Preconception planning - anyone want to join?

@Nate1 I haven't got to that part yet. My BMI is just over 25 and u probably could do with losing a couple if pounds but it's so hard when you're close to normal weight.
I'm loving having people to talk to too. OH laughs at me when he asks what I'm doing..."oh just replying to my new Munsnet friends" 😂

@Lollipop87 AHH that's great news about DH initiating the conversation....and even nicer he wants to take you away for your anniversary. Would be very romantic to conceive then...does it fall near your ovulation period?😂

Good Morning :)

@butterfly5291 and @mackjm20 and @Lollipop87 haha yes there is a lot of information and actually I think lots of it is irrelevant in the first couple of month as well :D I found it a bit harsh that she is so negative about the whole bmi thing (too low/too high) .. according to her I should stop getting fit because of my rather low bmi which of course I won‘t do. Cardiac and over all healthy benefits from sport are important at all levels of weight I think. Anyway I still love to read all the stuff it calms me and frankly it gives me something to obsess about in the waiting period -

just like talking to you lovely ladies ❤️❤️

@Lollipop87 @butterfly5291 it’s such a good book but the level of information- I still can’t get my head around how much there is to it!

I am glad i know all this now though so I’m not panicked if it take a while ttc.

I think we are going to use the ‘lots of sex method’ for a couple of months aswell and then if that doesn’t work start more with the tests and monitoring which sounds intense to say the least.

@MsQueenInTheNorth That’s my thoughts exactly try and keep it as low key and stress free as poss (inside knowing how unrealistic I am being about my future self just gave me a little chuckle) 😂

@StellaDelMare you sound so organised! Similar timings to when so many people on here are going to start ttc :) exciting :) x

@maloney123 my boss finally got back to me about that book she read, turns out it’s more geared towards trying to get the sex of the baby you want but I think it talks about general success methods too. It’s called Choose the sex of your baby: the natural way. Can’t remember if you’re reading The Impatient Woman’s Guide? There are loads of tips in there regarding timing, but on positions she just says some women swear by missionary with a pillow underneath their bum but others swear by doggy so she says if one isn’t working for you then mix it up!

Hi @StellaDelMare, you sound very organised! Have you been taking your temperature too or just the OPKs? I can’t decide whether to try one or a combination before we start TTC as I have no idea what day I ovulate. Or I might just try the “lots of sex” method from The Impatient Woman’s Guide for 2-3 months and if no joy will then try a more scientific approach!

@butterfly5291 and @mackjm20 yay to more bible readers! 😂 Butterfly I started taking calcium with vitamin D in a combined supplement, it says take 1 or 2 a day so I’m taking 1 as I do have milk in tea or porridge and eat a fair bit of yoghurt and cheese. I’ve read so many chapters already, only stopped yesterday when I got to the miscarriage chapter as I decided that was a bit depressing right before bed! The chapter about ovulation and timing sex blew my mind! I never realised how short a window there actually is for the egg to get fertilised! It was nice to see the table of typical number of months to get pregnant though and even into mid-thirties the average is around 3-4 months so I feel quite positive.

Another reason to feel positive, my DH initiated the baby making conversation himself for the first time this evening!! He suddenly seemed a lot more excited about it and said the reason he’s been a bit reluctant about trying when we go on holiday in September is because we’re going with my mum, sister, BIL and niece so he feels a bit weird about it. But has said he wants to take me away for our first wedding anniversary in October and he thought it would be romantic if we start then 🥰 So I’m super happy as he now seems on board with the whole thing and it’s the first conversation we’ve had about it that hasn’t ended in an argument or me in tears which felt sooo good!

Evening just had a catch up read through the comments :) I have purchased the ‘bible’ to jump on the band wagon and obsessed already.

Omgosh though all the information! Some bits I’ve fully laughed out loud at- have had to stop telling dh what I’m learning as he thinks I’m crazy so nice to read that you guys are also thinking all the supplements list was huge and that the part about trying to make a girl or boy baby was interesting :)

Sounds like there are more and more of us looking at ttc sept onwards which is super exciting :)

Xxx

Haha he just hates it...can't be in the same room if I eat it or see the peelings from an apple or kiwi. It's very weird!

Maybe I'll just buy some more pregnacare again then and some calcium ? I don't even have milk in my tea!

Also(and please tell me to stop being nosey if you want!) why doesn't your OH like you eating fruit?

I am wondering this too Can we be nosey together?

I’m with @queenatom personally, I’m just going to stick with a simple pregnancy multivitamin. My plan is to keep things as simple and low key as possible for as long as possible to try and avoid stress... That might not last though, who knows! NHS website is very anti Vitamin A though.

@butterfly5291 There's a lot of information out there and I think it's easy to get overwhelmed. My understanding is that, provided you're getting sufficient folic acid, there's probably no need to stress about the rest. I think a multi-vitamin like Pregnacare should have you covered.

Also(and please tell me to stop being nosey if you want!) why doesn't your OH like you eating fruit?

@StellaDelMare welcome to the team! Sounds like you'revwell prepared already.

So I joined the band wagon and bought impatient guide too....anyone else feeling totally overwhelmed by what supplements you should be taking?
I've been on pregnacare pre conception ones for almost a month, I bought a cheaper version in home bargains and compared the ingredients...folic acid was the same and generally pregnacare had higher dosages. Then read in the book what we should take and the rainbow ones she recommends contain vitamin a...which I thought we weren't meant to take?
All the brand's seem to vary on something and I don't know what I need. my diet isn't amazing...I don't like a lot of veg and OH hates me eating fruit so eat little of that.
Dr just says folic acid and vitamin D are enough...
Mind is blown!!

I would love to join in with this thread!

Me and DH are going to TTC from around October/November time.
I stopped my pill back in April. I was staying on it because I wanted to take it for our summer holiday this summer to ensure no period, but obviously that got cancelled so...off the pill I went! I've been tracking my cycles using OPK's and the premom app to get an idea of when I ovulate. It turns out I ovulate quite late (cycle day 20ish), so I am glad I am doing this because if I followed what the apps say it would be totally inaccurate for me!

I've been taking vitamin D and folic acid too. I actually found out that I am deficient in folic acid through blood tests last year despite having a good diet so that's something I'm being sure to take as it is important.

We also have a 'baby fund' savings account so when the time comes we can start buying our baby bits!

@wrensandrobins to be honest no different on or off it, I didn’t suffer too badly with cramps as a teenager though from what I can remember and emotionally I’ve been fine on and off the pill. The implant was another story which is why I came off it, I was so moody and touchy all the time! When I got it out my sister said to me “thank god I’ve finally got my sister back”, I didn’t realise it had been that bad until I got it out and felt loads better!

@Lollipop87 that's interesting! How have you felt emotionally, I get bad PMT at the moment so I was hoping I would be better off a hormonal contraceptive!

@wrensandrobins I was the same, had been on the pill for the best part of 16 years (implant for maybe 2 of them but didn’t get on with it). Came off in May and I have to say I don’t feel all that different. The weirdest thing is that I was expecting my periods to be a lot heavier but they’re actually lighter than when I was on the pill! Thinking maybe my uterine lining just needs a bit more time to thicken back up 🤷🏼‍♀️

@Nate1 I'm also a primary school teacher (don't know if you're the same) so I will only ever be in a bubble with my 25 pupils and even then it's only 3 days a week since I'm part time so this will factor into my decisions about work.

I haven't really thought about that side of it too much tbh. I'm not going to worry until I get there. I'll look into the guidance over the summer holidays but having to wait to have my coil out has put back plans and taken having another baby out ofy control for a few months so I'm not really willing to postpone any further than September/October.

This may well go on for a very long time yet and I can't keep waiting (too impatient 😂)

The problem with knowing what my headteacher straight away is that everyone would know and I'd rather take the risk and know at least that the decision is mine as to when to tell people.

Oh and I have to add of course I‘m not sure I would want to work in school because of COVID but sitting around is boring :D look at me worrying although I haven‘t even tried to get pregnant :D horrible :D sorry

@Pebbleinthesand so interesting to read your insight because I‘m a teacher too and we are supoosed to tell our headteacher as soon as we know. I‘m actually thinking a lot about this because of COVID I‘m worried that I won‘t be allowed to teach in school for the whole pregnancy which would be sad and boring I think :D Sure I could use a break on the hours but I don‘t want to sit at home beeing healthy and pregnant 9 month. Do you think about this or is it different for you?

I'm a teacher so I told him early because of risk assessments and needing to know if any children had anything that I shouldn't be around liked slapped cheek or scarlet fever.

He's usually brilliant but so unprofessional with things like this. He's just done it again to another member of staff. Everyone knows and now the poor girl's had a miscarriage and I don't think she's even aware that at least half of the school knows. It makes me so mad. I won't be telling him until at least 12 weeks if not later this time.

I came off my pill in the July but didn't start TTC until the September with my DD. I got my BFP mid October.

Love that I'll be TTC around the same time of year, having a baby in summer is lovely and I definitely thought about it when deciding when to TTC again.

Also I have either been on the pill or with an implant for 16 years since I was a teenager, I have no idea what I am like without these extra hormones! It will be interesting to find out!

I have two weeks of the pill left and I wonder how my body will react! I read that calcium helps with pmt so I have ordered some supplements online hopefully that will help!

Thanks @Lollipop87 and @sunflowersaremyfav93 - I'm sure you're right. I was never really emotionally affected by PMS before I went on contraception so just a bit of a shock to the system. My husband has definitely been a bit caught out by it too!

One of my friends from work has just revealed she’s nearly 20 weeks pregnant!! No one knew because obviously on video call meetings everyone is sat down. She only told HR 2 weeks before the cut-off but you’re well within your rights to do that. Some women like to wait until they’re further along.

@queenatom sorry you’re feeling crappy 🙁 My emotions were ok but my skin went really spotty my first cycle off the pill. Hopefully it’s a result of the pill hormones leaving your body and you’ll feel more yourself soon 😊

@sunflowersaremyfav93 Most people I know tell their work shortly after their 12 week scan, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with waiting a little longer if you want to. The only firm rule is that you must tell them no later than 15 weeks before your due date.

Did anyone else have a really rough time emotionally with their first period after stopping contraception? I’ve just been feeling awful these past few days, very unsettled and anxious, and I can only assume it’s down to hormones (there’s nothing else specific that would be triggering it). I just want to start feeling normal again!