The Official TTC Thread!

[radiantgirl]

Happy in love - No, I haven'' tried that. I''ll try that out when I get home this afternoon. I''m hoping I won''t have to get another thermometer. Thanks for the tip!

 

[sbde]

aww lisa, sorry abt the BFN...it sucks but onwards and upwards right? good luck with this next cycle!

 

[radiantgirl]

Happy in love - Thanks for the tip on the BBT. I just tried it out and my last temp this morning showed up. Yay! You saved me a trip to the drug store. Thanks a bunch!

 

[erica k]

Date: 7/9/2008 6:24:56 PM
Author: radiantgirl


Happy in love - Thanks for the tip on the BBT. I just tried it out and my last temp this morning showed up. Yay! You saved me a trip to the drug store. Thanks a bunch!

Ah I''m glad there''s a way to fix the thermometer! I had the same problem and never could figure out how to make it save the last temp. So I have a notebook filled with nearly indecipherable numerals thanks to my sleepy state.



Oh Lisa, super huge hugs for you!!! I hope you were able to enjoy your vacation in spite of the awful heat and knitting/AF. Go have some icy cold shikhye (I love my mom''s version), prop up your feet, and take it easy for the next few weeks.

 

[happy in love]

Good morning everyone!

Hope everyone is having a good day so far. I have nothing to report about TTC.
I am getting ready to go to my cousin''s wedding tomorrow. We are in CA and I don''t know how many of you have heard but it seems like our whole state is on fire! The wedding is an OUTDOOR ceremony/reception and is in the same general area one of the fires, (not in danger though) AND it is expected to be around 100 degrees outside! Oh man, I feel so bad for them, I would have been pretty stressed if I were the bride.
It is always hot hot hot in the summer here, but the smoke covering the sky has made it pretty nasty. I hope it''s over soon.

 

[lisa1.01fvs1]

So after sulking for about a day (yest.) I started getting my spunk back!!!

Saw the RE, got the "wand" and started injecting now 225 iu''s x 2 nights and dropping to 150 iu''s until "wand" on Sunday.

It is a Crapbag

- to quote Amber!

MELA - RE thinks DH''s counts are "on the fence" remember the semen fiasco of last insem.? Re wants to do 2 IUI''s within days of eachother.
That''s $600 bucks thank you very much! And he upped the GonalF dose initially so we''ll see..........

RADIANT - Thanks so much for the support there really are no explanations with this whole procreation thing. I look at it statistically b/c I am not a gambler by nature and well there are no explanations anyway.

DD - I know u would/have approved of my emotional/stats approach. We just weren''t in the 20%. By 4 IUI''s 80% get preggers so there! U are spot on about my LP the entire cycle was 25 days but I was religiously shoving those micronized progesterone suppositories up the koo-koo so I had the right chem. support. BTW - this was the heaviest period on record b/c of all the estrogen and perfect lining. So LP isn''t a concern at the moment.

PAVE - Yes I was in the boonies - no computer. Lots of humidity and meat - they eat a lot of meat in OK. Sausage/bacon/bisquits/gravy breakfast - briskett bean w/ bacon lunch, hamburgers w/ more meat....It was all a blur really. Dh''s mom''s house smelled like an ashtray - she''s pretty much given up and smokes like a chimney inside!!!! She stopped when we showed but the damage was done. All our clothes still reek. I think I dev. emphasema in 4 days! Olivia swam in the lake, I got about 10 sand flea bites and my cholesterol levels are prob. off the charts.

AMBER - Sounds like your trip to Kaui was great. Tell that man of yours to get those pants off and get going!! I know u have already done that but know I''m behind you 100%.

HIL - Also appreciate the support but I too can''t believe DH''s swimmer''s could miss 4-5 targets!!! It boggles the mind. He''s off wine for this next month and I think it was a blow to hear that the Doc. wants to do 2 IUI''s b/c of his counts. Granted we can''t rule out that my eggs could be cracked

!!

INDY - We need more Jerkstores, more Jerkstores. I will no longer accept the designation of Jerkiosk. Jerkstore or bust!!!

SBDE - We watched Jon & Kate last night and were a little sad/glad that wasn''t us - yet

.

ERICA - Dear Erica Shikhye sounds wonderful! My mom doesn''t cook really she just buys in Garden Grove. Before our cross-country adventure I loaded up on kimchee, sour leeks, etc. at mom''s and then we got in the car - let''s just say that payback for all of DH''s gaseous miracles came to roost in a closed car at 110 degree heat in Needles CA. Hahahahaha!!!

So here we go IUI #2.....

GonalF - 225 iu 2 days, 150 iu 2 days, US and then..........So we have a plan through Sunday.

I am such a narcissist right now and apologize to my PS sister''s for not being more involved in your pregnancies, soon-to-be pregnancies and general angst over reproduction.

I vow to be a better on-line friend and get back in the loop!

Hugs + Kisses,

Lisa

 

[AmberWaves]

oh Lisa, no worries about writing about yourself. Isn''t that basically what we all do here?

I''m fine with it!

This morning I was having a very nice dream about swimming with George Clooney, and then my alarm went off. Sadly, the last thing I remember was Georgie Boy leaving with someone else! Man. Even in my DREAMS I can''t land George Clooney.

I have been soooo tired lately, it''s not even funny. I blame coming back to work, and killer allergies making me take benadryl. Booo.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Lisa, hang in there lady! It is possible that only 1 or 2 of the eggs were goodies, and then the odds aren''t much different than the are for anyone else trying to hit that little teensy target! Sounds like the RE is adjusting his approach as new info comes in, which is good. All you can do is keep trucking along, and keep shoving those pills in the koo-koo!

 

[littlelysser]

Lisa - Just wanted to say that I''m sorry. That stinks! But if at first you don''t succeed, try try again. But yeah. I''m sorry.

Blen - I think we are on the same cycle day. I''m CD 9.

Radiant - Good luck with things this month!

Indy - I hope the u/s was good today!

I am just popping in to say hello. I am insanely tired and wicked wicked peeved. Sometimes family is very very very hard to deal with...so yeah. Grrrrrrrrr. I''ll post more later, when my boiling pit of rage has cooled a bit. I''m going to take my cranky and evil self elsewhere.

 

[AmberWaves]

LL, sorry you have to deal with family crap.

I hope it all either resolves or stops being a PITA. I''m also cranky, so you''re in good company.

 

[Blenheim]

That''s good to know about the BBTs. I need to test mine -- I know that it saves the latest temp, but I''m not sure if it saves more. I thought I lost a temp on Saturday by accidentally temping again when I got up for the day, meaning that the latest temp was no longer my 6 am temp.

LL - I''m CD 8, which is close. We could still ovulate on the same day and be in the KC together.

And I understand about the family. I''m still trying to get over my dad''s visit, and I have yet to call him since he left. I''m not sure if I can trust him anymore and I have a feeling that I need to set up much stricter boundaries. Hugs.

And Lisa, I''m so sorry. I really hope that this one works out for you. Hopefully your hubby will behave a bit better this time.

 

[ChargerGrrl]

Hey Gals:

Haven''t been around PS for awhile, but have been lurking here and there, rooting for y''all!

We decided to push back TTC-ing for a bit. We were set to start trying this summer (around 4th of July), but I had to come to terms with the fact that I''m just not ready to be a mommy! Having a baby is a HUGE friggin deal, and I just want to make sure I''m 100% into this. Well, right now i''m not.

Hubby is wonderful- I know he really wants a baby, but he truly wants to make sure that I''m totally on board. He''s being patient and loving. So for now, I''m just enjoying being married (2nd wedding anniversary is in Sept), and living in the moment. No decisions need to be made today, tomorrow, next week, or even next month.

But I do need to figure things out soon, as I''ll be 37 next month- OY! Honestly though, i''m not too worried about that. We''ll just see what happens once we''re "ready"

I''ll still be hanging around, as I do plan to start charting soon and y''all are experts at this. So I may be popping in and out asking questions.

 

[lisa1.01fvs1]

Date: 7/9/2008 12:02:33 PM
Author: Independent Gal
Awww, Lisa, PHOOEY! All that and being in OK too.

I was rooting for you soooo hard. It'll happen next time, girl! Then we'll all be 'Who's the jerkstore NOW?! Mwahahahaa!'

Ebree, so glad to see you're ready to try again! Hopefully, one of that assortment of things will do the trick. I think if I were you, and there was no research saying it was really dangerous, I would probably want to try everything I could just to see what happened. But I also understand the anxiety about taking stuff.

Everyone else come on and finish those sweaters already! We need more Jerkstores!

INDY you are the biggest JERKSTORE of them all, well u and NEATFREAK come to mind!!!

GUYS, SHE'S HAVING TWINS!!!!

I just read preggo thread and she found out today!!!

INDY, you gotta tell us all about it!

Lisa

 

[peonygirl]

Hi girls! Just wondering if you have a special technique for checking your CM. Mine seems to be pretty sparse and my fingers are kinda short compared to my cervix. I'm using the two-finger swipe mentioned on FF, but it's not really picking up much. I'm going off allergy meds next week, so maybe that will help.

Also, I was reading about the lubricant pre-seed that's supposed to be sperm-friendly. Is it worth trying if we generally don't use lubricant to begin with?

Thanks so much!

Indy, are ya really having twins? Whoa!!

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 7/11/2008 8:47:49 AM
Author: peonygirl
Hi girls! Just wondering if you have a special technique for checking your CM. Mine seems to be pretty sparse and my fingers are kinda short compared to my cervix. I'm using the two-finger swipe mentioned on FF, but it's not really picking up much. I'm going off allergy meds next week, so maybe that will help.

Also, I was reading about the lubricant pre-seed that's supposed to be sperm-friendly. Is it worth trying if we generally don't use lubricant to begin with?

Thanks so much!

Indy, are ya really having twins? Whoa!!

I few pages back I posted an ridiculously detailed account of how to "collect" your CM, try reading that. You may want to check it squatting on the ground, since that will lower your cervix, as will "bearning down" like you are going to the bathroom

. If you can't reach your cervix it probably means you are neear your fertile time, and there could be lots of good CM hanging out up there, so try different positions and see if you can reach it. Kegel excercises will also "push" the CM down to make it easier to see. Also drink at least 8oz of water per hour... or more! And remember yo ucan also go by your vaginal sensation of wetness, when you are fertile you will just feel slippery down there.

Plus, it took my body until my 4th cycle off BCP to produce proper CM, it is caused by estrogen, so if you came off the pill not that long ago you may just have to wait a few more months. Amber used the pre-seed. I personally think that you should focus on getting your body to make it by itself (i.e., lots of water and waiting until a few monthd off bcp) since CM is an indicator of your body's hormones, artifically making it doesn't actually increase your body's fertility (it lets the sperm live longer, supposedly, but if your hormones aren't right yet after the pill that won't matter anyways!). If you are actively TTC and have sparse CM it means you need to BD as close to O as possible, since the sperm can't live as long. But as long as you BD the day before O and the day of O it isn't an issue.

I think the biggest thing for you will just be time. I agonized for 3 months over not having any good CM, then BAM my body's hormones got on track, the CM appeared, and I got preggo. So you may just have to wait.

 

[peonygirl]

Thanks dreamer! I appreciate your feedback and I will read your old post. I am on my second cycle off BC, so hopefully by my fourth (which is when we plan to start trying) my CM will be better quality.

 

[AmberWaves]

Peony, like DD mentioned, I use pre-seed, and I think it''s fabulous, but that''s also because we always need lube, and I figured why not make it a good kind!

I''m always on allergy meds, so I''m always dry.

If all else fails, pre-seed is always an option!

 

[happy in love]

Just stopped by to say bye for the weekend. We''re off to my cousin''s wedding, which will be a great distraction from this whole 2ww. I think I will test on Monday (10 or 11 dpo), so..... here''s hoping for the best!

Hope you all have a good weekend!

 

[AmberWaves]

Hey Happy! Have a great weekend, and good luck!

 

[mela lu]

I''m still reeling from Indy''s twin announcement. holy SHNITZville!!! I am THE biggest beeyotch right now - crippled by PMS. whoa. I forgot what this felt like. yuck.
Lisa - your post made me howl. thanks - I needed that to part the dark cloud of biatch that''s hanging over me. so sorry again about the BFN, and espesh that DH *possibly* had something to do with it. The last thing we need in our emotional states is to have any kind of ammo against our DH''s. Sucks that this may or may not be the case, but I feel optimistic that you and your Doc have it totally covered. dust. dust. dust.

otherwise, I''m expecting AF sometime in the next week. Good luck to all you knitters, tryers, and lurkers

 

[peonygirl]

Hey gals! I hope that no one think that this is TMI, but I''d like to talk about the nitty-gritty of how sex for conception might differ from sex for fun (although I hope this will be fun too!). For example, I always pee after sex (I''ve heard this is a no-no), and I''m wondering things like if it''s better for DH to have his O before or after mine. Any positions that might be especially good? I''ve also heard of some women putting a pillow under themselves afterwards (what size)?

I took the whole FF course, but they didn''t really discuss things like this. Thanks SO much!



Only 6 weeks until we TTC!

 

[tiffanytwisted]

Date: 7/12/2008 6:58:53 PM
Author: peonygirl
Hey gals! I hope that no one think that this is TMI, but I''d like to talk about the nitty-gritty of how sex for conception might differ from sex for fun (although I hope this will be fun too!). For example, I always pee after sex (I''ve heard this is a no-no), and I''m wondering things like if it''s better for DH to have his O before or after mine. Any positions that might be especially good? I''ve also heard of some women putting a pillow under themselves afterwards (what size)?

I took the whole FF course, but they didn''t really discuss things like this. Thanks SO much!



Only 6 weeks until we TTC!

According to TCOYF, "the traditional missionary position allows for deepest penetration , and will deposit the sperm closest to the cervix." It goes on to say that "some clinicials also believe that if your cervical fluid is not that fertile, or the sperm quality is marginal, it may be advantageous for you to remain lying down for up to half an hour in the basic position in which you had intercourse."
I am by no means an expert, and am not implying that either of those situations apply to you, but that was all I could find on the subject.
I couldn''t find anything about O''s.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Peony, you crack me up! Great questions! LOL!!

TMI Alert

From what I read, the info tiffany posted it totally true. I also read that when the man feels he is about to O, he should penetrate as deeply as possible and then stay there... no moving around! Hee hee... that is actually harder than it sounds according to DH. That way it is all "deposited" as near the cervix as possible. As for your O, I watched one of those nature movies when they stick cameras in a woman''s hoo ha, and when the woman Os, the contractions cause her cervix to dip down and then suck up the sperm! So that makes me think it is best if she O''s at the same time or a second or so after the man

. As for needing to tinkle after, I too need to do that (no UTIs for me thank you) and I just lay there for 20 - 30 minutes and then went.

Really, though, doing it any ways you like in your usual manner every day in the 4 days before you O, the day or O, and the day after O is probably more than enough to get it done! It''s hard enough trying to DTD like 8 days in a row

without worrying too much about positions and simultaneous Os and all that other stuff... or maybe that''s just me!

 

[lovelylulu]

lisa: i''m a little late, but i''m sending loads of fertile fairy dist your way and hoping that this cycle is THE cycle! and i just have to add that your attitude and energy is really amazing. you''ve definitely got spunk and I''m glad to hear that it''s back!

HIL: I hope that your wedding weekend went well and that the sweltering was kept to a minimum. Good luck testing and can''t wait to hear the results!

LL: I completely relate to being disappointed w/that BFN. the one previous time DH and I thought that we might have had a chance, I was on a bit of a roller coaster - and there were certainly feelings along the lines of "oh my goodness what did we just do" but when it came time to pee on a stick and no line popped up the disappointment came well before the relief and sort of surprised me. but now you are armed with heaps more knowledge and general awareness so i''m sure it''ll be no time before you get a BFP.

amber: are you still knitting away?

blen: sorry to hear that the situation with your dad doesn''t have a fast, easy, simple resolution. i think that stricter boundaries is a good idea and just be confident in the fact that this is *your* life/decisions/etc!

tiffany: I can''t remember where you are at in this whole process? Hope things are going well!

chargergrrl: i think that you are making the right decision. i''ve gotten advice from people saying that if you''re not ready, wait. my DH and I had july as our TTC date - just worked out in our life - and there were a number of times when we contemplated moving that date forward - but in the end it just wasn''t the right time for us. we needed to wait. and i''m glad we did. definitely stay and hang out!

so it''s FINALLY time.

I''m on CD 10 and while i''m not a charter it looks like my fertility signs are nearly giving me a green light. let''s just say i''m a little excited, nervous, scared! particularly since i''ve been doing a bit of lurker/participating in this thread for so long now, i feel like there has been this huge build-up to july. i''m really thankful for the thread though as i don''t really have anyone in my *real* life to share with. most of my girlfriends are career gals that cringe at the thought of having kids and then the few that want to have a family are actually experiencing some serious fertility issues and i let them discuss the topic only if they bring it up. plus, i don''t want to bring my mom into the fold at these early stages. i love her dearly, but i think that she''s not exactly the kind of support that i''m looking for. anyway, that''s a long way of saying that i''m glad for this thread!

 

[radiantgirl]

Hi gals! I''m on CD 16 now, and not sure if I ovulated yet, but we are continuing to bd every other day to until I have a confirmed ovulation day on FF. This is my first month charting and I''m all new to all of this. I had a rise in my temp this morning, but we''ll see if it continues to rise within the next few days.

How is everyone else doing? Lots of baby dust to all of you TTC!!!

 

[Independent Gal]

Any more news from the knitters?!? I''m waiting with baited breath here, folks!

 

[happy in love]

Lulu- good luck to you! Excited, nervous and scared sounds just about how I feel about this whole journey too.

Radiant- hope this cycle worked for you, we''ll be waiting for the news in about 2 weeks

Amber- I know Hawaii wasn''t all you had hoped for in terms of BD, but are you going to test, or just wait for AF?

As for me

BFN this morning. AF isn''t supposed to be here til Wednesday so there is still a chance. I was hoping to be one of the lucky ones (early results, first time trying...) but this world will not stop trying to teach me to be patient!

The wedding was great, and surprisingly not as hot or smokey as we had all thought so that was a plus. My (other) cousin had their 2mo boy there, so of course I got my baby fix. Every time I picked him up I heard "oh, it''s a good look for you" Ha! My family is so not subtle.

 

[radiantgirl]

lovelylulu - good luck this month on TTC. Here's to hoping for your BFP soon!

happy in love - sorry to hear about your BFN, but there is still a chance. I tested 1 day after AF was supposed to show, and that's when I got my BFP. I know it's really hard to be patient especially when you want something so badly. Try testing again in a few days and hope you get the news you want to here. I know what you mean about having your baby fix. We had some friends over this past weekend with a 35 month old boy. He was such a cutie and my husband had a lot of fun with him. His mom was saying to me that it's really obvious that my husband is more than ready because most guys wouldn't be picking little boys up and playing with them the entire time. It made me want to get pg even more after seeing hubby this way with someone else's kid.

Here's to hoping for some good news soon for all you ladies!

 

[tiffanytwisted]

Good morning to my fellow TTC'ers. (and everyone else). I've been completely out of the loop the last couple of weeks (vacation, crazy work, etc.) so I'll try to catch up with everyone.
Last cycle didn't work out quite like I wanted it too (AF showed up on the 4th of July of all days. However, we have talked about her showing up uninvited so I'm hoping she doesn't come back next month

) So, I'm currently on CD 11. I did put a call in to my ob/gyn last week as he had told me previously (after the ectopic) to try for 6 months and then call. OF course he was on vacation last week so his nurse will check with him, see what he wants to do, and she'd call back this week. In the meantime, keep trying (no problem there.)

LL- what's going on with the family? if you need to vent we are here. OH- I think a few pages back you said your sushi place was closed for July. I had a similar experience-recommended my fav sushi place to my aunt and her friends (who were in town for the weekend) and when they got there it was closed. This was on the 4th so I probably should have checked first, but lucky for me they were only closed for one day!!!

Lisa- sorry about the BFN. You are one inspiring lady though, always upbeat and so positive. It's a roller coast ride that hopefully we'll both get off of soon!! PS- I saw a pic of your ring on another thread somewhere and it is gorgeous!!

HIL- good to hear the wedding wasn't sweltering. It may be too early to have a true BFN. I also wanted to be a lucky one who found out early, but I've recently decided the dissappointment is too much, so I"m not testing until well after AF is due. Good luck!

RG- Good luck and welcome back! I've got my fingers crossed for you. FF usually requires 3 elevated temps before it will give an O date.

Lovelylulu- Hoory for July! I also don't have a lot of friends to talk to about this, most of mine had babies in the last year or so. Good luck!!

Mela- LOVED your letter to AF. WHen she showed up here, I tried to send her your way but she just wouldn't leave!!

AMber-Sorry about your allergies, that really sucks. I forget what cd you are on? and where are your Kauai pics, did I miss them???

Peony-We also use pre-seed, and it works fine. I actually just ordered more (I'm using reverse psychology, if I stock up then maybe I won't need it anymore???)

Chargergirl- I'm sure that was a hard decision. Sometimes you just aren't ready. You are more than welcome to hang out with us though!!

Blen-My BBT saves the last 5 temps. The directions that came with it aren't great. You hold down the button until it displays temp 1, then let up for a sec for temp 2, push down again and let up and it displays temp 3, etc. I had to figure it out on my own. Sorry that you had such problems with your dad. It sounds like you've got it all in perspective though.

Indy, Erica and Dreamer-How are you guys feeling? Good to see you are still hanging around with us. Maybe you'll rub off and recruit a few more of us this month!!

My hubby and I both have the day off today. I think we are going to see Get Smart this afternoon. Happy Monday everyone!!

ETA:sorry if I left anyone out!

 

[Independent Gal]

Date: 7/14/2008 10:59:38 AM
Author: tiffanytwisted

Indy, Erica and Dreamer-How are you guys feeling? Good to see you are still hanging around with us. Maybe you''ll rub off and recruit a few more of us this month!!

Ladies, we are cheering for you! Come on over to the other side!

At the moment, I''m not doing too badly. Just a bit of nausea and sore bb''s. Honestly? The most difficult part right now is adjusting to how crazy this identical twin thing could get. I need to wrap my mind around it and prepare psychologically and emotionally. At first I was all ''twins! twins! what is cuter than twins! and so efficient...'' but now that I realize that, in addition to the usual twin related complications (prematurity, higher risks for preeclampsia, etc.) ID twins sharing a chorionic sac, as mine appear to be, have a 20% risk of stealing each others'' blood, resulting in the death or brain damage of one or both. I mean, geez. Not to mention all the other mortality increasing risks. And the almost certain prematurity (they don''t like ID''s to go beyond 35 or 36 weeks... too risky).

So I just have to process this fact, be prepared. And try to hope for the best. After all, there''s an 80% chance that everything will go fine! But then again, there was an 80% chance that I wouldn''t get pregnant on the first go, a 99.7ish% chance that I wouldn''t end up with ID twins. A 99% chance that my mother''s cancer wouldn''t be of the thymus variety (one of the rarest kinds) and then a 90% chance it would not be malignant. And yet all those things happened. So I kind of feel like - even though it''s totally irrational - the Probability God is messing with me.

So I just have to get a grip and be a big girl. This may sound horrible, but for me, the worst scenario would be brain damage.

I know I have to start thinking positive, right?

Think positive! Think positive!

Anyway, I hope none of you end up with ID twins. One at a time! One at a time!