6 DPO

Hey guys. I went through some issues with my chart, it says I ovulated on day 17, when I'm pretty sure it was on CD16...so I found out how to adjust my chart and things should be correct now. That means I'm 6 DPO today. I've read everywhere that the egg will usually implant around day 6-10...and I've been having some cramping today, so maybe that's a good sign? Temps are still up, and I spent some time today dry-heaving over the toilet because my lunch did not sit well with me almost as soon as I ate it. Probably too early for any real symptoms, but I'm crossing my fingers! Not obsessing about it all yet, and that's good. I am trying to keep my mind off it all so the TWW goes by faster. Anyways, that's about it for today... I think I'm gonna go! TTYL!

What's happening during the TWW

Hello all,

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.

Almost Giddy

I am on CD13... so I'm in my "fertile" period, and I am strangely...Giddy about it all. I am so excited to actually try this cycle it's probably silly. I want to catch that egg more than anything, and I feel like my body is 100% in harmony with things and that it will happen soon... I sure hope so!! I would love a Christmas Baby. He/She might night like it in the future...but hey, I've waited long enough! :)

And just a side note, I went to www.bing.com and did an image search for the word "Giddy" to add to this blog, and you'd be surprised to see what came up lol. Just thought I'd share that!

A Must See...

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!

Herbal Supplements to Boost Fertility

A lot of info from today's post comes from all over the place, so I will do my best to give credit where due.

The first two pregnancies I've had were lost before I hit 8 weeks. They were pretty close together (January and Late February). I had some issues with Ovarian cysts in the past and the only thing a doctor said to do to get rid of them was take birth control pills. Well, that wasn't an option for me at the time since we were TTC! So, desperate, I went and saw an Iridologist (not sure how that's spelled). An Iridologist is a person who "reads" people's eyes. they basically look for patterns and colors in they eye and look for weak spots in the body, and that gives them a good idea of what is unbalanced and such. To learn more about it, CLICK HERE. Well, I went to this lady and she read my eyes and it was almost like going to a fortune teller. She knew a lot about me and my body just by reading my eyes. It was cool. She had no idea why I'd come in and she told me I had an Ovarian Cyst, among other things that were throwing my hormones out of wack. So, she also sold natural medicine, as in herbal supplements and stuff. She told me what I needed to balance out my system to make it more "baby friendly." So after that I found myself taking 9 pills in the morning 5 in the afternoon, and 7 at night. (I'll go into more detail on what I took later). This was in early March when this happened, and by the middle of April, I found out I was pregnant with my now 2 year old son. Not only was it a successful pregnancy, but it was complication free and my body responded well to the effects of pregnancy, having a virtually symptom free pregnancy. I cannot say for sure if it was due to the herbs that I was taking, but I can't say it harmed the processes at all.

Now here it is 2 years after the birth of my son and I've had another 2 miscarriages, again 6 weeks apart. Feeling like a total failure I looked back on what I did differently before my one and only successful pregnancy, and I had totally forgotten about the herbal help I had. So, I called up my Iridologist only to find that she's retired and not doing that kind of thing anymore. Rats! So, lucky for me I remember what it was she "prescribed" me all those years ago so I looked into it. I found the website that she was a member of and priced the supplements I took. I didn't have $75 to waste on 5 different supplements, so I researched which of the herbs would benefit me, and this is what I've found. In my research I've also found some things that can help your partner, so read on!

Now if I may insert a disclaimer here, IT IS BEST TO CONSULT A DOCTOR OR MIDWIFE ABOUT TAKING ANY HERBAL SUPPLEMENTS WHILE TTC. SOME HERBS ARE EXTREMEMLY BENEFICIAL TO TTC, BUT ARE HARMFUL TO A PREGNANCY SO BE SURE TO CONSULT A DOCTOR AND TAKE AS DIRECTED. JUST BECAUSE IT IS HERBAL DOES NOT MEAN IT IS SAFE!

Ok, enough of that. Here's what I was taking as suggested my my Iridologist:

Nature's Sunshine: Female Comfort. The main herbs in this supplement are:
Red raspberry leaves- Raspberry works by helping the fertilized egg attach to the uterine lining and stay attached. Raspberry also seems to have a toning effect that helps women’s reproductive systems function normally. Nowadays, herbalists capitalize on this benefit by recommending raspberry for a variety of women’s problems, such as morning sickness, menstrual cramps, and heavy menstrual bleeding.
Dong quai root-it is considered the "female ginseng" because of its balancing effect on the female hormonal system
Licorice root- Believed to balance feminine hormones
Black cohosh root- It helps to increase the chances of conceiving.
For couples using black cohosh, fertility is one of the best reasons to take it. If you suffer from PCOS (Poly-Cystic Ovary Syndrom) You can take black cohosh for PCOS to help with the problems that come about from this disorder.

I give this supplement the most credit out of everything else I took. The other supplements I took are Adrenal Support, Master Gland Formula, Nutri-Calm, and a prenatal vitamin. Those have more to do with balancing out the human body, not fertility, so if you are interested check them out at the Nature's Sunshine Website.

This time around I am trying something a little different, to be easy on the pocketbooks, I discovered is "Fertility Blend" found at GNC stores and online. It's $39.99 for 90 capsules.This supplement is designed for TTCers.

It contains:
CHASTEBERRY (VITEX) - Can regulate menstrual cycles, proper ovulation, and lengthen the luteal phase of our cycles (10-12 day LP is necessary for proper implantation, the longer the better)
FOLIC ACID- Helps prevent birth defects in your unborn babies
GREEN TEA-In a study conducted at Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program of Northern California in Oakland, researchers found that women who drank more than one half cup of caffeinated green tea every day
doubled their odds of conceiveing (www.babyhopes.com).
B VITAMINS-Balances hormones, correct irregular
cycles, assist in correcting progesterone deficiencies,
improve sperm and egg quality and development
and lengthen the luteal phase.


I am also taking EVENING PRIMROSE OIL. This helps your body create fertile high quality cervical mucus to make your body a sperm-friendly environment, and give you the best chance of getting pregnant.








I am also drinking a cup of Raspberry tea every night to help strengthen the walls of my uterus, hoping for better implantation conditions!

As far as side effects go in taking these supplements, I have to admit I get a little heartburn and an "herby" taste in my mouth, and my pee is bright yellow, but I'm told that's all normal when taking herbals. Again be sure to check with your doctor as some herbal medicine can interfere with other medicines. For example, you cannot take The Fertility Blend when using Clomid.

If you readers have any other suggestions, feel free to share! These are just a few I have heard the most about!

Fertility Awareness

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 Luteal phase 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!!

How to get Pregant...

I have to admit, I've googled this question once or twice after a month or two of trying. You would think, that being women, we know all there is to know about getting pregnant! Once we turned 12 years old and "became women" we were able to create life. When you are 16 and dating boys and your parents tell you, if you have sex, you WILL get pregnant. At your wedding reception everyone comes up to you and asks when you will start having little ones running around... you think that it is the next logical step and that it will be a piece of cake. You heard about those few people who had some issues getting pregnant and we seeking fertilitly help, but you are convinced that it wont be you, that you can get pregnant on the first try. Little did we know!

I was talking to a friend one time and I was telling them about the long year of TTC our first child. She blatantly said to me, "I just don't see how it doesn't work. It's a natural process isn't it?" And that right there is where it hurts so many women. We feel like it should be our natural ability as women to make and have babies, but for so many people it's not the case and we feel broken. Like failures.

The concept of conception is easy as pie. Anywhere you read, the NORMAL cycle is 28 days. Day 1 being the beginning of your period (which should usually last 5-7 days). They say that MOST people ovulate on day 14, smack dab in the middle of the cycle. The best chances of getting pregnant is to have Baby danced (yes, we're keeping it family friendly here folks) 3-5 days BEFORE you ovulate that way you have enough little swimmers ready and waiting to catch the egg is released. Then boom, one little swimmer enters the egg, the egg implants and in 9 months you have a bouncing baby boy or girl. What alot of people don't realize is that MOST people don't ovulate on day 14. I have never met anyone who has been TTC who ovulated on day 14. You could ovulate on day 11, or even day 22. It varies so much. That is the key to getting pregnant I think. Find O-day. I recommend a Ovulation kit.

I will be on my way to buy one after this next cycle rolls around. I also battle ovarian cysts and my ovaries seem to ache when I ovulate, but I am going to back up that former theory with a good ol' digital clearblue. They say that once you know O-day, it's usually the same time every month. But understanding that these are probably the same people that say you should ovulate on day 14... it's good to test every month I think.

I also bought the book "Taking charge of your own fertility." I will share some cool things I hope to learn!

Happy Baby making!!!

And so it begins...

Yay first blog post! My main purpose for creating this blog is to journal all my experiences, pieces of knowledge that I learn, vent about the frustration involved, and basically unload all my feelings to someone who doesn't really know me. I try to keep the fact that my Dear Hubby (DH) and I are TTC a secret because once people know we are, they expect something right away! So, here's the background on me.

I am 22 years old. DH and I have been married almost 4 years now and we have 1 little boy who is 18months. We decided in January that we wanted to start trying for another, and here we are at the end of June with no such luck. With my first baby, it took a year of TTC, so I am bracing myself and accepting the fact it wont happen overnight for this time either. That being said it doesnt help the feeling of utter failure when you look at the pee stick and see I big fat NO! in the little window.

My hopes for this blog is that those who read it will relate to me, share their thoughts, and be a little place they can go to know that not everyone on the planet gets pregnant when they "weren't even trying!"

I want to post any of the info I learn along the way, myths and truths, and all kinds of fun. So, subscribe and have fun with it. After all, isn't trying to make a baby the funnest part?