Baby on the Way!
I couldn’t believe my eyes when I POAS this morning and saw my first BFP. I’m still shaking a little bit. I didn’t take my BBT or really use OPK this month. I just watched my CM. DH was also more relaxed than usual. We took a nice vacation with our dogs. I didn’t feel pregnant at all. My BB had stopped hurting. Last weekend I cried because I didn’t think I was pregnant, and I was so upset that DH didn’t want to do a SA. This weekend I kept feeling a pull in my lower abdomen when I stood up quickly. Which was odd. This morning I woke up and my BB hurt again. I’m about 12 dpo, so I POAS to encourage AF to start. A BFN is usually a good way to get the next cycle started. Instead I found two bright pink lines. I didn’t really expect that! I’m pregnant! I keep checking the stick, and there are still two lines!
DH is out of town, so I haven’t been able to tell him. SHHHH! I want to think of a great way to tell him, but I’m sure I’m just going to blurt it out when he calls to check in.
Not feeling it…
I’ve never been pregnant, but I’m just not feeling it today. I think I’ll be facing Cycle #6 soon. Ugh! I think that we timed BDing well- every other day I had EWCM. Now, I don’t know for sure when I ovulated since I wasn’t taking my BBT or using the OPK. So, I might not have timed BD as well as I thought. My BB were sore earlier this week, but they aren’t as sore now. I’m just cranky and feeling stressed. I’m trying not to pick a fight with DH. We were up late last night, and I overslept for my acupuncture appointment. DH was up, and he usually wakes me up on Saturday mornings to walk to the dogs together. Today he didn’t. I know it’s not his fault- I’m a big girl and I could have set my alarm if I was concerned about not waking up on time. But… In the end, I was able to reschedule for Tuesday. So, in the ends it’s no big deal, but I’ve been feeling irritated all day. I was irritated and tired yesterday, too. I was up late Thursday night too. I still have one more week before AF finds me. I’m going to try to remain as positive as possible. FX that this is my month even though I feel crappy!
Back to Basics
My acupuncturist gave me a handout about the Chinese New Year later this month. This is the year of the Ox. The handout talked about different things to do to make the most out of the year, and they all boiled down to getting back to the basics. That’s exactly what I plan to do. I’m going “Back to Basics.” I’m going to try to make TTC as basic as possible. I have to admit that not charting my BBT has made it difficult to know for sure if I’ve ovulated yet. I wasn’t sure if that would matter to me since we are BDing every other day, but BD on a schedule is hard when you aren’t sure when you can stop! I broke down and used my last OPK yesterday- it was negative. So I’ve either ovulated, or I’m going to soon. Grrr… I’m fighting the urge to buy more. I’m glad that I will use the fertility monitor next month. I should change it to going “Back to Basics within Reason.” Just can’t give up total control to fate!
I find it interesting to read about the traits of people born in the year of the Ox. Dependable, leaders, smart, trustworthy, caring, organized, etc. They sound like typical first-born children to me, so I’m hoping that’s a sign that this will be my baby year.
Instead Cups
First off, the Instead Cup is designed for AF. It sounds like a diaphragm/tampon. It’s a neat concept, but it sounds a little uncomfortable and messy for me. I’m not big into tampons… or diaphragms. But, not much has changed in the area of feminine products, so it’s fun to find something new. I wanted to check this product out, but they don’t sell these where I live. I’ve looked at Target, Walmart, Rite Aid, CVS, etc. just to see what these things look like.
I’ve read on FF that many women use them for keeping sperm in the right place after BD. I’ve noticed, as many women probably have, that BDing is messy without a condom! I could see how this might make it easier to TTC with less mess. Anyone looking into TTC has come across the suggestion to elevate your hips with a pillow after BD, so one could imagine worrying about sperm leaking out. But, the strong sperm is already where it needs to be after BDing, so I think the instead cups aren’t necessary for me. I don’t even use the pillow anymore. I just relax with DH. In my opinion, I’d rather the weak sperm leak out and not risk a less healthy conception. I would also worry that if I inserted it in wrong I would block the sperm from getting to the egg! I hate making TTC more clinical than it has to be. I think I will file this away as something that couldn’t hurt the process, but it’s not for me.
CM Observations…
I’m not sure why, but I noticed fertile CM earlier this cycle. Since I’m spending so much money on acupuncture, I’m going to attribute the change to the needles. It could be the phase of the moon, or that I’m slowly getting regulated after 5 years with an IUD. I may never know why for sure, but I think I’m going to ovulate earlier this month. I’m not taking my BBT or using the OPK. I was just using CM observations this month. I usually don’t notice fertile CM until CD12 or so, but this cycle I noticed it on CD9. The exciting part is that we had planned a vacation for some BD last week. I had thought I would ovulate then when we planned the trip, but as my cycles went on my ovulation date and LP changed, which threw off when I thought I would ovulate in January. Grrr… I didn’t anticipate ovulating until the week after our trip. But, I started to get fertile CM right before and throughout our trip. Hurray! Needless to say, I was excited. This wasn’t the high point of the trip for DH, but it certainly was for me. I’m hoping that this is our month- as I hope it is every month. I feel relaxed, and not charting so much has made me feel less stressed. We’ve been able to BD every morning since I notice fertile CM. I got my fertility spell completed, so I hope that will help the cause! I got my fertility monitor all set up and ready to go, so I have something to look forward to next cycle if it doesn’t work out for us. Now I just have to wait… FX and Baby Dust that this is our month!!!!
Fertility Spell Update
The other day I got my letter for my fertility spell. I had forgotten all about it, so it was a great surprise. My letter was a few pages long, and it talked about what I needed to do to complete the spell. I have to put silver coins under my stairs, and then I have a few things I have to say with a mirror and a candle. I’ll complete that today. She provided me with a fertility charm to keep with me. It’s a little silver teddy bear. She also recommended raw rose quartz to put under my bed. I might go out and try to find that today. There’s a new age store that I found. You can also buy it from Ebay.
The nice part of the spell is that she said it was important to work with science. She recommended some of the things I’ve read on Fertility Friend- pillow under hips, orgasm after DH, eat oranges, etc. She talked about forgetting about “why” I wasn’t pregnant. To forget about trying and just enjoy the process. I thought it was a sweet touch.
She also included a green stone for the weight loss spell that came with the fertility spell. I have a few things to say with the stone, and then I have to think of the stone every time I eat something.
All in all, I am very happy with my fertility spell. It was fun and positive. Maybe this will boost my chances this month! FX! I noticed EWCM almost a week earlier than I expected.
Fertility Monitor
I decided that I am not going to do anything this month. No BBT. No OPK. I am going to chart my CM. It’s hard not to notice that when you use the bathroom. I’m just going to relax and enjoy January. DH’s schedule is great this month. We’ll be able to BD every other night for the next week or two, so I don’t need to know exactly when I ovulate this month. Hopefully, we’ll have our BFP, but if not, I got a Fertility Monitor. It’s an interesting little device. We’ll see how it works. I got it used off ebay for $60. It’s typically over $100, so I’m glad that I got a deal. I’m bidding on the test sticks you need to use with it. You have to start using it by CD 5, but I didn’t get it until after that because of Christmas. I’ll start using it next cycle, which will be something to look forward to if I get another BFN!
I’m hoping I will like the fertility monitor better than the OPK. I think it won’t make me feel as crazy! With the OPK, it was stressful to constantly get negatives. It was also hard to hold my urine and try to pee at the same time every day. You use FMU with the monitor. I’ve read that the monitor gives low, high, and peak results. My CM is pretty accurate, so it’ll be a good cross reference.
TTC Cycle #5
I got a BFN this morning. Yuck! I just started spotting. Double Yuck! Welcome to Cycle #5. I’m almost at six months TTC. That makes me frustrated… and scared. For some reason, I really wanted to be pregnant for Christmas. I know there is always next Christmas. I’m only 29- there’s no rush… Blah, Blah, Blah. I just had all sorts of Christmas daydreams.
DH and I had this baby plan that we put together a few years ago. We tentatively mapped out when we wanted to have kids. I thought it was so great at the time, but now it’s making me sad- next month is the last month I had listed as a “baby making month.” I truly had no idea how long it would take TTC. It only took my sister 3 months, so I just went with that. I thought we’d be pregnant by now since we got a head start on our “schedule.” Ha Ha Ha. We weren’t able to really TTC last month- we only BD once because of DH’s schedule. So, I’m crossing my fingers that the stars align this month for us, and we get our BFP.
But, on the positive side, I ovulated earlier- CD 17, and my LP is longer- 12 or 13 dpo. So, acupuncture and Vit B6 is working for me. I think my cycles are starting to level out. I’ve read in a few places that it can take up to a year for some women to get back on track after an IUD. I am going to let my FF subscription run out. I think it will be healthier for me to obsess less about it. I’m not going to take my temperature or use the OPK. I’m going to chart my CM, and we’ll be able to BD this cycle every other day starting when I find fertile CM. I am going to stay away from sugar. I’ve read in a few places that it’s not the best for you when TTC. I don’t remember why, but it’s sugar- you’re not really suppose to eat it anyway. So that will be on my list of resolutions for 2009. I really love my yoga DVD, so I’m going to do that and a strength training routine a few days a week.
I can’t believe 2008 is almost over. The time has flown since we started TTC in August. It might snow tonight, so maybe I’ll play some Christmas music while I wrap gifts. Tomorrow will be CD 1, so I’ll have to do some nice things for myself.
Happy Holidays… and Have a Happy New Year!
OPK with FMU
I had a leftover generic OPK from last cycle. I wanted to use it first, and then bust out the fancy brand name OPK. I started testing on Friday, and I decided to use FMU because a few ladies on FF posted that their RE recommended it for OPK. I usually test at 4 pm after peeing and limiting liquids after 2 pm. I was assuming it would be negative because I always thought you weren’t suppose to use FMU. Wouldn’t you know that I got a positive result. I thought it would be positive at 4 pm because I felt some cramping. I was excited because I felt it on the left side, and I haven’t felt anything on that side since my IUD was removed. It was negative at 4 pm that day, and I haven’t had a positive since. Hmm… I had fertile CM on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Monday. I only started testing on Friday, but my temp hasn’t dropped- just gone up. It’s not as high as it usually is after I ovulate. So maybe I ovulated, or maybe I’m about to ovulate… I feel some cramping now. I wish things were more clear-cut.
It wouldn’t normally matter, but we were only able to BD on Saturday because of DH’s schedule. If the positive OPK on Friday was accurate, then we at least had one BD attempt during ovulation. If not, then we missed our opportunity this month. Grrr…. DH is super busy this week and wanted to not actively TTC this month. As if that is possible now! It’s like we opened Pandora’s box. There is no going back! I understand his side, but I was totally crushed. This is Cycle 4, and I feel we are going to be at Cycle 6 before I know it. Ugh! But, I tried my best to limit baby talk. I only slipped up around Thanksgiving because of my Dr. appointment. Oops… I don’t think I’ve mentioned it to him in almost two weeks, but I’m pretty sure he was aware of why I was seducing him on Saturday.
I’ve also decided to not have further testing done until my yearly gyno visit in February. I’m going to not temp or do OPK in January. I can tell when I’m fertile by my CM. I’m hoping that will make me feel more relaxed. I’m going to go to a different practice and see how they approach my concerns. I don’t feel comfortable with how my current practice handled my concerns.
But, I’m still wondering if that positive OPK on Friday was accurate…
Fertility Spells
So I couldn’t help myself. I saw a post on FF about fertility spells by Mia. Someone bought a fertility spell off Ebay after reading so many success stories. I was skeptical since something like 85% of couples will conceive within a year regardless, but I was interested. I had time to spare… why not see what it’s all about. I looked it up on Ebay, and sure enough- there are tons of auctions for spells. Crazy! I found the ones by Mia, and I couldn’t believe she had 100% positive feedback and has sold over three thousand spells. She was even recommended by Pregnancy & Baby Magazine 2008. You have to be impressed with her marketing skills!
Mia will do the spell, and then she will send a letter with a charm when the spell is completed. I’m looking forward to getting my letter! She’s in the UK, so it’ll take some time. She will also do a spell to protect me and the baby when I get pregnant. The package also includes a weight loss spell for after the baby is born. Three spells for the price of one with free shipping and handling. It was only $9.95. What a deal! I figure I spend more than that each month on sticks I pee on before throwing in the garbage! So I splurged. I’m going to consider it a donation to the baby cause… or an early Christmas present to myself.
Now, I don’t “believe” in spells and magic, but I do believe in positive energy. I am sending out positive energy about my fertility into the universe. I put this in the same category as Feng Shui- it couldn’t negatively affect the situation… and it’s entertaining. I’ll stop worrying about whether or not I’ll get pregnant. I’m going to get pregnant- I have a money back guarantee!
