Okay now, all you pregnant (or at one time pregnant) laides, help me out here...

[diamondfan]

I guess I am not sure why you would go through that at this stage. If something occurs, i.e. it is taking too long, then I might up the ante so to speak. But I think that would have been tougher to me, the ultra focus, in the beginning. Just do what comes naturally, and give it a bit of time, assuming you are not pregnant currently and are ready to start trying. Enjoy the process too!

 

[canadiangrrl]

I conceived on Day 8, ovulated on Day 12 (I began charting a few years ago as a means of BC - very useful when you want to conceive.) Those swimmers can live up to around 5 days, although statistically, the vast majority of conceptions take place either the day before or the day of ovulation. I figured we were too far out for conception to realistically happen, but I was wrong.

First symptoms:

Copper/metallic taste in mouth, about 1 week post-conception
Cramping, about 1 week post-conception
Extreme tiredness, about 2 weeks post-conception
Sore breasts and nipple darkening, about 2 weeks post-conception

No nausea, no vomiting, although I had strong aversions to most food - couldn''t stand the smell or taste of anything - and craved salt. I ended up losing 9 lbs in the first trimester, and I''m 5''8" and 125 lbs.

Fisher, hang in there.

 

[sk8rjen]

Fisher -- sorry i haven''t chimed in lately, but i''ve been sick with a nasty cold and not taking anything for it b/c of the pg, so i am just now on the upswing... anyway, I agree that charting is a great way to get to know your body better and can actually help your stress level, but you can chart things like cervical mucous and cervical position without tempting and get a pretty good feel of things that way... I have a crazy schedule working so many early mornings coaching that i couldn''t temp, but i charted CM and learned a lot!

either way, good luck with ttc when the time comes and i hope you get to feeling better!
jen

 

[Independent Gal]

I agree. I''ve decided not to chart or focus too much when we start trying because I like the idea of it just happening on its own. In a way, I don''t want to make it too scientific. I know that doesn''t actually make sense as a statement, but maybe you know what I mean?

It just seems kind of unromantic to me. I''m just saying FOR ME, not as a general statement for others.

People got pregnant all the time before all this charting business, so i figure, unless one is in a super-rush, it''s not ''necessary''. We''ll give the ol'' fashioned way a try, and if it doesn''t work after several months we''ll get a little more ''controlling'' and business-like about it.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

IG, that was my plan too. I didn''t even know when I was Ovulating

If after 4 months had I not conceived I would have started to chart.

 

[fisherofmengirly]

I think if we''re not pregnant, we''ll do the no charting (officially) thing for a few months. When I was talking to Paul about the basal temperature thing, he said it made him think it was like we were trying to bake a cake, not create a child. We still went and bought the thermometer, though, just because I wanted to know what made it different from an ordinary digital. I do plan on trying to be more aware of where I am in my cycle, though.

I''ve still not finished this cycle, which is getting to be ridiculous. I''ve not taken another test, partly because I''m scared I''ll get too wrapped up in it again and start peeing on a stick as a pattern and partly because I don''t want to see any more negatives.

Golly, sooner or later, something''s got to give!

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Okay, I just logged in and tried to get the babycenter.com website, and instead of it coming up, some freaky "**** tube" came up. Then the computer locked up. I wonder if it''s been hacked or something.

*SO* not what you''re expecting to see when you type in something about babies!!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

basal temping really helped my mom.

 

[fisherofmengirly]

I think there''s something wrong with me... I did play with the basal thing this morning when I first woke up. It read 95.23 degrees. Sheesh, that''s LOW!!

I am recovering from being sick, so maybe that''s part of it.

 

[DivaDiamond007]

That temp does seem low - but not everyone has a base of 98.6. My base temp is around 97.8 or so - even at the doctor''s office. She says some people are just "colder" than others.

So......have you POAS lately? I''m anxious to find out......

Jess

 

[lili]

fisher--
mine is pretty low too, but i don''t think it''s ever been lower than 96.5.
i''d go from 96.8F for pre-ovulation to 97.4 for post-ovulation.

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Date: 3/12/2008 10:11:41 AM
Author: DivaDiamond007
That temp does seem low - but not everyone has a base of 98.6. My base temp is around 97.8 or so - even at the doctor''s office. She says some people are just ''colder'' than others.

So......have you POAS lately? I''m anxious to find out......

Jess

Um, I''m not sure what a POAS is.

My "normal" temp. is not 98.6. It''s closer to 97.5 or there abouts. Just because it scared me that it''d be so low, I did it again this AM; it was 96.10. I guess I''m just a low temp girl.

Or, the flu symptoms I''m having could be part of it, too.

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Date: 3/12/2008 8:28:14 PM
Author: fisherofmengirly

Date: 3/12/2008 10:11:41 AM
Author: DivaDiamond007
That temp does seem low - but not everyone has a base of 98.6. My base temp is around 97.8 or so - even at the doctor''s office. She says some people are just ''colder'' than others.

So......have you POAS lately? I''m anxious to find out......

Jess

Um, I''m not sure what a POAS is.

My ''normal'' temp. is not 98.6. It''s closer to 97.5 or there abouts. Just because it scared me that it''d be so low, I did it again this AM; it was 96.10. I guess I''m just a low temp girl.

Or, the flu symptoms I''m having could be part of it, too.

Duh, I JUST got it.... pee on a stick.

Nope, I''ve not taken one in a while now.

 

[lili]

How many days has it been already fisherofmengirly since your last period?
Have you ever had a cycle this long?
I do know some people get only 3 or 4 AF a year --- so their cycle is pretty long.

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Before going on the pill I wasn''t totally regular, but was pretty much within a few days in length each month. My longest prior to the pill was 31 days. The first cycle off the pill in Jan. was 35 days. Today ends day 36, I believe.

 

[janinegirly]

Your temp will always dip low first thing in the morning--that''s what BBT is trying to capture, lowest body temperature of the day which is typically first thing in morning after waking up after at least 3 hrs solid sleep.

It''s hard to know what''s your normal BBT temp until you''ve consistently temped for at least a month. Then when you see dips or spikes that are out of your "norm", you can analyze and try to see if it''s telling you something. Of course it''s not an exact science and things can throw it off here and there--like being sick (usually raises the temp) or it being an extra cold night,etc.

Your cycles are probably still regulating...this can take anywhere from 1-6 months, with I think 3 being the average. That''s why it''s a good idea to just watch things for a couple mo''s to wait for it to go back to normal, and then start TTC''ing (if that''s what you''re hoping to achieve). If you''d rather wing things and go au naturel, then it''s probably best to not track anything or even think about pg...b/c it''s kind of hard to do it halfway, especially if you''re one of those people who gets sucked into things.

Why not POAS now to see what it says? At least you''d know if you''re dealing with possible pg or just a late period. If it goes reallly late, some girls check in with their docs about regulating their cycles, or kickstarting things since again..sometimes it takes a while for the pilll to be out of your system.

KUP.

 

[february2003bride]

36 days? I''d take a test

 

[Blenheim]

Fisher, have you noticed creamy or egg white cervical mucuous at all in this cycle? (There''s a description here, if it would help.) I don''t know how much you know about charting right now, but temperatures tend to be lower before ovulation and higher after ovulation. If you''re pregnant, they''ll stay higher unless you have an impending miscarriage. The important thing is shifts and general patterns in your temperature -- everyone has their own pattern of pre- and post-ovulatory teps -- but at the same time, your temps seem low enough that I wouldn''t be surprised if you haven''t ovulated yet. Sometimes sickness (and you''ve said that you''ve been sick) or stress delays ovulation and sometimes women will just have an anovulatory cycle. I''m just wondering if you''ve noticed any signs that you''ve ovulated.

Also, there''s a good chance that your cycle will be different than it was before you started birth control. I used to have 5-6 day periods and now I have 2 day ones, for example.

As Janine already said, it''s hard to read any meanings into temperatures until you''ve been temping for at least a cycle or two. I drove myself nuts trying to figure out what was going on during my first cycle temping (right off of bc), and looking back at my chart, it''s really obvious to me that I didn''t even ovulate.

Good luck, girl!

 

[ephemery1]

Date: 3/13/2008 10:27:45 AM
Author: Blenheim
Fisher, have you noticed creamy or egg white cervical mucuous at all in this cycle? (There''s a description here, if it would help.) I don''t know how much you know about charting right now, but temperatures tend to be lower before ovulation and higher after ovulation. If you''re pregnant, they''ll stay higher unless you have an impending miscarriage. The important thing is shifts and general patterns in your temperature -- everyone has their own pattern of pre- and post-ovulatory teps -- but at the same time, your temps seem low enough that I wouldn''t be surprised if you haven''t ovulated yet. Sometimes sickness (and you''ve said that you''ve been sick) or stress delays ovulation and sometimes women will just have an anovulatory cycle. I''m just wondering if you''ve noticed any signs that you''ve ovulated.

Also, there''s a good chance that your cycle will be different than it was before you started birth control. I used to have 5-6 day periods and now I have 2 day ones, for example.

As Janine already said, it''s hard to read any meanings into temperatures until you''ve been temping for at least a cycle or two. I drove myself nuts trying to figure out what was going on during my first cycle temping (right off of bc), and looking back at my chart, it''s really obvious to me that I didn''t even ovulate.

Good luck, girl!

Good post from Blen, I was thinking along the same lines, that it''s possible you''re not even ovulating yet since being off the pill. It widely varies for every woman, and like Blen and Janine said, usually takes a few cycles before you can figure out what it means for you... but often a temp as low as 96 would indicate that you are still waiting to ovulate. My first cycles off were 36 then 37 days, then my 3rd was on track to being a 42 day cycle, so long cycles definitely happen. In retrospect, I''m pretty sure the first 2 were annovulatory, but I don''t know for sure because I wasn''t charting yet. One of the reasons I decided to take a pregnancy test was because I took my temp that morning and it was 98.5!! That was soooo much higher than my usual temps, I knew something was up!

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Date: 3/13/2008 10:27:45 AM
Author: Blenheim
Fisher, have you noticed creamy or egg white cervical mucuous at all in this cycle? (There''s a description here, if it would help.) I don''t know how much you know about charting right now, but temperatures tend to be lower before ovulation and higher after ovulation. If you''re pregnant, they''ll stay higher unless you have an impending miscarriage. The important thing is shifts and general patterns in your temperature -- everyone has their own pattern of pre- and post-ovulatory teps -- but at the same time, your temps seem low enough that I wouldn''t be surprised if you haven''t ovulated yet. Sometimes sickness (and you''ve said that you''ve been sick) or stress delays ovulation and sometimes women will just have an anovulatory cycle. I''m just wondering if you''ve noticed any signs that you''ve ovulated.

Also, there''s a good chance that your cycle will be different than it was before you started birth control. I used to have 5-6 day periods and now I have 2 day ones, for example.

As Janine already said, it''s hard to read any meanings into temperatures until you''ve been temping for at least a cycle or two. I drove myself nuts trying to figure out what was going on during my first cycle temping (right off of bc), and looking back at my chart, it''s really obvious to me that I didn''t even ovulate.

Good luck, girl!

Hey, Blenheim!!

Thank you for the information. Hmm... Prior to thinking I was pregnant, I guess I was really kind of clueless that CM had anything to do with anything and I never paid attention to it, like at all. It is kind of an odd thing to be all interested in, you know.

So, since learning more about the "natural" signs, I have been noticing a lot more. No egg white that I recall, but I have a lot more CM in general than I ever remember having in the past. (Again, I wasn''t really caring, though.) So, hmm... I''d have to say that the difference between sticky and creamy is kind of the same to me. Anyway, I don''t know what''s up.

There is a girl at work who has been actively trying for several months now. She has been trying to get me up to speed on things.

Just because that first temp was so low, I have been keeping up with it, and today I was up at 97.02.

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Date: 3/10/2008 1:38:42 PM
Author: sk8rjen
Fisher -- sorry i haven''t chimed in lately, but i''ve been sick with a nasty cold and not taking anything for it b/c of the pg, so i am just now on the upswing... anyway, I agree that charting is a great way to get to know your body better and can actually help your stress level, but you can chart things like cervical mucous and cervical position without tempting and get a pretty good feel of things that way... I have a crazy schedule working so many early mornings coaching that i couldn''t temp, but i charted CM and learned a lot!

either way, good luck with ttc when the time comes and i hope you get to feeling better!
jen

Jen, are you feeling better? Hope so!!

 

[sk8rjen]

Heya! thanks for asking -- I''m on the upswing but some of the crud is still in my chest, so laying down isn''t fun, but other than that, good Glad you''re learning so much about what''s going on with you...it''s a constant process. As for my pregnancy, I am exactly 6 weeks today and have my first ultrasound next week... got my hcg (hormone) levels back and they were really high, but in a good way truthfully, b/c of a nurse''s suggestion of the possibility, i am hoping to see *2*, little heartbeats next thursday, but no guarantees (as long as there''s at least one, i''m good!) Anyway, i hope you are recovering from your bug too and that you are more ready than ever to ttc when this cycle gets figured out! GL!
jen

 

[fisherofmengirly]

SHUT UP!!! TWINS??? Oh my goodness, how exciting!!!

What does Mr. Sk8r think of two babies at once?

I think two babies at once would be such an experience, and to talk to twins (even paternal) and hear just how in sync they are with one another, it amazes me.

You have to let us know what that ultrasound reveals, girl.

Keep on feeling better, girl!!

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Still nothing to report. No period, no nothing. Odd. To say the least.

 

[TravelingGal]

Fisher, THIS may be the time to take a preggo test. Have you done that yet?

 

[lili]

Date: 3/20/2008 8:30:26 PM
Author: TravelingGal
Fisher, THIS may be the time to take a preggo test. Have you done that yet?

Ditto.....or maybe see a doctor? It''s been 40+ days since your last AF?

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Date: 3/20/2008 8:41:21 PM
Author: lili

Date: 3/20/2008 8:30:26 PM
Author: TravelingGal
Fisher, THIS may be the time to take a preggo test. Have you done that yet?

Ditto.....or maybe see a doctor? It''s been 40+ days since your last AF?

No, no test in like two weeks now (you know, since the whole pee on a stick craze). Paul says I should make an appointment, but I don''t know. I guess I will if nothing happens soon. I don''t feel pregnant. Hahaha. That was a funny comment. There''s a girl at work close to me in age and she said when she came off the pill, she had LONG gaps between periods, so maybe it''s normal. I don''t know. It''s been 45 or more days now. I stopped counting, but that sounds about right.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 3/20/2008 10:40:16 PM
Author: fisherofmengirly

Date: 3/20/2008 8:41:21 PM
Author: lili

Date: 3/20/2008 8:30:26 PM
Author: TravelingGal
Fisher, THIS may be the time to take a preggo test. Have you done that yet?

Ditto.....or maybe see a doctor? It''s been 40+ days since your last AF?

No, no test in like two weeks now (you know, since the whole pee on a stick craze). Paul says I should make an appointment, but I don''t know. I guess I will if nothing happens soon. I don''t feel pregnant. Hahaha. That was a funny comment. There''s a girl at work close to me in age and she said when she came off the pill, she had LONG gaps between periods, so maybe it''s normal. I don''t know. It''s been 45 or more days now. I stopped counting, but that sounds about right.

Fisher, no offense...but...

WHY would you take so many darn tests when it was way too early and not bother to take even one when you are 45 days from your last period? While it IS possible to go a long time in between periods after the pill (Many years ago I took a short "break" from the pill and didn''t get my period for 3 months...they had to jump start me with some other pill...go figure) taking at least ONE test at this point would give you an idea of what may be going on.

If you ARE pregnant, you should be taking care of yourself with prenatals and such.

I don''t get it?

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Well, for me, I kind of went through a LOT of happiness/elation/sadness thinking I was pregnant and then thinking I wasn''t. I guess I''m just trying to put off the roller coaster again. I don''t know.

And, in the past week, the house thing has been at the forefront of everything, so it''s kind of been something I''ve not even thought about very often. Paul told me last night I should make an appointment, and I was like, "Hm... Maybe I should." It just hadn''t occurred to me.

Also, I''m a worrier, so I worry that if I did go to the Dr, what if there is a bad reason I''ve not started? I''m a Dr. phob, pretty much.

I''ve been taking prenatals since November. Actually, since the very day I found out that my baby''s spine would be growing before I even knew he was there.

I keep feeling like I''m about to start because I''ll feel tiny cramps or whatever, but that''s probably in my head, too. Go figure. Symptoms of stuff in my head.... No way!

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 3/20/2008 11:02:07 PM
Author: fisherofmengirly
Well, for me, I kind of went through a LOT of happiness/elation/sadness thinking I was pregnant and then thinking I wasn''t. I guess I''m just trying to put off the roller coaster again. I don''t know.

And, in the past week, the house thing has been at the forefront of everything, so it''s kind of been something I''ve not even thought about very often. Paul told me last night I should make an appointment, and I was like, ''Hm... Maybe I should.'' It just hadn''t occurred to me.

Also, I''m a worrier, so I worry that if I did go to the Dr, what if there is a bad reason I''ve not started? I''m a Dr. phob, pretty much.

I''ve been taking prenatals since November. Actually, since the very day I found out that my baby''s spine would be growing before I even knew he was there.

I keep feeling like I''m about to start because I''ll feel tiny cramps or whatever, but that''s probably in my head, too. Go figure. Symptoms of stuff in my head.... No way!

I can see how the house stuff would be at the forefront of your thoughts. But PLEASE take care of yourself. You''re gonna have to get over your fear of docs if you are going to have a baby!