests I ordered off the internet, I could kind of say, "Eh, it''s a cheap crap test, what do they know?" but with an FRER, it should know if I''m preggo by 13 DPO. Haha. I know, that''s what they''re supposed to do.

Today I''ve had these low, dull pains. Not really cramps, but similar.

I went to Walgreen''s today and used that $5 store coupon and the $2 off coupon FRER coupon.

I''m now armed with 6 tests, and I don''t want to use them.

I''m officially a nerd. Paul thinks I should just do it and see what it says. I think he''s grown tired of the, "So, what do you think?" questions. I can''t imagine why.

 

[peonygirl]

~~~Holy long post alert!!~~~

Hey again guys! I just finished my cooking party with my friend and am just coming on to read the posts. Thanks SO much for all of these great responses. It's terrific to know that you guys obviously care so much about me, even though you don't really know me. I wish we could hang out IRL some time.

Festy, thanks so much for your support, sweetie! Yeah, DH and I are pretty young (25 and 29 right now). So I do have faith that this will happen eventually, ya know? I remember on our first date four years ago discussing how much we wanted to have kids, so this has been in the works for a while though. The contingency plan would be to defer med school a year if I got pregnant and the baby was due less than 6 months before I started school. I know that it's doable, but it would be hard to think about because I am already SO excited about starting school.

DD, I really do appreciate the tough love!! And, of course, a lot of my thoughts lately have been something like, "Why the heck am I having such an incredibly hard time with this and why am I so darn inpatient?!" Especially when I think about people who have been at this for a lot longer than me--like our sweet Drk--I start to feel guilty about that. But then I will see a baby or a young kid in the grocery store, and I literally feel my heart ache with the desire to be able to love, nurture, and parent, and I can understand why this is so incredibly hard. My DH is exactly the same way with kids. I have actually never met another guy who genuinely adores and wants kids as much as him, but then again I haven't met your husbands.

I think you're probably right about the people who had a really easy time getting pregnant talking about it constantly. Seriously, when certain people I know IRL talk about it, they actually seem to be bragging. It's a little bizarre, but I don't take offense. I mean, the 3-month median/6-month mean number has to come from somewhere. I remember in sex ed in high school, they told you that you could even get pregnant if you fooled around too much without even having intercourse. No wonder all of my non-TTC friends are asking me every other day if I'm pregnant yet.

You're also right that it's okay if I have to delay med school a year, although that idea will probably take me a few months to get used to. I mean I got engaged at 22, my Master's degree at 23, and if I hadn't switched careers I could have had my PhD at 26. I've been running this race for a few years now. I'm already late with this MD thing; does it matter if I'm a little later? How are you able to live in the moment in the midst of so much school though? None of the people around me are good at that, especially my husband and me.

I reread my post about all of the million things I tried to increase my fertility this month, and I do sound a little nutty. I just wanted to lay absolutely everything out there, in case there was something obvious I was doing to mess up my chances, ha! Working in psych research and now neurobio research makes me ultra analytical and precise about everything, so it's definitely par for the course. I like your idea of doing "charting lite," where I continue some aspects of tracking but try not to make myself too crazy with making sure everything is perfect. Tonight DH suggested that I stop doing my temps so early in the morning, which messes up my sleep when I can't get back to bed. There is only one day a week that I actually need to wake up at 7am, so I'll just temp at 7am that day and 8am every other day.

About the weight thing, I don't know if that's hindering me. I'm definitely not underweight, but I'm probably on the low side of healthy (5'1' and 110 pounds). I'm finding then when I'm dysphoric (which is soooo rare for me, except now) my appetite does go away. I'm actually having to cajole myself to eat at times. It's not especially uncommon for me to have early-morning nausea if I'm tired or a little stressed, but it's usually dry-heaving and not actual vomiting.

I definitely think I need to put my hard-earned clinical skills to the test now. If I was a therapist right now, I would see myself doing two main things: catastrophizing and employing black-and-white thinking. Of course, some of my thoughts now are that it will be years instead of month before I get pregnant. But right now, I'm don't have any concrete evidence that something is hugely wrong with me or my cycle. Getting over the black and white thinking is HARD because pregnancy is binary by nature. Every month--and lately day for me--every temp seems to be cause for celebration or sadness. Also, pulling a little Ellis I'd say--okay, maybe I didn't know before that getting pregnant can take a while. Maybe I'd fooled myself into thinking that with diligent charting and healthy habits I could get pregnant faster than average. But I now know my thinking was flawed, and part of growing up is learning to accept certain realities and be flexible.

Fisher, I think that you should do whatever you're most comfy with now. And you're right, testing takes away all of your hopes and dreams (for that month). But so does getting a huge temp drop, and so does getting your period. I think it just comes down to whichever way you're most comfy finding out. Only you know that. But heck, maybe you are pregnant!

 

[Sabine]

Awe, Fisher, I know it''s hard when you know you are out for the month, but don''t you think that putting it off might make it even worse because you will be getting your hopes up for longer? I''m not saying to test if you don''t want to, but you have good chances of getting a bfp at 12 dpo...

And Peony, I know all about feeling the time constraints even though I''m still young too. But I really feel like stress is messing with your chart. You''ve been given so much good advice already that I won''t add too much, but I wanted to let you know that I''m thinking about you hoping you find ways to destress.

Nothing exciting going on here...this should be my first day AF free. I was really hoping my temps would be more stable now that I''m using a bbt, but so far I have a range of temps from 96.6 to 97.5! Hopefully it''s just because I had AF, and they will even out now that she''s gone!

In other news, DH and I think we found a suitable place to live near Bethesda (where we will most likely be next year)! I was really worried that I wouldn''t find a place we would like, so this is a major stress relief!

So when are the other cycle buddies going to be testing?

Drk, I''m still thinking about you over here and hope that you''re finding comfort from the positive things in your life.

 

[fisherofmengirly]

13 DPO. Another high temp. I was all happy and decided to go ahead and test. FRER. Negative. Tears to follow, of course. I''m not giving up home completely yet, though. Maybe I don''t have enough in my urine to show the positive line yet. Maybe. Or maybe tomorrow that idiot period will come. Or maybe the next day.

*****
Sabine,

I''m glad you found a place you want to live. That is always a great way to relieve stress, knowing what you''ll be calling home.

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Paul wanted me to add that he thinks he sees a faint line. The boy always thinks he sees a line. God bless him!!

***
I''m glad I did take the test today, actually. Sunday is my favorite day; we get to go to church and it''s hard to be sad at church, you know? And it''s also the last day before work starts up again, so we try to make it a special day. Last time I got a stupid period we went to the zoo. Maybe I can talk Paul into that again.

 

[robbie3982]

Peony, I''m sorry you''re having such a stressful ttc journey. ::hugs::

Sabine, yay to finding a place to live! Can''t wait to hear all about it!

Fisher, I think we need to see a pic of this possible line! Do you plan to test again or just wait to see if aff shows up?

 

[littlelysser]

Good Morning all!

Just checking in, 7DPO, CD 21.

I've attached my chart iff'n anyone is interested in it. I'm thinking that my big dip at 6dpo could be possibly be an implantation dip? But it is a HUGE dip. .5 degrees! I had the same thing the month I got prego - but not as huge. Any thoughts?

Regardless, I'll probably test on Thursday or Friday...when my inlaws are here from the Netherlands. When are the rest of my O buddies going to test? Festy, BB, Ebree????

I am completely and totally not looking forward to my in-law's visit. At all. Dreading it, actually. Like makes me feel a bit sick to my stomach that they are coming. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. And since I'm unemployed, I can't use my job as an excuse to not be around them. Well, my MIL, specifically. My FIL is fantastic...My MIL and and I just do not see eye to eye. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. Blah.

Although my questions often go unanswered, I'll try one more. For those that have been prego more than once, did you "feel" the same way or close to it? Did you have similar signs? In other words, do prego symptoms vary with each pregnancy? With my m/c, I had tons of watery CM before I got my BFP. Does that necessarily mean it is likely that I'll have the same thing if I get prego again? Similarly, will I always have an implantation dip, since I had one first time I got my BFP?

Peony - I'm glad you are feeling better. DD and the others have given great advice. I'll just ditto it all!

Fisher - I'm sorry the test was negative, but it is still early! There are many other sticks to pee on!

Sabine - Yay for finding a place! That is huge!

Dr.K - You are in my thoughts!

NYC - Good luck at the doctor!

Amber - I hope stuffs improve for you pal. You and your family have been on my mind.

CD17, 7DPO

 

[Festy]

Good morning all,

Peony, how are you feeling this morning? Wait, I just saw that your long post was written at 3:00 a.m. I hope you''re still sleeping! You sound like a very smart, self-aware person. I think as the days go on you will gain a little more distance and perspective on the whole thing. I hope you have a nice relaxing Sunday.

Fisher, I''m not buying that BFN. Not for a second. Not while your temps are staying up. Hopefully all will be clear soon.

Hey Lysser! I wish I could answer your question for you. I could guess at the answer but this will not help you in any way. Your chart looks good, though! To answer your question about testing, I''ll wait til AFF is late, which would be one week from today.

I''m at CD22/7DPO and have had no sign of a post-O temp dip. I seemed to have had one last cycle, however I was using a regular therm. so the dip may have been more exaggerated. Otherwise, I''m liking my chart very much. (Not because I think I''m PG...I just like it!)

Here''s something that makes me happy...DH and I have started talking about and planning a honeymoon - finally! We were married at the end of June and didn''t feel like we had the money or the time for a trip then. The plan is to go to Argentina for two weeks in March. Not only is it exciting to have something like this to look forward to, but it makes me feel so much more relaxed about TTC! Since part of the trip would involve some time in the wine country, I won''t be at all disappointed if I''m not PG by then! Now, I just fast forwarded my chart to March and see that the dates of our trip will not coincide with O...maybe we need to change that. And if we do get PG before then, we''ll probably change our itinerary a bit, depending on how PG I am.

Anyway, just thought I''d share. Hope everyone''s having a good weeekend!

 

[robbie3982]

Lysser, your chart''s looking good! A few pages back DD explained that there really is no such thing as an implantation dip and all dips post-O are really caused by the secondary estrogen surge. Even though it''s not associated with implantation, it can still be a good sign. Something about hormone levels being higher if I''m remembering her post correctly. Good luck with your testing! It''s too bad you don''t get along with your MIL. Could you maybe plan a bunch of activities with her that don''t require a lot of talking? Movies or tours? I didn''t have many early symptoms with either bfp (still don''t have many symptoms). I think extreme fatigue and tender breasts were the only ones, but I did have them with both. I don''t think you necessarily have to have the same symptoms with each bfp since each pregnancy is different, but I think if you do have symptoms that you had with your bfp and don''t usually have with AFF it could be a good sign.

Fisher, I just wanted to add that mentioning on the TTC thread that you have a possible line and posting no picture is pretty much the same thing as posting on SMTR about a new ring with no pics! I want to see what Paul sees!!!

 

[peonygirl]

Sabine, congrats on finding a place to live! Are either of you working for the NIH? Probably not, but that''s when I think of when I think of that city!

Fisher, ugh, I''m so sorry about the negative. You''re right that you''re not out until you get your period though. How long is your normal LP? Part of the reason I hate taking pregnancy tests is that they''re not as definitive as I would like. When you get your period and it''s clearly a period, not heavy spotting, you know you''re out. But if your DH saw a possible faint line, that''s a good sign! On the other hand, last month when I put my pregnancy tests under the light and angled them a certain way, I was usually able to convince myself that I saw a super, super, super faint line. I really hope that your faint line is not a visual hallucination like mine was, ha!

Lysser, DD posted a few pages back about the fact that the "implantation dip" has nothing to do with implantation, but rather it just reflects a common hormonal fluctuation at that point in one''s cycle. I got them too on 3/4 of my charts. As for your other question, mela felt exactly the same way physicially preceding both of her BFPs. She totally predicted her second pregnancy, even though she was getting a lot of early negative tests.

Festy, your plan for a honeymoon sounds really good! I''ve never been to South America, how fun!! This cycle do you think that you''re going to test at some point, or just monitor your chart?

 

[Festy]

Date: 10/26/2008 11:04:54 AM
Author: robbie3982

Fisher, I just wanted to add that mentioning on the TTC thread that you have a possible line and posting no picture is pretty much the same thing as posting on SMTR about a new ring with no pics! I want to see what Paul sees!!!

Too funny!

 

[Festy]

Date: 10/26/2008 11:11:02 AM
Author: peonygirl

Festy, your plan for a honeymoon sounds really good! I''ve never been to South America, how fun!! This cycle do you think that you''re going to test at some point, or just monitor your chart?

I won''t test until I have a reason to. Either AF is late or my temps are wicked high around CD27/28. Last cycle my temp dropped a day or two before AF.

 

[peonygirl]

Robbie, I was thinking about doing that animated GIF thing sometime today, but do I need to buy photoshop or is it something smaller I can download? I don't have it on my computer.

Also, any pics from your Halloween party?

 

[littlelysser]

Thanks for the answers guys.

I remember what DD said re: implantation dip - but I had a marked dip, that was .3 and lasted one day, the month when I got my BFP...which is the similar to what happened today and yesterday...so although it doesn''t exist per se, it happens in 20% of women who get a BFP and it can be an indication of pregnancy.

Hmmm...perhaps I can explain what I''m asking better by overlaying my two charts...my BFP chart and my current chart. The temperature patterns are similar, give a day or two difference...

Does the similarity to my prego chart temps mean anything? Do you think? I don''t know. It just seems oddly similar. Of course, I''ve only temped the cycle I got my BFP and this current cycle, so I have nothing to compare it to, hence the confusion...Does that make sense?

 

[littlelysser]

Heh. Forgot to attach it. Let''s try this again...

 

[littlelysser]

Date: 10/26/2008 11:24:24 AM
Author: Festy

I won''t test until I have a reason to. Either AF is late or my temps are wicked high around CD27/28. Last cycle my temp dropped a day or two before AF.

I admire your restraint. In fact, although I say I''ll hold out until day 11 or 12...I *may* even test on Wednesday. Cause I''m a nutter...

 

[peonygirl]

Hey lysser! I guess DD is saying that it's not a sign of implantation or pregnancy, but rather just correlative with a slightly higher fertility. If I were to use statistical terms, it's not a mediator of the relationship but rather a 3rd variable associated with both.

When I look at your charts they look like two ovulation charts, but they don't look that similar to me. I'm NOT saying this to tell you that you're not pregnant, but I have realized that it's better to not get your hopes up and be pleasantly surprised. I've seen all sorts of different-looking pregnancy charts, although all were bi or triphasic. I think your charts just look similar because they're both biphasic (i.e. ovulatory).

For example, here are my last two charts where FF confirmed I ovulated (not pregnancy charts, obviously).

 

[robbie3982]

Peony, I could be wrong, but I think that the full version of Photoshop is the only Adobe product that lets you make animated gifs. I''m no expert though so I could be wrong. It''s the only one I know how to do it with though. You can download a free 30 day trial of CS4 (and all of the other products actually) from adobe.com.

Here''s a pic of us from last night. It''s not the greatest pic of us, but it''s the best I''ve got. We were trying to do the dvd cover pose.

 

[robbie3982]

Lysser, my bfp charts didn''t look very similar:

 

[littlelysser]

Thanks Robbie and Peony - That is what I was wondering...whether charts were similar month after month, as I really don't have any frame of reference. Your chart overlays are very helpful!

Peony - No worries about my getting over-excited. I don't know if this makes a lot of sense, but after the m/c, I'm a bit freaked out about getting another BFP, for fear that the same thing will happen again. And really, I don't think I'm prego this month anyway...Just not feeling it.

However, I do think my prego chart is tri-phasic, is it not? Following the dip, my temps were up between .2 and .3 over my post-O temps (other than the one spiked temp, which was taken after a bad night's sleep)...which is the definition of triphasic, right?

ETA - Great costume Robbie!

 

[peonygirl]

OMG, Robbie, your costumes turned out SO well!!! That is hilarious! You should show that pic to your kid someday.

I''m going to a Halloween party on Halloween, thrown by a couple we babysit for from time-to-time. It''s all going to be familes with little kids, plus DH and me. I can''t wait!! They have two super sweet little girls about a year and a half apart. Here''s a camera-phone pic my DH took last year when I was feeding the younger one.

 

[neatfreak]

Peony Just jumping in here to offer one small piece of advice in addition to the advice all these lovely ladies have given you. You said that all your friends are constantly commenting about whether you are preggo or not. Have you thought about asking them to stop it? Or fibbing and telling them you are taking a break from TTC for awhile? For a few of my friends (especially my friend who took almost a year to conceive) it really really added to the stress of TTC to have people all around them constantly watching and asking.

My thought is that it''s already a stressful time and based on your research oriented career I would say we are probably pretty similar in the way we analyze and stress about everything (I''m in a PhD program), and I know for me one of the nicest things was not having anyone besides my DH know we were trying, so there wasn''t really any annoying speculation even during the dreaded 12 week "waiting to tell everyone" period. I think it would have really stressed me out much more if others were "expecting" me to be preggo all the time.

My friend had started out by telling everyone they were TTC, and then a number of months into it basically had a freakout and yelled at everyone to not mention it again. She didn''t like the way she finally crumbled, but she said it was the best thing she has ever done for her mental health!

As I am sure you know stress can really f* up your body, so go get a massage! You deserve it!

 

[peonygirl]

Lysser, on second thought I don''t know whether your chart is biphasic or triphasic. When I think of triphasic it usually goes up even more, but yours definitely goes up somewhat. Also, you only temped for 12DPO, so maybe if went up more afterwards but you didn''t know it.

I just did a search for triphasic charts on FF, and 80% of them were pregnancy charts. For example, here is the first one that came up.

I can''t relate to your being nervous about being pregnant again, but I definitely understand how you''d feel that way if your first pregnancy ended in miscarriage. *hugs*

 

[mela lu]

Date: 10/26/2008 2:49:11 AM
Author: peonygirl

I definitely think I need to put my hard-earned clinical skills to the test now. If I was a therapist right now, I would see myself doing two main things: catastrophizing and employing black-and-white thinking. Of course, some of my thoughts now are that it will be years instead of month before I get pregnant. But right now, I'm don't have any concrete evidence that something is hugely wrong with me or my cycle. Getting over the black and white thinking is HARD because pregnancy is binary by nature. Every month--and lately day for me--every temp seems to be cause for celebration or sadness. Also, pulling a little Ellis I'd say--okay, maybe I didn't know before that getting pregnant can take a while. Maybe I'd fooled myself into thinking that with diligent charting and healthy habits I could get pregnant faster than average. But I now know my thinking was flawed, and part of growing up is learning to accept certain realities and be flexible.

Peony - I'm so glad to have read this. I think you've gotten some well needed perspective and that the more patient and flexible you can become, the better off you'll be I'm only saying this because although it seems agonizing waiting for your BFP, it is equally if not more agonizing during the 12 week wait I'm in it now, and I've found relaxing and going with the flow has been my #1 ally. I'm going to wish you Good luck (wink) but I think that it will happen when the time is right, and it will be a combo of good luck,educated information, and faith. Hugs!!!!

Fisher - Um.........faint line, what? Faint line, where? Faint line, who???

Do share! We love this stuff!

Robbie - OUTSTANDING costumes!!!!!!!!!!

LittleL - I cannot comment on simmilarities between my charts for my two BFP, but I can comment on the "feeling" I had. I had the same "feelings" both cycles. For me it was like, living under a pilon, where all my senses were "off". It's the hardest feeling to put into words, but I knew 2 DPO that I was KTFU because of these "feelings". Trust your body and you gut feeling

It's hard to do, but just like we see with our CM, our bodies will tell us everything. *okay* Back to the "flake farm" after that comment!!! lol
ETA: my second BFP was a triphastic chart!

Just sayin'!

baby dust baby dust baby dust!

 

[peonygirl]

Hey neatfreak! Yeah, in retrospect I probably shouldn''t have told people that we were trying. That is probably a big source of my stress, even though on the whole I tend not to care what other people think about me in most areas. I guess it''s the whole BEING REMINDED CONSTANTLY by everyone else that I''m not pregnant yet.

When I told people, I guess that I thought it would happen earlier and I wasn''t really considering the alternative. Plus, everyone was asking me if we wanted to have kids soon, and as an accidental one-night-stand baby it was really important to me that people knew my kid was loved and wanted from the start. Although that doesn''t even make sense, as DH and I have been married for a while, plus everyone knows how much we love kids.

I would love to reduce some of this pressure from everyone else, but I''m not really sure the best way to go about it. I like your suggestions, but I don''t see myself being like "shut up everyone, stop asking me!" If I told people I was taking a break, I could see them trying to convince me out of it, ha! I think that I might just say something like, "Trust me, I''ll tell you guys if I''m pregnant, you don''t need to keep asking. I''m not just going to show up at a party in a few months with a baby in tow without giving you advance warning." I also believe (or hope!!) that the more times people ask me and I say no, the less inclined they''ll be to persist in asking me over time.

The other thing too is that I break down at work sometimes and talk to people about it because I feel so sad and down. Unfortunately, my work is full of the most fertile women ever and I usually end up feeling worse. Interestingly, however, there are two guys at my work now whose wives are pregnant after a long time of trying (so I recently found out). I think that I might try to call one to chat with her a little, as I met her once and she was super nice and open to talking about fertility stuff. As I recall, she is one of nine siblings and her older sisters had no trouble conceiving, so she was really surprised too that it was difficult for her.

 

[fisherofmengirly]

I didn''t take a picture of it, guys.

I''ve thought I''ve seen faint lines so much during this whole experience of trying to grow a baby that I''m sure Paul is just repeating what he''s seen me say and do a number of times.

I don''t even know where I set the thing down at. I can try to get a picture of it, but nothing''s gonna show up. Besides that, it''s like over 5 hours old now.

A couple at our church is good friends with us and they went through IVF and have three triplet boys (two of whom are identical) and then right after they were born, they got preggo on their own with number 4, a beautiful little girl. They ask us from time to time how things are going on the baby game, and while it''s very sweet of them and we know they''re praying for us and supportive, today it was really hard. I just smiled and said we were giving it the best efforts we have. Haha. Nothing more than that to say really.

My birthday is in November and if preggo, Paul was going to get me a glider for the baby''s room. Maybe that can be a Christmas present instead, or a two year anniversary present in January. Or a Valentine''s day present. Or, I don''t know, maybe I''ll get a present for St. Patrick''s day. Never know!

Honestly, I don''t feel like I''ll give up for real on this cycle until I have a period. I don''t think I''ll test again, though. Not unless my temp doesn''t drop by Tuesday. Then I could be weak and give it a go again.

After church got me a children''s size Frosty from Wendy''s. Now that''s what makes this girl smile!! I''m doing okay and I''m hanging in there until there''s the start that stupid period, who always promises of another chance to try again.

Festy, when is your expected period due to visit?

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Peony,

I have only charted one other cycle so far. That LP was 14 days with my period coming on day 15, starting a new cycle. So, if that holds true, tomorrow should be my last high temp.

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Robbie,

Haha. You look very pregnant and very miserable! Too funny!!

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 10/26/2008 12:51:01 PM
Author: peonygirl
Hey neatfreak! Yeah, in retrospect I probably shouldn't have told people that we were trying. That is probably a big source of my stress, even though on the whole I tend not to care what other people think about me in most areas. I guess it's the whole BEING REMINDED CONSTANTLY by everyone else that I'm not pregnant yet.


When I told people, I guess that I thought it would happen earlier and I wasn't really considering the alternative. Plus, everyone was asking me if we wanted to have kids soon, and as an accidental one-night-stand baby it was really important to me that people knew my kid was loved and wanted from the start. Although that doesn't even make sense, as DH and I have been married for a while, plus everyone knows how much we love kids.


I would love to reduce some of this pressure from everyone else, but I'm not really sure the best way to go about it. I like your suggestions, but I don't see myself being like 'shut up everyone, stop asking me!' If I told people I was taking a break, I could see them trying to convince me out of it, ha! I think that I might just say something like, 'Trust me, I'll tell you guys if I'm pregnant, you don't need to keep asking. I'm not just going to show up at a party in a few months with a baby in tow without giving you advance warning.' I also believe (or hope!!) that the more times people ask me and I say no, the less inclined they'll be to persist in asking me over time.


The other thing too is that I break down at work sometimes and talk to people about it because I feel so sad and down. Unfortunately, my work is full of the most fertile women ever and I usually end up feeling worse. Interestingly, however, there are two guys at my work now whose wives are pregnant after a long time of trying (so I recently found out). I think that I might try to call one to chat with her a little, as I met her once and she was super nice and open to talking about fertility stuff. As I recall, she is one of nine siblings and her older sisters had no trouble conceiving, so she was really surprised too that it was difficult for her.

Awww sweetie, big hugs. Regardless of what it is you want (marriage,a baby, whatever) it's very hard to talk about it with people who all have what you want and don't understand what you are going through. I think it's a great idea to surround yourself with more understanding people when you need to vent, venting isn't helpful when you feel worse afterwards ya know! I completely get where you are coming from, I am a big overachiever and people pleaser, so in a way it feels like you are letting people down.

And IMO, even the most well meaning people can be dense. Very dense. If you want people to stop asking I really think you need to tell them something. I like the "I'll tell you when I am pregnant, you don't need to keep asking". It might sound harsh, but they need to be taught that it is VERY stressful for you to keep talking about it. If you want to be a bit more direct you could say something like "I know you mean well, but it's really stressing me out to hear people keep asking me since it isn't happening right away for us. I would really appreciate it if we could table the baby talk for awhile. I PROMISE you guys will be the first to know when we have something to tell!". But that's only if you are comfortable talking about it openly with them.

 

[Festy]

Robbie, your costumes are flippin'' adorable!

Fisher, mmm, Frosties...

Here are all my vital stats again. I think these nuggets get lost in long posts...

CD22/7DPO
AF due Nov. 1 - ish or CD28
Not testing til she''s late

Now...where are my cycle buddies at?