Thread 26. TTC #1 - Calm as a hysterical cucumber

Kwick 😚 we've missed you. No need for apologies you have been through the wringer. It's lovely to see you, I've been thinking of you lots too. I hope your family have been taking good care of you. MNHQ remove parking threads??? What's this madness 😤

What a dream peaches! Bet you were glad to wake up

Kaydee I use the one steps and have no problems. What are you having trouble with?

Flash that's exactly what is happening to me - expect for I'm 3 DPO and I'm still hung up on the last egg! Let alone this one! I've lost it.

DH just asked why I'd put the cheese straws in the cleaning cupboard. My first thought was, maybe it's pregnancy brain! Oh 7 do, how I've missed your craziness....

Hope everyone is doing okay today! Has anyone tried the one-step ovulation tests (little dippers?) - I switched to them this month but I'm not finding them as easy to use as the clearblue ones - any tips?

Congratulations peaches!!!!

I love you too flash and kathrino 💕

Have any of you tried the parking threads? I think one of you recommended one about nicolarse? Well I have been on 3 different parking threads in the last little while and each one has been deleted by MNHQ!!!! It is most disconcerting when a thread suddenly disappears!!!

Kwick, you don't need to apologise for anything at all and you have nothing to hang your head in shame about. I've been thinking about you often and am sending you so much love and strength. I can't even begin to imagine what you've been through

kwick massive hugs. We love you. peaches got a bfp in case you hadn't seen!

gaelach ooo going to the loo a lot is good! Sucks about the shits though, I'm one extreme to the other the last few days! I'd be more than happy to share about acupuncture. Is there anything in particular you'd like to know?

Ladies sorry about being AWOL. Fricking horrid time... I guess I am getting there. I have felt very supported by you all just have been having problems concentrating for any length of time and I know how fast this thread moved!!

I have not read through what I have missed but hope you will tell me about numerous BFPs.

I think so girls. When men tell their friends or work colleagues their OH is pregnant it's all firm hand shakes and pats on the back and very much a proud peacock moment. Where as us women are like, oh, how are you feeling? How far alonger are you? Where you ttc long? What's your secrets or tips? Haha. But that's because we know exactly what this is all about!!

kath absolutely. We are all about this 24/7. Thankfully we have each other to keep ourselves sane! 😊 and love the enthusiastic lavatory happenings 😂 made me laugh too gaelach.

kay when it was clear it wasn't going to be a quick bfp after our mc my other half started goggling male fertility factors. Now that was an eye opener! 😂 the super sperm myth was soon debunked!

jam you know best if you should test or not. Strangely enough, I dream about a bfp/babies loads but in run up to this bfp I had a really weird dream I was presenting on a stage and my period came mid speech, like epic spurts of blood appearing all over my legs and the audience was shouting at me to make it stop! Woke up in a sweat and sure I would find af had started. I'm putting that one down to my not being well and having a temperature but wow it was horrible!

I am having a bit of a mental cycle this month. Even though I had my period and I've now ovulated I keep getting thoughts pop into my head that I'm pregnant it's completely ridiculous. I think it's my poor brain just addled with wanting it and it's overriding my senses. I don't test anymore and am thinking maybe I should start testing again as at least my brain can't argue with BFNs?!

Harriet I nodded at knowing he will love it when baby comes. My DH is so paternal towards our cat it's ridiculous. He infantilises him more than I do!

Peaches so so true! Yes they have less control and yes it must be a massive ego blow. And about the brits and our booze culture - so true.

Gaelach I think clear cm is not unusual in the TWW but I'm not sure about EWCM - pretty sure you're only meant to get that when your fertile? Kath makes a good point!

gaelach I definitely had that symptom when I got my last bfp. Then again I sometimes have it before AF too...argh!

kath enthusiastic lavatory happenings! another excellent description. Yous are wordsmiths in this group.

Gaelach, I'm trying to think of the most delicate way to say this...sometimes I find that...enthusiastic...lavatory happenings can dislodge stuff that's got left behind. I hope it's a good sign for you in any case!

I think you're spot on Peaches (and it totally links back to the conversation about booze). I feel like everything I do and every decision I make is rooted in TTC whereas all DH has to do is occasionally perform. Other than that, I don't think he ever really thinks about whereas god knows how many times I think about it a day.

Hope everyone feels better soon as well. I thought I was coming down with something but I think it's bastard hayfever starting earlier than ever.

Relaxed symptom spotting has revealed some ewcm... at 7dpo. This is very weird altogether. Any advice/experience? I had a static smiley and +ive opk on cd13. Also have been running to the loo quite a bit, and to quote someone on here a few threads back, some non-urgent diarrhea (tmi, sorry).

flash I'm very interested in this acupuncture lark. Can you tell me a bit about it?

Peaches I think you have hit the nail on the head there, particularly their thoughts about their super sperm! I think DH thought he just had to look at me & that was it! Although we're on cycle 3, this is our first proper go at lots of sex during FW, and he's so on board & enthusiastic that I think he will be in for a shock if this month isn't ours!

Sounds like a plan flash. I'm having roast chicken and veggies for dinner and can't wait to get curled up on the couch and watch some TV under my fleece cover. We need the sunshine back!

Eurgh I hope not peaches. I do feel really run down today, and headachey, so will tuck myself up tonight after acupuncture with a good meal and an early night!

Aww flash hope you are not getting the bug we have all seem to be getting its horrible

I feel like I've been hit on the head with a brick today. I don't feel like I've woken up! Maybe because it's grey and cold and yesterday was warm and sunny.

I just typed a big reply and lost it arghhhhh!

jam not much symptoms more moist (leading to a lot of knicker checking) and some cramps/stretching. Bit less today but have mostly been sitting down and less active today. I think your OH has got in to a habit which we are all probably guilty of. Think it's a British thing to pop down for a few to the pub. We drink because it's the weekend, had hard day, had good day, or because IT has crashed the systems 😂. We are not really a culture for sitting down to food and a little alcohol unfortunately. Will be interested to hear if your consultant gives a different opinion again, seems to vary from doctor to doctor.

In terms of ttc/pregnancy I think it is hard for men to connect with it. As women we have physical changes we can read and feel and experience. Men only have to have sex when we prompt them. And although this seems easy for us I think they also feel that they are not as involved or invested as we are if that makes sense? In a way it must be quite scary to be involved in something so life changing but not have any control over it? I don't know about you but I was raised to believe that the minute you have unprotected sex you will fall pregnant and have a baby. Most men, bless them, think they will have sex with us and their super sperm will impregnate us instantly! Think their ego's take a bit of a battering when they realise it's not that straight forward.

Yes jam and flash he is cautious. I think he was also just surprised that we conceived as soon as we started trying (both times). I'd been telling him we needed to get started as it can take a while, so he wasn't expecting it to be immediate. And we're moving house and the house is a building site, and both very busy in our jobs etc etc. I'm not too upset about it - better for only one of us to be upset than both! And at least he has agreed to ttc even though I know he'd prefer to wait longer. He will love our baby when it's here, I'm totally sure of that. I'm just so impatient now! If I hadn't conceived last month I wouldn't be worried, but because we lost it I suddenly feel in a huge rush like I've lost time!

*too soon

Harriet tbh, I think my DH would say he was relieved that in the end we didn't have a baby last year. Given the choice between an ectopic or a baby, I know he would have chosen a baby but at the time he felt it had happened to soon and hadn't really got his head around it. But once it got to Christmas and we would actually have been parents at that point, he suddenly got very sad about the fact that weren't going to be parents yet, that he didn't have a baby to buy a Christmas card for etc and that's when he said he was ready to try again.

harriet if your DH was relieved that must have been incredibly upsetting. He does sound like mine – very hesitant and cautious? I think it can be harder for chaps to get their heads around. They don’t see to have the same biological need for babies that we do. Plus I think there is a big element of not wanting their easy going life to change!
Yes maybe more positive reinforcement is the way forward. He has a few times turned down a drink. I’m make sure he know how grateful I am when he does.
Haha missy yes. Booze is a tricky one to pin down. Some places I’ve read there is nothing you can do to improve morphology, other places say give up booze.kath’s specialist advised to cut down dramatically so I’m going with that for now.
kath I usually get EWCM a day or two before +OPK. Hopefully it will come positive today. DH says he didn’t drink at all last night, after we fell out. I failed to have too much sympathy with him at the time as I was annoyed I even had to ask.
flash that’s a good point, it could be some kind of denial I suppose. I’m hoping our specialist will say something conclusive about drinking less. Perhaps he will listen to them! Only one week of the TWW left for you! Fx
peaches he definitely does use alcohol for relaxation and coping with stress. It’s also an occupational hazard for him – he travels for a living and every time they arrive somewhere they got for a drink. It’s like it’s just What You Do. And then when he comes home he has a drink, because, you know – I’ve just finished work, so I’m having a drink. And then when it’s the weekend he’ll have a drink because it’s the weekend… ugh. Hope you are getting on well, any more symptoms?
pyjamas stick to EOD! It’s not too late I’m sure. Ov pain for me lasts about 2-3 days.
Day after you ovulate – I think you can still conceive as the egg is around for 24 hours. However it’s best to have sperm there ready and waiting as it takes a few hours for them to swim up and be ready.