Ttc number 3 :)

[Katy78]

spunky, it's really great that your DH is so eager to have another one. My OH was actually the one who suggested we tried again but said later that he was surprised I immediately went for it. I secretly wanted one more but didn't want to start the subject. We always said we would only have two. I'm pretty sure we would if we had at least one girl. I always wanted a girl but wouldn't trade my boys for anything in the world. I'm actually fine with having another boy but OH is afraid he'll eventually regret deciding for another one in that case (due to potential financial difficulties, etc.). I know he'll love him just the same.

Pregnancy and eating...
I was lucky, I only gained about 9 kilos in both pregnancies and lost it shortly after birth. I don't remember craving for anything extra in my first pregnancy, maybe I ate slightly more but only as much as the baby needed I guess. I had gestational diabetes with my second son though and it was quite a struggle. My biggest problem was that I wasn't allowed to eat fruit because it increased my blood sugar. I was actually happy when they put me on insuline because I was able to eat at least some.

I've never used lube except both times after giving birth because I was a bit dry for a while. But that was only Durex lube and we only applied a bit at the entrance.

I'm 3 dpo, I have a feeling time will pass quickly this time as we have holidays on Monday and Tuesday next week and weekends pass too quickly anyway. AF is due next Saturday/Sunday, I'll be testing on Monday AF doesn't come first.

 

[spunky84]

I'll respond later once i get home as class is about to start up again and I'm on my phone.

Today is CD 37 (as far as i know as I'm guessing last week wasn't AF). negative opk last night. I did my microscope again yesterday and had some ferning, but less that first but it may have been a different amount of saliva. I don't know if the first was full ferning for me or not, but definitely the most and I've had.

First this morning had nothing, but i also have to usually give a lot of time for drying, and i didn't for that. I wiped it off sms did it again but won't be able to check until this afternoon. So we'll see. Negative opk this morning, but will check again when i get home.

CP high, soft, open with what I'm assuming is watery cm. BD last night with pre seed (ran to the pharmacy for some). No ovulation yesterday. Temp dropped a bit, but i don't know if that's from being up for about 15 min at 3:30 and temping at 5:30 (temps seem to be lower with interrupted or less than 3 hours of sleep). I'm hoping by the end of next week.

A lot of cramps this morning (lower for the most part). A bit of twinges right and left side on and off different times.

 

[baileybubs]

Hi ladies

Sorry I've been MIA, AF finally showed and then I got a stomach bug! For a day or two I was in denial and didn't think it was heavy enough and because I was sick I was trying to convince myself it was MS! My bbs are still sore but AF has been here for 3 days now so it's not just spotting.
Anyway so onward for the next cycle and we aren't gonna skip it like I originally planned hehe! But I'm going to take it a little easier and limit the symptom spotting. I also promise not to test until AF is late!

Gypsy - I'm focusing on healthy eating and lifestyle too now. It's great that you are drinking all the water, do you have any tips on making sure you do? Im useless at it! How long does your AF usually last as you seem to have had it for a few days now. Can I ask why you aren't drinking coffee? I know it's not good during pregnancy but does it have an effect on conceiving too? To be honest I need to cut mine down again and might go back to my green teas and decaf.
Money stress is always so hard Hun, I always try and tell myself it will work itself out. We are currently mega skint after the wedding and behind in nursery fees but thankfully it's pay day on Monday. We need to knuckle down a bit especially as we are TTC.

Katy will you be symptom spotting? When will you test? I hope the TWW goes quickly for you! It's great that your DH suggested trying for another, mine sort of hinted at it after we got married but he was well aware that I wanted another. He originally told me he wasn't sure so I was trying to forget it but I think he was just insecure.

cnsweeney any sign of that solid opk yet Hun? It must be so frustrating when trying to use the shettles method and not getting that positive opk yet! Do your ic opks tend to go really dark? Got my fxd for you. And I definitely think infections and stress from your daughter being ill could delay O.

Spunky I used preseed when TTC dd and it is how cnsweeney described, you have a little applicator tube (like a kids medicine syringe you get with calpol) and you inject it inside yourself to create a more friendly medium for the sperm to travel through. And yes do only use a quarter of what is stated otherwise it is very very messy! I may use it again after Christmas if we haven't gotten pg by then.
I don't know much about ferning or CP but those opks are looking good. Mine never go dark really so to me I'd say they were nearly there! Hope you catch that eggy

Gaining weight in pregnancy, well I was overweight with both of mine last time and gained too much (not a massive amount) but I used pregnancy as an excuse to eat for two! This time I'm hoping to be better and am currently on slimming world so hope to continue. I'm about a stone away from my target so maybe not being pregnant this month is good as it means I can lose more in preparation for a healthy pregnancy.

Monkers - any more news? Was the backache a good sign? I have backache most of the time due to arthritis so I never know if it's a sign or not but I'd say lower back pain can be linked to early pregnancy.

 

[cnsweeney]

Katy - fingers crossed this is your sticky bean month ! hope the tww flies by for you !
Gypsy - thank you , I hope you're right and it's just my body delaying it. I just thought it was weird because I've been under way more stress than this in the past and have always ovulated . I'm actually more relaxed now than ever . But maybe it's just the physical illnesses in my house causing the dilemma
Bailey - nothing yet cd15 with another negative opk this morning , still no ewcm (it's been creamy for a few days) , & no rise in temp . I'm hoping it comes by at least cd18 or so . I'm just used to it happening on cd14 or sooner so I'm just being paranoid lol.

 

[cnsweeney]

Bailey - also meant to say sorry you had that nasty tummy bug ! Those are the worst ! Hope your little doesn't get it ! Also sorry AF came but there's always something relieving about a fresh new month when we don't get our bfp's. Fingers crossed and prayers this is your month !

 

[baileybubs]

Fxd that positive opk is round the corner for you cnsweeney! Have you ever had longer cycles before? Mine changed after I had my dd to 32-35 day cycles.
Have you been feeling O pains?

 

[cnsweeney]

Bailey - I've never really gotten O pains and if I did maybe I just didnt think anything of them at the time haha . I've only been off bc now for 3 months and they have steadily gotten longer . 22 days , 23 days , and 28 days .. I figured 28 would be the longest and my body was just getting back to normal because my cycles have always been 28 days even off birth control and in between children .but maybe this ones longer . Hmm. I learned not to use FMU with my first response opk's because they are white as can be and negative lol . I read afternoon is best . So I took a pic of cd 13, cd14, and today cd 15 afternoon opk's .. is it just me or are these getting darker? I'm starting to develop line eye Lol cm is still creamy but getting heavier .. hoping it changes to ewcm soon . That's the main thing I'm keep a lookout for as I've had very heavy ewcm the past few months around O

 

[cnsweeney]

Also, here's my chart .. showing a major dip but def. no confirmed O yet .. so either I'm still waiting or this is an anovulatory cycle.

 

[spunky84]

cnsweeney: I ended up getting some pre-seed ($24 + tax ) last night just in case O is around the corner without much in the way of cm. I ended up using the amount they said which definitely seemed like too much. We ended up BDing last night, so hopefully! I'm really excited to hear about how the swaying goes for you. I feel like it's probably too late for me to try, if I even O (if I do I'm thinking it's probably right around the corner, so probably way too late lol but that's okay though as if we still do end up trying in a couple of years, I'd be interested in giving it a try.

I'm not sure if being sick can delay it or not. I was actually wondering the same thing since I've been pretty much sick for the last 2 months (mostly a cough, but my sinuses started acting up Wednesday). I believe stress can delay it though. I'm pretty sure that's how I ended up conceiving DD. The last few weeks before our wedding was very stressful (besides just wedding stuff - our cat was pretty sick), and I figured I had ovulated before the wedding as I had 32 day cycles and didn't ovulate until about CD 24, and I think I was supposed to before that, but didn't actually until after the fact. Honestly, it makes me wonder if that's half my problem now: stress.

I really hope you get your positive opk soon! The bottom definitely looks darker than the first two.

Gypsy: Thanks! Yay, so only 1 week and then you're totally done? That's exciting! Are you going for education? How have you been managing the stress of it all? I really feel like I need to find a way to manage the stress. I'm already stressed about next semester as they told us what our schedule will be so people can plan work schedules ahead if needed. I'm glad you're not getting the pain anymore! I can't imagine how hard that has had to of been on you.

Katy: I think a lot of it could just be fear of not knowing what to expect and if you'll be able to do it. A big thing for DH is that he can't handle change. He's fine once it's happened and he realizes that's it's going to be just fine, but it's the anticipation of the unkown, I think. He was like that with a lot more than just having kids. He was that way with me quitting my job for school, buying a house, etc.

It sounds like it could be a lot about the uncertainty of knowing you have another to provide for. I'm afraid DH will regret it if we have another, but I also know how scared he was about our first 2 and how much he loves them.

I was actually a little scared when I found out we were having a boy. I just kept saying "I know how to take care of a girl because I am one, but I don't know how to take care of a boy!'

Was that a hard adjustment for you when you were diagnosed with the gestational diabetes? My eating is definitely worse with stress and exhaustion. I actually started both pregnancies out eating well, but it didn't last long. I still tried to do the best I could throughout, but it was very hard. With DD, for some reason I thought the nausea would go away with eating lol Then with DS I thought I was having a miscarriage or had a blighted ovum (I didn't really know what would all indicate it though). I started spotting and found that CP was low, firm, and what I thought was open. Had a couple of betas done and was over 23,000 by 6+1. They still wanted to do a scan and only saw an empty sac measuring a few days behind (which made me freak out because I had read that levels over 11,000 should show a yolk sac, fetal pole, and a heart beat). I had to wait another 10 days for another scan to see if it was viable, and that time period just killed me. I pretty much just cried and turned to comfort food. After I found out he was right on track, I went back to eating better, but I still wasn't handling stress and emotions the best I could be. I feel more confident that I'd do better this time around.

Keeping fx! i hope the wait goes by quickly for you!

bailey: sorry about AF and the bug I hope you're feeling better now and that you have luck this cycle! I feel like symptom spotting can make it more taxing. I can't remember if you mentioned already, so sorry if you did, but how long are your cycles?

I found out the hard way last night about how messy it is lol DH had a look on his face when he saw it was just like "um, you need to go get a towel before you use this..." I don't know why, but I was telling him about pre-seed in the car, and he was so grossed out for some reason. Not sure if it's the way I was explaining it or what, but the look on his face was comical

I'm still overweight which I'm sure is part of my problem now with my cycle, but my weight is doing better as I've gotten better about eating. I've pretty much maintained, but I feel like that's at least the first step compared to yo yoing. Is slimming world expensive? I'm pretty much doing counseling now and trying to rewire my food thought processes, but I've still been making a lot better food choices and portions. My metabolism is absolutely shot, so my main focus is just try to eat healthier and the rest will start to follow.

How do you track your food?

monkers: Hope you're doing well

 

[spunky84]

I'm starting to think that all of my other opks were still negative, even if just a smidge off.

I took an opk when I got home before I had to go to my appointment, and I think (only think!) I might have gotten my first official / actual positive opk. None of the ones I've taken before have been this dark, but who knows! I still marked positive on the other ones on my chart to be safe.

Still cramping on and off. Kind of all over, but not all over at the same time. Sometimes they're more twingy on the right, and then later on the left (and kind of back and forth). Then other times it seems more AF crampy down a little lower. While I'm happy about this afternoon's opk, I'm trying not to get my hopes up, especially with the cramping.

I never did call my midwife. This week was just kind of awful. I'm wondering if the bleed that I had was a breakthrough bleed from an anovulatory cycle? If it was, I'm not sure if this should be considered a new cycle. If so, then today would be CD 9. Otherwise I'm on CD 37.

I'm honestly wondering if I have low progesterone levels based on what I've been reading. I want to call and ask about getting my levels checked, but I'm silly enough to be afraid they'll just say no.

 

[spunky84]

Ok so what I'm guessing positive opk at 12:30 today. Didn't drink much and held it, and then tested again at 4:30 and negative. Still dark, but definitely lighter than the control.

Could the 12:30 when a false result? Or did i not test far enough apart to let it build up? Is there a chance i could still ovulate? Sex drive still really high today.

 

[cnsweeney]

Spunky - I'm having the same issue! The darker opk I took earlier I followed with another opk this evening and it was a little lighter . So annoying but I'm thinking it's because the second one was more diluted than the first I guess . I'll try again tmw afternoon and see .do you temp as well? That will be one way to tell if you O'd .

 

[Gypsy99]

baileybubs Really quick reply. but with water intake, drinking one glass before you eat - I'm talking as soon as you get up - is good, and making sure you have a glass before bed is also really good. That's two glasses already so a great start! Then I have a tea around 9am, and continue during breaks and before eating to try and have a glass each time.

AF is finished today. Time for some bding!!! always miss it so much lol

 

[Gypsy99]

Spunky from your symptoms I was going to say that things are looking like bd time. Great that you have a positive OPK though.

I'm just in my first year at college so it is nearly over now! Awaiting acceptance into next year with better planning so hopefully not as much stress next year. I'm so tired and can't think of anything worse than another two years like this.

 

[cnsweeney]

Ladies ! So after doing some research I learned that vitamin B6 can delay ovulation ! Guess who started taking B6 this month ? This girl! lol I started taking prenatals this month which contain 104% b6. B6 decreases estrogen which is necessary for O . Some women had a couple weeks delay & stopped the b6 and got O a couple days later so I'm not taking it tonight or until after O . We shall see !

 

[Gypsy99]

Oh that is interesting! I didn't know that. Good to know. Thanks

 

[spunky84]

Cns: that's very interesting about b6! I never knew that! Hopefully you'll O soon. Hopefully it won't take long after stopping. Hopefully it'll be sooner than a couple days. I think mine Mai have been dilution. I had a very nice positive at 6.5 hours later.

Gypsy: I'm really praying this is it. I'm scared to get my hopes up, but it really seems like it is. Hopefully the next couple of years won't be as stressful for you. It's exciting though! I have absolutely no choice in my schedule. I didn't really do pre reqs, so i have to take everything with my program courses. I can't go part time as we can't afford to delay graduation any longer (unless i totally just fail out). They gave us our schedule for next semester, and i honestly want to cry thinking about it. I should, hopefully, be graduating May 4. I have to do my bachelor's within 5 years of hire, so i at least have time for that (and it's completely online).


AFM, definite positive on opk last night at 11:30. Negative this morning, but still very dark. DH and i ended up arguing last night for a few hours (well nor continuously) but them ended up BDing around 2am. Still really high sex drove, but also pretty moody.

Not sure why, but nauseous this morning. I had a couple dais like that a couple weeks ago. I was ready to lose it whiles trying to eat my oatmeal. I had hand sanitizer on my hands which doesn't bother me ever, but i think it was mostly that that was about to send me over the edge.

Still sick but don't think it's related. Uterus hurts every time i cough???

 

[cnsweeney]

Spunky - that last one is def . Positive !
Hard to tell with your chart because no offense , it is all over the place ! Lol. It looks like your body kept trying to O and then wouldn't lol . I had that the month I had an ovarian cyst and found out that was the culprit . Not saying that's the case for you , maybe the up and down temps is normal for you. Do you temp the same time every morning ? How's your cm?

AFM, I plan to test in about an hour again so we shall see . I noticed it is darkest around 1-2 pm . My white creamy cm has slowly gone away and now I think it's clear but not very much of it . But what is there is a little stretchy so I'm hoping it's turning into ewcm

& yes ! The b6 thing was shocking but a relief thinking that could have been the reason .

 

[cnsweeney]

Finally got my positive opk ! The cb digi is still showing a flasher but I don't trust that thing anymore lol. & cm is def. ewcm so happy I could shout! Lol I'm convinced the b6 was throwing me off . My chart has been showing a major dip the past couple of days which is normal for me right before O. I'm assuming tmw it will spike.

 

[spunky84]

cnsweeney: Definitely no offense taken! lol it's very off because of inconsistent waking/temping times and sleep patterns.

I originally didn't plan on charting, so once I started, I didn't really have a plan in place. Since the end of May I was pretty getting 2-4 hours of sleep during the week and maybe 5 or 6 on the weekends with the rare 10 hours on the occassional Saturday.

I had to be up around 5:30 am every Tuesday; 6-7am on Wednesdays (the earlier time on exam days, later on non-exam days); 5:30 - 6:00 am every other Thursday; and 6:30-7:00 am on Fridays (earlier time on exam days on exam days). Because I was getting so little sleep during the night, I figured 7 would be a good time to get up and temp and then just have "off" days on those other days since I was sleeping so little. There were some nights where I didn't go to bed at all or only napped for an hour before I had to get ready and leave.

Because it was so crazy, I settled in with a 5:30 - 5:45 temp time regardless. My schedule is essentially the same, but changed up a bit, but sticking with those times are better. I've been able to start getting to bed earlier (the thought of temping and having it accurate has been enticing lol). There are going to be some nights where I get less sleep and it'll be off, but I figure this will be far more accurate. Where it's not so rocky on the right is when I started sticking to a time.

It's actually been working out real well. The days I can sleep in later, I still temp at normal time. I just record it and pass right back out very easily lol In the short amount of time I've been doing it, it's become such second nature that if I wake up in the middle of the night, I automatically reach for my bbt thermometer and temp. Then I realize it's only like 3:30 or 4 am lol get exasperated, note the temp, go back to sleep, get up at normal temping time, temp again and usually record my normal time temp even if it might be a little off. But I'm hoping to start seeing a better pattern now.

Your most recent opk looks promising! I don't doubt that it could've been the b6. That's awesome that you found that info out and it's so easily corrected. Hopefully it won't be much longer! I'm jealous of your temps. I didn't realize mine were low until recently. My first temp (and only temp before O) with DD was the upper 96s. This cycle I've dipped down into the upper 95s, but I'm not sure how accurate that is with temp times being off. I found if I get very little sleep my temps are actually lower.



AFM, Took another opk when I got home this afternoon. Seems a smidge darker than last night's! DH and I are about to run to the store as I really want to get a digital opk as I'm curious. I just wish I had saved my urine from my most recent test so I could test it right away, but now I'm going to have to wait. But I'm just curious to see if that can give me an idea of what I'm at (high / peak).

CM still only watery, no ewcm, but cervix very open. Like I think I've been miscalculating every time I thought it was open. I know mine pretty much always feels open to a degree, but there was not mistaking this at all. Probably could've got my pinky finger in there... but CP is still posterior and from my understanding it's supposed to be more centrally aligned during O.

Emotions seem seriously all over the place right now. I haven't cried, but I feel like I could at any give time. And saliva microscope is showing non-fertile??? But I trust the opks more than that though.

Just attaching my latest opk. The one with 4 is from yesterday, the one with 2 is today.

Sorry I'm posting so much...