TTC and a teacher?! Join me!

Joining here, am a secondary head of department. Yes tiring, I am now in the week after my first ov, thinking it would be very unlikely to hit on our first month trying but still hoping.

And yes very very tired and looking forward to half term

Fantastic news doobeedee that's the 2nd bfp on this thread isn't it? A great start

P.S. congrats to dobeedee!!! Enjoy xx

Yes, bearface, I hate it. Was talking to a friend the other night (she told me she was pg with her second, naturally after IVF to have her first), she said she had to learn to stop putting her life on hold waiting to get pg. it can affect every decision from career to house moves to holiday destinations to buying new clothes (that's mine - why buy clothes now when I'll need big ones soon??).
I had a break from teaching & did other stuff, but came back to the classroom a year ago. There's part of me that loves it and another part of me that resents the lifestyle it necessitates.
Maybe I'll just have to go for it. Don't fancy the conversation with the head asking for time off for interviews and school visits.

Anyone doing anything nice over the weekend? Going to theatre tomorrow. Friday night is chip buttie night too! DH on way home with them.

Have a good one. I'm aiming to try not to think about ttc every second!!

Oh congratulations doobeedee! Fantastic news!

Well, I'm doing supply ILoveMyCats so I'm totally stuffed for any kind of mat leave if I get pregnant now, but I decided that my last job was so stressful (plus a commute) that there was no way I was ever going to conceive being under that kind of stress, so I left anyway! Not sure how I'm going to survive for money if a baby comes along, but will have to just get on with it. DH earns just about enough for us to get by as we are, but then at the same time I don't know how I would manage to do my job full-time and look after a baby as well. It's so tricky, isn't it? But in the end I decided that I could probably pick up a job after DC is born (if it ever comes out of hiding!) so will deal with it then. Messy mess, eh?

Hi everyone. Just got my BFP on first cycle of Clomid. Can't believe it but being cautious as still early days.

Hello Lovely Ladies,
ILoveMyCats I am in a similar situation to you - I am in a permanent teaching post which I really love, but we would like to move closer to my mum when (if!) we have kids...My partner would like to move this year, but that means giving up a perm post, hopefully getting something else when we move, but probably not permanent and I would need to work a year before maternity entitlement kicked in from the LEA...So I don't know whether to jump or sit tight! Ideally, if I was pregnant now, I could go off on maternity after the summer hols and move house then! (ideally she says, thinking about moving with a newborn!)
I am the main earner so the new mortgage would be in my name as well...so we probably couldn't buy a place unless I was still in my current post. Tricky!

On a positive note, the GP took me seriously yesterday and I am going in for blood tests to find out why my cycles are so weird. She thinks stress.

No probs, bearface. I'm a teacher, but working as a TA & considering going back to teaching. My dilemma is that I'm bored and if we weren't ttc, I'd be looking to move on, probably back to teaching. But, I don't want to go back to a stressful job and find that I'm pg soon after and have to leave & not entitled to mat pay. Or, worse, find the stress detrimental to ttc.
It would be good to go back to teacher salary..... I've been applying for stuff that comes up, but nothing yet. I don't know whether to hold off & see if I get pg this side of the summer and therefore stay where I am. Any views appreciated!! Impatient enough already without the job stuff. Double uncertainty.

What career decision would you have to make ILoveMyCats? I don't mean for you to spill all on here, but just whether to stay in teaching or not? Whether to go for promotion or not? Etc. Sorry - just being nosey, but I felt I reached a point where I had to choose and TTC came into it (especially what will hopefully be the aftermath of TTC) and just wondered about other people's experiences of trying to teach alongside having kids?

Hope everyone is okay. I've just started a new job, but part-time, so should be a little easier to handle than my last job. FX. Now I can devote more time to getting upduffed!

It's the time between ovulation and your next period. Normal ones range from 10 to 16 days although 10 (and some people say 12) can be considered short.

Thanks doobeedee! I agree with you, but nice to be told by someone else! I think I'll keep gathering information. Im getting frustrated by the fact that I don't have a monthly cycle, so although we've been trying for 5 months, i've only had 3 cycles.
As much as I want to get pg for its own sake, I'm also hoping that it happens soon so that I don't have to make a career decision! Wrong, I know, but human!

Oops. I read that wrong. You luteal phases could be 20 days. That's still not far from normal and it's only 2 cycles off the pill.

Hi Ilovemycats. I'm not sure that the doc would take you seriously so soon after coming off the pill as it can take a while for cycles to regulate even in normal circumstances. I had a few cycles of 35+ days after coming off the pill before mine shortened. As for your luteal phase, a normal one can be as long as 16 days. If you OV a couple of days after your pos OPK on day 21 which is completely normal, then you fall within the 16 days. I think the docs only do something about long cycles if the go on for ages and ages then they use progesterone to start a period. You're right about having and LH surge then not ovulating. That's why it's best to back up your OPKs/monitor with temping. I would prob try this for a few cycles do you have more evidence if there is a problem when you do see the doc.

Had a snow day today so have been doing some ttc reading! Thanks for all the advice already posted - it's really good to get as much information as possible.
I'm quite worried about my cycle length and ov. I've had 2 AFs since coming off the pill in Sept. both were 43 days & I used OPKs during all 3 cycles that gave a smiley on cd21 ish. From what I can tell, this gives me a very long luteal phase. There is very little information about this in the net - does this sound normal?
Prior to taking the pill my cycles were 35 days, so this is a bit long for me. It also means fewer opportunities to get pg. my real question is, do you think it's too soon to go to GP about long cycles and poss of not ovulating? I've read that you can get +ve OPKs without ov.... I don't want to get laughed out of the surgery, but I don't want to leave it months & months either. I'm planning on temping and charting from this AF (due on 30th jan), and have a clearblue fertility monitor - should I try this first? Anyone know anything about long cycles and fertility? My 2ww is 3, if the OPKs are to be believed.

Hello everyone, trudged to work through the snow this morning, DD loved it.. she was wide-eyed! On 2 week wait at the moment... Fingers crossed

That's really kind of you, thank you, doobeedee!

Here they are:

www.cks.nhs.uk/hypothyroidism#-482792

www.patient.co.uk/doctor/thyroid-function-tests

On the second one, scroll down to the bottom of the subclinical hypothyroidism bit.

Ooo just stumbled on this thread. I don't normally pay too much attention to conception threads as I don't want to obsess over it too much. But can I join in here please?

I'm a secondary teacher in a new school that isn't doing too great and we are expecting the dreaded ofsted any minute now. They are piling on the stress and pressure and morale is so low. Every week someone is getting signed off with stress. I honestly thought I was going to end up on that route before Christmas but I seem to be feeling more positive now.

One thing that is keeping me there is the hope of a bfp! Been trying for a year now but, like many of you have said, am often too tired to dtd and am sure the stress doesn't help. I have a dd so my work at home is done after she goes to bed so am often working late.

I'll have a look later when I'm on my laptop.

Thanks for those tips, doobeedee. I didn't know about those clinical summary things actually...perhaps I need to improve my research skills! I've had a look and think I've found what you're referring to. However, if you do have the links to hand at some point and wouldn't mind sharing, I'd be much obliged!

I agree BeQuicksieorBeDead - the thermometer isn't too bad with its beeps. I think it used to make my DH stir but now he doesn't register it at all. My moggy has learnt that it means breakfast time isn't far away though! Bless my little pavlovian pusscat!

I'm not expecting a snow day tomorrow - our school doesn't really do 'snow days'! On Friday I had a maximum of 16 kids with them trickling in throughout the morning and back out in the afternoon. I expect tomorrow will be much the same.

No chance of a snow day here. Think we're the only place in Britain that missed the worst of the snow even though it's been forecasted all week.

boodle I have got that thermometer too, I like that it doesn't beep too loudly so my dp can't moan that I have woken him up with more baby madness! I use pink pad to track it, also free, but stay off the forums as madness will surely follow. Lots of american teenagers asking whether they can get pregnant on birth control.

I have just seen af off, so pleased about that and looking forward to another rollercoaster month (or seven weeks!) Starting with the gp on tuesday. I an going to take your good advice ladies and get a bit pushy - my pretend I am talking to my boss about curriculum budgets. That should do it.

Anyone expecting a snow day tomorrow? We got a really patronising text message about it being our duty to come in if we are able. I think that goes for every day doesn't it?!