26 no children 1st month ttc any tips for a newbie

[KateH]

Hey everyone! New to the group I'm 26 and this cycle is my first ttc! I have no children and got my birth control taken out nov 30th. I should be 7 DPO according to my ovulation positive this month. Wanting to test so bad but honestly havent felt any symptoms besides cramping and some other small things but also been trying my best to not look for signs and get my hopes up. I've read some of this thread and my heart goes out to everyone waiting. Its crazy how long some have to go through this! Wishing everyone their positive soon! Also would love any advice for someone new stepping into this journey

 

[Hoping4numbr3]

Hi there! Welcome. I am on pregnancy #4. We were unsure if we should go for #4 or not right now since I am only almost 8 months postpartum. As soon as I saw that an OPK turned dark positive we decided to leave it up to God and not prevent. Soooo here we are. It is pretty awesome. This will be my last. Both pregnancy 3 and now 4 I didn't have to many symptoms in the tww. Just a weird cramp in right butt cheek. Mild sore throat and stuffy nose that passed after 2 days. Fluttering bubbles feeling in uterus that does NOT feel like gas. I am rooting for you! Hope you get that BFP!

 

[Pineberry]

Hi and welcome @KateH good to have you here!

Hmm, not sure I have any mind-blowing tips when it comes to TTC. But some things that come to mind are:

- Taking a pre-natal or Vitamin B complex that includes at least 400mg of folic acid

- Making sure to include a lot of healthy fats (fish, olive oils, avocado, nuts, seeds etc.) in your diet and just eating healthy in general

- Making sure to not just have sex on ovulation day but the 1-2 days before, too... O-1 and O-2 have the highest chances of leading to pregnancy

- Keeping an eye on your CM (cervical mucus) when you enter your fertile week. The more it resembles raw egg-whites and the more far it can stretch between your fingers without breaking, the more fertile you are. Last days of EWCM is usually O day. (Though not all women get EWCM, some experience just more of a wet discharge rather than eggwhite cm)

- Noooo testing before 9DPO at the very least hahah! Testing before that will more than likely just be a waste of a test strip, and lead to disappointment because it's unlikely to be positive at that point even if pregnant

- Being realistic about expectations. We all know a woman or two that were unicorns and got pregnant on their first cycle trying, but conceiving on the first cycle is actually pretty rare.

Here is a really cool website that tells you the statistics regarding the likelihood of receiving a positive test depending on what DPO you are:

Pregnancy test results by day past ovulation - Countdown to pregnancy

That same website also has statistics of symptoms by DPO! I recommend.

I wish you the best of luck on your journey

 

[autumnal]

Welcome Kate and good luck, hope you aren’t ttc long

 

[HLx]

Hi there! I think the best ttc method for ke was to just relax! Cliche I know, my first two were conceived on the pill, but my 3rd took 4 cycles, each month with him I got so worked up thinking I spotted all these pregnancy symptoms when in fact I wasnt. The month that I had no symptoms (except raging heart burn) and I didn't use any OPKS that month, was the month i found out I was pregnant! So for me atleast it happens when you least expect it!

The only thing i would say is to take folic acid each day, apart from that, dont change too much, the happier you are the better x

 

[Bevziibubble]

Welcome to BabyandBump and good luck!

 

[Joannaxoxo]

Welcome KateH.

I definitely want to reiterate some of the things that Pineberry suggested.

1. Start taking your prenatal vitamin now (if you haven't already). It will also help to get those eggs to mature properly.
2. I'd suggest doing the deed every other day during your fertile week, or every day if you can manage it.
3. Start looking at your cervical mucus and watching out for egg white or watery, this will tell you that you are fertile. It takes a few months to get good at this. We are trying for our 3rd but it still took me 2-3 months to get good at this after so many years since our 2nd was born.
4. Relax, and try not to symptom spot. Remember, the average healthy couple only have a 20% change to get pregnant each month. So if it doesn't work out the first couple months don't panic.
5. If it helps you to learn about your cycles and pinpoint ovulation you can learn about Basal Body Temperature (BBT), where you take your temperature every morning and see a trend in your cycle. I do this rather than purchasing ovulation predictor kits (OPKs). I also suggest trying the Fertility Friend App if you decide to do your BBT as it will predict your ovulation day. It has been spot on for me each month compared to other apps I have tried.

Good luck and congratulations, it's such an exciting time!

 

[KateH]

Thanks everyone! I I appreciate the advice! I started on the prenatal vitamin the day after I got my birth control out (last day in November) so December 1st 2019, been taking it everyday since I know I've read it is best to take it 3 months before trying but I hope a month and a half is better than nothing!

Plus like everyone is saying so rare to have it happen first cycle. I used the digital opks test this month and according it I ovulated the night of the 12th. We only baby danced the 8th the 10th and the 12th maybe the 13th too but I didnt know much about ovulation and timing (TBH at the time didnt even know if I was going the testing right since I never have). However the night of the 12th I got my solid smiley face.

Since then I've been listening, watching videos from others on how things went to them, advice, and just taking it all in for next cycle. I guess I would be 8 or 9 dpo thinking of testing tomorrow or Wednesday for the first time just to see! Im not much paying attention to symptoms I mean I've had some things but idk. I'm trying to just play it cool and be relaxed but it's so hard because it's so exciting! Cant wait to go along the journey and try to let things play out how they are supposed to!
Thanks everyone

 

[Nikie]

Actually, same as above! I spent two months using OPKs and tracking....then I decided to take a month off because it’s my sisters wedding next year and if we got pregnant the due date would be right at the time of her wedding. It was also our first wedding anniversary so we went away and grandparents had our daughter overnight....we did the deed that night - two days after my app said I was due to ovulate - and bam...BFP! Waiting until we are further on before breaking the news to my sister....!!!