The Official TTC Thread!

[AmberWaves]

That''s great news, Lisa! I love how you were able to "see" the huge follicle.

DD, from one Dachsie lover to another, good luck with AF not being AF!

Ebree, I hope the 2ww passes quickly for you!

As for me, I just started a subscription to FF yesterday. I was going to get a basal thermometer, but I was with my dad and the idea of it grossed me out.

Good thing, as when my alarm went off I hopped right out of bed and hung out with the hubs in the living room for a bit. Only after 10 minutes (and one restroom break), I remembered about temping. I''m still trying to figure out how to work FF, it''s saying my fertile days are coming up next week, so that''ll be fun.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Amber, I am glad I could encourage you. I do agree with Julia that just b/c I got preggo easily with DD doesn''t mean I will for the next baby (of course it also doesn''t mean I won''t). Every pregnancy, labor, baby is different. My doc suggested veggie oil

for lube.

 

[luckystar112]

Stupid question alert!

Is a basal thermometer different from a regular thermometer? Because I''ve been using a regular thermometer to temp.

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 5/1/2008 4:53:45 PM
Author: luckystar112
Stupid question alert!


Is a basal thermometer different from a regular thermometer? Because I've been using a regular thermometer to temp.

YES. They are more consistent and also measure in smaller increments. You need to get a basal otherwise it is somewhat worthless because you need to be able to consistently measure even very small changes in temperature.

And it isn't a stupid question.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Thanks for all your well-wishes pave, NF, Snlee, lisa, bree, & amber. It is disappointing not to get a whole in one, but in reality this first month wouldn''t have been the best timing for us. We''d have been happy to conceive, but the acadmic job market interviews seem to run from November to February, so having a due date in that range wouldn''t have been the greatest. If we get preggers this cycle (cycle 2) it''ll still make my due date Feb 4th, which could be a little tricky... the BEST time to conceive would be comewhere in cycles 3 - 5. That''d make my due date after the job market, but I would stll qualify for decent maternity leave pay for 12 months. If it takes more than 4 more cycles to get preggers, my due date would fall after the end date of my current position and we''ll have to rely on savings to get us through my maternity leave. Ahhh well, it''ll all work out.

I guess I shouldn''t complain, but apparently when I am off the pill my AF lasts about 2.5 days and is incredibly light. This is what happened last cycle (first off the pill) and I thought that was just a strange cycle, but this cycle appears to be the same. I thought this can''t be normal, but from what I can see on the internet, normal periods range from 2 - 7 days... I guess I am in the 2 day variety!

Anyone ever read anything about whether a really short light period is related to fertility, or have a good website about this stuff?

 

[neatfreak]

Dreamer: Isn''t it so much fun to plan your life around the academic job market? At this point our EDD is January 3, which is actually pretty great for us because neither of us are on the job market this year, and we''ll both have a few weeks off before the semester starts again. Although we are both done with classes this fall and will be working on dissertations, so I guess semesters don''t really matter anymore!

So much fun.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 5/2/2008 12:41:44 PM
Author: neatfreak
Dreamer: Isn''t it so much fun to plan your life around the academic job market? At this point our EDD is January 3, which is actually pretty great for us because neither of us are on the job market this year, and we''ll both have a few weeks off before the semester starts again. Although we are both done with classes this fall and will be working on dissertations, so I guess semesters don''t really matter anymore!

So much fun.

Yeaaah.. fun, that''s the word

. I got my PhD a year ago and I am on a government funded post-doc now, I have another 12 months of funding, including 4 months of maternity pay that can stretch for 12 months if I want, hence my "window" of opportunity for the next 4 cycles. Next year will be my 3rd year on the market, there have been hardly any jobs in Canada in my field the last two years

. We just don''t want to live our lives around the maybe/maybe not of the job market, and since my vita is in great shape I figured I''m gonna stop putting my life on hold and go ahead and try to get knocked up. Some people in my field may not like it, but to be perfectly frank I don''t think my reproductive choices are any of their business!

 

[Dreamer_D]

So I've been looking at charts on fertility friend, and looking through the pregnant charts there are a small percentage that look like this one attached.

This person (age 37, 3 months TTC) looks like they didn't just get "implantation spotting" but got a full-out period and still turned out the be preggers! So really, getting AF isn't even proof positive that you are not pregnant, you may still need to test again around 18DPO to be sure. Craaaa-ZY. I saw about 3 -4 others like this in the sample of recent charts you can peruse if you have a VIP membership.

 

[neatfreak]

Dreamer, can I ask what makes you think she got her period full on? All this information is put in by her, not a dr., so to *me* it appears she just had heavier implantation bleeding...

Not to say that what you had wasn''t implantation bleeding...but that is just how I view her chart.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 5/2/2008 1:25:16 PM
Author: neatfreak
Dreamer, can I ask what makes you think she got her period full on? All this information is put in by her, not a dr., so to *me* it appears she just had heavier implantation bleeding...

Not to say that what you had wasn't implantation bleeding...but that is just how I view her chart.

Sorry, I wasn't clear!

By "full on period" I meant that from her perspective she probably *thought* she was getting her period! She recorded discharge using the same symbols that she used when she had her period at the start of the cycle (i.e., "M" which is supposed to indicate medium flow)... I just suspect that this person assumed she was getting her period, and then only did an HPT when she noticed that her tempts were still high!

ETA (wrong chart attached) here is another woman who seems to have thought she got her period because she stopped temping after the heavy "implantation bleeding" and only did an HPT when she started temping again and realized her temps were high! Then it appears that she got two blood tests to confirm rising hormones, perhaps because she had thought she got her period.

So all this is to say that even if you *think* you got your period, you may actually be preggers.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Other women, like the one attached here, record the "*" symbol at the time of implantation, which indicates "spotting". That type of implantation bleeding probably wouldn''t be mistaken for a period. The point I was trying to make, and what is facinating news to me, is that for some people, implantation bleeding may be heavy enough that it seems like a period.

 

[Dreamer_D]

BTW, rest assured that I am not posting this stuff in an attempt to convince myself I am actually pregnant

. I assume I have gotten AF, even though it is light. I am just amazed by our bodies and how varied the biological reactions to conception can be.

Maybe others like me weren''t aware of implantation bleeding, or that is can be mistaked for AF, so thought I''d post this stuff here for others'' reference.

But I will stil do an HPT at 18-DPO. Just in case.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I didn''t have any implantation bleeding but I had *other* symptoms which I think were caused by implantation.

 

[lisa1.01fvs1]

DD I have talked to many women in the course of my work that had full on flow and never imagined they were preggers.

Some never even found out until months into the pregnancy!

This actually happens a lot anecdotally. I was always a little skeptical b/c of the population addressed but I know it does happen.

Still keeping my fingers crossed for you!

 

[AmberWaves]

It actually happened to my friend, DD. She told me she was feeling "twingy" and I told her to take a test. And then that night she said "Nevermind, AF came". Then she remarked about still feeling bad. I told her to test, and she''s now 8 weeks pregnant.

 

[AmberWaves]

I also wanted to tell you guys that my pre-seed came in! It seems to be a pretty quick delivery! Now... use them now or save them up for the fertile days!

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 5/2/2008 3:42:21 PM
Author: AmberWaves
I also wanted to tell you guys that my pre-seed came in! It seems to be a pretty quick delivery! Now... use them now or save them up for the fertile days!

How long do you have to wait, and how many do you have?? To paraphrase Elaine on Seinfeld, "Is tonight pre-see worthy?"

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Date: 5/2/2008 3:42:21 PM
Author: AmberWaves
I also wanted to tell you guys that my pre-seed came in! It seems to be a pretty quick delivery! Now... use them now or save them up for the fertile days!

Save them for fertile days. From what I remember they are pricey.

 

[AmberWaves]

I got six for 16.50, so I think Tacori is right- I should save them for the fertile times.

DD, you are totally right. "I don't know honey, I don't think tonight is Preseed-worthy." My fertile days are starting Tuesday according to FF (just started temping this morning, I think I have low temps!).

ETA: Holy crap! I just saw Tacori's post in the Preggo thread about Tessa's 6mos b-day... I'll have been married for six months! WOW!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Amber, time flies huh? I cannot believe it.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 5/2/2008 4:28:37 PM
Author: AmberWaves
I got six for 16.50, so I think Tacori is right- I should save them for the fertile times.

DD, you are totally right. 'I don't know honey, I don't think tonight is Preseed-worthy.' My fertile days are starting Tuesday according to FF (just started temping this morning, I think I have low temps!).

ETA: Holy crap! I just saw Tacori's post in the Preggo thread about Tessa's 6mos b-day... I'll have been married for six months! WOW!

Is there a list somewhere about what is "normal"?

ETA: looked it up, never mind

 

[AmberWaves]

DD, I actually didn''t know if there was a list or not, but my temp this morning was 97.48. When I took my temp when my husband was sick a few months ago, my regular body temp was 97.9. How weird is that? I thought regular body temps were 98.6? Also, my basal thermometer said to make sure I stick the tip into the "heat pocket" in the back of my jaw.

Where did you find a list?

Tacori, it IS crazy!

 

[neatfreak]

DD- Thanks for the clarification, that makes so much more sense!!!

And as for the temp thing, unfortunately it seems everyone is very different. But most women are in the 97''s somewhere before it seems...This was my chart this past month when we conceived:

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 5/2/2008 4:58:32 PM
Author: AmberWaves
DD, I actually didn''t know if there was a list or not, but my temp this morning was 97.48. When I took my temp when my husband was sick a few months ago, my regular body temp was 97.9. How weird is that? I thought regular body temps were 98.6? Also, my basal thermometer said to make sure I stick the tip into the ''heat pocket'' in the back of my jaw.

Where did you find a list?

Tacori, it IS crazy!

I googled it and now I can''t recall the numbers. Remember your basal temp will be much lower than when you have been active all day, do an experiment and you''ll see it change by a degree almost after moving around a lot.

 

[luckystar112]

thanks for the answer neatfreak.

It sucks that I just wasted two weeks temping for nothing. But at least It''s part of my routine now!!!


Anyone know where to buy a basal thermometer? Walmart? Walgreens?

 

[snlee]

lucky, I've seen them at Walgreens. I'm sure Walmart would probably have them too.

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 5/2/2008 7:08:02 PM
Author: luckystar112
thanks for the answer neatfreak.


It sucks that I just wasted two weeks temping for nothing. But at least It''s part of my routine now!!!



Anyone know where to buy a basal thermometer? Walmart? Walgreens?

We got ours at Target. Most places have them in the family planning section.

 

[E B]

Amber,

PreSeed is awesome. The first time we used it, we conceived (granted, it was only the second time we TTC). We used it this time, too, on my most fertile days, so I've got my fingers crossed!

Tomorrow is 7 DPO, and I'm growing kind of impatient. I will wait until 15 DPO to test (if AF doesn't show first), but I can't say I won't be tempted. My chart's looking great, and my temps are higher than ever, so I'm hoping. Hoping, hoping, hoping.

 

[blushingbride]

Date: 5/2/2008 7:08:02 PM
Author: luckystar112
thanks for the answer neatfreak.

It sucks that I just wasted two weeks temping for nothing. But at least It''s part of my routine now!!!


Anyone know where to buy a basal thermometer? Walmart? Walgreens?

Don''t worry LS - I did the SAME thing you did last month (my first month charting). For the first two weeks I used a regular thermometer and then I signed up for Fertility Friend and read that I should be using a basal. Ooop!

Oh well, this whole thing is one big learning experience for all of us it seems!

 

[AmberWaves]

Hey everyone! I think I have a problem.

When I see some kind of pregnancy test I just want to take it- even when I totally have no way of being pregnant.

I have only taken one, though. It satisfied the urge. I''m super excited about the pre-seed, and can''t wait until we get to try it out!

Now that bb has changed her avatar, looks like we''re the TTC/Dog lovers thread!