# Buddies who are TTC for #1?



## Kuji

Hi, I'm new and looking for a buddy! I'm 25 years old, ttc baby #1. We're on month 4 of trying. I did three months of trying alone(at one point adding temp charting) but finally this month, I started pre-seed and OPK. I should be ovulating any day now if I'm reading it right. *fingers crossed* 

I'm honestly really feeling this month. The last few months were so stressful and I was starting to track my temperatures as a start to predicting ovulation. And from my chart, it looked like the stress had actually caused me to ovulate so late and it broke my heart! I was in tears because I felt like I would never get pregnant and it would be my job's fault for not respecting what I would say about my health issues(depression). I can usually handle it fine but my job started pushing me so hard despite me telling them that I needed help because it was too much. 
And having gotten off my medicine because I don't want to chance anything while pregnant.... It was tougher...

My doctor was very kind though and has put me on medical unemployment so I could finally relax and take care of myself!!! I'm feeling grateful since I know have the time to get better as well as focus on getting pregnant. So I'm hoping for the best! 

So if anyone else wants someone to talk to or add stories, I'd be happy to chat :) It's so tough feeling like I'm alone while ttc and I'm too afraid to let all my family and friends know that I'm ttc because I'm almost worried I might jinx it? So far only my sister knows all the details.


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## tcinks

Hey, can I be your buddy? Or one of them :) I've actually already conceived to o beautiful babies, but sad both of them died. :( I am on the road to ttc again, it's been five weeks since my most recent loss, and I'm just waiting for my af! 

It must be hard not being able to talk to family and friends. I've always been open about my journey but I think this next time I'll keep it to myself longer even when I'm pregnant. I honestly want to keep it a secret as long as possible, not until baby is born if I could!

It's great that you're using preseed and opks! I was never disciplined enough for that but I know it helps lots of women. :)


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## CathiiNoo

I would love to join. I'm 22 and OH is 32. Second month TTC # 1.

I'm using OPKS and digitals as well as temping.

Baby dust to you both x


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## Kuji

tcinks - Of course you can! :D Anyone is welcomed! 
So sorry for your loss! :( It must have been so hard. I know you'll be able to conceive again and hopefully the next one will stick and be full term! 

:dust: 

I just try to keep it to myself in case it takes very long. I don't want them thinking either something's wrong with me or my SO, or that we're not doing something right. So I try and keep it as private as I can, with the exception to my mother and sister(sister knows most). 

I have a 27 CD cycle and last month I ovulated late due to stress, so I wanted to make sure I ovulated at a normal day this time (thankfully it seems I did), also my CM is not the best so pre-seed is the way to go! :)


CathiiNoo - Oh nice! This month I've been temping as well as OPK. So far everything seems to be happening smoothly. Just hoping my temperature keeps rising! 

Baby dust to you both! I'm sure we'll get our :bfp: soon!

:dust:


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## CathiiNoo

Nobody knows we TTC either not because I'm afraid I will jinx it but because my family will be somewhat judgemental because OH and I didn't have a good start to our relationship. 

You should try EPO for your EWCM.


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## Kuji

Okay, yeah, might be best to wait then. Not all relationships start great, so long as in the end, things are stable and happy, I don't see the problem. But I'd definitely wait to tell them before they try to convince you to stop what you're doing. It's your decision to make after all and no one else's business. 

I'll definitely look into it :) For now, I FINALLY got my bottle of FertileCM, although my fertile days are over so I'm debating on when to start it, if I need to start it at all. 

Finally got my crosshairs on my chart though! WOO!


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## CathiiNoo

I'm hoping you won't need to start it ;) WOOHOO for cross hairs. It's so exciting when they finally there. 

I ovulated so late this cycle on CD 18 and I normally have a 28 day cycle so my LP will be around 10 days. We're only two days apart in dpo, would be awesome to get BFPS together x


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## tcinks

You girls are weeks ahead of me! Hope to see some BFP soon :) Af just showed today finally :dance: I want to start trying this cycle but dh wants to wait another one. Hopefully he changes his mind!


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## Kuji

CathiiNoo - Well I hope even though you ovulated late, it was still enough time for the bean to stick! 
I'd just LOVE it if we both had bfp! Fx!!!

tcinks - Oh good! Well I hope he changes his mind too! Now that AF showed up, you're good to go for this cycle! Fx that he changes his mind!


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## PnutProtector

Count me in, Kuji!!

tcinks - Oh so exciting! I bet you've never been so happy to see af! haha. FX that DH changes his mind and you can join us for late august BFPs :dust:

CathiiNoo: I haven't told many people that we are TTC either. (Just mom and two close friends). For a long time we didn't think we really wanted a baby. But one day I just woke up and everything was different. DH and I talked about it for months before we started making the steps to start TTC.


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## Kuji

The more the merrier! Welcome :D 

I was the baby crazy one haha. SO was less interested but he knew how important it was for me so we decided on a date that we'd ttc. As it got closer, he got more and more excited and now he's as excited as I am.


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## andiannajones

Hi All! I'd love to jump in on this group...

I just joined this site last night because it seems to be the most useful when obsessively google-ing symptoms (like I bet we've all done). I'm turning 33 on the 17th, so I've got my own little short list of worry about how old I am ttc #1. I've been with my DH for 9 years and married for 2 or so. I JUST finished law school in May and sat the 3-day bar exam in July, so my life has been quite high stress for sometime now.
DH really didn't want kids and it kind of delayed things I think; but he seems to have acquiesced in that for the past 2 months we haven't been using condoms and I'm not on birth control. Now, every time I sneeze he asks me if I'm pregnant. 
I would love some other gal friends to talk to about this stuff because, like ya'll, I'm not really into discussing this with my family as I don't need the pressure of all that judgment and advice (however well intentioned), and I know DH doesn't want to talk about it until it happens.
I have a 28 day cycle and am just guessing on ovulation dates etc...do you think I should be temping and such this early in the ttc game or just wait it out a few months and see what happens?


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## Kuji

Welcome andiannajones! :D 

33 isn't so old for conceiving #1. Yes, you aren't AS fertile as someone in their twenties but the numbers aren't that much lower that it can't happen just as easy(or hard, depending from person to person), so honestly, I wouldn't worry too much about your age. I'm sure you'll be able to conceive just fine :) 

Well we're definitely here for you if you just wanna chit chat, have any questions or concerns! It's a really great community here and I'm sure you'll love it! 
I understand you way too much when it comes to the family. And well... men don't seem to like talking about baby making in detail like we do haha! I showed my SO today my chart, all proud of my temp sky rocketing and he just looked at me with a straight face and just said "Okay..." 

Honestly, that is 100% up to you. I personally temp because I find it's the easiest way for me to see exactly when I ovulate and etc. If you BD regularly, I wouldn't think you NEED to(unless conceiving is taking a while), but someone like me who has low libido, I depend on it so I can BD most on the days that I need to.


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## andiannajones

Thanks for the encouragement Kuji! Because I don't temp (yet) I don't know practically anything about it, but with my limited knowledge, it seems like a sky-rocketing temperature like that is very encouraging!!! 
I _think_ I O'd on Friday (7th) because I tend to get weird little twingy pains on one side only for a few hours about midway through my cycle each month. As soon as I started paying attention, I noticed it more. DH and I BD'd on the 4th/5th/8th; so if I'm right about O date, I think I'm right in that window! I guess now we wait?? lol. 
Do you have a particular kind/brand of OPK that you like? If this month doesn't do it for me (which I understand it likely will not...I'm probably not that lucky out of the gate!) I think I might try temping/OPK just to see if I understand my cycle like I think I do. With your temps going up and up like that when do you plan on testing? (I know the wait is agony). BEAMING GOOD THOUGHTS YOUR WAY!!!!


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## CathiiNoo

Welcome andiannajones! I agree with Kuji, 32 is not old. I'm sure you will be able to conceive a perfectly healthy baby. I personally prefer temping as I'm not always sure when I O and temping is good to confirm O. Fertility friend is the best app to use. If you click on my chart, it will take you to the page to sign up. I use cheapie opks to test and if it looks positive but I'm not sure then I will confirm with a digital in the same urine just to be sure. I have a 28 days cycle normally as well but sometimes I O really late giving me a short LP so trying to work on that. 

You're lucky that you get twinges to give you a bit more in site on what's happening as I get no symptoms or anything so I test and chart. My cm doesn't even cooperate with me and I will get the wrong cm at the wrong stage of my cycle so my cycles are pretty confusing most months. 

I forgot to mention that I'm TTC with male fertility issues. OH viable sperm, quantity and mobility are on the low side so we've been seeing a fertility specialist. 9 DPO today and BFN yesterday and today on different tests :( oh well.

Baby dust to all you ladies xx


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## CathiiNoo

Kuji, I know what you mean about men not being interested. I tried to explain to OH what the pre O and after O temps look like and he didn't understand (or just wasn't interested enough to listen haha). When I was testing for O and showed hI'm the difference between negative and positive, he kept saying "but there's two lines which is positive just like a pregnancy test" hahaha


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## Kuji

andiannajones - After O'ing, a temperature going up is definitely a good sign. Now it's just to hope it stays up. haha! 
More or less, if you're pregnant, the temperature should stay up and not dip near AF. However if it dips near AF and stays down, chances are you didn't conceive :( It's alright if it dips every now and then since everyone is different, it's just to hope it stays up near the end. 
To start temping, what you do is use a BBT thermometer as soon as you wake up in the morning without getting out of bed or sitting up. You need to try to have at least 3 hours of consecutive sleep to get a proper reading. Also, if possible, to take the temperature around the same time every morning. 

As for OPK, I use cheapies to be honest. I'm a little broke right now anyway while I wait for unemployment to come in. So I might not get any money for the next four weeks and depending on SO means we're almost right on the dot for bills, groceries and rent, so not much place for other expenses! But yeah, like Cathiinoo said, a lot of people will back up with a digital when it looks positive just to make sure. So either or, or a mix of both do well. I heard a lot of people buy their cheapies off amazon. I might try that as I wasn't very satisfied with Fairhaven cheapies. 

I SHOULD test around the 16-17th, as the 17th is when AF is due, but I might test a little earlier. I know it's not a good idea but I'm so curious!!! I've tried distracting myself as best as possible but it's not easy :( After being obsessed with babies since I was a teen (I was responsible though, no worries! haha ), it's hard not to be a little impatient to finally be pregnant myself. 

Cathiinoo - I hope the fertility specialist will be able to help you guys get your bfp! You both deserve it! :hugs: 

Oh jeez xD Yup, I'm not surprised! haha! I was also all excited with my OPKs and taking pictures and comparing them. I'm sure SO might have thought I was a little crazy! 
I really do wish that two lines would mean positive for OPKs though. It would be much simpler than trying to guess! haha! 

I hope you both have a good day today! I had a grumpy start as SO was fooling around this morning with the cat and trying to snuggle me while all I wanted to do was try and fall back to sleep. And then my sister texted me right as I was falling back to sleep... After a good nap later on though, I feel much better. Finally got some chores done too! 

:dust: to you both!


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## andiannajones

Cathinoo - Thanks! You guys are making me feel a lot better about being a geriatric in the ttc game :haha: (I swear, I go on job interviews and all these old male law partners don't want to hire me because they're all "you're going to have kids soon right? RIGHT? We'll call you"). I'm very lucky that DH works full time so I don't have to rush out and get a job right this second. 
I will definitely check out fertility friend! This looks like it could be fun to play with! I think I'll give through September and then start temping if nothing sticks (I may be totally psychosomatic on the O twinges...you never know!). 

Kuji - How are things in your world today? :dust:


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## andiannajones

Kuji - we must be psychically linked because I was posting when you were and JUST saw your reply! (I'm also trying to figure out how to work all these little emoticons and thingies...I'm slowly learning...:blush:)
I know that money issues are ALWAYS stressful, especially when you're ttc, I hope your check comes in soon to make things a little more comfortable for ya'll (I'm an American in the deep south, so I get to say "ya'll" I guess...even though it makes me sound like an idiot. :winkwink:)
I think I might grab some cheapie OPK's off Amazon since I have an account and they don't seem to be too much...now I'm curious. My AF is due around the 22nd (I usually get one day of extremely light spotting the day before though, so I typically know it's coming);Thus, I'll probably test around the 19th/20th if I can hold out that long! If you can hold out till the 19th we can be peeing on stick buddies! :haha:

Cathinoo- from what I understand (lots of time for obsessive research on my hands right now...lol) a BFN 9 dpo is not at all uncommon and I would in no way count you out of the game yet!! Cheering you on!!!

Tcinks - how are you doing my dear? :thumbup:

Thanks ladies! Hope you have a good day! Baby dust to everyone!!!:dust:


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## Kuji

Oh jeez! I just saw that now that we posted almost at the same time!!! 

I'm still getting used to the emoticons myself! I haven't been here long and there's so much to learn! :wacko: The abbreviations were what hit me the most. I now have a tab always open with some basic abbreviations for conceiving forums.

Then that means as a Canadian, I can say "eh" as I like! :haha:
It is stressful, especially since I'm on unemployment to relax since my stress was much too high when I was working (not a good sign when you gets 2-3 panic attacks at work and have to be sent home :( ) and also to help me conceive since last month my high stress caused me to ovulate super late. This month things are happening normally (thank God!) 
I'm just trying to relax as best as I can. I know I have my sister just next door and my mother 5 minutes away if it's an emergency, so I think that's what's keeping me sane and calm-ish 

I wish I could hold out that long! If AF decides to leave me alone this month, at least for 2 days, I'll be able to test with you. She's usually on time though and gives me warnings by spotting a bit a day or two before. :growlmad:


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## andiannajones

I know exactly where you're coming from. Stress is an absolute body-wrecker. I have struggled with anxiety and depression as well and know that journey oh so well (unfortunately). Panic attacks are the absolute worst; I hadn't had one in years and had 2 in a row right before the bar exam, poor DH had no idea what to do. They are absolutely incapacitating, people don't understand it unless they've had one. I know this sounds absolutely crazy, but the thing that has helped me the most with anxiety and depression has been drinking more water and spending like 15 minutes a day outside (reading, writing, just staring aimlessly at trees...). I think humans are designed to unplug for a minute and the constant demands of our high-tech lives and being CONSTANTLY accessible to everyone at any given moment acts as a catalyst for anxiety. Let food be thy medicine and all that jazz. 
It sounds like your cycle/life is panning back out to normal! Trust your body, you've got this! 
Let's see if I actually have the wherewithall to hold out till the 19th to test myself! lol. Fingers crossed for all of us!!! :hugs:


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## Kuji

It's so nice to hear that from you! I mean, it's not great that you're struggling or have struggled with depression and anxiety too, but it's nice to be able to talk to someone else who has dealt with it. My mother only has seasonal depression so she likes to assume that's what I have but my doctor has confirmed me otherwise. Mom is just stubborn though and likes to stick to her own idea of how my depression works :\ 

I was actually doing well and didn't have a panic attack for a year and a half. But the work began to get difficult due to people not coming in either because they were "sick" or on vacation. So I was often doing a 3-4 MAN job, all by myself! Even as a woman, yes, I can do a lot, but I won't kid myself and try to lift something that's much too heavy for me. I hurt my back last time I did. I stressed to my job how it was getting too much and I was asking for help, I explained myself to them and how I was stressing and panicking but they would just smile at my face as if either not believing me or not caring. 
I'll have no choice to go back to that job once my unemployment is over but I'll be seeing to transfer to day time, they don't have as much to do. 

I've been spending more time outside now since I'm now allowed to be up during the day! haha! It's so nice and really lifts my spirits. 

Oh yes, things are getting better :) I was able to spend time with my sister and the nephews again and I just baked a yummy Mayonnaise Cake! I can't wait till it's done! Yum! 

I'm sure you can! Just gotta keep as distracted as possible! It's definitely tough! Oof!


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## PnutProtector

Welcome andiannajones! So glad to have you! 

I was just getting caught up on some posts here and I noticed you guys talking about depression and anxiety. I was diagnosed with both about 6 years ago, super fun. It's so not easy to live with, and it's part of the reason I'm not working either. I was so worried about taking my medications while pregnant, that I had a long talk with my dr about it, and she ended up changing them to safer ones. I wish I could just go off them during pregnancy, but if I go off them, things get really bad and that could be worse for a baby than the meds. UGH.

Can I just say that this first period after having my IUD out is the worst I've had in years! I did not miss this. AT. ALL.

How are you ladies today?


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## Kuji

(On SO`s computer and the keyboard is French. So excuse any punctuation missing or looking weird... I`m too English for him :haha: ))

If you need to stay on the medication and you had a good talk with your doctor about it, then of course it`s fine. No one would think otherwise :) I personally got off my medicine because I`ve been doing fine lately-ish. At least I was for a good while until my workplace started being horrible to me and I couldn`t handle the stress anymore :( 
But if I can, I`ll stay off the meds. But if I do see that it might be best I go back on, I`ll definitely see my doctor and have a good talk with him about it. 

But don`t worry about it Pnut, I`m sure everything will be fine and you`ll have a healthy baby! :hugs: 

I`ve never had an IUD but I`m considering it as birth control after I have my first baby. How was it for you?
I also hope that AF calms herself for you. Heavy periods are the worse. 

I was doing great until my work`s insurance called me up. They put so much pressure on me and made me feel stupid. I was shaking on the phone and after the call, I burst into tears. I thing is, I knew the insurance company wouldn`t do anything and honestly, I don`t care if they don`t give me money or compensation because I know the government will. I`m just still not sure what I`m going to say if they ask me why I`m not on my medicine. :( I feel that if I tell the truth, I could be in trouble. I`ll have to talk to my mom or something and see what she thinks.

What about you?


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## andiannajones

Kuji - Work stress can be the absolute worst kind I think, especially when dealing with "women's" health issues. Just try explaining to your boss that you are concerned that your stress level is messing with your reproductive system; all men are already running for the door with their hands over their ears. My last year of law school I was a clinical student (so I had my own clients and had to go argue in court and stuff), I was the ONLY girl in the program (10 dudes and me...) and our supervising professor told me FLAT OUT the first week that if I ever had "lady issues" that were interfering, to please just tell him it was something else, like a headache. I couldn't believe it, this is 2015 right? Did we time travel? I must have missed it....:shrug:
Also - I don't know what a mayonnaise cake is, but is sure sounds like something I need to make/put in my mouth hole immediately. I would love the recipe if you've got a minute!

Pnutprotector - (LOVE the screen name); Hi! my sister-in-law had a similar experience, where the Dr. switched her to a less "aggressive" depression medication during her first pregnancy (my nephew is now 2 and healthy as anything, smart as a whip...) and she said the same thing, that she was concerned about the meds but that being off of them would have been worse and I 100% agree with her/her doctor. You can't fight this stuff on your own, it's not good for you or for a developing peanut to be riddled with anxiety! I never had an IUD but I've heard that the periods you get when you're starting back up are just awful for a few months...I hope it gets better for you! (I bet it will...) Until then, heating pads and sleep!!

With so much discussion of late ovulation, I decided to BD with the DH this morning too...(can't hurt right??) lol. That makes BD on cycle days 10/11/14/17; hope I caught the elusive egg!


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## andiannajones

Also Kuji...we keep posting within like 3 minutes of each other. I really think we ARE connected at the brain parts...lol


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## Kuji

Oh jeez... Yeah, that`s just not alright. Is it that hard for him to hear about "lady issues"? Last I checked, women's health was getting more and more recognized and normalized. That man has issues and needs to catch up... Or just get used to it. 

I can give you the recipe :) Mayonnaise cake is like an incredibly moist chocolate cake. I like it best with a nice Cream Cheese Icing. However vanilla icing works too. Chocolate icing would just be too chocolately for my taste! :haha: 

*Mayonnaise Cake*

Preheat 350 F 

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cocoa
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt 
1 cup mayonnaise (natural or Miracle Whip work. I personally use Miracle Whip though)
1 teaspoon vanilla 
1 cup water

Mix all the dry ingredients first. Once well mixed, all the wet ingredients. 

Butter or oil a dish that you'll use and pour the batter in. And bake it for 30-35 min (30 min is perfect for my oven)

I put some pictures in for the dish I use in case you have the same or something similar. I think it cooks best in a low dish so I use a Pyrex glass dish that's usually used for lasagnas and the like. 

:haha: I think so too!
 



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## andiannajones

I know! I couldn't believe it...the man has 2 kids!! I was like: "Your poor wife" I bet he was less than helpful through that. In some ways you are VERY lucky you are in Canada, the U.S. enjoys its war on women a little too much imho. For example, my health insurance is 300 dollars/month (a little over a 1/4 of my income at the moment) and that's with really high co-pays etc...our healthcare system really is hopelessly broken but at least it's being talked about and I am one of the lucky ones that receives a government subsidy to take the cost down to only 70/month. I flat out refused to consider pregnancy until I was covered, I didn't have health insurance all through college because it was unaffordable. I'm exceptionally lucky that I receive a subsidy now or I wouldn't even be having the pregnancy discussion!! 2016 is right around the corner though, we're all just holding our breath seeing what will happen.

THIS CAKE...looks delicious, I'm sending DH to the store later and this is getting made (probably tonight...lol). :happydance:


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## Kuji

I agree, that poor woman! He'd probably find it weird how SO and I talk to eachother even about my "lady problems". SO actually doesn't think it's weird, he just tries to understand as best as he can so he can help me if I'm in too much pain or need something. He's a really great guy that way. :blush:

Yeah, I've heard only too much about how Health insurance is in the US from some friends of mine. They thought it was the weirdest thing when I said what happened when I had surgery once. I go in, show my health card, stay in the hospital for almost a week before, during and after my surgery and just left when they cleared me to go. No bills, no signing things, nothing. I just went home! 

I honestly can't blame you for wanting to wait until you had a more secure situation health care wise. I think it's stupid to have to pay to have a baby. :\ And of course I'm sure you'd also have to pay for any visits or things along the way too.... I don't understand a health system like that. But I'm glad things are looking a little better in the US. Not great yet, but better. I know here in Canada we pay much more in taxes, however, I honestly rather pay these taxes and know that if I need an emergency surgery or treatment, it won't kill my wallet/put me in debt and that I will receive the treatment no matter what. 

It's crazy delicious! When you make it and try it, let me know what you think! :hugs:


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## andiannajones

The idea that you could walk into a hospital, be treated, and leave without signing about 50 sheets of paper and presenting a credit card is absolute insanity to anyone living in the U.S.
My second year of law school, I got a really bad ear infection that caused be to run an 104 degree fever, DH rushed me to the hospital where I received an antibiotic shot and a prescription for 7 days worth of steroids. I was uninsured. About a month later we received 3 bills: (1) from the hospital itself for 1800 dollars for "emergency visit" (2) one for the steroid prescription, 90 dollars for 7 days worth that I _still_ had to go fill elsewhere and (3) a separate bill from the doctor _at_ the hospital who actually administered the antibiotic shot for 1000 dollars (if you can make 1000 dollars for literally 2 minutes of work, I am in the wrong business). Needless to say, the 3 grand hospital bill for an EAR INFECTION made us horribly, horribly afraid of the medical system here. Can you imagine a pregnancy with no insurance in the U.S.? As it stands right now, I will have to pay 50 dollars every single time I go see my obstetrician, and I have one of the better health plans available as far as pregnancy goes. It is an unsustainable system. I would *gladly* pay much much more than I do in taxes to have the healthcare options that you, our great Neighbors to the North, enjoy! 
But enough depressing political tripe!!! :dohh: (I'm really not that political, I just find our healthcare system absolutely crazy). 

How are you feeling today and how are your temps doing?? I'm kind of fatigued but otherwise feel completely normal, I guess 4 dpo (again, guessing) I wouldn't notice anything yet though...


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## PnutProtector

Thanks gals! I'm having a hard time adjusting to the new meds, but I'm trying to give them a chance. 

I am with you. Oath on how horrible the healthcare in the U.S. is. I'm afraid to see our bills once I do get pregnant. Ugh. It will be totally worth it though. 

My fingers are crossed for you both!! :dust: AF is almost gone for me, and I think I'm going to miss the August testing dates as I have no idea when exactly I'll O. I need to get a different thermometer. I got the wrong one cause it was in the wrong spot on the shelf.


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## andiannajones

Pnut - Oh no! That is thermometer trickery and I won't have it! (I've actually bought a BBT thermometer when trying to buy a regular one before; so...maybe they shouldn't keep those together...):laugh2:
I'm kind of guessing on O date (as I've mentioned about twenty times I'm sure), how long is your cycle? I'm trying to get a gauge for when O "usually" occurs for people; all the internet sources seem to say about 14 days in, however, a bunch of the ladies on here (and floating around the interwebs in general) seem to say that they always O "late" (they are typically using kits like ya'll) and I'm wondering if that may be the exception that proves the rule. I mean, BD with the husband is fun and all but I have other work to do too! :winkwink:
If I'm where I think I am in my cycle, I'm about 5 dpo and am absurdly tired even though I got quite a bit of sleep; however, my sleep quality isn't great and sometimes this happens anyway...I'm probably just oversensationalizing everything. 
I've started taking folic acid because...it was on sale? Ha! Do you ladies takes prenatal vitamins already? I've heard that can help quite a bit, but I have no idea if there is any truth behind that. 

How ya doing today Kuji? :thumbup:

Baby dust to all!!!:dust:


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## PnutProtector

I have always had irregular cycles, so as of right now I have no idea when I O. Temping for the first time this cycle, so I guess I'll find out. Hoping for more regular cycles now that my IUD is out. I'll keep you posted! 

My OB/Gyn advised me to start taking prenatals. They do wonders for your hair and nails too. I've been on them about 2 months now. I'll probably add a folic acid supplement once I get my BFP though, just to be safe. 

Fatigue is an early pregnancy symptom! FX :dust: 
I am totally noticing more things about my body than I ever have before. All these "new" sensations in my uterus and such. Haha! My mom thinks I'm nuts.


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## Kuji

Sorry I didn't reply today. Had a sleepy day today. 

andiannajones - I know it can depend on Cycle length. On the average, a cycle length is 28 days which is why many sites will say O is on CD 14. I have a 26-27 CD and O around CD 13-15. Apparently it was 15 this month. On average, a woman will O around the mid of her cycle however everyone is different so there are many exceptions to that rule! haha! 

I've been taking Prenatals since March since I had planned ttc in May, however it didn't happen quickly anyway! :haha: 
I also take vitamin B12 but that's because my last big blood tests showed it was in a dangerous low level. And I just started taking B6 this month to see if it'll lengthen my LP next month (assuming I don't get a bfp) 

I'm doing alright. All the useless insurance papers are a bit of a stress but I'm trying to ignore them for now since I'll be sending the SO to ask at work if I should bother filling them out. I already know they'll deny me so it's a waste of my time and my doctor's time. 
So I spent my day trying to stay distracted by playing a game and sleeping. :sleep:

Pnut - Fx to you Pnut that you can adjust to the new meds soon! I know it can take a while your body to get used to them. 
But I'm happy AF is almost out of the house! That's when the real fun will start! :winkwink:

Can you bring the thermometer back (assuming you still have the receipt)? I hate when things are misplaced :/ It's really annoying. 

I have folic acid but I'm not sure if I should take them. From what I understand, I might already have enough in my prenates, but I'm not 100% sure. I take Centrum prenatal with DHA. 

Trust me, I can easily feel my uterus so you are not crazy! Once you know where it is around and what feelings come from it, it's easy to tell. I've been able to feel it for a few years now. :thumbup:

How are you girls today?


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## CathiiNoo

Hi ladies!

I take hair, skin and nails vitamins which have got most of the prenatal vitamins in it anyways. I also take folic acid and the omega 3 and 6 oils. The oils are purely to help with my EWCM as I get hardly any. My fertility specialist has me on premular to balance my hormones and folliculum to boost estrogen and give me strong eggs (hopefully).

Next cycle I will be taking EPO from CD1 to O and will keep taking premular. New cycle should start today as my temp has dipped drastically in the past two days. 

I see you ladies were talking about depression/anxiety. I suffer with chronic anxiety where sometimes if I have to go somewhere public I get so anxious and nauseas almost having panic attacks a few times. I don't take any medication, just rescue to help a bit. It has gotten better over the first few months as I'm not so stressed and I've been going to church. It has helped for some reason.

Kuji, can B6 be taken even if your cycle is regular? Does it just make one ovulate earlier or lengthen your cycle?


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## PnutProtector

Hi Cathii! Points to you for being able to control your anxiety without meds! I've tried, but I was just miserable, and made everyone around me miserable. 

Ooohh good question about the B6! I want to know too!


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## Kuji

Hey Cathii! I'm happy your anxiety is able to be controlled. I'm finding it hard to handle when very stressful situations come up but I'm working on it and trying my best! If I get a bfn this cycle, I'll see my family doctor to see if he thinks I should try to continue staying off meds or if I should go back on some but a more baby safe type. Although even if I get a bfp, I might go see him anyway. I can't deny that with hormones increasing, things could get worse. 

I'm not sure if it makes you ovulate earlier but if it does, it'd be fine by me! Lately I've been ovulating late. This cycle wasn't too bad as it was late by 2 days but it still only leaves me with a 11 day LP, if I'm lucky 12 day LP. So I'm hoping the B6 could at the very least make my LP a little longer, if even by a day or two. 

I found this article though with some interesting information if you guys want to ready it. click here


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## andiannajones

Hi girls!

Totally curious on the B6 as well. I'm taking a small folic acid supplement and I take regular adult vitamins plus fish oil every day (I dislike fish for eating purposes....and I live in Louisiana, puzzle that one out...) because the Omega's are supposed to be good for your brain (most days I feel like I need all the help I can get) :haha:

Yesterday (about 5/6 dpo I think?) was...odd. Aside from the fatigue (which I think may have been entirely unrelated to anything, probably just didn't get a good night's sleep), I had this weird...I wouldn't call it cramping, that's much too strong of a word, but it was like a VERY faint throbbing/pulling in my lower abdomen/uterus the majority of the day and I have NO idea what that could be :shrug:. It's nice to hear that I'm not absolutely insane for thinking I can feel my uterus!! The strangest part is _now_ (6/7 dpo)...nothing...I feel totally normal (so far, haven't been up that long I guess). I'm thinking maybe I tricked myself with some wishful thinking but I swear it was there for like 7 hours or something. AF due about the 22nd. Waiting is agony huh?

Kuji - I detest insurance paperwork. I'd say that, if you can, go ahead and fill it out JUST in case they don't deny you (even if you're 100% sure they will); but if it's going to cause you more anxiety...leave it, it's not worth the misery. My cycle is about 27 days as well so I'm guessing I O'd around CD 14...let's see how good my guessing it! :winkwink:. Is taking _too_ much folic acid dangerous? I think I've heard that.

Pnut - I think you guys have sold me on the hair/nail benefits of pre-natals...think I'll pick some up anyway. I'm sure your cycle is in the process of panning out to totally normal after the IUD, shouldn't be long now!! :thumbup:

Cathinoo - Hi! I'm terrible with acronyms (I know...wrong site for that!) what is EPO? The anxiety end of depression was always the most troubling for me, I really REALLY hated forced social/public situations as well. Never medicated for it (except for a brief stint in high school that didn't work and ended up being worse I think). It's definitely less pronounced when I am less stressed out and having to make frequent (if uncomfortable) court appearances for my job forces me to do public speaking in front of a bunch of jerks and you just kind of get into this pattern of "I don't care what THAT guy thinks of me anyway..." and it makes those situations a little less worrisome. It's always a game of trying to change the way your brain works, which is difficult, but surely not impossible. 

Hope everyone is having a decent day at least! Fx for all of us! :dust:


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## CathiiNoo

Andiannajones, it took my awhile to get most of the acronyms but there's a lot that I'm still like whaaaaat? Lol. EPO is evening primrose oil. Excellent for EWCM. I get the anxiety in forced social situations. My OH and friends think I just don't want to spend time with them out but it's really not that. I'm sure you'll understand.It's strange because I was an extremely social butterfly in school(4 years ago) and was always out at parties etc. But now it takes a miracle getting me to go to a mall. 

As for me. Still no AF so that makes me two days late but my temps show she will be coming unless I only implanted today at 12 dpo but I doubt it. Wishful thinking ;)

I will start replying to all you ladies in depth when I'm near an Internet line and on my laptop. I keep having to scroll up to see what someone has said and it's not easy to reply haha

Baby dust xxx


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## andiannajones

Cathinoo - I don't think it's unusual at all to be more social in school settings, it's a much less damning environment in which to make mistakes; whereas adult life...not so much. It's hard explaining it to friends and OH for sure, it's like "If I wanted to hang out with anyone it would be you, but I don't want to do _anything_ that forces me to interact with humans right now." They understand more than you think I bet. 
I would not count you out yet! From my understanding, implantation occurs most frequently between 9-12 dpo and two days late is something; I mean, I totally get not wanting to get your hopes up and all, but it ain't over till it's over. I am clueless about temps, so that may be much more of an indication one way or the other than I know about...but all good vibes beaming your way!!!
:flower:


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## Kuji

I'll let you all know how the B6 will come along. So far I found I had a bit, not a lot, more CM than I usually would around this time. Not sure if it's the B6 or not but I can't complain. I usually have little to none. If I get a bfn though, I'll be starting FertileCM on CD1 to help with CM. I don't want to depend too much on Pre-seed since it's so expensive! 

Cathiinoo - Unfortunately for me, I have amazing social skills! It's just its so mentally draining that I get exhausted after only a few hours! But yet I can work a long 8-9 physical work shift no problem! So I know how you feel Cathiinoo. I'm not even comfortable at parties, unless it's the close family ones. At least it's with people I know well and am comfortable with so it's not as bad and on the fun side. 

Well, either way, :dust: to you and let's hope that it's a good sign! Who knows, right? :D :hugs:

andiannajones - I'll get my SO to talk to someone at work and see if I have to do it or not. If they say I don't have to, I won't. At least I know I have an 100% for sure option to get money throughout my sick leave so I don't even need the insurance. 

O'ing around CD 13-14 arounds about right on that length of a cycle. At a 26-27 CD cycle, I'm technically suppose to O at CD13. Supposed. Apparently my body always like a day or two after lol. :haha:

I'm not too too sure although with quick research, google gave me this: 
"You can't get too much folic acid from foods that naturally contain it. But unless your doctor tells you otherwise, do not consume more than 1,000 mcg of folic acid a day. Consuming too much folic acid can hide signs that a person is lacking vitamin B12, which can cause nerve damage" 

So it's not that it's bad but if you have low B12, it could hide that fact on a blood test. Low B12 can cause brain damage which is why during a blood test, you wouldn't wanna miss that info haha! The way I see it, so long as you're not doing a huge blood work, I wouldn't worry about it too much. :thumbup:


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## meredithgrey

Hi everyone,
Can I join you guys? I need some company too !! I'm 25 and I'm TTC #1 for past four months and AF keeps showing. I'm concerned about my BBT chart. I assume my LP is around 10 days and my usual cycle length is 24-27 days. I guess my temp rises when O, but then it reduces in 7-8 DPO and AF shows in 10-11 DPO. Is it normal or should temp stay high through out LP? I'm so worried. This TTC is driving me crazy. Would appreciate if you can give me some inputs


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## Kuji

BBT can rise and lower in the TWW/LP, As long as most of the time it's above the line, it's fine. But some women, it dips down a few times and it's still a bfp. It seems to vary from woman to woman.


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## Kuji

And of course you can join us :) Everyone is welcomed! If you can, you should post your chart in your signature, we and many others can help you with it if you have questions.


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## PnutProtector

Welcome Meredith! I'm new to the temping thing so I don't have much to offer regarding that. 


Kuji - you def have to keep us posted how the B6 is working for you. I'm going to do some research about it and I'll report back later. 


AFM, I had a long conversation with my mom yesterday and we got some things worked out between us. Things are so great now, but they haven't always been and that's what we were talking about. HOWEVER, the big news from that convo is that she's getting more excited about DH and I TTC and has even come around to the name I've picked out if we have a girl. :happydance: When I mentioned it to her a couple years ago she hated it. And we also were totally on the same page as far as nursery decor!


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## meredithgrey

Thanks a lot kuji !!! Your words are so comforting. Im not sure why I'm not able to attach an image. Im using this website in mobile and everytime I try to attach an image, the webpage crashes &#128531;.


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## Kuji

I will :) Also letting you guys know that I had the faintest of a bfp however I won't believe it yet unless it gets darker. I also had bloody CM which scared the heck out of me! It's most likely implantation bleeding though which would also explain the sudden cramps. Hopefully it is implantation bleeding though because I really don't want another bfn and for AF to come :( 

It's fine, Meridith. :) Either way, we're always here to chit chat or ask questions! So don't be shy.


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## andiannajones

Hi Merideth! Much like Pnut, I'm "new" to temping in that I don't do it yet and therefore don't know much about it; Kuji is our resident temperature expert :haha: 4 months probably seems like _forever_ to you, but it's still very early in the ttc game to be extremely anxious or worried, I'm sure everything is just fine, but like everyone is saying, we're all over this board every day...feel free to post anything you are concerned about and we'll help if we can! 

Kuji - :happydance: A faint BFP is super encouraging!! (even if it's too early to jinx it). I really really hope you got it this month! I've heard that women who get implantation bleeding almost always have some cramping that goes along with it...so...Eeeeek! Maybe! Do you have any other symptoms and when would your AF be due again? All the dust to you!!! :dust:

Pnut - so glad to hear that things are improving with your mom! I have a *very* difficult mother in a lot of regards and we haven't always gotten along very well, so I know exactly where you are coming from (I now live 1200 miles away from my parents, so that helps...we only see each other once or twice a year so everyone plays nice! :winkwink:). It will be great for you to have her more on board, I'm happy for you!

Beyond my 5/6 dpo bizarre uterine mambo (no idea what else to call that...) I've had absolutely zero symptoms....so weird! I felt completely normal yesterday and no symptoms today :coffee: (I think I'm now about 8 dpo). AF due in a week, I doubt I caught the eggy on this round but you're not out till you're out! CD 1 was July 26 for me, AF due on August 22nd...no idea when I should test (or IF I should test or just wait for AF...it's so hard though!!!) I'm sure I'll break down and buy a BBT and start temping next cycle when I'm going crazy with it all, but I'm trying to hold out one more month of not obsessing... we'll see!

Fingers Crossed for everyone and *especially* Miss Kuji!!!


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## Kuji

I do too! This month wasn't easy as it was with all the BDing so if I could have this bfp, I'd be so happy! This was my 4th cycle trying and it hasn't always been easy. Like most of us I'm sure, I would get really disappointed and cry when I'd see a bfn. 

Other than that, the only symptoms I have are sensitive nipples which usually happens before AF and cramps. However this cycle was different with tender breasts too, that's never happened. I also seemed to have a lot of cramping this month in gentle, usually light to general cramping, nothing serious. (unless you count the weird strong cramp I had during O :haha:) 

If you decide to test, I would do it at minimum 7dpo however that's considered very early. I decided to start testing at 10dpo since from what my FF said "34.2% of positive pregnancy test are reported before 10 DPO" So I thought, why not? Most sites or conceiving plans recommend as close to 15dpo as possible though. Although I don't have a 15 day LP so that's why I went earlier.


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## andiannajones

All of that sounds very promising Kuji!! I think anything that seems out of the "ordinary" (sore breasts mid-cycle) is probably a pretty good indication of something, you know your body better than anyone...I know you don't want to get your hopes up but it all looks so positive!

I'm very lucky in that BD doesn't bother me really and it's usually fairly easy to get the DH on board with it (men! :shrug:), but it certainly can start feeling like a chore when you're just not that into it but the calendar says you gotta...

Last month was the first time I'd ever even used a HPT and seeing the BFN was a little disappointing for sure, but my stress level was SO high with the bar exam (3 non-consecutive days, 8 hours of testing a day, has about a 50% pass rate and costs over 3k every time you take it, don't even get results until October) that I just KNEW July would not be my month, even if I _was_ pregnant briefly (who knows?) I assume *that* much stress early on would not make for a good viable pregnancy. 
I'm going to try to hold off on testing and just see if AF rears her ugly head on the 21st/22nd or if I think I can feel her coming on...but Monday (17th) is my birthday, I'd be 10 dpo and may not be able to resist! (I know it's early though, so a BFN may not upset as much if I can still cling to a little hope...). 
DRINK A TON OF WATER and relax my dear...all the good vibes beaming your way!


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## Kuji

Well I definitely hope she doesn't show up and that hopefully you'll just need to test a little later! I believe in you! I hope things are much calmer for you so everything can happen as it should. I know how stress can mess things up with ovulation and etc. 

But for a little good news, I was out all day with my sister to buy a FRER and to just accompany her as she shopped and got school supplies for her boys. I had barely drank all day and my bladder was full when I got home so I thought, why not? So I decided to test and..... :bfp: 

AHHH! I'm just so shell shocked! I'm still shaking! Fourth month ttc but first month using the SMEP method and using pre-seed. Just... WOW! I couldn't ask for a better result! If any of you are thinking of trying SMEP, I recommend it!
 



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## andiannajones

EEEEE!!!! There it is!!! :happydance: I'm so happy for you!!! 
You're going to think I'm horribly uneducated about this...but SMEP? (My acronym illiteracy is showing....)
I already had to look up what pre-seed is :dohh:. 

That's so encouraging! NOW...you must relax and enjoy things after so much stress ttc. You have to let me know what your dear SO says about it all! CONGRATS!!!


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## Kuji

Haha it's alright! I'll link you to the bigger details. But in summary it's called the "Sperm meets egg plan" or, SMEP for short. You BD every two days starting on CD8. On CD10, you start taking OPK every day for 10 days(although I did it until my surge was lowering). As soon as you get a positive on your OPK, you BD three days in a row. After that you skip a day of BD and BD another time after. And that's it. It's tough work but we made it happen and it was worth it! 

For it in better details, the link is here: click here

Trust me though, I will relax :blush: I'm just so excited and happy! Four cycles of trying for this baby but it was all worth it! :cloud9:


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## meredithgrey

Kuji.... Thats awesome !!!!! Can't wait till your next test and hopefully it has a strong BFP line &#128516;&#128516;... I could really use some positive news &#128536;

Andianna- hey thank you.. I know right.. 4 months is forever.. And I'm fed up already.. And my DH is leaving out of town next couple of months and possibly I ll be out of TTC &#128533;. 

But I would love to read your stories and symptoms.. Keeps me hopeful !! 

And guys.. Do you think 10 day of LP is too less? 

I ll type down my temp details for last month.. Wish I could upload my chart !!

CD 14 - 97.15
CD 15 - 97.74
CD 16 - 97.40
CD 17 - 97.63
CD 18 - 97.74
CD 19 - 97.71
CD 20 - 97.97
CD 21 - 97.91

Then temps started falling down 

CD 22 - 97.57
CD 23 - 97.37
CD 24 - 97.11

Next day AF showed &#128531;. 

I'm glad I have u guys to share stuffs... Feels like my stress gets reduced already !!


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## meredithgrey

Kuji said:


> Well I definitely hope she doesn't show up and that hopefully you'll just need to test a little later! I believe in you! I hope things are much calmer for you so everything can happen as it should. I know how stress can mess things up with ovulation and etc.
> 
> But for a little good news, I was out all day with my sister to buy a FRER and to just accompany her as she shopped and got school supplies for her boys. I had barely drank all day and my bladder was full when I got home so I thought, why not? So I decided to test and..... :bfp:
> 
> AHHH! I'm just so shell shocked! I'm still shaking! Fourth month ttc but first month using the SMEP method and using pre-seed. Just... WOW! I couldn't ask for a better result! If any of you are thinking of trying SMEP, I recommend it!



Yayyyy kuji !!!! I'm sooooo happpieeeee for you !!!! I just saw the post and it's awesome to see BFP &#128516;&#128516;&#128516;&#128079;&#127995;&#128079;&#127995;&#128079;&#127995;.... 

Have an blessed and memorable 9 months journey.. Lotsa love &#128536;


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## Kuji

Thank you! <3 I did a digital so it's super official :blush: 

A 10 day LP is on the okay side from what I know, 10 being the minimum amount of days you should have (less than that and it's really short). However if you do want to lengthen it, there are ways to do it. I'll copy paste some info I found. 

"*Vitex (Chasteberry)*  a native to Greece and Italy, vitex has been used for centuries to treat a wide range of female health conditions. Numerous studies show that it helps to restore normal progesterone levels by increasing the production of luteinizing hormone which prompts ovulation, ultimately increasing progesterone production. Vitex is available in capsules or tincture and the standard dosage is 1000mg/day. I like Fertility Blend, a proprietary blend of Vitex and other vitamins & minerals that has been proven to raise progesterone. 

*Saffron*  yes, the same spice that you use in the kitchen. Saffron has been found to be effective in addressing symptoms of low progesterone such as painful periods, PMS and even depression. All you need is just 15mg/day of this bright yellow beauty.

*Vitamin B6*  While the B-Complex vitamins have a profound effect on hormonal health, it is vitamin B6 that has been found to be most effective on the luteal phase. The suggested dose is 50-100mg a day, but no more than that as an excess has been found to cause nerve toxicity. I also suggest taking it in addition to a B-complex supplement since all the Bs work synergistically."

I'm sorry AF arrived though :hugs: But we're here for you for your next cycle so don't give up!


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## meredithgrey

Kuji said:


> Thank you! <3 I did a digital so it's super official :blush:
> 
> A 10 day LP is on the okay side from what I know, 10 being the minimum amount of days you should have (less than that and it's really short). However if you do want to lengthen it, there are ways to do it. I'll copy paste some info I found.
> 
> "*Vitex (Chasteberry)*  a native to Greece and Italy, vitex has been used for centuries to treat a wide range of female health conditions. Numerous studies show that it helps to restore normal progesterone levels by increasing the production of luteinizing hormone which prompts ovulation, ultimately increasing progesterone production. Vitex is available in capsules or tincture and the standard dosage is 1000mg/day. I like Fertility Blend, a proprietary blend of Vitex and other vitamins & minerals that has been proven to raise progesterone.
> 
> *Saffron*  yes, the same spice that you use in the kitchen. Saffron has been found to be effective in addressing symptoms of low progesterone such as painful periods, PMS and even depression. All you need is just 15mg/day of this bright yellow beauty.
> 
> *Vitamin B6*  While the B-Complex vitamins have a profound effect on hormonal health, it is vitamin B6 that has been found to be most effective on the luteal phase. The suggested dose is 50-100mg a day, but no more than that as an excess has been found to cause nerve toxicity. I also suggest taking it in addition to a B-complex supplement since all the Bs work synergistically."
> 
> I'm sorry AF arrived though :hugs: But we're here for you for your next cycle so don't give up!

Hey kuji... Yeah I did not see the tests pictures initially... It's sooper positive and happy for you.. !! 

And thanks for all the details.. I might give these a try after a couple of cycles. 

Take care and rest !! Glad u could escape the stress of TTC &#128541;. Stick around to connect with us &#128516;


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## andiannajones

Hi gals! *(and Kuji's peanut!)*; 

Kuji - thanks for the SMEP info! There's also a place right around the corner from me that makes a saffron pho soup thingy...so I might try that and see if it helps with cramps if nothing else...sounds interesting! I'm a total dork and spend a lot of my time watching food documentaries and researching holistic stuff like that...which is not to say that I don't eat absolute crap food quite frequently (there's just no time to cook sometimes!). You absolutely MUST keep us posted on things as they progress. :winkwink:

Meredith - Sorry your DH will be absent for a bit...but maybe that'll give you time to get super ready for ttc! You can become our resident fertility expert and tell us all what we're missing! :haha:

I'm somewhere around 8 dpo and have zero symptoms (aside from that uterine weirdness at 5 dpo) so I think maybe I didn't catch the egg this round...but I've read a lot of women don't have any symptoms until even after a positive test. It can be discouraging trying to over analyze every twinge and headache so I think I'm not going to test and just see if AF shows on the 22nd (unless I start getting wacky symptoms out of the blue or something). I think I'll do one more month (September) without bothering with OPK or temping, but if it's a no-go after that I will probably pick up with all that stuff in October. Hope everyone is doing well!


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## PnutProtector

OMG Kuji!! :dance: I am so happy for you! You have to tell us what your SO said/did when you told him!! 

So sorry your DH will be gone for so long Meredith :hugs: Maybe it will give you a chance to just get to know your cycles better. I'm still learning mine again after having my IUD out.

I wish I had your will power Andianna! I've started temping and this is our second cycle. I haven't started using OPKs yet though. Maybe in a couple of cycles if we can't catch the eggy.


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## meredithgrey

Andianna ... One of my friend got BFP last month and she still does not have anything close to a symptom of being pregnant. So it just depends on each individual. As far as what I learnt about TWW is to sit tight and relax &#128526;!! 

Pnutprotector - thank you !! That's what I'm hoping too !!


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## andiannajones

Let's see if my willpower to not test _actually_ holds out! :haha:...I'm (luckily I guess?) pretty busy with work so that is keeping me distracted at least during the day, then in the evenings I'm usually sitting on my couch thinking "What was that? Am I pregnant??" lol. 
It's really great to hear that some people are non-symptomatic, that makes me a little more hopeful, but frankly this is my first cycle of *really* actually ttc, so it's also the first cycle where I'm paying any degree of attention to "symptoms" which makes it hard to differentiate what is "normal" vs. not so much. I'm sure that next cycle I will have a better idea of what my body typically does and be able to symptom spot easier...of course that's all assuming that I don't get a BFP in a week! Fingers crossed...oh for it to be that easy!!! :blush:


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## Kuji

andiannajones - No problem! :thumbup: And that sounds awesome! Hey, we all have something we're obsessed with! haha! Mine is probably science documentaries. But that soup sounds so good! 
I definitely will. So far I'm a little worried about the spotting, I hope it stops tomorrow... I also forgot my health card when I took my blood tests on Friday so it scares me not to have it, in case an emergency were to happen.. I hope they call me back and still have it so I can pick it up... 

Fx for you! Of course, keep us posted whether or not you get your bfp! No matter what, you know we're here for you. :winkwink:

PnutProtector - Thank you!!! <3 
As soon as I saw the other line, I ran to the bedroom, woke him up saying "I'm pregnant!", giggling like mad, huge smile to my face. And he smiles too and says "See? I told you! I told you we'd do it!" It just made me so happy :blush:


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## andiannajones

Kuji - how is the spotting? I'm sure that's totally normal...hope you got your health card back!! That's so great that your SO is so supportive, you guys must just be so excited!!!

I'm still in the wait and see stage :coffee: so irritating! I'll probably break down and test on Wednesday (12 dpo) just because I won't be able to take it anymore and I have a cheapie test under my sink calling my name....:haha:; fx that AF doesn't show on fri/sat! 

How are things in your world Pnut and Meredith?


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## CathiiNoo

Congratulations on your BFP Kuji! 

I'm CD 4 today and AF has already finished. I had a 3 day period with two days medium and one day lights. Is that even normal?


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## andiannajones

Morning ladies! (/afternoon!)

CathiiNoo- I think it probably depends on how long your period _usually_ is...did the "light" day come at the beginning or the end of AF? I usually have 2-3 days of REALLY light spotting, and then 2 days of very heavy flow and then...nothing. So in reality, my AF is usually only about 4-5 days on average though I definitely remember it having fluctuated somehwhat; and I have certainly had 3 day periods and 6 day periods before. It's kind of a weird fluke and doesn't happen consistently, but I don't think it's that out of the ordinary/anything to be super concerned about. It may have just been an odd month for you my dear! I wouldn't sweat it. See what happens next month (though we won't even be having this conversation as you will be preggo by then I bet :winkwink:)


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## Kuji

Thankfully the spotting stopped during the second day. I'm now on the day AF would be due and no sign of AF which is a nice and surprising change! I've only once had a missed period during my whole life, but when it happened, I was just a thirteen year old girl approx. so things were still working themselves out. 

Oh and you girls will probably think I'm stupid but... I had my health card all along... I only had 3 hours of sleep when I got a blood test done and didn't put it back in my wallet. I'm a person who very rarely puts important cards just anywhere, so of course I panicked when it wasn't in my wallet. I found it in a flap of my purse. I just can't believe myself UGH. :dohh: So yeah. I just have to find out where I can get my first prenatal visit and go from there. 

Fx that it's a bfp when you test!!! I would love if we could be bump buddies! :D <3 
Lots of :dust: to you!

CathiiNoo - Thank you so much! <3 
I personally found that when I was ttc, my period would be a real jerk to me and do things completely out of the norm.. I don't know why it did these things but yeah... I hated it. It just made ttc feel harder :(


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## andiannajones

Kuji - I have seen myself do similar things with important documents. I once found my bar card (can't argue in court without it) stuck IN a textbook when it, by all accounts, should have been in my wallet. I freaked the hell out. So glad you found it! How soon are you supposed to start going for prenatal visits? Good news on the spotting easing up!

So...I absolutely couldn't resist and tested with a FRER and got a BFN today :growlmad: However, I'm only at 10 dpo (if that) so I guess it's not surprising and that I'm not *technically* out this month. Frustrating though to be sure. I've had some weird twinges and pains around my ovaries the past day or so (which is what prompted me to test); I can't tell if my BBs are _actually_ sore or if I just keep poking them to see if they are and that's what's causing it! :blush: I've heard of plenty of people testing negative at 10 dpo and then positive later, so I'm not totally out of hope, but am still fairly discouraged with the test that is so clearly negative. I think this is _exactly_ why you probably shouldn't test early!


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## CathiiNoo

I normally have a 4, maybe 5 day period. With one day being heavy then medium then light. This month it was medium for the first two days (almost light actually) and then one super light on the third day. I spotted a bit on the 4th just after I posted her.

Andianna- I try to hold out with testing as long as possible otherwise I find myself walking around the bathroom checking the test at every angle for a second line. OH thinks I'm crazy lol. And yes you're not out yet until AF rears her ugly face. FX hun xx


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## PnutProtector

Glad you found your health card Kuji! Such a relief I'm sure. I'm still so freaking excited for you! I hope you can get in to see the dr soon and maybe hear a little heartbeat. 

Andianna- You're not out til AF comes!! Try again in a few days. FX for a BFP!

Cathi - Yay for lighter and shorter periods! Change is always weird though, and of course you're noticing the changed more so now than you would have before. 

AFM, CD13 and I'm looking at my chart and am very confused. My temps keep going down. I'm hoping that it's just the dip before O and it will pick back up tomorrow. 

https://www.fertilityfriend.com/home/291d2a//thumb.png
My Ovulation Chart


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## CathiiNoo

Pnut it looks like you could have ovulated yesterday. FX for a nice raise today and tomorrow x

How are all you lovely ladies (and Kuji's bean) doing?


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## Kuji

I think it might still be too early for a heartbeat (I think) but I definitely can't wait! At the moment its hard to believe I'm pregnant. Other than some symptoms associated with pregnancy, I feel completely normal. I assume it'll feel more real to me once I can actually feel her/him.

I'm doing fine right now. Sleeping a lot and trying to stay as hydrated as possible. It still feels weird not having a period right now when AF's very due! :haha: I can't say I hate it though!


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## andiannajones

Hi ladies!

Sorry for the brief absence; work turned into an absolute death march for the past 48 hours...but I appear to be back among the land of the living now :haha: (at the exact moment I type that, my boss is texting me...watch me ignore him for a few minutes...lol)

Thanks for the encouragement guys, I know that was really early to test but I just kind of feel out this month. AF is due Saturday-ish, which means I will likely get some tell-tale spotting soon...fingers crossed it doesn't show up but I'm not extremely hopeful. At least I have short AF and short 27 days cycles usually, so I can jump right back in to the trying in September game. I don't think conceiving taking a few months is unusual, I'll start temping in October for sheer entertainment purposes! :blush:

Kuji - that has gotta be so weird! No AF after having one for so many years! I bet it's not awful tho...lol. How are you feeling?

CathiiNoo - I know! I was wandering around the bathroom checking in all kinds of light; it was white as the driven snow and I'm still like: "hmmm...maybe if I try the light IN the shower"...that's the point where I decided I was done with early testing, lol. We're not insane, it just appears that way from the outside. :winkwink:

Pnut - Thanks for the encouragement! How are you doing today my dear?


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## PnutProtector

I'm still so confused by my chart. Up then back down again. It's my first month temping, so I guess I'll get the hang of it next cycle if we don't catch the eggy this time. But, I'm just not feeling it this month. I dunno. 

Kuji - Maybe no heartbeat, but if you get a scan you'll get to see your little blob of cells that will turn into a baby! I hope you don't get ALL the preggo symptoms... I mean, no one really wants morning sickness. 

Cathi - That's what I was thinking when I saw the spike at first. But it's a little early for O isn't it? I dunno. This will be my first full cycle after IUD is out so I guess we'll see. 

adianna - HAHA! I'm temping for entertainment purposes at them moment. I'm trying really hard not to get in too deep right off the bat. I mean, this is only our second cycle. But it's so hard not to!


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## andiannajones

Pnut- I know! I'm afraid I will turn into a mad scientist about it, cackling in the dark over a BBT thermometer and whispering encouraging things to my uterus. :dohh: Let's hope it doesn't go that far. I'm sure there is a learning curve with temping and you _just_ got your IUD out and are probably still panning out to even; I wouldn't be terribly concerned with what appear to be bizarre temps _just_ yet. Do you usually get any ovulation symptoms or pain? That might be able to help you nail things down with a little more accuracy. 

The bad news: another FRER test this morning with fmu (12 dpo I think) showed a very clear BFN :nope:...The good news: I am now totally out of tests so I can't keep doing that to myself! :thumbup:

My BBs are sore, and I still am having weird little hollow pulling feelings in my uterus, but AF is due tomorrow/Saturday (couple days variation maybe...you know that game); whoever decided that very early pregnancy symptoms and PMS should mirror each other exactly is a total jerk. Why yes, I *do* have unlimited amounts of time to google every conceivable symptom that I may be feeling...oh wait, no, no I don't. 

I'm going to continue to assume that I am out, hope that I am in, and move on with life for the month of September.


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## Kuji

Today I'm feeling alright. The hormone changes are making me go through quite a bit of insomnia and when I do sleep, it's not my full 8-10 hours like I'm used to. However, I'm learning to work with it for now. Feeling nausea every so often too but no real MS yet (I won't count the morning I threw up soon after taking my vitamins since it was my fault. I didn't eat food with it fast enough)

How about you girls? :) 

Pnut - My prenatal appointment is so late that I'll be 10 weeks by the time I get to it. So I should hear the heart beat by then. Hopefully!!! As a first time pregnant lady, almost everything scares me. I just want things to do alright. 
Preggo symptom wise, so far it's just nausea, insomnia and breast pains. So it's not too bad imo. 

andiannajones - I honestly hate how AF and pregnancy symptoms are so alike! It makes it so much harder to figure out if you are pregnant. The only difference I got this time was that my whole breasts were hurting instead of just my nipples. To me, that was different. 
If you are gonna get AF, she better get her behind here faster so you can get over with it and start a new cycle already! :haha:


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## PnutProtector

Oh yay Kuji! You'll get to hear that your little nugget's heartbeat. So exciting! :happydance: 

Freaking AF symptoms and Early Preggo symptoms. :hissy: WHY ARE THEY SO SIMILAR??? Drives me nuts! I'm not really feeling ANYTHING right now, which is bothering me. I just feel out this month. I dunno. :shrug:

Here's hoping though :dust:


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## andiannajones

Kuji - wow! 10 weeks! I mean, I know that's still really early in the game as far as all the doctors are concerned, but it must feel like an _eternity_ to you. I'd be overly nervous about everything too (as discussed, we are fairly anxious people...); but keep in mind that the *vast* majority of pregnancies are just fine, you are obviously taking your vitamins and doing what you are supposed to do, everything is going to be great, I know it. Relax Momma!

Pnut - I know what you mean about just feeling "out" for the month. I have no real symptoms that couldn't be attributed to AF being due tomorrow (I'll probably start to get spotting tonight I'd think...I'll keep you all posted on the disappointing details! :haha:). However, like Ms. Kuji said, there may be very little or no difference at all between AF coming on and early pregnancy...I've read a *bunch* of posts (again, cue exasperated internet searching...) where people lament that they are 100% sure they are about to get AF and she just never shows up...if you have a late implanting bean your body doesn't have time to put the full brakes on AF and you can even get a really really light period and think you're out. Of course, that is not to say that is typical, or that I'm holding out hope for it...it's just that many people are asymptomatic so you have to take that with a grain of salt and hold out small amounts of hope until AF arrives. 

CathiiNoo - how ya doin' hun? 

We all need all the :dust:, so here's a double dose. :dust:


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## Kuji

Oh it does D: Crazy long! But I'll take it day by day, no choice really! :haha: 
I'll be going to my grandmother in a few weeks so that'll keep me busy for about a week. I'm also super excited to announce my pregnancy. My grandmother is like a mother to me, she raised me a good part of my life and she means everything to me, so I can't wait to give her a great grandbaby of my own :) She has 6 others from other cousins/my sister but none from me! Hoping for a girl since the other 6 are all boys! 

So I got a call from the doctor who did my blood work for my thyroid and he apparently wants to see me tomorrow. So I'm super nervous and scared. I'm assuming and hoping that it's because my thyroid isn't doing well and nothing more serious... UGH. Anxiety is through the roof!


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## CathiiNoo

Hi ladies! I'm doing alright. Not much to report though, CD 9 and just want to pee on sticks already haha. 

On the unrelated part, I'm doing a 10KM womens walk/run tomorrow but I'll probably be walking as I'm doing it with my mom lol. Not really looking forward to it though as I don't think I've done enough running at the gym to be prepared but we will see.

Regrading symptoms. Every time I get a new symptom, I google it and of course every woman says they were pregnant with the symptom but then AF shows for me. Disappointing I'd say.

I hope you all have a lovely afternoon/evening further x


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## andiannajones

Kuji - are you hypo or hyper thyroid? I'm SURE that is all they will be addressing, DON'T PANIC! They probably just want to adjust your thyroid medication so that you aren't completely wiped out all the time! Many of my friends have taken thyroid medication all throughout their extremely healthy pregnancies, don't get yourself into a tizzy just yet. Keep us updated. Good news on getting to tell your grandmother, that's something to look forward to at least! :happydance:

CathiiNoo - You are insane! 10k?? I couldn't walk/run that far if being actively chased. Good for you! :thumbup: 

Bad news: Brown spotting this morning means AF is definitely on her way :nope:, disappointed, but not devastated yet because it was only our first cycle really actively trying.
Good news: (1) if this is indeed AF (99% sure), I am running like clockwork, which should make it easier to guess O date for September and (2) a few of my law school buddies are staying at a lake-house close to my place for the weekend and now I can go have a few glasses of wine without guilt! (though, of course, I'll still take it easy just in case this is some weird implantation symptom or something...I've read about women who spot during AF time and end up with BFPs. Definitely not holding out hope for that though. I should know something definitive in two days or so when the witch should be in full force with a vengeance). 

How are you lovely ladies doing today?


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## PnutProtector

andianna - awww so sorry to hear that AF is showing up :hugs: But you are right! having a regular cycle is a good thing for predicting O next cycle! :dust:

Cathi- OMG I'm so resisting POAS. Even though I just feel "out" this month I still want to! :shrug:

Kuji - Oh how exciting to give the wonderful news to Grandma! I bet she'll be over the moon for you!


AFM, Still not really feeling it. I want to, really bad though. Even with the little bit of discomfort/cramping I'm feeling right now, I still just don't feel pregnant. I think I'm just overthinking my temps. Cause, they were all over the place and now have leveled out. weird. idk. No AF symptoms though, but it's still a little early for that.


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## Kuji

Cathiinoo- Good luck with your 10km women's walk/run! I know I wouldn't be able to do it! :haha: Just try your best, I'm sure you can do it. 
Yeah AF and pregnancy symptoms are crazy similar. The only difference is that often (not always) pregnancy symptoms are an exaggerated version of it. No matter what though, it's confusing as hell and leads to disappointment sometimes :( 

andiannajones- Looks like I'm a hypo. I'm really borderline a problem. The doctor wanted to do my follow-up blood tests in 6 months but when I told him I was pregnant, he changed it to 6 weeks. The look on his face was gold though! He was so shocked that I was expecting and told me how its usually super hard for women with thyroid issues to get pregnant. I guess I have SMEP and pre-seed to thanks for the help! And it also makes me pretty happy to know that my odds were actually pretty low and I beat them anyway! 
But anyway, blood tests every 6 weeks from now on! Woo! Not looking forward to that but if something will become an issue, I want to know! I'll definitely keep you girls updated about it all :) 

Oh I know she'll be crazy excited! I'm thinking of also filming her reaction. I really want to remember it forever~ She's one of the most important people to me and I'm thinking maybe she gave me my luck to get pregnant too! When I slept over in the early month, she said how she couldn't wait till I was finally pregnant. Then I get my bfp by mid month! Grandma gave me :dust: :haha:

I'm sorry af will be showing her face... :( But I'm happy you can find the good out of it! Anyway, you have next month and I'm sure you can do it! Fx! 

Pnut- I hope she will :) I'm really excited! 
Well, no matter what, let us know. Anyway, if it's not this month, you have next month to try and I'm sure it'll go great!

:dust: to all you ladies!


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## andiannajones

Kuji - You should totally film it! That would be awesome; I just know she supplied your baby dust. I think it's absolutely better to know ahead of time with things like blood work, keeps anything from becoming a crisis. Good for you keeping up with it all! :thumbup:

Pnut - The wait seriously sucks, I know. But maybe your temps leveling out is indicative of either (1) you getting better at temping or (2) return to normal state of things! It looks seriously complicated, I was not told there would be math! :haha:

(As promised) I went to the lake this evening for my friend's birthday party and, just _knowing_ AF was coming, took the usual precautions. Got home about an hour ago and...nothing, no blood of any kind...aside from the spotting this morning. And as an added bonus - weird stabby pains in my uterus! I swear, the second you start ttc you cannot remember if you've ever had these symptoms before...I'm going to have to start keeping a detailed uterus diary. Dear God, what a sentence. Anyway, I'm actually hoping AF either pans out to normal tomorrow or goes away altogether. The wait is absolute agony. :coffee:


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## PnutProtector

Oh Kuji, what a blessing! I'm kinda glad you didn't know about your thyroid before hand as it might have added to the stress and prevented your BFP. I may have to try your method if we don't catch the eggy this cycle. And maybe your grandma can send some baby dust our way? 

adianna - Giirrrlll, I'm so bad at math. I'm considering having Hubs research temps and stuff since he's way better at doing the numbers thing than I am. And I am totally having those funky uterus pains too! I'm supposed to get af sometimes middle or end of this week, if my period tracker is right. FF says next week. :shrug:


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## Kuji

andiannajones- How weird... AF just loves to be a jerk when we're ttc... Fx that she won't show up. :haha: But I guess we'll see! 

PnutProtector- Yeah, I'm also glad I didn't find out until now. I know for a fact that I would have stressed like crazy! 
If you ever have any questions, ask away! :) I'll be happy to answer them! And will do! I'll ask my grandma to spread the dust when I announce it to her! :haha: I mean, she easily conceived and birthed 5 children(all a year apart), so she should spread that around a little!


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## andiannajones

Kuji - You have to be tough as hell to have five kids a year apart from each other...that's inhuman! 

Pnut - I've staved off buying the BBT thermometer because I'm about 98% certain I will not be doing it correctly...I'm a lawyer, words words words...not math. 

This is day 3 of spotting...I think this has happened to me before, I _think_ I might just escape with a really light af this month (as soon as I submit this I'm sure I will regret typing that). It's very strange though, kind of wish it would just hurry up and finish already. :wacko:


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## PnutProtector

FF does all the math for you, really. Unless you want to do the "fixing" of temps when you take them at different times, which I don't do. I have a window 5-7am and if i don't make it in that window I throw it out. It's remembering not to move too much before taking temp that gets me. I'm still getting in the habit of doing that, so Hopefully next cycle (if no BFP this round) I'll be better at it.


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## Kuji

andiannajones- :haha: Women back in the day were just popping babies left and right! Worse of all, my grandmother wanted more but the doctor wouldn't let her. I'm a little mad that back then my grandmother had no power to tell the doctor no and do what she wanted. But I know she was still very happy with the children she did have :) 

Well whatever is going on with AF, I hope she goes away soon! 

Pnut- Temping isn't the easiest. I would prefer the nights when SO wasn't there at night so I'd have my thermometer on the bed next to me! :haha:


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## PnutProtector

HAHA I've been debating if I should just put my thermometer on his pillow! 

How are we doing today ladies? I'm experiencing some wicked discomfort right now. I can't get comfortable when I lay down to sleep, all my normal comfy positions are no longer comfy. UGH.


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## andiannajones

Hello ladies!

I'm on day four of this random limbo. I _feel_ like af is happening but it just won't...kick over to actually committing to it (you know?). I wonder if I just had an anovulatory cycle or something. :shrug: The cramps are super super mild (can barely call them cramps)...so I'm not complaining, just confused. Someone do a rain dance...Kuji! Call you grandmother! :haha:. In all seriousness, I have a dollar store test under my sink but feel stupid using it when I *know* af will show up proper the second I do. 

Pnut - That's the absolute worst (not being able to get comfortable). We should just buy a bunch of thermometers and put them all over the house, the men will eventually get the hint.


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## PnutProtector

That has got to be so annoying to be waiting for AF to just come already and she won't. UGH. I feel your pain. I think I'm going through that too. Although, I've been getting a little lightheaded today for some reason. :shrug: So I caved at got a dollar store test, :bfn: Oh well. Just ready to get this cycle over with and move on to the next one.


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## andiannajones

It's totally aggravating. I made an appointment with OB/GYN for next Tuesday (9/1). I guess I needed to do that anyway just to get any bad news over with if there is any. Today is day 5 of odd spotting, but it just seems like a *really really* light af to me? :shrug: Not even going through a whole tampon in an entire day...which is unheard of for me.
I caved and took the dollar store test yesterday evening, BFN. Got up this morning and the test had a super obvious pink second line, but it was like 15 hours later or something, so it's gotta be an evap. None the less, took a clear blue digital this morning and surprise surprise BFN. Dollar test was an anomaly I'm sure. 
At this point, I'm thinking I just had an off cycle and am not going to overthink it (kind of impossible). Either the Dr. will have something to say about it on Tuesday or not. I've read about women (especially older women...*cough cough*) who have light periods in early pregnancy or as a sign of a chemical. Either way, I'm sure AF will show up tomorrow and I'll feel stupid at the Dr. on Tuesday! Here's hoping for a better September cycle. :thumbup:


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## PnutProtector

UGH. That sounds so frustrating. But maybe the dr can give you a little insight into why you're spotting/super light af. I've heard that, although it's rare, sometimes the pee tests don't signal positive for some women and a blood test at the dr will show a positive. :shrug: So if AF doesn't really show maybe ask for a blood test.


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## Kuji

Sorry about the bfns girls! :hugs: 

The POAS getting negatives and only bloodwork being positive is a true fact for some women. I have a friend who's younger than me, for all three of her children she has never gotten a single positive pregnancy test. But of course she'd have all the signs and a missed period so she's get blood work then and bfp! For all three of her kids! 

Fx you might be someone with a similar case! Or at least that AF doesn't show up before your appointment!


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## PnutProtector

No signs of AF yet. FF says she should be here tomorrow, the day we leave for our weekend getaway. I'm torn between wanting AF to come so we can get started on the new cycle faster, and wanting AF to stay away until after our trip.


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## andiannajones

Thanks ladies! AF is a _little_ stronger today, so weird...but at least I'm no longer struggling with the "I wonder if I'm pregnant" train, because I know I'm not. This af is _finally_ looking like she's about to be serious about it. Kind of a relief, actually, after the strangeness of this cycle. Just ready to move on to cycle 2; debating SMEP as Kuji suggested, but may take one more month of not overthinking it and just see what happens :thumbup: 
Still going to Dr. on Tuesday just to ask about this strange cycle, etc... it takes about two months to get an appointment usually, so I might as well take advantage of meeting this woman if I'm going to be dealing with her on a consistent basis soon (fx). 
Pnut - Concentrate on your weekend getaway, pack supplies and hope you don't have to use them! The timing of the worrying/waiting is never ideal it seems, best to keep yourself distracted! 
Kuji - How are you doing my dear? :flower:


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## Kuji

Pnut- Fx that AF stays away! I really hope it works out for the better for you! :flower:

andiannajones- Well at least AF is finally getting stronger for you. That way she can go away and then you can start next cycle!

Definitely do what you feel you need to do. When I even found out about SMEP, I was in a desperate situation to get pregnant, even though it was just three cycles before. So if you feel you can do another month just normally, then do it :) It's whatever feels right for you! 

Today, I'm alright. Some scents are bothering me so I got SO to clean the cat litter, we cleaned the chinchilla's cage and threw out all the trash. I just have to finish some dishes and wash all the counters. So apparently it's a cleaning day :haha: But I'm just so tired of some scents bothering me so bad! AHH! 
Also got the last call from the insurance which were being assholes again. This time I was just pissy with them. The guy just didn't understand what I was telling him properly and assumed I didn't see my doctor since last month even though I kept trying to tell him I saw him last week!!!! He FINALLY got the story and apologized. Better have too or I would have been angrier! So things SHOULD be alright now. :growlmad:

Anyway, I'm sure I'll be alright. :haha: Just trying to destress a little. And how are you ladies? :D


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## PnutProtector

Andianna - glad AF is finally getting her act together. Next cycle here we come!

Kuji - Oh boy! Scent sensitivity is the worst I hear. I hope it eases up soon!


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## PnutProtector

Ok. According to FF I am one day late. According to my other period tracker I'm 4 days late. I took an HPT on Wednesday and it was negative. I have a fresh box of FRER and I'm going to test in the morning. I've been nauseous, bloated, really tired, and having some, I can't call them cramps, but it's like twinges or pulling. I dunno ladies. I'm hoping it's not all in my head.


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## PnutProtector

Big Fat Negative


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## Kuji

Sorry, I've had a crazy and busy weekend! 

I'm sorry for the bfn, Pnut, but at least you're not out of the game yet! Some people have only had their bfps after 10-14 days after a missed period. So who knows!


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## andiannajones

Hi ladies! Sorry for the brief absence...10 year anniversary of hurricane Katrina and, thus, a whole lot of benefits/etc...to go to in New Orleans it seems (every law firm I work for was doing _something_ I just had to be at apparently). It should be calming down now thank God.
*
Pnut*- How are things shaping up for you? I'm sorry about the BFN, that sucks every time it happens. I've read a *ton* of stories that make me think that a BFP at 9-12 dpo is more an anomaly than the rule...like Kuji said, many women don't get positive urine tests until 14 dpo and later. Don't count yourself out to AF arrives properly and, even if she does, I am here to be your September cycle buddy! :winkwink: I'm sure it provides our SO's immense comfort to know that we are planning when to sleep with them down to the last detail with other women on the internet! Just kidding. My husband doesn't even know I'm on these forums, he would find it irreparably silly I'm sure. :blush:

*Kuji* It is so weird that scent sensitivity and food aversion is a thing with pregnancy! What a bizarre evolutionary tactic, what smells are getting to you the most? One of my pregnant friends absolutely cannot stand the smell of coffee at the moment and she was the biggest coffee addict I had ever seen prior to her pregnancy! 

I'm going to the OB/GYN tomorrow to establish myself as a new patient and talk to her about what I should be doing I guess (I'll probably try to get her to put me on prenatal vitamins just to error on the side of caution). Hoping this bizarre cycle was just a fluke and not indicative of something more serious, I have enough anxiety as is. :wacko:


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## Kuji

That's alright, it's understandable :) I hope things went well! 

Right now I can't stand the scent of orange peels! I had thrown some out in the trash a few weeks ago and I swear the smell is still there!!!! And the trash has been emptied since then! I tried to see if maybe a piece fell somewhere but I can't see where it would be. And it seems to really be coming from the trash. I checked it out properly though and gave it a wash. :( Oh well. 
That and the scent of my chinchilla's urine is just 100 times worse to me. I try to stay away from the animal's room now if I don't need to be in there. I just do my daily food and water check and get out! 

Okay, that's probably a good idea! I'm sure things will be fine and she can give you some answers and advice! Prenatals would definitely be a good idea though. I had been taking mine since March haha! I wanted to be very sure that they were at least 2 months in my system before ttc.


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## andiannajones

Orange peels? People buy cleaning products to _make_ their houses smell like that on purpose! lol. That's hilarious. I love chinchillas, but all caged animals do have the tendency to get quite smelly (I had pet fancy rats for years). I know this sounds weird, but to cut down on the smell from the cages, you can stick dryer sheets (fabric softener sheets? I don't know what you call them in Canada! :haha:) underneath the cages (not IN them, clearly). It really helped with the rats a lot! 

So, it *is* a thing to be on prenatals before you are actually pregnant! I've gotten conflicting advice on that, some people say it doesn't do anything, some people say it helps prepare your body for pregnancy...frankly, I'm of the opinion that they're vitamins for crying out loud and cannot possibly be harmful, so why not? I'll just ask the doc about it, I'm sure she has a more educated opinion than myself. It's actually encouraging that it took you a few months to conceive even though you were doing everything right, I don't know why I'm so worried (I think it's mostly just because I'm older and ttc #1). My whole life I've been super careful about *not* getting pregnant and it's so weird to try to shift gears because in the back of my head I'm thinking "this should only take a month right?" when I know that it's not an exact science. I'm not going to temp this cycle and just assume that I will ovulate sometime around the 9th and try to ramp up BD with husband around that time (though I have the impression that unless you are using OPKs/temping there really is no telling and you could O late or early and the best thing is just to BD every three days or so if you can manage it). That, however, seems like a lot of work!


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## PnutProtector

Andianna - My dr made sure I was taking prenatals when she found out that we wanted to TTC. It's got the folic acid you need. And then you'll already be taking them during those first week before you get your positive :) 

Kuji - That sucks about the orange peels. Try mixing some vinegar, water, and hydrogen peroxide in a spray bottle and spray a few squirts in your trashcan and anywhere else there is an adverse smell. It helps, trust me. My nose is sensitive already and I'm not preggo.


I guess I'll just keep waiting and trying not to over think it. You guys are right. I'm not totally out until AF shows her ugly head.


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## andiannajones

Hi ladies! 
Dr. did an annual exam (I haven't had health insurance for the last 3 years, so I was more than a little overdue for that...) and told me that when she was taking her medical boards she didn't even have af for 3 months because of the stress. She is 100% convinced that my odd cycle was just because of the bar exam and I'm hoping she's right and everything goes back to normal this month! She told me to start taking prenatals now, so I'll go ahead and start doing that. I'm going to try to hold off through September from using OPKs (unless I can find a really good deal online :blush:). 

How are you ladies this evening?


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## Kuji

andiannajones- Trust me, I am an orange addict, but for some reason, now I can't stand the scent of the peels! :haha: 
I might try the dryer sheet thing and see if it works with my monsters :) 

I'm glad the Dr. was about to give some explanations, they make sense. 
For some reason, the last generation seems to think that prenatals before getting pregnant is weird and doesn't make sense. My mother gave me the weirdest look about me taking prenatals before being pregnant but honestly, I can see WHY it should be taken before. At least you already have everything baby needs in your system so that when you do get pregnant, baby is already getting everything it needs! 

The same as usual here. Always super tired. I want to sleep again but then I don't since I slept most of the day already. And I'd like to have a normal-ish sleep schedule. I mean, I could nap in the day but now I'm just sleeping most of the day! 

And how are you? :) 

Pnut- I might try that. Thanks! I definitely hope it works :D


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## PnutProtector

andianna - sooo glad you got some answers from the dr. I hope your cycles get back to normal now. I'm trying to hold off as much as long as possible on doing the OPKs because it can cost a lot and it will probably drive DH nuts! 

Kuji - I so hope that magic solution I gave you works. I know it works for me.


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## CathiiNoo

Hi lovely ladies! 7DPO today. No symptoms besides a bit of cramping yesterday and the day before but think it was associated with a bug. 

Andianna, since you're in law. I saw something on facebook that made me giggle.


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## CathiiNoo




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## CathiiNoo

Sorry if the pics don't show or came out in the wrong order. Trying to do it on my phone.


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## PnutProtector

:rofl: those answers are hilarious.


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## CathiiNoo

I know right. Had a good laugh. 

So I tested and obviously BFN. I did an OKP just because and it was quite dark but not positive. Peeing on sticks(or dipping them in most cases lol) is addictive!

How all you ladies doing?


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## andiannajones

Hi girls!

Cathinoo - Those are sooo funny! :haha: I've now found the original document on the internet and forwarded it to several attorney friends. There is this complete ass-hat of a judge in one of our local courts who flat out refused to let this super-pregnant lawyer transfer one of her cases and, instead, made her appear for motions hearings 9 months pregnant and about to pop at any moment. I told my boss that if that happens to me, I will do my absolute best to get the phrase "Your honor, I need a continuance and a mop" on the record so that I can order the transcript later. 

Pnut - Turns out, you can get 50 OPK strips and 20 pregnancy tests (wondfo) for about 20 bucks on Amazon. I feel this may be bad news for our SOs. I think I can hold off on using them for this cycle because I'm already like 10 dpo or something (Dr. told me to count the weird spotting AS af and told me that, if anything, I'd probably O a little earlier than usual due to the stress....what a great evolutionary tactic: "You're super stressed out! Let's make babies, that'll help!" :wacko:) I've heard wondfo's are just about as good as the more expensive brands, but not really sure...what do you think?

Kuji - Sleep all you want mama! You're growing a _human_ for goodness sake! :sleep:

I'm off to get drinks with some friends/colleagues (only one glass of red wine for me:wine:, *sigh*) The Dr. actually told me that alcohol affects ttc when the _men_ are drinking (because the :spermy: get killed off in fairly great numbers), but they haven't found a conclusive link for women - and that pot makes sperm slow. I found this rather hysterical - picturing stoned sperm way too confused about where the egg might be, and drunk sperm just all: "Nevermind, this looks hard." :haha: Either way though, I figure I'll error on the side of caution and stick with a glass or two max.

How's everyone doing this evening? :flower:


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## PnutProtector

"nevermind this looks hard" :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: 

I've just been looking at the OPKs on amazon and found some for cheaper than that they come with some HPTs too. So I'm gonna propose the idea to DH when he wakes up and see what he thinks. Cause at this point I'm just trying to find out if and when in my cycle I O. Cause with my IUD, and history of super duper irregular cycles, I haven't the faintest idea when it happens. 

Talked to my mom about temping again (like I said I wasn't going to do) and she admitted that when she was TTC for my youngest brother she had crazy temp charts too and that she could only figure out O with the OPKs. So maybe its a thing in our family? :shrug:


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## andiannajones

Pnut - It would not surprise me at all if there was a heavy genetic component to your cycles and your mom's experience is likely highly indicative of what is happening to you! I mean, OPKs aren't _that_ expensive in all reality, especially if you are only using them for a few cycles to get a grip on when you O (I'm sure the IUD and irregular cycles make it absolutely impossible to guess correctly...thanks body!) I think they only get cost-prohibitive when you are trying long-long term (like years). I'd just bite the bullet and do it. I will join you with temping and OPKs in October if this month doesn't catch the eggy. 

Last post I said I was 10 dpo...that is WAY wrong! :dohh: I meant that I'm about 10 days into my cycle, so poor husband is getting accosted pretty frequently at the moment (rough life for him, I'm sure). Dr. told me to BD only every other day because every day depletes sperm count too much, so we'll probably do that for about a week and see what we get! Obviously, since we're so new to ttc (and I'm not 100% sure that DH would agree that we are "trying"...he's more just kind of given up on fighting me on it) we haven't had him tested, so I don't know if we're fighting an uphill battle with his little guys or not...but I'm trying to remain hopeful and just assume that conception will take a few months of misses before I figure it out! 

Kuji - how are our witch-doctor dryer sheet/hydrogen-peroxide remedies working out for ya? :haha:

Cathinoo - if you are 7 dpo and pee on an OPK...what happens? LOL...I don't know what it being dark means...Oh, I have SO much to learn! :blush:


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## PnutProtector

andianna - I think you're right about the genetic factor. I'm sure temping (not that I think I have the hang of things) as well as the OPKs will help me a lot in figuring things out. FX you catch that eggy!


STILL zero signs of AF here. I've still got some pulling type sensation in my lower ab region. I'm really confused as to what's going on with my body. At this point I'm just trying to wait it out and see what happens.


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## andiannajones

How late does that make you for af pnut? This sounds very encouraging....FX


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## PnutProtector

according to FF I'm 8ish days late. But this will only be my second period after IUD removal, so I'm not sure if my cycles are going to be longer now or what.


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## Kuji

Sorry, I've been everywhere for a while! That or asleep or reading, no energy to reply :haha: 

*andiannajones*- They're working great so far. I'm hoping it keeps it up! :haha: 

*Pnut*- It sounds promising so far. Fx that AF doesn't show up anytime soon! :af:

Also, apparently my ex-roommates who are now my neighbours have reported my landlord which is a little stressful ish. I mean, I'm not too worried but I'm also a little scared the landlord will assume I reported him, which I didn't and didn't have a clue it happened until last night.

The landlord completely destroyed the back porch in Spring since it was to be remade due to rotten and soggy wood(last tenants had a carpet on the porch...). Well, he never fixed it and it's now almost fall. Apparently, I didn't know, it's a violation of our safety since if there's a fire, we're supposed to have two exits available and now we only have one. We're on the third floor so we can't just escape from a window... and especially with me being pregnant now, it looks even worse for him. 
So there's a chance he'll either be forced to get it done within a week and/or get a $1000 fine. I already don't see eye to eye with the landlord since he used to stalk us and bother us minimum once a week. It made us feel like it wasn't our apartment, like we were living in his house with his rules. Once we actually had to call the cops because he tried to open our door. The neighbours were the ones to confirm to me and the cops that it was him since we didn't see him(although it was obvious it was him). So we had to write him a letter to ask him to leave us alone and to only call if there's something important, we don't accept him just knocking on our door unannounced. I have a health reason (stress/depression/anxiety) and being bothered in random all the time actually puts me on edge and I can't relax because I stress that the house is always clean JUST in case he shows up! So we mentioned my depression and that him showing up all the time was a health concern. 

Also we told him that if he tried entering our home, we may be forced to call the cops, although we don't want that and even told him there was a witness. Yeah, he didn't find it funny and left us alone ever since. 

Sorry for the rant, I just really hate the man. I'm not fond of my apartment(or him) but I would like to stay until the baby is at least one years old since moving with a newborn could be a hassle. But knowing how he is, it's not certain how it'll go. I almost feel like he might try something as "revenge" even though I didn't do anything.


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## PnutProtector

Aww Kuji :hugs: I hate that all of this junk with your landlord is going on all of a sudden. I hope things get resolved soon.


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## andiannajones

Pnut - 8 days-ish late sounds super promising to me! I mean, I know your cycles might be a wee bit whacked out at the moment due to the IUD removal...are you going to test anytime soon? :dust:

Kuji - What a nightmare! I clearly don't know anything about Canadian law, but I do know that it is a mixed-civil/common jurisdiction (like Louisiana is...we're the only state in the U.S. that operates that way...we're quite French after all! :haha:), so I _can_ tell you to document _every_ interaction you have with the guy, write down times/dates and what was said...etc...just to error on the side of caution. You don't need that kind of added stress right now, what a jerk. I seriously doubt he'd be stupid enough to do anything and I'm sure he knows it was your neighbors and not you that complained; however, if you're feeling nervous about it definitely talk to your family/SO/neighbors and see what they think. Do you think it would be worth it to move? (I mean, I just know that would be so so awful with you being pregnant, but if it gets bad enough that might be the easiest way to deal with it...). :hugs: Just try to not stress about it until you know anything definitive. I had nothing but terrible-creepy landlords my whole life, I am *so* thankful that we were able to purchase a house last year (it's tiny...but it's OURS!). Chin up my dear, how are you feeling preggo wise?


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## PnutProtector

I'm on the fence about how I feel about this cycle. On the one hand I feel like I should be late because of previous cycles being about 21-25 days long, but I did have the IUD in for 4 years. So the other hand is thinking that perhaps its just a super long cycle and my body is still getting acclimated to the absence of the IUD.


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## Kuji

*andiannajones*- After the letter was written and sent, I made SO and I download a call recorder on our phones in case he'd call to yell at us. Instead he just showed up not long after at my house but it wasn't too bad. I did record it though just in case. I'm thinking of recording anything that has to do with him just in case. 

I actually do REALLY want to move. But SO is less keen on that and it is complicated stuff since we'd have to break a contract to leave before July next year. 

The thing is, I usually always had generally pretty okay landlords. Even as a kid growing up in rented apartments/home with my parents, the landlords were rarely in sight! This one is just so odd and stalker-like to me. I've never seen this type of behaviour and neither has my family! We're just all shocked! 

If things do get worse though, I will try to convince SO to move. If we can go before baby gets here, I won't complain! At least I'd be excited about painting the baby room. Here, I'm not even sure if I should since it might just be a waste of money :( 

Pregnancy wise, nausea's getting a little worse. Last night I knew I was nauseous enough to actually throw up but I held it in!!!! I hate puking so bad! My breasts also hurt like mad(they hurt a bit before I got my bfp but now it's bad!). I had to run a bit yesterday and them bouncing was the worse feeling of my life!(exaggeration but still! :haha:) Otherwise, it's the same old. Oh and I'm craving apples :I But we don't have any right now which sucks so much! UGH!!!

*Pnut*- How long has the IUD been out now? You may have already mentioned it so I'm sorry if I make you repeat yourself! I'm forgetful sometimes :dohh:


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## PnutProtector

Haha no worries. I had to have it surgically removed since it was sideways, but it came out July 13th

I would try to move. Sounds like the landlord is causing so much unnecessary stress and worry. But it does suck to break contract, though.


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## CathiiNoo

They say you can get a positive OPK if you're pregnant but also when you're nearing AF. I don't know what happened this cycle. My O date changed 3 times. I could be 9, 10 or 5 DPO. I never got a positive OPK but I only tested for the first time on CD13 in the evening so could have missed my surge if I did in fact O on that day which would make sense do I'm sticking to 10DPO. BFN today. Already feel out.

Sorry about your landlord Kuji. He really sounds like a pain! Mine doesn't invade but loves money. He tried to give us the previous tenants bill from June and July's water and lights to pay. Luckily I demanded the hard copy and checked the dates. I am so mad! ! Considering we only moved in in August and our bill was almost a quarter cheaper than what he was claiming! ARGH! 

So my cervix is extremely high and soft. Could this mean anything?


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## andiannajones

Morning ladies! :howdy:

Kuji  Good call on downloading the recorders, thats a great idea (just in case). Secondly, I would talk to SO about moving anyway  I say this because I find it highly unlikely that you will be held to the terms of the contract/lease as (1) the landlord has failed to fix the porch, creating a hazardous living condition for you (especially preggo) and (2) he has also failed to maintain you in peaceful possession, which he is legally obligated to do (Im sure Canadian law is extremely similar in this regardit would be absurd for it not to be). If I were in your situation, I would find another place and right before you do anything about it, send your current landlord a letter explaining that you will be breaking the contract because he has failed to live up to his obligations under the law (maintaining the property in a suitable condition for its purpose and breaching the implied warranty against peaceful possession), tell him he can have the damage deposit in recompense and if he has any further complaints, you will see him in court. Of coursethis is all easier said than done I know, but no landlord in their right mind would go to court on this issue because he will just so clearly lose (juries hate a landlord and love a pregnant lady!). Take pictures of the porch! (almost forgot!). Clearly, Im not licensed in Canada so you cant take what Im saying as actual legal advice, but I HATE seeing people get jerked around by landlords and Im pretty sure youd have a better pregnancy/time in general if you got out of that ridiculous situation. But enough preaching! Lastly, I feel that the second you buy applesyou will no longer want them! Lol!

Pnut  I totally see how that could go either way! (late for af or just re-adjusting), how do you feel about this cycle? (search your feelings young Jedi!!) 

Cathinoo  Dont count yourself out yet! If you did O and just missed the surge on the OPKs, Id think theres still a good chance! Im so unclear on what cervix position means (and admittedly bad about being able to tell on myself) that I have no advice in that regard, but Ive heard that high and soft means youre fertile at the moment:dust:

Is anyone else having trouble with the new platform? It seems to take forever to load anything on my computer and I had to type this in a Word document and paste it in because its moving so slowlyits probably just my computer (great). According to the calendar, I should O on the 8thBDd with DH early this morning and at some point yesterday, I think Ill go for it again actually on the 8th and thenwe wait. Oh the horror of the wait!!! :coffee:


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## PnutProtector

Andianna - :thumbup: good advice on the landlord situation. That's what i was thinking she should do as well. I've been in a similar situation before, it's not fun. But Kuji, you gotta do what's best for your little family. 

AFM, I'm so confused. One min I'm so feeling in and the next I'm not. No signs of AF and still getting occasional twingey pinching/pulling sensation in lower ab. 
Sometimes when AF is slow to show, DH and I BD and she will show soon after. But we BD yesterday and again today, nada. I'm going to try to hold out and test later this week.


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## PnutProtector

Well that sneaky old witch decided to show up this morning and I'm crushed. I was trying really hard not to get my hopes up, but with such a long cycle I couldn't help it. But I'm hoping my temps will cooperate next cycle and that I will get cross hairs. 

I'm also going to order some OPKs. FX I figure my body out!

How is everyone?


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## andiannajones

Oh Pnut! I'm so sorry my dear! :hugs: Stupid af. I know that's such a disappointment, but we have to bear in mind that we have not been at this very long at all. I bet your cycles will just continue to get more predictable and regular from here. I broke down and bought the damn OPKs :blush:; at least now we can enjoy the thrill of peeing on sticks together! 
One of the things that has helped me not be so upset by af's arrival is thinking about things like: Well, if I get pregnant in [insert applicable month here], that will be good timing because....
e.g. - If I get pregnant in September, that will be good timing because about the time we would start telling people would be X-mas, and that could be fun for the grandparents....or If I get pregnant in November, I won't be pregnant through the hottest months of the summer...etc...try to find the positive. Onward to this cycle!!!


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## Kuji

I talked to my sister about the situation and we both agree it'd be good for me to go before baby is born. I might start looking for apartments around my current street since it's a very nice area with great people. And there's a park just at the end of the street! 

Also, I want to stay near my sister. I know I'll need her once baby is born! She's my rock and I love her :) <3 We've always been there for eachother! 

Sorry the :witch: came Pnut. :hugs: I hope next month will go well though and :dust: to you all! 

Just a warning, I'll be staying at my grandmother's for a week so I will most likely not reply very much if at all. Depends on things and I'll only have a phone so it makes typing so much harder for me (not a fan of a keyboard on a screen! I like buttons :haha:) 
But I will be reading things to keep busy when things get quiet and boring. 

Have fun, ladies and good luck! :D


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## PnutProtector

Well the witch decided to pull a joke on me. When I posted yesterday, I just had some red spotting, which normally means I'll have a good flow by the end of the day. NOPE. By last night there was absolutely nothing. Not even pink when I wiped. Today, again, nothing. I AM SO CONFUSED.

@Kuji - I'm glad you have decided to move. I think it will be best for everyone.

@adianna - I hope you have amazing luck next cycle with the OPKs! :dust: My mom said her first cycle using them she conceived my brother.


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## andiannajones

Kuji - Hope things at your grandmother's place are going well! :thumbup: It would be awesome if you could find something else (that is *not* under the control of your crappy landlord) near to your sister, are there a lot of things available or not really? 

Pnut - Weird! Fingers crossed the witch stays away and you just had some spotting! (When this happened to me last cycle, I googled ALL the things...lol. Turns out, spotting in early pregnancy is totally normal 99% of the time...so....) :dust: How are things looking today?


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## PnutProtector

Well, AF is here in full force today. On to cycle 3! Chaaaarrgggeee!


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## andiannajones

Awww damn Pnut! Sorry girl! :hugs:
Seriously though, af in full force means your body is doing what it's supposed to be doing post-IUD removal. I just have a better feeling about this cycle for us...don't know why, last cycle was just odd and I don't think humans are designed to exist in that kind of heat, let alone try to make babies in it! :haha:
The OPKs are showing up today from Amazon, though I'm pretty sure I probably already O'd somewhere around the 8th, and will have already missed the surge - nonetheless, that's exactly what those sticks are for huh? Trying to take the guess work out I suppose. It's encouraging that they worked for your mom so quickly!
DH and I BD'd on cycle day(s) 10, 11, 13, and 15 (one more for good measure), so if I did O on cycle day 14, I think we're in the realm of possibility. It never seems to work out that we can BD _on_ cycle day 14 (life intervenes); but my doc said the best thing when you're first trying is to do every other day for the week that you think you'll O and I feel I probably got pretty close to that. Man, this is work huh? Lol. :blush:


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## PnutProtector

So much work! I hoping to get more of an idea about when in my cycle I usually O with the OPKs, so we can time our BDing accordingly instead of every other day the entire cycle (minus AF days). That was so tiring and it kinda took the fun out of it. 

I'm feeling more optimistic about this cycle too for some reason. Last cycle I felt out from the beginning. I'm excited!


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## andiannajones

I agree, last cycle just felt off for me too, more hopeful for this one. I have a lot of work and other random stuff scheduled for the week I should be getting af, so at least I will remain distracted that week and not overly obsessive about symptoms (riiiiight....let's see if that idea keeps up....)
The OPKs appear to be fairly simple, I tried one last night and got a very faint line (which means negative I guess...which is what I expected if I already O'd this cycle). If I don't get a positive OPK in the next week or so (which would, admittedly, be surprising), then I am officially in the two week wait. :coffee: FX for this cycle! I just don't want to get my hopes up too much, even doing everything right it seems like it can take awhile for people of my elderly status :haha:

Also Pnut, I keep meaning to ask you...what kind of dog is that in your profile pic?? I swear, the top of its head looks *just* like our old St. Bernard/Pyrenees/Burmese mountain dog cross (that we unfortunately had to put down this year, she was very old for such a big dog tho...); that picture is making me want to get a puppy again! :blush:

Kuji - hope you're doing well at grandma's my dear! :happydance:


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## Kuji

I'm having fun in general. But I'm mostly feeling a little miserable due to all the throwing up... I'm trying my best to keep my food down right now. Ugh.


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## PnutProtector

Aww so sorry Kuji! :hugs: hope the Morning Sickness goes away soon. 

Andianna - My dog is a Great Pyrenees! He's my big baby. We also have a dachshund and two tabby cats. 

Nothing much to report on my end. Light AF this cycle. And as she's gone today, we'll start BDing tomorrow. I'm hoping my OPKs show up tomorrow too.


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## andiannajones

Kuji - I hear morning/(anytime of the day...) sickness is just the worst...I hope you're feeling a little bit better! How are things going on your end this week? :flower:

Pnut - The OPKs are really something, I'm impressed. I started using them late this cycle (when they showed up) and I had a super faint second line about 2 days after when I thought I O'd and now there is no line whatsoever, so I'm thinking my cycle is probably close to where I think it is, which should make next cycle waaaaay easier than the guess-work up to this point. I'm probably about 7 dpo and (of course) have zero symptoms, aside from the fact that my boobs *kind of* hurt...but it's more like my armpits hurt, which is just super weird, so I'm thinking I probably pulled muscles doing yard-work. :blush: Everything is a pregnancy symptom, so I'm just trying not to think about it. Work is keeping me distracted and bar results come out in like 3 weeks or so, just a big holding pattern over here. 
I *knew* it! Your puppy looks so much like ours did! I think we're going to get a pair of Pyrenees pups sometime around the new year, they're just such great dogs, best temperaments in the world! I'm gonna change my photo to one of our old dog so you can see what I mean...but I don't know if it'll work. :dohh: I'm so great at technology!


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## andiannajones

Morning Ladies! (early afternoon---It's my day off, so I didn't get out of bed until 11)...sorry for the double post right away, but I'm kinda confused. So sorry if this is TMI, but you gotta have someone to talk to about this stuff! :haha:
Anyway, DH and I decided to BD this morning (we never get overlapping days off, so trying to take advantage of it even though I'm way outside of the ovulation window...trying to make sure it doesn't feel like a chore for him I guess); about ten minutes later, when I went to "clean up" in the restroom, I noticed some brown/pink and somewhat stringy (I know, this is so gross) blood on the toilet tissue, it wasn't very much and nothing about BD was painful or anything, so I just took a shower and got ready for the day and now...nothing. I'm not due on for af for another 7 days or so and am, thus, confused. I've read that perhaps I just kinda hit my cervix funny dtd and you can get slight bleeding from that, but also that it is more common to get this *right* before af OR right after implantation (because the cervix is low and more easily bumped during...activities); OF COURSE the internet says it could be either. I'm pretty sure 8 dpo is waaaaay too early to test and I don't want to get my hopes up, it would just be so weird for af to come a week early for me but after last cycle being so light and off I guess it wouldn't surprise me terribly? I guess I'll just try to relax and not think about it today (fat chance) and see if the bleeding stops? What do you ladies think?? Any input is appreciated and distracting! Lol. 

And how are YOU lovely ladies doing this morning? :thumbup:


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## PnutProtector

Oh my gosh!!! What an adorable face on your pup!! I'd love to have another one, but DH has cut me off on getting anymore furkids. 

I finally got my OPKs today. I'm starting now, I'm only CD8, because I have no idea when I O in my cycle and I thought it was better safe than sorry. I'm hoping to get a better idea with the OPKs paired with temping. 

FX that it's IB! I've never experienced anything like that before. And I have totally stopped googling things now since every new sensation could be like 4 different things. Have you had anymore weird stringy stuff today?


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## Kuji

*andiannajones*- I'm hoping for you it's IB! I got IB for two days starting 10dpo (same day I got my bfp too) and even then, it was a little late compared to some people. But I did ovulate a little late so it didn't surprise me too much! The first time I saw blood, it was blood streaked in a clear discharge, found on my toilet paper after I wiped. The rest of the day and the next day was some on and off pink colour when I'd wipe. I guess we'll see what happen but Fx and :dust: !!!! 

As for me, I'm alright for now. Most of the days at my grandma's were spent resting and taking it easy on her couch since I had no energy with all the nausea. I had two days where I felt so much better but on the third day I reverted right back to having no energy! 

Today I'm just happy I can eat with very little nausea :) So no complaints here! :thumbup:


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## andiannajones

Hi all!

Pnut - Awww thanks! We miss the dog quite a bit now that she's gone (more than we thought we would even), I just saw the freckles and puffy head on your fur-baby and was shocked at how much it looked like our old girl! I think it's a super good idea to start the OPKs right away! I mean, the whole point is to figure out if you ovulate early or late or what, and it worked for you mom! :haha: What brand did you end up getting and do you like them so far?

Kuji - I am so sorry, nausea is the absolute worst thing in the world (in my opinion); I'm like you, I HATE throwing up and will avoid it at all costs. I've heard that peppermint/spearmint can help considerably with nausea...maybe a peppermint decaf tea would help? Has you doc said anything about how long that particular symptom is likely to last for you? I hope you're feeling better! Did you tell your grandma??? :flower:

Past the incident yesterday morning, I have had NO bleeding of any kind whatsoever (and, of course, I am now on high alert looking for it). I think Kuji's description was perfect, it was like a decent amount of clear CM and "streaks" of brown and pink on the toilet tissue. I've heard so many things about the elusive IB, I just dont' want to get my hopes up and am forcing myself to assume that it had something to do with BD (even though in roughly 16 years of having sex, that has _never_ happened to me before...hmmmm....). I took a cheapie HPT this morning with FMU and it didn't show anything, not even a faint line, but I'm only 9 dpo at most, which I think is early to get a +, though it's hard not to get discouraged with the BFNs. My BBs are _definitely_ sore now, but I don't think that's unusual for me a week out from af, so...only time will tell (grrrrrr). 
How's everyone doing today? :hugs:


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## Kuji

*andiannajones*- I'm hate nausea but today's been great. I've been able to eat and snack so I took advantage of it! :haha: 

I can't actually see my doctor until my appointment but I did call her secretary so they can prescribe me some Diclectin. I just have to wait for her to call me back to confirm that my prescription is ready. For now I've been working with peppermint scent from my diffuser. Otherwise it's just water, gatorade and deep deep breaths! 

I did but it didn't go so well. Don't get me wrong, she was HAPPY. It just didn't happen the way it was planned... 
Her brother(my great uncle) is someone I despise. He's a racist, sexist, homophobic pedophile... and he's ALWAYS at my grandma's. I'm glad he helps her and all but he knows I'm there, I can help her myself! But he still comes over. He knows I hate him for something he did to some people that I love very much. Anyway, grandma was off to Walmart and to renew her health card and while waiting, I got sick. Eventually grandma arrives and I'm waiting for people to leave because the plan was to eat supper and then have her alone before announcing. Well the asshole just goes "And guess what, Stephanie's pregnant!" I'm of course upset because wtf! I assumed maybe someone told him(my aunt or SO) while I was off throwing up. So I'm there, mumbling about how he ruined my surprise and that I had it planned for weeks. He says he didn't know and that it was a joke... Well I didn't fucking laugh! I just ran to the bathroom in tears! Grandma came after me but GOD was I so mad! I'm still upset about it. I hate this man like you can't imagine and his "joke" just ruined the BIG surprise I had planned for weeks. I almost feel like I should have just told her over the phone instead... at least I'd be the one saying it instead of someone else ruining my moment. :growlmad:
I'm sorry the story ended up bad. But I have to admit, it felt good to just vent and let it out... 

I can't blame you for not wanting to get your hopes up, I'm the same way. Still Fx! I hope in the next few days there might be a bfp! I tested first at 8dpo and it was a bfn. I only got a clear bfp by the afternoon of 10dpo. But even then it's considered early! So hopefully, if you are pregnant, the next few days might give you your bfp! :flower:


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## andiannajones

Kuji - Oh my God, I would have been FURIOUS!!! What a fucking jerk! Seriously, I'm so surprised you didn't hit him, I might have. If you ever DO hit him, call me and I'll hook you up with a good lawyer. I'm soooo sorry that happened to you. I've now got that part of "True Blood" running through my head where Bill kills Sookie's pedophile/asshole uncle, it's too bad your SO isn't a Hollywood vampire. :growlmad: Diclectin is an anti-nausea drug I assume? Maybe try chewing on ice cubes as well (I don't know why, but that's always helped me with nausea when I had the flu or something). 

I Might have posted a little prematurely yesterday, as starting yesterday (evening-ish?) I've had some spotting, only noticeable when i wipe after using the restroom (nothing on undies) and it ranges from brown to pink (I think once there might have even been really really dark red). It's not very much, but I think I might just be starting af early. :dohh: I took an internet cheapie today again with FMU and it's a BFN, I'd be barely 10 dpo today with af not due till Wednesday, so I'm baffled. 10 dpo, by all accounts, might still be too early to be getting a + test, but you'd think a faint faint line or _something_ would show up if I was preggo. Since I've got the bag of internet cheapies, I will just keep testing every morning until af shows up. I was fairly hopeful, but with this spotting...not so much now. I seriously hope it's IB but only time will tell! 

How's everyone today? :thumbup:


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## Kuji

I was furious but unfortunately, as much as I love my grandma, I hate the mind-set she has about family... about how no matter what they do, you have to accept family and shut your mouth. I do believe family needs to stick together but not when one person does horrible things to harm others whether it be physically or mentally. I just really hate this man. But I just kind of ignored him until he left. And when he apologized another day, I just lied through my teeth saying it was alright and trying to stop the conversation. 
:haha: Trust me, I would hit him in a heart beat if I could! But I have this fear of harming people, no matter how bad I want to... UGH Sometimes it would be so handy to just do it though! 

I need to try ice cubes but I guess I have a bit of a fear with shoving things to cold in my mouth. My back teeth are sensitive to the cold and it always worries me that it'll cause a toothache or something. I'd have to just suck it up and test it someday though. At least to see. And yeah, Discletin is a nausea medicine. I'm hoping it gives me alright results. 

Well you still have plenty of time! I didn't get a clear bfp until the afternoon of 10dpo. And even then, like I said before, it's still early to get a bfp xD So I wouldn't worry. Hopefully it's not AF coming early but only time will tell. Fx though! 

Today I'm alright. I picked up my prescription and spent a bit of time with mom and my sister. My porch is FINALLY being made. So all in all, I'd say it's a good day. You?


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## andiannajones

I totally get the not wanting to harm people but still wanting to harm people mentality, lol. In my line of work (criminal defense in the deep South) it seems like all I do is deal with bigoted/racist a-holes and it absolutely baffles me that people who are that mean exist to begin with, but I try to keep things in perspective and have faith that not everyone in the world is a jerk! I get the family mentality as well, but there are some things that are just unforgivable in my opinion. Best you can do is just grin and bear it (and it sounds like you have done that quite well). 
Thanks for the encouragement! I'm still spotting tiny tiny amounts when I use the restroom, I absolutely cannot tell if this is pre-af or IB, it's like a 50/50, I could absolutely see it going either way. From what I gather, about 12/13 dpo is standard for getting a bfp, but since I didn't even start spotting until 2 days ago there may not be enough HcG in my system to detect a pregnancy yet. I'll just keep testing every morning and keep my fingers crossed for a bfp, I just don't want to get too hopeful so that I'm less disappointed if it's just af. It certainly would be unusual for me to be spotting a whole week before af, but probably not unheard of...I mean, I didn't *really* start paying a lot of attention to what my body does until I was ttc, so maybe this is normal for me and I just don't know it yet! I'm trying to think positive without getting my hopes up, which is a trick and a half! 
Hopefully the anti-nausea drugs will make it easier for you to eat things, I'd say give some crushed ice a try (and try to keep it towards the front of your mouth to keep from irritating your more sensitive back teeth), it'll either work or you will know *immediately* that you should never do that again! :haha:

Pnut - how are you holding up my dear? :flower:


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## PnutProtector

OH. MY. GOSH. I would have been so upset too! I can&#8217;t stand people like that. Announcing a pregnancy is NOT up to anyone but the parents. Jeeze. 

Andi - I totally understand not wanting to get your hopes up. I try so hard each month to do that, but I never succeed. lol


AFM, I&#8217;m ok. Been super busy lately. My OPKs aren&#8217;t showing lines yet which is upsetting me for some reason. But they are Clinical Guard ICs, so Who knows if they might be defective. I&#8217;m still trying though. And we&#8217;ve been BDing every 2nd-3rd day just in case. I&#8217;ve got him taking a multi vitamins and some B12. And I&#8217;m on my prenatal, EPO, and My dr. just changed my antidepressant. My temps seem better this cycle. Not quite as all over the place. I&#8217;m feeling optimistic though.


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## andiannajones

Hi ladies!

Sorry I've been absent for a bit...my laptop is on its last legs and I hate trying to type things out on my tiny phone screen. Hopefully I'll get the computer replaced soon and it will cause less problems. How's everyone doing?
AF finally showed up in full force, so at least the confusion is gone! I'm on CD 7 (ish) and am starting to see lines on the OPKs (not dark or positive test lines...but it's there!); I'm hoping that I get a + OPK either before or after this weekend because I will be in Florida visiting family and will not be around the DH for activities; however, I'm not totally adverse to taking a month off from the stress of trying...so either way it'll be fine I'm sure.
What's going on with you ladies? :thumbup:


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## Kuji

Well, taking a break is not always a bad thing anyway! And if you can't ttc, you can't, no point in trying to force it or make it happen :) If you feel like it, you can still BD before you leave, just in case, but it's of course up to if you want to! 
For the past few days I've been sick with a cold. I'm usually someone who researches everything I can when I get in different situations but apparently I missed some important info... And that info is that my immune system gets terribly weakened so my body won't reject baby. And I wasn't careful and caught a cold. And since I'm only in the first trimester, all medicine content is even more strict than it would be if I was in the second trimester. So I "suffered" (wasn't too bad though lol. It was just a cold) through it like a champ, only using tylenol when I got headaches or worried about possible fevers (I got close at one point) and drank lots of OJ. Seems to have done the trick because my cold is almost gone now, I finally have SOME energy back! I assume I should be back to normal by tomorrow or the day after at worse. :haha: 

I hope you can get a new computer soon! Fx you will! I got my computer with Dell and do payment plans for it, if that's an option for you.


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## PnutProtector

Goodness. Lots going on lately.

I hope you get a new computer Addi. I love love love my new Macbook Pro, but I'm spoilt when it comes to technology as DH can't say no to me. Hehe.

I hope you start feeling better Kuji. :hugs:

AFM, I still haven't gotten a positive OPK. I'm CD22 and the darkest line I got was yesterday, but it's not as dark as it should be. UGH.


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## Kuji

My own lines didn't get all that dark but thankfully I still ovulated anyway (obviously lol) I'll include pics to show you how mine looked like. So long as they were close enough to the control line, I considered it positive (CD14-15. CD14 wasn't that bright before. It just dried darker)
Are your lines not close at all in colour or just to say they're close? 

I'm feeling a lot better now! The orange juice definitely helped a lot :)
 



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## PnutProtector

yeah. My darkest line (on CD 21) isn't even close. Well not to me. But I am feeling a weird pinching in my lower ab that I don't think I've ever felt before. I guess I'll just keep doing the OPKs until AF is supposed to show then try a HPT.
 



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## Kuji

Hm, yeah, I see what you mean... That's just odd. Could you maybe have ovulated somewhere in between some tests? I'm not sure how short a surge can be. :\


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## PnutProtector

That's what I'm thinking. I want to say it happened CD21 and I drank too much water and the second one was too diluted. That's my guess. Since that's the darkest one.


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## Kuji

Oh maybe! That could make sense actually. May as well go with that :haha: It's the closest anyway.


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## PnutProtector

Well, either way, we've got our bases covered with BDing :haha:


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## Kuji

That's good :D :dust: to you!


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## andiannajones

Hi ladies!

Again, sorry for the absence. I had a crazy awful week. :cry: 

I went to Florida to visit my parents for a few days this weekend (mini-vacation before bar results come out this Friday), and on my way there, some jackass didn't tie down a load of furniture he was carrying in his truck and a GIANT chair flew out of the back of the truck and ended up in the center lane of the interstate, I swerved to avoid it and slammed into the concrete barrier between the east and west bound lanes at 70 m.p.h., spun across 3 lanes of traffic and came to a rest on the guardrail on the right hand side of the road. Airbags deployed, the car almost flipped over, it was incredibly frightening. The crazy part? NOT A SCRATCH ON ME!!! I can't believe it. The car is totaled and I am sore/stiff but otherwise completely unscathed! I am SO incredibly lucky!!! Can't complain about the car when that could have been so much worse!

Anyway, my OPKs are staying very light...I think I might have missed the surge, but hopefully can catch it next month (with the immense amount of stress this month, I may not have even ovulated); however, I don't think I'm technically due to ovulate until tomorrow, so we'll see what the OPKs say. At this point I'm thinking my body may just need the extra month and November is a better bet. 
Pnut- A lot of my friends have told me that their OPKs never got very dark and they attribute it to urine being too diluted, but this is coming from 2 people who have had successful pregnancies, so as long as you covered your bases with BDing I'd say you are still 100% in the game!
Kuji - how are you doing my dear? :flower:


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## PnutProtector

Goodness! I am so glad that you are ok! That is scary!

I think we've decided to make that darkest one the positive one this month. If we don't catch the egg this cycle, I'm going to try Vitex next cycle to see if I can get better reads on the OPKs. Also going to use CVS brand instead of ICs.

Kuji! We need bumpdates!


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## Kuji

*andiannajones*- OMG I'm just glad you're okay! :( I'm so so sorry that happened to you! I would have been scared to death in your shoes. Still, I'm glad you're fine and weren't injured. 

At this point, I'm more worried about you personally and wanting you to rest and de-stress a little. Ttc can wait till next month and hopefully it'll be a good one for you. :hugs:


As for me, things are finally looking up! I went to my prenatal visit and all went well! Other than my weight (which I expected), everything is perfect! I'm in great health and baby is doing well :) I even got to hear the heartbeat which I wish I would have asked what the heartbeat number was. But I was so excited and focusing on listening to my little one! It's just to nice to finally have physical proof that there's a baby in me and not just go by what a pee stick says :haha: 
I'm also scheduled to have my NT/Dating scan on the 16th! So I'm looking forward to seeing this little one. I hope everything will be fine! Fx! 

I'm also officially going back to work on the 21st. So we'll see how that goes. But I'm now back on my depression meds so hopefully it should help with some stress that might come my way.


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## PnutProtector

Oh Kuji! How awesome that you could hear little bean's heartbeat! I'm like so freaking excited for you. 

I've got good feelings about this cycle. Still not positive when O happened, but we've got our bases covered with BDing. I have been trying not to symptom spot and just relax, but i can't help it! I've been so tired all the time. I've got this weird pulling/pinching feeling in my uterus. Still have creamy CM too. AF is due sometime this weekend, so I guess we'll see.


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## andiannajones

Pnut - I'm sorry I'm slightly ignorant about it, what is Vitex? I know trying not to symptom spot is so SO hard! But I think the best thing you can possibly do for yourself is to keep yourself distracted and calm, make decaffeinated tea, go for an easy walk, watch really bad TV, etc... so much :dust: to you!! Keep up the positive thoughts!!

Kuji - Thanks for the words of encouragement! Cars can be replaced...my skull cannot :haha: Therefore, I am just still trying to be extremely positive and grateful that nothing worse happened when it so easily could have. EEEEE!!! Was hearing the heartbeat amazing?? :happydance: I bet that is so so cool. I feel like the health profession can be a little harsh when harping on weight, they tend to treat it like a catch-all provision. I know it's important and you should try to stay as healthy as possible but don't let them scare you, you know what's right for you! I also have some extra poundage ("some" might be an understatement at this point...:blush:) and I absolutely refuse to let it get me discouraged, all you can do is the best you can do and it sounds like things are going perfectly for you and your little bean! :flower:

After 3 months of waiting, bar exam results are released tomorrow at 10 a.m. so my stress level is through the roof (half of us will fail statistically, so it's hard to keep positive about it...kind of like peeing on a stick every month, you just don't want to get your hopes up!) 
On a lighter note, my OPKs are turning clearly positive! They're getting darker every day and now the lines are almost the same color! I don't know if we will have the time or inclination for BD right now, but I am very thankful that I at least appear to be ovulating right on schedule, so that's encouraging! I'm going to see if I can "convince" the DH to BD tonight just so I can stay in the game for the month, but with my stress level after the crash and with the bar exam I think relaxing and just doing whatever feels right will be better in the long run, just let whatever is gonna happen happen. November has always been my favorite month of the year anyway! 

Sorry for the novel :haha: Hope you ladies are doing well!! :dust: to Pnut and good vibes to Kuji and her bean!


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## PnutProtector

I just found out about it too, but Vitex is an all natural supplement that can help regulate hormones and encourage a better environment in the uterus for conception. It's pretty nifty and lots of ladies have had success with it. So it's worth a shot right?

With all the stress you're under right now, I think just doing what feels good is the best bet. Just try to relax and not think about everything so much. But seeing lines on OPKs is reassuring for sure! 

So. At first I thought I was totally out with my temp dip today. But it was suggested to me in my other fav thread that it could be an implantation dip!! So now I've got my hopes up once again.


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## andiannajones

Pnut - I have definitely heard of the implantation dip! You are not out until you're out. All the luck and :dust: to you!! How are you feeling?

Aaaaand.....I PASSED THE BAR EXAM! I'm a lawyer. Holy hell, that was the most ridiculous experience of my life, but I never have to do it again! :happydance:


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## PnutProtector

:yipee: That's amazing! Congratulations! :yipee: 

I'm feeling ok today. Really tired and super light, almost unnoticeable, twingey feelings in lower ab. I keep getting small gushes of water CM and think it's AF, but when I check, nothing!


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## CathiiNoo

Hi ladies! Sorry I don't really post much but I have been following. 

Pnut- FF hasn't given you cross hairs. Are you sure you're ovulating? Not trying to be negative but I can see your body at least wants to ovulate but FF is not confirming it. 

Andianna- I'm so glad you're okay! Car accidents can be scary! My mom and I were in one about two weeks ago. Her car is a total right off but glad we are okay. Congrats on passing your test and becoming a lawyer. That is such a success! 

Kuji- how's your little bean? I hope the morning sickness eases soon. Get lots of rest xx

As for me- CD7. I'm taking EPO 2000MG until O, prenatals and premular which has vitex in it. Nothing much else to report.


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## Kuji

Hearing the heartbeat was the best feeling in the world! I can't wait to hear it again in the future <3 

Weight-wise though, the nurse wasn't harsh (thankfully). I feel they will be though if I do end up putting much more weight. I'm supposed to try to not gain anymore weight. So we'll see how that goes... :dohh: I haven't been eaten more than before, I've even been eating smaller portions, but I'm worried it might be my thyroid causing the issue. But we'll see I guess. 

*andiannajones*- AHH CONGRATS! :D I'm so happy for you! :wohoo: At least the exam is finally over and you can finally be a cool lawyer! :cool:

*Pnut*- Implantation dip does exist! I had a mini one myself :D Some people's are so drastic they go under the cover line! But so long as the temp goes right back up, all is well and is a good sign! 
I'm really hoping this is your month! Fx! I personally had light cramping and twingy feelings almost all the way after ovulation and until a bit after I got my bfp! 

:dust: to you ladies! May there be more :bfp:'s soon!


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## PnutProtector

Andianna - I'm not positive that I do ovulate. FF has never given me crosshairs, but my mom had crazy charts when she tried to temp way back when. I'm trying to give my body a chance to work itself out and I'm doing what I can to help it along.

Temp dropped back down again today. Which is so confusing since last night I had to light a candle because I got so nauseated when DH heated up his pizza. UGH. And I LOVE pizza!! Also, I totally craved steamed green beans last night too. And dry mouth the past two days. So weird. I dunno what to think really.


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## andiannajones

Cathinoo - Hi girl! Thanks for the kudos! I am upset about the car, but all in all cannot possibly complain because I wasn't hurt! It's scary, but I'm just glad I'm alright. My DH rides a motorcycle to work every single day (for which I think he is an absolute crazy person), so I am particularly paranoid about traffic accidents...I'm hoping that was the last of some bad karma working itself out or something. What's EPO? (I know I should be doing more research on all of this than I am...It's just been a crazy month!)

Pnut - I don't even know what the "cross-hairs" of which you speak are! :haha:, I don't temp so I don't know anything about it really but it sounds like Cathinoo might have a better idea! That Vitex sounds like a good idea for future cycles if you miss the egg on this one. I know the wait is excruciating :coffee:. When are you due for AF (roughly)? I've read a LOT of stories where women ended up with weird pinchy/pulling feelings in their abdomen and got BFPs. FX for you!! Are you feeling more in the game this month than you were last month? 

Kuji - That is SO cool, I bet it's just mind-blowing hearing the heartbeat! Thanks for the congrats on the bar exam! I'm just so happy to actually be able to do some good in the world and fight for people's rights and all that sappy stuff! I've been watching re-runs of Daredevil and pretending I'm a super hero lawyer :haha: I know thyroid issues can be _so_ troubling and hard to work around, they make the weight SO stubborn. All I can say is that I have done a *massive* amount of research on nutrition and weight and all that (I was in ballet for many many years and was absolutely devastated when I started gaining so much weight in my 20s); what I have learned is (1) it is 90% nutrition and only about 10% exercise (if even that much), though exercise is good for your mental state for sure, especially if you do it outside (2) carbs and sugar are the devil, that is where 99% of the problems come from. The only times I have successfully lost any decent amount of weight (or maintained the weight I'm at) is by really watching my sugar intake. I'm absolutely addicted to pasta so I will never ever give it up, but clearly the whole grain versions of bread-stuffs are much better because they at least have soluble fiber (3) portion size is important and it sounds like you're nailing that one! Watch "Food Matters" on Netflix and read "Why we get fat and what to do about it" by Gary Taubes if you are interested in any of this stuff (you know me...obsessed with food documentaries! Lol). All that being said though, I know you are a responsible mom and I have the feeling that everything is going to be just fine for you and bean! I'm so excited for you and so happy you're doing so well! :hugs:

I'm on CD 17 and think I was getting positive(ish) OPKs over the past day or so (ovulating late apparently, probably due to stress). The lines on the OPKs are fading now, so I think I probably did O, but there is definitely a learning curve with these crazy things. Either way, I think I covered my bases with BD so I'm in the game for the month! Aaaand...now we wait. :blush:

How's everyone doing today?


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## PnutProtector

Haha! Sorry andianna! I meant that response for Cathi! Silly me. 

EPO is evening primrose oil. And it helps with fertile CM.


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## CathiiNoo

As Pnut said haha. I battle with EWCM so the EPO helps. You only should take it up to Ovulation then stop because it can cause mild contractions and can sometimes cause you to miscarry. Just going by what the internet says. 

Pnut- your symptoms sound promising though. When are you planning on testing? X


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## Kuji

Sorry I've been quiet-ish. I've been on my computer on and roaming around online but it's hard to get into the mood to type a lot lately :haha: My mom's friend hired me to do some banner work on his site so I've been pretty busy! I can't complain though because $300 cash for 10 banners works for me! 

*CathiiNoo*- My bean is doing great :) I have high hopes right now since I got this far and everything is fine. I sometimes think I'm feeling it moving around but I'm trying not to get my hopes up since maybe it's just gas? :haha: I don't even know. I've of course never had a baby before and it being my first pregnancy, I can't be sure what feeling is just my body or my baby. I'm sure I'll figure it out on the way though! 

*andiannajones*- I definitely plan to go back to the gym once I get on Maternity leave. With my night shift job, it's hard to do anything! I loved going to the gym and definitely want to go back! As for food, God is it hard! I'm an addict, I won't even lie. It's gotten a lot better though recently so I can't complain too much. Especially with food portions being lowered which is great! 
I'll figure it out! :haha: For now I can't do much anyway other than try to eat as right as possible.

*Pnut*- I'm also curious on when you'll test :D Your symptoms sound really promising!


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## PnutProtector

Congrats on the side job Kuji! That will help with baby things!


I started spotting today. Same kind as last cycle two days before AF. So I think I&#8217;m out. Especially with the temp staying low and all. I did get a box of CVS OPKs and a bottle of Vitex while we were out today. So I&#8217;m prepared for this next cycle.


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## CathiiNoo

Kuji- your bean isnt a bean anymore. It's the size of a passion fruit haha. I'm so glad everything is going good and baby is healthy. Maybe he/she is snuggling in tight hence the feeling of movement. My friend said she thought she could feel her baby move at 16 weeks so you aren't far off.

Pnut- sorry that you've started spotting. I really hope the next cycle is it for you xx


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## PnutProtector

Well. Didn't spot again the rest of the day Sunday and nothing at all until a tiny bit of brownish pink on the Tp this morning, but nothing the rest of the day. Still got loads of creamy CM though. :shrug:


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## andiannajones

Hi ladies!

Pnut- How are you doing my dear? Any news from your end? :flower:

Kuji - I hear ya! Work scheduling _always_ made getting to the gym a nightmare for me and I never wanted to do it. It's awesome that you enjoy it, more power to you! :haha: How are things with you and (Kiwi?...so crazy...not a bean anymore!)

I'm on about 7-10 dpo I think. OPKs never really turned totally positive, I think I might have either missed the surge, or I actually caught the tail end of ovulation with the OPKs and had already O'd when I was "on vacation" (/totaling my car) that weekend. The punchline is I have *no* idea if I'm in the game for the month or not :shrug:, and to be totally honest, I think that's been great because I haven't been stressing out about it.
Last night I was having these really weird, dull cramps (throbbings?), not exactly painful...just odd, right above my pubic bone (which is strange, it's not like in my uterine or ovary area, so it's wildly confusing) and my BBs are sore (though that is normal for pre-af for me); anyway, that caused me to look up the dates of suspected O and BDing and such and I realized that I'm due for AF in about 5 days (the 21st) and if the past 3 cycles are any indication, I should have started spotting by now...so I'm (very _very_ cautiously) optimistic that this month might be a good one for me. Of course, as soon as I type this I will probably start spotting, but I'm definitely just trying not to overthink things because I'm sick of doing weird math and overthinking every possible sensation/thing. My goal is to hit Friday next week and go "oh wait...where is af?", that's my hope anyway. I'm getting sworn in at the Louisiana Supreme Court next thursday and I have two 12-hour days of training before that, so I have plenty to be keeping myself distracted. :thumbup:


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## Kuji

Things are great! :cloud9: I got my NT scan done! Baby was a bit of a stubborn one but I was able to see her/him through a vaginal ultrasound(the belly was just not happening). But she/he wouldn't and refused to go on her/his side other than once! So the doctor could only get one measurement done instead of 2-3 like he usually prefers. But otherwise, she/he looks perfect, no suspicions of anything wrong and she/he is up to date size wise! 

I love her/him already! And it was amazing to see her/him wiggling around! :blush: I couldn't be happier! Hopefully my blood tests on Monday will also bring good results. 

As for you though, *andiannajones*, you're definitely still in the game until af arrives! Although hopefully she won't :haha: We'll see. No matter what, it's fine. I know you had a stressful month so ttc is not exactly a priority when that's the case. 

Good luck on your training though! :D I hope it goes well! Definitely keep distracted and busy, it could help!
 



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## PnutProtector

Oh wow! How exciting Andianna! FX this is your cycle and we see a BFP next week!

OMG Kuji!! What a lovely scan! How amazing it must be to see baby like that! 


As for me&#8230; I have zero idea what the heck is going on in my body right now. I&#8217;m definitely late, currently CD39, but only had random days of spotting. And it&#8217;s only when I wipe. Light pink the first two times and brownish today. I took a test Thursday, CD37, and it was negative. I guess we&#8217;ll see what the weekend brings.


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## andiannajones

Okay, I know I know...it's super early (10 dpo?) but...can ya'll see the lines? I swear they are both there (just one is really light, though it is definitely pink...); Am I going crazy? :shrug: If I am just seeing things, well then I'm officially nuts :haha:, If I'm not just seeing things...then...what do I do??? lol. I'm a worrier, so I'm like "maybe this is just a chemical pregnancy?"...I'm trying to be optimistic, it's just wildly hard when the line is that faint (if it's there at all). Help me out here ladies, I'm going batty over here. 


[URL=https://s683.photobucket.com/user/andiannajones/media/IMG_1549-1_zpstkzcqmdg.jpg.html][IMG]https://i683.photobucket.com/albums/vv195/andiannajones/IMG_1549-1_zpstkzcqmdg.jpg[/URL][/IMG]
[URL=https://s683.photobucket.com/user/andiannajones/media/IMG_1548_zpspv6e0hq5.jpg.html][IMG]https://i683.photobucket.com/albums/vv195/andiannajones/IMG_1548_zpspv6e0hq5.jpg[/URL][/IMG]


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## Kuji

OMG! No, trust me, that is clear as day and pink! Omg, I just... I can't! I'm super excited and happy for you!!!

10dpo is still very early but a common time to start getting lines! Congrats! Definitely keep testing at least every 48 hours and there should be a nice progression! :D 

Sorry, I'm having a hard time keeping in my excitement! I've been hoping you'd get your bfp since the start and it looks like it's finally it!!! :happydance:


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## andiannajones

Thanks Kuji!! You are clearly in agreement with the other POAS checker ladies on that thread (I saw you posted for me there too!) :flower:
I'm tentatively very excited...BUT...I took a Clear Blue Digital with FMU today and it said "not pregnant". :growlmad:. Nonetheless, I have read (cue obsessive googling) that many women who are in fact pregnant have gotten a BFP on FRER and a BFN on clear blue because the clear blues are just not as sensitive. I have a few wondfos left and will probably buy another FRER pack tonight and see how things progress through the week. At this point I'm just hoping against hope that the lines get darker and that it's not a chemical. :wacko:
Either way, it's super encouraging that it appears that I _can_ get pregnant...so, fingers crossed for me! 
How are you holding up with kiwi? :haha:


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## CathiiNoo

Clear as day! Congratulations sweetie! Super excited for you xxx


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## Kuji

Yeah, clearblue digis aren't as sensitive. I think the most sensitive one they have is the week indicator one however last I checked, they're off the shelves right now for a stupid reason. So I'd wait a few more days and it should definitely say "Pregnant"! 

Definitely get more frers! I would love to see how things progress! I'm sure things will be fine so don't worry. :) 

And I know what you mean! Even I was worried that I might have problems getting pregnant after 3 months of trying and nothing. I know 3 months isn't long, but when you have depression and anxiety, you always assume the worse! 

Oh we're fine. :) Symptoms have been dying down (THANK GOD). Breasts haven't been sore in a few weeks, nipples still are a tad but I can work with that! Nausea is better but I have to be careful and make sure I eat often. An empty stomach often leads to vomiting. :wacko: And tiredness wise, I still get intense sleepy at times but a lot less at random times of the day! Usually closer to bed time! :haha: 
I think with things dying off like that, it's clear to say that the placenta FINALLY took over so the hormones could lower and give me a break! :thumbup:

Do you have any symptoms at all? Before and after I got my bfp, I was having lots of cramping, sore breasts and sleepiness. It's normal if you don't though, so no worries :)


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## andiannajones

Hi! 

As you can see...I finally got a positive on a digital! :bfp: :happydance:

I guess now I call my doc and see what they want me to do (I've read that sometimes they don't see you for a week...just kill me now! lol). As far as symptoms go, the biggest one was that I always _always_ spot before af and this cycle I didn't spot at all (that's what made me test originally). My boobs are really *really* sore (which I usually get before af, but this is way more intense) and I've gotten some sharp-stabbing pains in my pelvic region (of course, this is the symptom that has me the most nervous because it's localized to one side...I'm hoping it was just implantation and not an ectopic...cue incessant worrying). I am noticeably fatigued, but am kind of used to that from law school, so I'm sure I'll pull through :haha:. 
My DH (as predicted) is less than thrilled actually, which makes things kind of difficult on me. He's not going anywhere, and I know he'll eventually come around, but my family is 1200 miles away and it would be nice to feel a little more supported from him. I have friends who had similar reactions from their SOs and they said that, eventually, men soften up about it...it just takes them longer. I mean, we've been having unprotected BD for 3 months, what did he think was gonna happen? :dohh:
Good news on your symptoms easing up!! The placenta is responsible for the lessening of the symptoms huh? I bought *the* book ("what to expect when you're expecting") and, nerd that I am, will probably have read it cover to cover in a few days, so hopefully I can stop asking ridiculous questions! :blush: It's really good to know that the boob pain eventually lessens up a bit, cause...wow. lol. 
I'll keep you guys updated! Fingers crossed for me (my super hero alter-ego would definitely be "anxiety girl").


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## Kuji

I'm crazy happy for you! :dance: There's nothing more official than a digi! Congrats!

It seems that US doctors see their patients much sooner. It makes me jealous! I didn't even see my doctor until I was 10+6 weeks along. :( Canadian doctors don't usually see any patients until they're minimum 10 weeks unless there were previous issues. 

I actually very much know about the pelvic pain from one side! I was having them a lot on my left side but they weren't intense and no bleeding so I managed to convince myself that it was fine, I still worried though :haha: So I wouldn't worry about it unless it got bad and there was bleeding present. Plus my us was able to show me that baby is definitely properly nestled in my uterus! :) 

Is he upset about it or just worried? From what I understand, you two were ttc so it's only normal that you'd eventually get pregnant haha! My own SO was very nervous and scared but now he's really excited about being a dad :) 

I actually spoke too soon on my symptoms UGH :dohh: But I guess it's normal to have a day or two or random horribleness. I first had problems sleeping, then I woke up feeling a little nauseous. I ate some grilled cheese and took my medicine/vitamins, only to throw up a few hours later :( I eventually managed to eat a few sliced peaches and then went to bed to rest, just feeling nauseous and miserable, close to throwing up. I thankfully didn't though. So now I'm here, eating some tomato soup and crackers, hoping the nausea subsides soon. First night of work is tonight though so I'm hoping I feel better by tonight. 

And no worries about the questions! :haha: I actually don't have a pregnancy book but I wish I had one. I should see if my sister still has hers so I could read it :D For now, I just kind of go with the flow and if I don't know something, I research. But yeah, any bad symptoms should definitely lessen around 12-13 weeks when you're borderline at the second trimester (starts at week 14) :D 

Fx for sure!!! <3 You got this!


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## andiannajones

I actually thought I would get in sooner than I will...so I guess our medical systems aren't that far off from one another. They wanted to wait until at least 8 weeks to do the scan, so they have me booked for November 12th for an ultrasound/first pre-natal appointment. How I'm not supposed to freak out in that time is beyond me. :shrug:
It's so good to know you had those shooting pains on the left side too! I'm sure it's nothing, I'm just an anxious person by nature. Trying to remain super positive. 
DH is, I think just more worried than anything. He has never really been excited by the idea of children and just sort of acquiesced to me wanting them so badly and agreed to "see what happens"...well, _this_ is what happens. Lol. I know that the timing is concerning for him because I'm job hunting and you *know* that law-firms will just not hire a pregnant lady (and will fire them once it becomes apparent). It's illegal and it's a crappy thing to do...but I'm in the deep South and it just doesn't matter, that's the reality of it and we have to deal with that. I *do* have a job offer from one of the criminal defense lawyers I've been working with for 3 years that would start in January of 2016; it's not a ton of money, but with DH's income + this job I think we would make it fairly comfortably. When DH gets home from work today I have to (1) tell him it is definitely true that I'm pregnant (and wait for him to freak out) and (2) probably accept that job offer right away. At least with that offer I know the guy and we get along, plus I wouldn't start working until my second trimester, so hopefully the nausea etc...would be mostly out of the way. There are no benefits with that job but I don't think he would be in a position to fire me (though I have no idea when/how to tell him). It's all very confusing. :wacko: We'll see how DH reacts tonight, I'm just afraid it won't be extremely well. 
Have you found anything that helps with the nausea (or things that definitely make it worse that you can avoid?); I know going back to work is going to be stressful for you, but I know you can do it! Just breathe and don't take unnecessary crap off of anyone! :haha: If you have anything you want me to look up in my magical book of wonder just let me know! :thumbup:
I'll keep ya'll posted, hope you're doing well.


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## Kuji

Sorry I've been quiet. I went back to work and have just been really exhausted. I wanted to write something but it was always so hard to even think properly! :haha: I miss staying home all the time. Oh well, I just have to tough out work until April. 

I know it feels like a long time but it'll surely pass by quickly! November 12th is sooner than you think! I have my second appointment on the 10th :D 

I see. It makes sense. My own SO was worried too but it soon passed as things got more real for him. I'm sure your DH will get happy soon enough. I mean, there's still lots of time until the baby comes! For now, I'm thinking accepting the job might be the best option for now. Worse comes to worse, you get something else sometime after baby is born (depending on how much time you want to take off after its born). At least it'll be something stable for the meantime and it's still money. 

How did he react after you told him, by the way? 

So far, not much. But last night it calmed down a lot. I only felt nauseous once or twice and it was nothing major. I still feel pretty okay right now. I guess I'm see how it lasts! Fx it lasts longer than a few days!


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## andiannajones

Hi Kuji!

Is working exhausting you to no end? (I'm soooo tired all the time I'm actually kind of glad I'm unemployed at the moment :haha:). How much maternity leave do you get/when are you going to stop working before baby?
I think it's still sinking in for DH, but he's taking it reasonably well; I don't think pregnancy becomes "real" for men as quickly as it does for us because we can actually feel it and whatnot. I talked to my "boss" (the guy I've been working with and have an offer from) because I didn't want to blind-side him by accepting an offer and then being all: "by the way, I need off for two months in not very long...", he was really understanding of it and said it's not a problem (thank God), so I'm still waiting on other offers from a few maritime law firms, but at least I have a guaranteed job if nothing else. 
I'm not extremely symptomatic, but I have noticed that (1) if I don't eat something right away when I wake up, I am uncomfortably hungry immediately and (2) if I stand up too fast, I get tugging, shooting pains in my uterus; I really need to watch this one, I tend to do things at a ridiculous pace and need to remind myself to take things a little slower/easier so I don't injure something (3) I'm really tired all the time, but it's not unbearable. 
Speaking of starving all the time...I'm off to make lunch :winkwink:
How are you doing?


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## Kuji

Hi andianna! :) 

It is! I have a physical job so it's been tough. I'm always super exhausted after my shift and end up sleeping not long after. I'm probably going to take my whole year off work. I'll only get 55% of my usual pay but with the 3 baby checks I get from the government and province, it almost makes up the rest of what my pay would be, so it's workable. 

Yeah, it seems to take a while. I think it became mostly real for SO when he heard the heartbeat. And when he saw baby, there was no denying it at all! :haha: 

I'm glad your possible "boss" is very understanding about it :) So that's good and at least something! Good luck and hopefully you get answers from other law firms soon! 

Your (1) is something I can relate. And if I delay eating too long, I can end up vomiting. So definitely eat soon so you can avoid possibly throwing up. It's so much worse when you have no food in your stomach in my opinion! :wacko:

(2) and (3), completely normal :) Just take it easy when you can and take naps! They feel amazing. 

I'm fine. Definitely doing a lot better. Hoping it actually stays that way for a long while. Officially in the second trimester too :D I'm super excited about that! 
I find that due to work, I'm so exhausted and sleep way too much. I went to bed around 9am ish yesterday and woke up at 10:30 pm... I had to get up to pee a lot in the middle, but still, I thought that was crazy!


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## andiannajones

Hi! Sorry for the somewhat long absence, things have been crazy down here in the swamp. :haha:
That's really awesome that you get paid for taking a year off *and* get government checks! We don't get any paid maternity leave and no money from the local or state governments :growlmad:. Therefore, I will have to go back to work no later than 6 weeks after giving birth; which is really upsetting because trying to find reliable daycare for an infant is terrifying and it also, on average, costs more than rent/mortgage per month. *Sigh*. There's nothing I can do about it though, I just hope I can find some reliable people to watch the baby and that we can somehow afford it. 
I'm quite nauseous most of the time, but generally not throwing up (thank God). All I seem to eat is toast! It's ridiculous. I'm still sleepy most of the time, but work is keeping me distracted for the moment, I'm like you though...I pretty much crash as soon as I get home, I'm constantly telling DH "It's 9 p.m., that's a reasonable time to go to bed right?" which is hilarious because prior to pregnancy I couldn't get to bed before midnight no matter what I did. My first Pre-natal appointment and Ultrasound is in a week, if I'm where I think I am, I'll be just starting week 8. I'm excited but, as an anxious person in general, quite nervous at the same time, just hope things are going well and bean is healthy. 
How are you holding up with everything and when is your due date again? :flower:


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## Kuji

That's fine, I figured you were busy and would get back to us when you could :) 

Yeah I heard the US isn't so great with maternity leave... I just think it's stupid :( We don't get a lot of money, but at least we still have the option to stay home a year. If I remember correctly, if you decide to only be gone 6-9 months, you get 70% of your usual pay. But I rather take my whole year and just enjoy my baby, even if it's only 55% of my usual pay. 
I definitely hope you can find someone. Is there any family you could ask to watch the baby while you're at work? And even if you have to pay them, I'm sure they would ask for a lot less than a daycare. 

I ate a lot of bread in the beginning myself, although now I have the hardest time stomaching it! My stomach is complicated! :haha: I'm definitely happy you're not throwing up (yet, although hopefully you won't at all!), because it just makes you so miserable OTL Nausea isn't fun but a lot more tolerable! 

I'm sure your bean is perfect and things will be great! I definitely can't wait to hear how your appointment goes :D 
My second appointment is coming up on the 10th and I'm hoping I'll be allowed to listen to the heartbeat again, just so I can feel a little better. :haha: I also have my anatomy/gender scan booked for December 16th! I'm so excited!!! AHH! I wish it could come faster! Healthy baby is #1 priority however, still, fx for a girl haha! 

I've been alright. Nausea comes here and there, stomach sometimes gets weird. But I haven't thrown up in a long while and I'm hoping it stays that way. I had a bad toothache however my dentist patched up my cavity real quick so I feel much better! Generally I feel fine (finally!). 
My due date is April 26th! When would yours be?


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