Wanting but Waiting...

[stephbolt]

Thanks Meg! We can totally be TTC twins!

blondebunny, I'm so sorry about the medical issues you are dealing with. Will your DH be back in the states in August?

monkeyprincess, congrats on deciding to just go for it! Hugs on the job situation, I've been there and it's so awful.

HOT, good luck to you deciding which direction to go in.

 

[MuffDog]

Hiya girlies!

I had my annual physical today and told my dr. that we were thinking of starting a family at some point this year. We discussed the things I should do to prep i.e. folic acid, at least one cycle off BC etc.

Question - any idea how much folic acid I should take?

 

[megumic]

Hiya girlies!

I had my annual physical today and told my dr. that we were thinking of starting a family at some point this year. We discussed the things I should do to prep i.e. folic acid, at least one cycle off BC etc.

Question - any idea how much folic acid I should take?

I don't know the answer, but my obgyn gave me an Rx for a folic acid. I don't know what the heck the dosage is b/c I haven't filled it yet. March of Dimes website says 400 micrograms of folic acid before getting pregnant and switch to about 600 micrograms during pregnancy. It says that 1000 micrograms per day is the max for healthy women, but more may be directed for a specific reason by a physician.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

I talked with my ob/gyn about how much folic acid to take when you're pre-TTC. She said that she recommends a max of 800 micrograms of folic acid. I thought I needed 1,000 micrograms, but she felt that was too much.

 

[LtlFirecracker]

Hiya girlies!

I had my annual physical today and told my dr. that we were thinking of starting a family at some point this year. We discussed the things I should do to prep i.e. folic acid, at least one cycle off BC etc.

Question - any idea how much folic acid I should take?

400mcg daily

ETA: This is the pre-conception dose and assumes you do not have a family history of neural tube defects. And I didn't see you asked your OB. I would take her advise of course.

 

[MuffDog]

Interesting. I went to the drugstore and there weren't alot of in between options. Multi vitamins had too little. The separate vitamins (is just folic acid) had 1mg. Is there any risk to having too much?

 

[NewEnglandLady]

MuffDog, I'm currently taking the famous gummy pre-natals. There is 400mcg of folic acid in each gummy vitamin. The instructions say to take 2, but since we are not TTC yet, I just have one per day and will bump it up to 2 when we're actively TTC

 

[stephbolt]

Interesting. I went to the drugstore and there weren't alot of in between options. Multi vitamins had too little. The separate vitamins (is just folic acid) had 1mg. Is there any risk to having too much?

I'm not a doctor, but my understanding is there shouldn't be a risk of taking 1mg - folic acid is water soluble and thus any extra your body can't use will be flushed out of your system.

 

[meresal]

Just wanted to add my .02

If you are talking about TTC soon, then just go ahead and start taking the Prenatal like NEL mentioned. It has the best of everything, not to mention the right amounts, all rolled into one, and since you'll just have to keep taking it once you are prgnant, you mine as well let your body adjust early.

I took the Stuart vitamin, along with a DHA supplement. (Not sure if DHA is necessary before becoming pregnant.)

ETA: I *need* to stay away from this thread. You gals' excitement is contagious!

 

[MuffDog]

Thanks girls for the info. Since we haven't started TTC, I was too nervous to buy the prenatals so I grabbed the 1mg. I think I will take them back though - the extra makes me nervous.

Maybe I will just get the prenatals and suck it up. My poor hubby said "isn't this jumping the gun a little?" - he sure knows how to make a girl feel good haha.

Okay off to the drug store to find gummies. Ha.

 

[Pandora II]

I take 5mg a day because I take an anti-epileptic which are anti-folates. I took them every day when I was pregnant and the research I did and the doctors I spoke to said that that dose of folic acid was perfectly safe.

The standard recommendation in the UK is 400 micrograms.

 

[LtlFirecracker]

Thanks girls for the info. Since we haven't started TTC, I was too nervous to buy the prenatals so I grabbed the 1mg. I think I will take them back though - the extra makes me nervous.

Maybe I will just get the prenatals and suck it up. My poor hubby said "isn't this jumping the gun a little?" - he sure knows how to make a girl feel good haha.

Okay off to the drug store to find gummies. Ha.

The prenatals (in particular folic acid) has the greatest benefit if you use them months before you start trying and the first few weeks of pregnancy. About half of all pregnancies in the US are unplanned, and when they do find out they are already a few weeks into the pregnancy. Therefore many OB's advise that all women of childbearing age be on prenatals, not just women TTC.

 

[LtlFirecracker]

Interesting. I went to the drugstore and there weren't alot of in between options. Multi vitamins had too little. The separate vitamins (is just folic acid) had 1mg. Is there any risk to having too much?

I'm not a doctor, but my understanding is there shouldn't be a risk of taking 1mg - folic acid is water soluble and thus any extra your body can't use will be flushed out of your system.

According to the March of Dimes, 1mg is the max a women should take daily if they are just going out on their own and getting folic acid. I think this is because the pregnancy dose of folic acid is 600 mcg, but that is hard to find, so they would rather you round up. Women who have risk factors for neural tube defects (like the situation Pandora described) are often advised to take much higher doses. But that should be done under the direction of a doctor.

 

[megumic]

What about taking a 1000mcg/1mg and cutting it in half? 500mcg should be just about right. Any reason this wouldn't work?

 

[LtlFirecracker]

What about taking a 1000mcg/1mg and cutting it in half? 500mcg should be just about right. Any reason this wouldn't work?

Cutting pills in half is usually fine as long as it is not an extended release tab (which I doubt a folic acid supplement would be). If you are ever in doubt, you can always ask the a pharmacist if the place you bought it from has a pharmacy. My pre-natals are actually are 3 pills a day to total 800 mg of folic acid. I just take 2 pills a day and that is about 530mg.

I normally don't know this much about OB stuff, but I just did a ton of research on it for myself, so I hope I am not over sharing.

PS: I had my annual physical today, and the person taking my history was shocked I started pre-natals on my own. I guess a lot of women don't do that.

 

[kittybean]

Okay off to the drug store to find gummies. Ha.

Did you get some, MD? I actually ended up buying some when DH and I went grocery shopping the other night. He gave me a bit of a quizzical look, but I told him I needed to start taking folic acid before we even begin TTC. He looked amused at that point, but didn't say anything else.

I noticed the gummies don't have iron in them--is this necessary for a prenatal?

 

[MuffDog]

Nope - I actually couldn't find them. Maybe they don't sell them in Canada (where I am).

I just stuck with the 1mg tablets. I checked with the doctor and the pharmacist and they all said it was fine.

Who makes these gummies?

 

[NewEnglandLady]

My ob/gyn said that iron wasn't necessary at this stage unless my iron levels were low (they weren't). She said that women often have a hard time tolerating iron, so until we actually get pregnant and she writes a scrip for a a pre-natal with iron, it's fine.

My pre-natals are made by VitaFusion...I think I got mine at Target, but I've also seen them at CVS.

 

[LtlFirecracker]

OK on another topic. I came into town early this weekend and my husband took me out to a nice restaurant. He than told me he was negotiating a job offer that would let him work from home. He would have to travel a lot, but that would allow us to be in the same city when we are ready to start trying for kids.

I am trying not to think too much about it, I don't want to get too excited.

 

[stephbolt]

OK on another topic. I came into town early this weekend and my husband took me out to a nice restaurant. He than told me he was negotiating a job offer that would let him work from home. He would have to travel a lot, but that would allow us to be in the same city when we are ready to start trying for kids.

I am trying not to think too much about it, I don't want to get too excited.

Job negotiating dust to your hubby, LtlFirecracker!

 

[LtlFirecracker]

OK on another topic. I came into town early this weekend and my husband took me out to a nice restaurant. He than told me he was negotiating a job offer that would let him work from home. He would have to travel a lot, but that would allow us to be in the same city when we are ready to start trying for kids.

I am trying not to think too much about it, I don't want to get too excited.

Job negotiating dust to your hubby, LtlFirecracker!

Thank you. I am going to have to wait until next week to find out what happens. He made an offer today and is waiting for a counteroffer. We just got back from dinner and he is on the phone with his friend trying to figure out what the next best step is when they counteroffer. It is going to be a long weekend!

 

[rosetta]

good luck LTF!

my FI's rquest to transfer closer to me is looking very unlikely...

 

[LtlFirecracker]

good luck LTF!

my FI's rquest to transfer closer to me is looking very unlikely...

Sending dust that there is still some hope!!

We are still waiting for news. If he gets the job, he would not leave the city right away because he still has a lease on his house (and that means we would be stuck doing small town life!). But He would probably move in with me if/when we are expecting.

 

[blondebunny]

Thanks Meg! We can totally be TTC twins!

blondebunny, I'm so sorry about the medical issues you are dealing with. Will your DH be back in the states in August?

monkeyprincess, congrats on deciding to just go for it! Hugs on the job situation, I've been there and it's so awful.

HOT, good luck to you deciding which direction to go in.

My DH comes back home in May then goes back in June.. then doesnt come home till December and then goes back Jan till May then he is done out of the country! But we are thinking that I am going to go stay there for a while in August since his class load wont be that bad.

So I am still waiting on my period. I did FF and it says I should have gotten my period today (2 month cycle) but im wondering if all of my trigger point injections i got might have messed it up. Either way I think DH and I might have be put on metformin. Our "plan" really depends on how bad my PCOS is.. if I get my period every 2 months or 3 months...so annoying... we are glad we had our "accident" in October because we found out how off my period really was. Its nice not being on BC and not getting those horrible headaches from it.

Hope everyone had a good weekend.

 

[PilsnPinkysMom]

good luck LTF!

my FI's rquest to transfer closer to me is looking very unlikely...

Keeping fingers crossed for you, anyway!

 

[PilsnPinkysMom]

Just checking in to see how everyone is doing... What's happening in the W/B/W world? Any job and/or transfer updates from you ladies?


Things are well enough on my end, though we've had a little change in plans. I'm actually having my IUD removed this week and working my way through Taking Charge of Your Fertility. We've decided to actively prevent until fall using FAM + condoms and then give baby-making a two cycle chance. If it doesn't work out, we'll wait until summer/fall '12 (original tentative timeline). If it happens any time in between... that's life... and we'd be thrilled... but it would be nice to not leave my students smack dab in the middle of the year.

Buuuut... I sort of anticipate chickening out come fall

 

[megumic]

Heyyy ladies. Also checking in here...what's new?

Pils, sounds like you've got a plan. Why the change of mind to give it a go this fall? Seems there are a few of us gearing up Oct/Nov of this year to TTC.

So, my ob-gyn had given me an Rx for folic acid some time back and I just filled it (turned out to be 1g for those wondering...) Of course in true me fashion (constantly questioning "authority"), I began to question this folic acid Rx...and did some research!

Seems that actual folate, which happens to be different from folic acid, is better than folic acid. They are essentially two different forms of the same nutrient -- one is man-made (folic acid) and one is naturally occurring (folate). Interestingly, folic acid has to be converted by the body before it can be used -- which may be an issue for some as about 25% of our bodies cannot make the conversion (condition called MTHFR). BUT, if your body can make the conversion, folic acid is absorbed better than folate...the verdict TBD on this one for me.

Now that we're getting serious about this (and overly excited...) and doing lots of research, I got to thinking a prenatal may not be the worst idea either. I tend to lean toward the more crunchy side of things and read up about New Chapter Organics Perfect Prenatals. Seems like a good but expensive choice. Any recommendations out there?

 

[kittybean]

Lately I've been wondering if the fact that I am totally into my gummy, sugary prenatal vitamins means I'm not enough of a grown-up to have kids . I swear I would've been taller if they made gummy vitamins when I was a kid--I definitely flushed or hid most of my disgusting Flintstones vitamins.

On a more serious note, anyone ever wish they could just know whether they will be able to have kids or not? I am in no rush to actually have a baby on my hands, and I'm okay with waiting . . . but, I worry constantly that we'll have trouble conceiving or that I'll have issues carrying a baby to term. I just really, really want to know if it will work out for us, and then I'll be fine with waiting 'til the cows come home. Instead, this fear (I need to stop opening the TTC thread!) makes me want to just start trying now, even though we aren't where we want to be, even though I don't actually want a child right this second and am only 27, just so we have plenty of time to deal with any problems that come up. I know that's bad, and I just need to stop worrying, but I can't help feeling really anxious about it. Ugh.

Pils, I like that you guys have a plan! Actually, I'm a teeny bit jealous that you have a plan. Plans are awesome, and either way, it sounds like your wait won't be all that long. Hooray!

 

[LtlFirecracker]

megumic - I have never herd that 1/4 people cannot convert folic acid. The number seems very high to me, I will try to look into it.

kittybean - I know someone who had this fear and started trying just because of it. She was pregnant the first month and really was not ready. Of couse she has a wonderful little girl and loves her to pieces, but it was very stressful when her daughter was an infant, and I think part of her wishes she would have had more "me" years. I guess my point, don't let fear be a reason to try for kids.

As for me, my husband got the job but he is not going to move here right away. I am OK with that because I am not quite ready to give up having a place in the city. He wants to get established at his new job and put in the face time with the goal to be spending more time with me in a few months. I officially got the vacation time for our trip to Europe in May, so we are going to start planning that trip. Our long term plan has not changed, we are going to start trying when we get back to Europe and see how it goes. Still taking the pre-natals, they have not been as bad as I thought. I am very excited by the fact that by the time we start trying for a baby, he will be around at least part of the week. That was a nice surprise. Things are falling into place better than I thought they would.

 

[PilsnPinkysMom]

Megumic: This is probably a silly/stupid question, but how do you know if you're one of the 25% who cannot make the conversion? Is there a tell-tale symptom? As for our timeline change-ish, we just realized that we're really excited to start a family together and there's no reason not to give it one shot (or two) this fall... except that our kitchen won't yet be remodeled. But that's a silly reason. Before we got married we thought we'd try after four or so years of marriage and now the two or three year mark feels right.

Kitty: Where did you find the gummies?! I would be so motivated to take those. I think that worrying about TTC problems is totally normal. Just remember that you and your DH are young and healthy and the chances of any conception and pregnancy difficulties are slim. I hope you two don't wait until the cows come home, however... just a couple of years! Maybe we'll be able to schedule play dates? No pressure, no pressure And FWIW- our plan is a bit crazy. Though DH is older, I'm a bit younger than you are and certainly have no reason to try so soon... except that we'd like to and feel that we're stable enough to try. I've enjoyed reading old posts from other young PS moms but do fear some feelings of alienation if a 2012 baby is in our future. I must admit that in reading about others' desire to wait a long while and enjoy alone time/married life sans-kids I wonder, "Why don't I feel as strongly about that? Are we not satisfied enough with our lives right now?" I just have to chalk it up to doubt perpetuated by the expectations surrounding young professionals. I used to worry about judgment that comes with being a young mom, but I'm getting over it. My lifestyle is quite different from most people my age. All that matters is that we're financially and emotionally sound and have lots of love to give. Phew. Sorry for the ramble.

Ltl:WOOHOOOOO!!!! Congrats to your DH! That's terrific news!