No more Pill!! This is it!! Starting a JULY-AUG 2012 bus...

Oh pinsent I'm sorry about that. At least you have Thailand to look forward to and hey, April is only 5 months away so I am sure it will fly. But, you are right, I don't think men realise the emotions and feelings a woman develops when ready to have a baby. I have never felt like this before. I wish you all the best and hope to see you back here soon!! x

Cauldron, have you tried Cranberry tablets from a health food store (Holland & Barret's ones are good if you are in the UK?!)? I used to get Cystitis at least once a month and it would last up to 3 weeks a time. This went on for years until I started taking the tablets. It was awful though, I've seen the DR so many times and they even sent me for a scan in case it was a kidney stone (it wasn't). One doctor asked if my husband was BASHING me too hard during sex!! I don't know what kind of sex he has....!! Bah ha!

thanks wannabe I wish uti's were a symptom of pg for me! I get them all the chuffing time and I'm totally fed up by it. I'm just researching going down the herbal remedy route, maybe seeing an acupuncturist or something...

pinsent I'm so sorry to hear that, I know your DH is being sensible, but its gutting when you just want to get started . Can you tell your DH that its almost impossible to make a pregnant woman redundant, so if you were already upduffed you might be in a stronger position?

Wow about Thailand though! Lucky you

Best of luck xx

Looks like i'm going to have to clock out for a while as DH and I (well, more DH) have decided to put off TTC for a while longer. Just found out there may be redundancies at my work in the new year and so DH thinks it's a good idea to wait and find out. I know he is being sensible and i'm sure it's the right thing to do, but i can't help but feel really disappointed. I have pointed out to him that we have friends who are in far less-stable jobs and don't earn as much as we do and they manage and seem happy, but that didn't seem to win DH over. Apparently i shouldn't be so concerned about everyone else scraping by, but should concentrate on what is right for us. I don't think he understands the feeling a woman gets when she is ready to have a baby.
Anyhow, it's not all doom and gloom, we have decided to start again in April when the work situation will have settled down and to cheer me up he has booked us a holiday to Thailand in April so we can start TTC in style (think he feels guilty). In the mean time, i am going to stay off the pill and let my body get back to normal and also do lots of charting so that when the time does come, i will be super prepared. This also means DH will have to use condoms which he hates, so it may get him to change his mind sooner.

It has been great chatting to all you lovely ladies and i wish you all the best of luck. I am sure i will still check in every now and then to see how you are all getting on.

In the words of the Terminator... i'll be back. xx

Oh Cauldron that is really pants. I remember a year ago I used to get cystitis all the time. Back then I was really broody and whenever I had my urine tested I would think she was going to tell me I was PG. I read somewhere that PG women get UTIs often when updiffed. Always got my hopes up when I had uti. Turned out I just wasn't drinking enough water.

Chin up though Cauldron! Have a now tonight and ennjoy a bit more SWI! It does suck though, I am being sypathetic :)

Well I think I can say pretty definitely that I'm not pg this time - I had to have my urine tested at the doc's today (uti ) and I wondered if somehow she'd be able to tell?

Anyway she didn't say anything so I presume I'm not...

Fish that is confusing! It makes sense that you should have ovulated...fingers crossed for you!!

Oh I don't know what that means fish!

Hope everything is ok...

Ahhhh I'm going crazy now - decided to do another ov test this eve, as it's supposed to strengthen over the course of the day right? Well, got a BFN on the OPK - line very faint. After an almost positive strong lien this morning at 9am, it's only 7pm now so there was only a 9-ish hour window where it was positive?! I'm so confused!

I hope that means that I've ovulated today, as I inseminated last night so timing should have been good...but now I'm worried

That's got to be the best symptom!!

I've never had the tender boobs thing either. My first symptom was sickness, but not until 6 weeks. So actually, my first symptom was a positive test :)

Fair enough on the vino front!

Fish, you are lucky not to have had tender boobs, it's horrible!!

I really hope I don't get morning sickness, I am awful when I get sick :(

Oh God there's absolutely no way I'm giving up wine during ttc! It'll be bad enough not being able to drink when I'm pg!

wannabe have the wine! It will help you unwind, just be careful not to go overboard (like me at the weekend)!
I am black coffee obsessed! But have now gone onto decaff, which thankfully isn't too bad. The caffeine withdrawal wasn't nice though.

My pregnancy signs always showed up around the time AF was due, but I never seem to get early positives! DS showed up, very faintly, after 6 days late and DD was nearly 2 weeks! (I O'd very late that month).

See, I never, ever, ever have breast tenderness. I've never experienced it before. So if I do, then I am assuming that will be a definite sign for me. I've never really noticed any AF symptoms before either. I'll get these little ovulation twinges like I'm having right now, and maybe a teensy bit of being tired / PMS irritability but that's it.

Vino how early did your symptoms show up?

Is it ok to have a glass of wine every now and then whilst TTC? I know that different people have different ideas. Also, are you to avoid caffeine just when PG or whilst TTC?!

I think increased CM is a sign, along with breast tenderness. (theses were my signs). Then you have the extreme tiredness and nausea/sickness. These signs can happen pretty quickly I believe.

You are amazing, Fish! I really admire you! This time I will high five you!!! I hope it works out really well for you. I love the mix of people and situations on here.

Re symptoms, a lot of things I have read suggest that sore breasts are one of the first things, but TBH, I get that before AF!!

I am one of those people who won't be able to wait until AF is late. Will totally be POAS ASAP! My DH (most of the time Darling Husband, occasionally Dick Head(!)) will be the same as me though...pee woman! POthebloodyS already!

Sorry...rambled. DH Also wants to move to America...not up for that right now though :s

Does anyone know how early it is to feel pregnancy symptoms? What are the first few?

With regard to why I took the 'plunge' as such...

I'm in a child-related field, I have worked with children since leaving school, I have always been interested in child development. I always knew I wanted to be a mother, from the age of about 4! I did all my traveling in my early 20's, lived abroad (England) for 4 years, felt like I really experienced life during that time. I moved back to the US awhile ago now, and have settled into a long-term yet flexible career path. Back home with all family close by, all childhood friends who either stayed here or moved back following university - my life is extremely stable and comfortable, all that's missing is the little one!

So I decided that I'm not getting any younger, have absolutely no interest in a relationship for a very, very long time if ever. I'm one of those people who is absolutely fine without a partner. Some people feel as though they were born to do x, y, z - whether that be a high-flying career as an actress, a singer, a hedge fund manager, etc. or some specific goal such as world traveler, writer, climb Everest, etc. I have come to terms with the fact that my greatest aspiration in life is to be a mother, so what am I waiting for? I can't wait [hsmile]

Vino There is absolutely no way I can wait until AF is late I'll be POAS as soon as possible, I had a glance at some of the new First Response tests over here the other day when getting my OPK's and now they say they can detect 6 days before missed period - wow. So yes, I'll be using on that day .

waiting until its late, definitely. I'm only 3 weeks off the pill and I really don't "feel" pg, so I'll be presuming no luck until AF is MIA

I think you really do have your head screwed on fishpants. I admire you :)
I think if I were you I would give pre-seed ago, especially as like you said you don't have any EWCM.

Will anybody be testing before AF is due? Or will you be waiting until it's late?

fish can I ask what finally encouraged you to take the plunge on your own? I'm not sure I'd have been brave enough (or even that fussed about DC's) before I met DP...

Bahaha wannabe at your dinner conversation I can imagine the splutters!

I have not actually told anyone apart from best friend. I don't want the pressure that TTC brings any more than necessary ("have you done it yet? are you pregnant yet? what's taking so long?") ... and also don't want to invite any opinions on being a single mother - YES, I know it will be tougher financially, physically, and possibly emotionally, but NO I do not need your expounding on the subject as it will not change my mind.

I would high-five you as it's a very American thing to do (I'm American [hgrin]).

About the Pre-Seed, that's what I'm trying to determine right now. An internet friend of mine used it while TTC through AI and got pregnant. She hadn't used it the first go and didn't conceive, second month used it and BAM. So I may buy some next month!

I heard that 20% thing too...doomy

Fish If he were to decide that he wanted to be really involved, would you be cool with that?

Must go before I drop laptop in bath!!

Will be back...

Fish that is amazing! It's like something out of a film!! What do your friends/family think? I would high five you but a) it's a bit cheesy and b) there's a computer in the way!

Forgive me if this sounds stupid although clearly I am as I asked my mum what a blow job was at the age of 14 at a big family meal but does pre-seed or any kind of 'safe' lube make a difference in getting pregnant? My DH and I don't use lube...