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

[Tacori E-ring]

Here was mine...

ETA: I think it is hard to tell on your photos. Mine was pretty true to life. Does that help you at all? I took the digital one with the same pee. I suggest you try one to put your mind at ease. Go to Target NOW!!!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I DO think you are driving yourself *crazy* (and probably your husband. Only time will tell...don''t stress!

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Aww, I want a line like that, Tacori!!!

This must be in my head. Argh.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Date: 3/6/2008 7:46:46 PM
Author: fisherofmengirly
Aww, I want a line like that, Tacori!!!


This must be in my head. Argh.

I was around 3 weeks when I took that test (if that). Like I said my doctor''s office did blood tests to compare my HcG. That is how I knew how far along I was...As you can see there WAS a line but it was very light. I feel so bad for you. Don''t worry your BFP will come soon. Try (I know it is hard) to focus on something else for awhile.

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Date: 3/6/2008 7:45:24 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
I DO think you are driving yourself *crazy* (and probably your husband. Only time will tell...don''t stress!

Haha... Yeah, I really am.

I''m not taking any more tests until my package arrives, and that''s all there is to it.

IF my cycle this month is one of the longer ones (they can vary), I won''t be due for AF (I''m learning the lingo here!!) until 3/12. That''s next week. Sometimes they are shorter, though. Basically, I''m just nuts. Certifiable.

Paul''s really taking it all in stride. He''s used to my ways (I obsess over lots of stuff) and he keeps saying God''s time is the best time, now or later.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Well I think we only believed I was preggo b/c of the digital test. Even with the faint line it is so easy to second guess yourself.

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Totally. There is a faint line (although not a clearly defined line) of pink on the stick. Argh indeed!!

 

[Sha]

Ohhh fisher, I am anxiously following this thread!! I hope that you are PG!!!

 

[E B]

fisher,

Have you been feeling symptoms since the beginning of this thread? I ask because I've read that generally, if you have enough "pregnancy" hormones to be feeling symptoms, you'd have enough for a positive test (if not when you first felt the symptoms, in the next day or two after). If it's been over a week and you still aren't getting a visible positive, you're probably psyching yourself out. It happened to me and many of my "TTC friends" during the process; the mind is a very powerful thing. It's totally normal.

(Disclaimer: I say "generally" because some women don't test positive on pregnancy tests. But that's not nearly as common as feeling symptoms when you WANT to be pregnant.)

I'm not trying to discount your feelings in any way, I just wanted to let you know that I've been there. I know it's hard, but just try to relax! If you're pregnant, you're pregnant, and there isn't much else to do but take your prenatals...and wait.

*hugs*

p.s. I'm sorry if I repeated what anyone else has said! I haven't had time to read the whole thread!

 

[mrssalvo]

i may have missed it somewhere, but why not just go get one of the digital one''s that say *pregnant*. i''ve got 2 faint lines running around right now and one faint line due in the next few weeks. whenever I wasn''t pregnant there was never any second line, faint or otherwise on the test stick. but, since your in doubt, i''d just go get the no doubt test and put your mind to rest

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Date: 3/6/2008 9:14:07 PM
Author: EBree
fisher,

Have you been feeling symptoms since the beginning of this thread? I ask because I''ve read that generally, if you have enough ''pregnancy'' hormones to be feeling symptoms, you''d have enough for a positive test (if not when you first felt the symptoms, in the next day or two after). If it''s been over a week and you still aren''t getting a visible positive, you''re probably psyching yourself out. It happened to me and many of my ''TTC friends'' during the process; the mind is a very powerful thing. It''s totally normal.

(Disclaimer: I say ''generally'' because some women don''t test positive on pregnancy tests. But that''s not nearly as common as feeling symptoms when you WANT to be pregnant.)

I''m not trying to discount your feelings in any way, I just wanted to let you know that I''ve been there. I know it''s hard, but just try to relax! If you''re pregnant, you''re pregnant, and there isn''t much else to do but take your prenatals...and wait.

*hugs*

p.s. I''m sorry if I repeated what anyone else has said! I haven''t had time to read the whole thread!

I''ve pretty much felt crappy, on and off for a week and a half. However, there was a bug thingy going around work and I never could tell if it was that sickness flu-y stuff, or baby stuff. I still don''t know.

Mostly all I''m *feeling* now is tired a lot, slight back pains every now and then, and the need to pee pretty regularly. I also think my sense of smell has been heightened, but that could totally be a "head" thing. I don''t think needing to pee is in my head, and I don''t have a UTI. So, I don''t know. I have also been highly emotional, but I''m an emotional person anyway, so that''s hard to determine if it''s heightened or not.

I''ve not felt the vomity feeling in about a week now and I think that was the work bug. I''m not dizzy and foggy headed anymore either. I think that was the germs at work, too.

I''m rarely sick, so any time I feel "under the weather," I''m astute at trying to figure out why. I think that is what spawned the "ooh, am I pregnant?" thing to begin with, because it was so mild of any sort of sickness, if it was a sickness.

It could be in my head. I''m fully aware of that. That''s why I started the thread to begin with, because I wasn''t sure if I could be feeling anything so early on. If my period ends up being as late as it could be, my post would have been started close to the day I would have ovulated, which would make any "symptoms" I was feeling completely null, since you can''t feel anything before there is actually something to feel. If my cycle is like it usually is, I should be on my period at the lastest tonight or tomorrow, and as of yet, I am not.

This is the first time there has ever really been a possibility of my being pregnant, and since I''m not sure of where I exactly am in my cycle, I can''t be sure of anything other than the latest I can imagine myself having a period would be on the 12th, as that would be 35 days and I''ve never been beyond that length of time. If I have the regular cycle of ovulation 14 days prior to a new cycle beginning, I would have ovulated the day of or very close to the day I first posted this. So, I highly doubt I was in fact pregnant when I first posted. That''s why I now think it was because of the bug thing at work. At the time, I thought I would have a shorter cycle, as I have not yet regulated from stopping on the pill at the first of the year.

I know I need to just wait. I''ve not really talked to anyone other than my best friend (because she knows when something is up) and a few people at work who see me every day and have commented on the change in my stamina at work and things like that. I am waiting, but I''m commenting about it along the way. Partly because I don''t know what else to do with myself at this point, and partly because I really had no idea it would be such a big thing to me, and partly because I''m trying to gather as much information as I can and I know there are so, so, so many who post here and have gone through the process of not knowing what the heck is going on in their body (or not going on in their body) for weeks. It''s agonizing.

On the plus side, in the past week and a half (yeah, it''s only been a week and a half), I have learned a TON about this topic, thanks in part to the websites that people have shared and on the stories shared here.

I probably am more "vested" in this than I should be, considering that we weren''t even actively trying and considering that this would be my very first step down this avenue of life. I will be devastated if we are not pregnant, and even if I didn''t have what may be "phantom" symptoms, the ones I for sure am feeling would lead me to think about the possibility of pregnancy.

I so don''t think anyone is trying to discount my feelings. I know when I post that I "feel" pregnant, it sounds silly. I know that I don''t have any "proof" of being pregnant, and that I may not be pregnant. I hope I am, and my mind is a very powerful thing, and it''s not unlikely that I want to be a mother so badly that I have "created" some symptoms.

I''ve wanted to be a "mommy" since I was 6 years old. I''ve dreamed of the love, responsibility, growth, joy, challenge, and the messy house I''ll probably never be able to clean the way I like it ever again. This is the first opportunity I''ve ever had to actually see it as a real possibility (in 2008, no less!) and I''m sure my heart has carried me further into the process than it should have.

But alas, in a week I shall know.

 

[diamondfan]

Fisher, if not now, than it will be soon. It is what it is so I would try to chill out and you will know soon. It is exciting and wonderful I know.

 

[mrssalvo]

oh ok, catching up that you''re not actually *late* yet right? well, I agree with diamondfan that if you aren''t pregnant, you will be soon. i can hear how excited you are to be a mom in your post and I truly think that is wonderful

 

[TravelingGal]

Fisher, my line was darker than Tacori''s...in fact, just as dark as the test line. I wasn''t even late for my period and it was an afternoon pee.

I hope you are pregnant, but girl, you gotta relax a bit. In the case that you are not, you can''t drive yourself crazy month after month! At the very least because stress can''t be good for the baby!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Oh Fisher....I am worried about you! Please, please don''t be too upset if you happen to not be preggo. Like Ebree said the mind is a very powerful thing and it *could* all be in your head. I felt very little symptoms in the early weeks. Pregnancy is a SCARY thing! (Well so is parenthood

) There is so much to worry about and you are going to have a panic attack *if* you let it control you (the fear, the worry, the unknown). Seriously, it WILL be the longest 40 weeks of your life. So please, remember that you WILL be a mommy someday soon. If not in 2008, hey, 2009 will be here before you know it!!!!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Date: 3/6/2008 10:08:57 PM
Author: TravelingGal
Fisher, my line was darker than Tacori''s...in fact, just as dark as the test line. I wasn''t even late for my period and it was an afternoon pee.

I told you guys it was light!

 

[Kaleigh]

Wait a good week, then use a digital test. I know how much you want this, if not this time, it will happen soon.

 

[E B]

fisher,

I hope I didn't upset you...that wasn't my intention. And please, don't feel silly for asking any questions or voicing any concerns. TTC isn't always as easy as some of the lucky duck first-shot BFPs here at PS would have you believe.

If you haven't already, I highly recommend joining a community like FertilityFriend (or something similar) if this isn't a positive pregnancy test month. Not only do they have a system where you can track your cycles through several different means (which is invaluable!), you also have a community full of hundreds of women in the same "TTC boat" to talk to.

I sure do hope this is your cycle, but if it isn't, don't be discouraged. It's just your first!

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Date: 3/7/2008 12:22:37 AM
Author: EBree
fisher,

I hope I didn''t upset you...that wasn''t my intention. And please, don''t feel silly for asking any questions or voicing any concerns. TTC isn''t always as easy as some of the lucky duck first-shot BFPs here at PS would have you believe.

If you haven''t already, I highly recommend joining a community like FertilityFriend (or something similar) if this isn''t a positive pregnancy test month. Not only do they have a system where you can track your cycles through several different means (which is invaluable!), you also have a community full of hundreds of women in the same ''TTC boat'' to talk to.

I sure do hope this is your cycle, but if it isn''t, don''t be discouraged. It''s just your first!

No girl, I''m not upset by anything you said. Don''t be thinking that at all.

I''m really, really not feeling good today and I think maybe I have the bug after all (with a LONG incubation period). I woke up twice last night and got sick. And I have a sore throat today. And a pounding headache, so maybe all the yuckies I was feeling were just the pre-symptoms for this bug/flu and since I didn''t take any preventative vitamins or medications (in case I was pregnant), it may have finally set in.

If I were back to "regular" I would have started by now. But again, I am still coming back to regular after going off the pill.

I''ve also promised Paul that I won''t test anymore (in the future) until I think my period should have come. I''ve always been one to jump the gun. And I also want so badly to surprise him in a cute way when the time is here, so I need to act like I have it together a lot better than I have been so he won''t suspect anything. Yeah right.

Anyway, I really will be sad, truly sad, if I''m not pregnant, but I know there''s time to keep trying and that I can''t decide that I''m infertile or anything like that because I didn''t happen to get pregnant the first time it was actually possible. I read that each time you have the chance of becoming pregnant, there is only a 20-30 percent chance that you will become pregnant at that particular cycle.

So, I''m sick. I think that was what spurred the "phantom" (perhaps) symptoms. Dang it for stupid bugs!!

 

[janinegirly]

I kinda agree with TG (traveling gal) and ebree. TTC'ing is s journey not a one shot deal, so you should not feel too disappointed. Not that it doesn't NOT happen in one shot, but the less you obsess the more likely it is to happen. My BFP was the same shade as tacori, and it was also early...5 days before my period was due (which is the earliest they say you can get a positive).
I'm sorry to say, I don't see much of a faint pink line on your test (could be the photo) and there is such a thing as an evaporation line..so I think for you now you have to assume it's a negative until the next batch of tests come along. A lot of ladies get negatives if they test too early. How many days DPO are you (days past ovulation)? DPO7-10 is when implantation usually occurs so typically nothing will show till after then. I agree you should check out fertility friend, it gives you concrete tools so you won't obsess over hypotheticals.
Oh and I had a cycle when I thought I was pregnant and was reading wayyy to much on the internet and convinced myself I had every symptom from gas to heartburn to nausea. Once I got AF, I realized I was being silly. And when I did get BFP, I was not expecting it, and had zero symptoms. In fact I've had a pretty symptomless pg so far (knock on wood).

Keep positive, it'll happen soon!!

 

[curlygirl]

Ok, this was my test using afternoon pee. This was 2 days before my period was due and the line came up within seconds. I have no idea how many dpo I was since I wasn''t charting but I would guess around 12 days. Yeah, no denying that line was real.

fisher, I know this is tough on you but you''ve gotten tons of great advice here. I really hope you are pregnant but if you''re not, please do not beat yourself up. The mind truly is dangerous and can convince you of so many things--not just that you''re pregnant! You are going to be a wonderful mom when it does actually happen and we are all going to be so excited for you!! Please wait until you are officially late before testing again and if you''re not actually pregnant, it''s ok. You have plenty of time to keep trying and that is the fun part. I wish you all the best and am looking forward to following your journey.

 

[TravelingGal]

Fisher, I still have hopes that you are PG...that first month off the pill was lucky for some of us.

However I really want to reiterate what the other ladies are saying re: beating yourself up and disappointment. My friend has been TTC for FIVE YEARS. Imagine what you''d be doing to your health if you stressed like this every month for 5 years...or even 5 months. I know you are an emotional person and an eager one as well. I remember what you were like pre-engagement...honestly I was a bit stressed out just hearing your anxiety about it! And obviously you kinew it was going to happen too, as Paul was on here prior to your registration trying to figure out rings for you.

Don''t even put it in your mind that you may be infertile just because you didn''t conceive on your first try. You are YOUNG and I am sure everything is fine, if you aren''t preggo already. People in their 20s are advised to try for one year before they even seek a fertility specialist. It may seem like a long time, but you are right...in any given month you have a 20% chance of getting PG. And just because you don''t conceive one month, does not make the next month''s odds any better really.

I am not trying to be downer...pregnancy is cool (can''t comment on motherhood yet) and I would love for you to have the experience because it''s obvious you want to be a mom! But after this comes the stress of the first trimester (and more after that), and if you are going to stress waiting for the results of tests, etc, you are not doing anyone any good.

Jumping the gun, as you put it, will not help anything! It will only make Paul upset and yourself as well if the answer you want is not there. Trust me Fisher...what is meant to happen WILL happen. You''re a religious girl, right? This is where I''ll say have faith, and a little joy in the process.

 

[fisherofmengirly]

I have what I would call an easily addictive personality at times, and I know that I got carried away with the testing thing. I''ve not tested since Wednesday. I''m doing okay.

If we''re not pregnant, my world won''t end. I know that. God''s timing is the best timing, and I know that, too. I still have my own desires and timelines, though, and a November baby would be wonderful.

Then again, so would a December, January, or February baby.

 

[diamondfan]

I was lucky the first two times that I get pregnant on the first try. I also can be a bit obsessive, and so, when I was trying for my third and it did NOT happen the first month, I made myself nuts. I really could not think of anything else. Of course I did get pregnant, and it did not take that long, maybe three months, but I can say the first two when I got my period I was so upset and up until I did get it I was hyperfocused on each little element.

I am sure you are both young and healthy (fertile) people. And even when you are, it can take time. Stress and worry are not helpful in the equation and I feel I can say it having been down that road. There is not a reason to worry til there is a reason, if that makes sense.

So, let go a bit. If you are, WONDERFUL. If you are not, know that there is a grand plan, and enjoy the practicing

You will be parents, and great ones, so know it all works out in the end, just as your engagement and wedding did. Keep that faith!

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Thanks for the comments and help with my initial questions regarding the possibility of being pregnant, everyone.

Over the weekend, I did become pretty sick with flu like stuff (puking, coughing, sore throat, sore bones, etc.) but seem to be recovering from it now. Perhaps that was the total reasoning for the "symptoms" I was feeling.

I''ve still not had any cycle changes, and I''ve not taken a test this weekend since I''ve felt like total poo, to say the least.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Hope you feel better soon!

 

[qtiekiki]

Fisher, I am just finally catching up with your thread. PLEASE don''t take it too harsh and try not to stress. It''s easier said than done, but I think it''s the best advice anyone can give.

I know there''s quite a few on PS who was lucky on first try, but in reality most people don''t. I know because it took us one & 1/2 year of not preventing and a year of actual active TTC-ing before we got PG. And we are only 27 and 29. (We now think we know the reason why it took us so long, but that''s another topic.) It was a lot of disappointments, frustrations and stress, and made BD-ing feel like such a chore. We were constantly worrying that something is wrong with us and we are infertile. Eventually we just eased up and enjoyed being with each other. We were getting ready to make an appointment with an infertility specialist when we found out we were PG. It was a journey for us, and it''s nothing compared to what I read/heard from others who had gone through much more.

You are young and your time will come soon if not this time. Wish you the best of luck in your journey, and hope it''s a short one.

 

[Mannequin]

Just catching up on older threads here too...

I hope you are feeling better soon, Fishie. Please try not to worry too much about preg/not preg. As much as I hope that you are expecting, I also know that you cannot rush miracles. When He thinks you and Paul are ready, you''ll get your wish granted.

Relax, sweetheart, and get well!

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Date: 3/9/2008 9:17:05 PM
Author: equestrienne
Just catching up on older threads here too...

I hope you are feeling better soon, Fishie. Please try not to worry too much about preg/not preg. As much as I hope that you are expecting, I also know that you cannot rush miracles. When He thinks you and Paul are ready, you''ll get your wish granted.

Relax, sweetheart, and get well!

Hey, Equestrienne! I''ve not seen you around here in ages, girl. How are things?

I''ve been basically confined to the couch all weekend, so I spent tons of time online looking up things and trying to learn more about the whole process of becoming and being pregnant. I''m confused. I mean, I want to try to have a baby, but I didn''t think it had to come down to measuring temperatures and that kind of thing at this point. I thought that was what you did when you were trying and not getting anywhere. I can so see how that sort of thing would make me even more fanatical than I can be already.

I think Paul''s whole theory is much like yours, Equ. He says that things will happen when they are supposed to and we don''t need to be getting all caught up things yet. He says God''s timing is not track-able with a thermometer. I think if I just had a better idea of what''s up with my cycles, I''d feel better about the whole thing. I guess after three cycles off the pill, I''ll have a clearer idea. So far, it looks like my first cycle and my second are going to be the same, which is odd because they''re nothing like they were before the pill. Hmm.

Crazy odd.

 

[ephemery1]

Hi Fisher, just wanted to chime in on the charting thing: while it can seem more "involved" than you want the TTC process to be, it actually helped me be LESS neurotic, believe it or not. My first 2 cycles off birth control felt very loooong... 36 and then 37 days. It was driving me crazy not knowing what was going on with my body, whether I'd ovulated or not, whether I could possibly be pregnant, when my period was going to come, etc. I obsessed. Every day. Very similar to the way you have been.

So on my 3rd cycle off (and the one we decided to officially start trying) I decided to try the charting thing... just took my temp each morning and checked cervical mucus. And I instantly felt a ZILLION times less crazy/obsessed than those first 2 cycles. I discovered that I didn't ovulate until day 28 of my cycle... which is when most women would be expecting their periods! If I hadn't charted, I would have been psychotically using up Dollar Tree tests long before those little swimmers even reached their destination, and growing more and more crazed each day.

So if you want, charting can help you time sex better to either avoid or achieve pregnancy... but more importantly (for me, anyway), it just helps you better understand your own body. I'm pretty sure God would be okay with that! Last I heard, He's pretty encouraging of knowledge in general, and respect for one's physical self. It is His handiwork, after all!

And for a lot of women, understanding their bodies means figuring out much more quickly if they have any potential fertility issues (long/irregular cycles, not ovulating, short luteal phase, etc), and making appropriate adjustments. Since we are 28 and 30 and knew we'd like to have multiple kids, we wanted to become aware of any issues sooner rather than later... but that was a personal preference for us.

Just wanted to share another (positive) side to the whole "charting" thing from one obsessive person to another!