So far the TWW hasn't been so bad. Haha, I'm only 3 days in, but I'm not too worried about it all...yet. From what I read the egg stays in the fallopian tubes for about 3 days before it enters the uterus. But during that time, it's growing and the cells are splitting and all kinds of cool stuff. That is, IF we caught the egg. I don't know. I can't help but worry we missed it...but only time will tell. Anywho... so after those 3 days it enters the uterus and impants, usually around 6-10 DPO...seems like a long time in between, but I guess that's how it is. Once it implants, that's the earliest you can be getting symptoms (around 10DPO).
Also, something I learned yesterday, for all you charters out there, you will probably have a temperature dip on the day it implants, or a temperature rise to a new degree. Interesting!
Below is a pic of fertilization. It is computer generated of course.This is a pic of implantation of the embryo on the uterine wall. I've read that if you were to take a fine tipped pen, and make a dot on a piece of paper, that's how big the egg is when it implants. Crazy huh? If you just loved these pics and wanna see more, I got them from this blog post.
This is kind of long and sorry that it's broken into 6 parts, but I stumbled across this today and watched it today. It is utterly FASCINATING! I mean, I know how conception works and stuff, but this really puts it into perspective and makes the whole process seem absolutely amazing.
My 2 year old sat in my lap during some of the movie, and I could not help but swell with pride that HE was the one sperm who made it through all those obstacles compared to millions of others. He endured it all, he was the fastest, the smartest, and the strongest. It could have been a completely different one, but it was him. I guess the same goes for me... I was the one who made it out of millions. The ending of the movie very much sums up what I felt about luck. So, enjoy the movie, it's about an hour-ish long, but it is so worth the time. There are specialty doctors in this who give some insight on ways to increase your chances of conception...I learned several things in this video. I think I am going to make my husband watch it... it's just so cool!! Enjoy everyone!
Today's frustration is getting every party involved with baby making...well... involved! My husband is great, let me tell you all that first. He really puts up with a lot and probably knows more than most women even do about how a woman's body works, and the best ways to really get pregnant. If we were having a conversation about the things we are most passionate about, he would talk about video games or track, and I would talk about baby making. And believe it or not after all these years of TTC he actually understands what I am talking about, in the scientifical sense.
It seems that he has the hardest time connecting to the strong desire I have to have another baby. He says he gets it, and I know he tries. But today he mentioned that we "agreed" not to actively try anymore, but just to let what happens happen. Now we did have this conversation last month, because I still wanted to have another cycle come around before actually pursuing this, so I said if it happened last month, then great. Now here we are, I'm gung-ho about doing this, and he is taken all aback because he thought we weren't going to "try."
Honestly, if I could just put all methods on the shelf and just let chance takes it's toll, I would. I envy those so much out there who get pregnant without trying, I've heard so many people say "As soon as you stop trying it happens." But after all I've learned, all the difficulties I've had, and all the time that has gone by since deciding to TTC... How can I NOT try? How can I not take my BBT every morning, and count my days and study my chart, and take vitamins, and excersize and eat right and all those things that will help me get pregnant? DH and I decided to have another baby in February of 2009. That's over a year ago. How can I waste any time at all by being...oh what's the word, all nonchalant about it all?
When we first started trying to conceive our first, I had NO idea how it really worked, And still without using any birth control I had no luck for a YEAR. I'm not playing here!! I know I'm young and have lots of time, but when a woman knows she should have another, there's no stopping her!! It's all I think about, and I even dream about it at night. I wish it wasn't that way, but I want to give my son a little brother or sister, and I long to hold another infant of my own in my arms. There is honestly nothing else I want more than growing my family right now.
All the eggs are in the basket. All preparations have been made financially, insurance is set up, and my heart is ready. Now we just have to wait for that blessing!
So, here are some fun things for you TTCers. If you are part of a message board community or are openly TTC, these are some fun little things you can display on your websites, profile, signature, etc..
1. Blinkies
These blinkies and MANY more are found here. Just find the one you want, right click it, save target as (remember where you save it), and then add it like you would a picture. These are kinda fun and let other people in your forum know a little bit more about you.
Above: Ovulation Ticker. Helpful not only for others to see and give you support at whatever stage you are at, but I find it helpful to keep track of where you are in your cycle. You need to know the date of your LMP, how long your luteal phase is, and how long your periods usually last. This one is from www.pregnology.com
Out of all the pregnancy tickers out there, I find this one to be the coolest. It shows week-by-week pictures of what your baby should look like each week. Very cool, and also from www.pregnology.com. You can change the colors if you want. All you need for this one is your due date.
TTC ticker. This one is small and cute and counts down to ovulation. Again, you'll need to know details of your cycle, but this one you can choose a small or large ticker (this is the small one) and pick your background and your marker (I chose the couple...seemed appropriate).
3. Banners Want to make your own blinkie or poster for your signature/website? You see the cute little things like this on people's posts? Make your own here!Just pick your size, colors, cute saying, and special effect and save it. It's completely free!
4. Photos To add photos to a site that required html, upload them to photobucket.com first, then get the "embedded" code below the picture.
5. Delivery Day Predictions- For entertainment purposes of course... I just took the test, and here's my "prediction" from Madame Zaritska. "The day you deliver, outside will be windy. Your baby will arrive in the late night. After a labor lasting approximately 44 hours, your child, a girl, will be born. Your baby will weigh about 7 pounds, 7 ounces, and will be 22-1/2 inches long. This child will have dark green eyes and a lot of black hair."
Just a little fun prediction, but this one is kinda funny since there's no green eyes in my family and not a trace of black hair on mine of my husband's hair. Click on the link highlighted above to take your test, it's free and really just for kicks.
6. Glitter Text Type your name, baby's name, or a cute saying in glitter from "giggaglitter"
There are lot of cute things out there, and these are just a few. Just something to occupy yourselves and have some fun with TTC, other than the baby dancing part!! :)
In the book "Taking Charge of your Fertility," I was taught a concept that made me say "Duh, why didn't I try that sooner?" This method is called the Fertility Awareness Method or FAM. The FAM method is one of the most accurate ways to determine ovulation, when your period will arrive, what days to baby dance in order to conceive, and can even be used as birth control!! Since this site is dedicated to TTCers, I am not going to talk about using it as a Birth Control Method.
This post will help you break down charting so that is super easy to do and understand. Don't be afraid of the chart pictured below, it's honestly not as complex as it seems!!
If you are TTC or ever are planning to TTC, this is something I think every woman should know about.
All you need to chart is well a chart, and they can be found all over the place. You can chart online at www.fertilityfriend.com or just google "Blank BBT Chart". Here's one you can use: CLICK HERE
And you'll need a basal body thermometer (BBT). They make these in digital or in glass thermometers. This is the one I use (mine's blue and white though). The significance of a BBT is it's acurate to a tenth of a degree, so instead of getting 98 or 99 degrees, you get 98.6 degrees. These are found everywhere, walmart, walgreens, anywhere you'd buy a normal thermometer. Some say the glass one's are more accurate, but I prefer digital. So here's how you do it: Every morning as close to the same time as possible BEFORE getting out of bed, pop the thermometer in your mouth and take your temp. Stay as still as possible, and make sure you leave the thermometer right by your bed so you don't have to get up and get it. Make sure you have atleast 5 hours of uninterrupted sleep to get the best results. So, record the temperature on a chart in accordance with the cycle day you are on (i.e., your are on cycle day 10 so plot the temp on a chart. Do this every morning! Once you get in the habit of it and chart everyday you're chart will look something like this:
Ok, so now woopdie doo you have a chart going for you. Now what the heck does it mean?? This is when you look for a few things. First of all, make sure the day you start your period is on the chart as Cycle day 1 (CD1). Some charts have places to put details about your period or any spotting you might have. This one doesn't have anything for mentruation details. Anyways, your temperature should remain low until ovulation. This person's chart has her temperature lower than 97.9 when all the sudden it jumps to 98.1. That is an increase of .4 degrees. Why? That means this lady ovulated on CD13. After Ovulation, your temps should stay higher than before. This is the Lutealphase of your cycle. A successful pregnancy and implantation requires ATLEAST a 10 day luteal phase, but most doctors advise having 12 or more days...which means 12 days after ovulation is when you would start your period. So keep taking your temps even after ovulation. If they are staying above coverline (The highest temp recorded BEFORE ovulation) that is prefect! In a normal, non-pregnant cycle, the temperatures will begin to drop a day or two and fall below coverline to begin a new cycle. If you are pregnant however, your temps will stay up atleast 16 days, and sometimes even skyrocket on your chart to a whole new degree. This is one way to know you are pregnant before you take a test. It is also a way to identify missed miscarriages (very early ones).
Now, using the FAM and charting you can't really "predict" ovulation... you can only confirm when it has already happened. So what's the point in charting? MOST women (and I use this term lightly knowing how "Most" tends to mean a very few when it comes to topics like these) ovualte around the same time every month, so after a few months of charting, you may be able to time your baby dancing around those times you've recorded in the past.
I am a firm believer in charting now. I couldn't believe that I had do much control and "insider knowledge" to this technique. If you want to know more check out www.fertilityfriend.com. You can create an account and take a 20 lesson tutorial on how to chart. It's excellent!Good luck and I'd be happy to answer any questions!!
This is a pic of implantation of the embryo on the uterine wall. I've read that if you were to take a fine tipped pen, and make a dot on a piece of paper, that's how big the egg is when it implants. Crazy huh?
