Preconception planning - anyone want to join?

@sunflowersaremyfav93 not who you asked but I told them after my first 12 weeks scan (baby was small/dates off so had 2). I apologised for my crappy behaviour while telling them . I didn't show for ages and even at 30 something weeks people were still not noticing, I doubt that would be the case the second time round though.

@sunflowersaremyfav93 I’ve only been taking them for a couple of days but will let you know if anything out of the ordinary happens. I read a good article on Motherly about fish oil being great for fertility if you wanted to look for it x

Hi @Pebbleinthesand! Congrats on getting your coil out, that must have been so frustrating having to wait so long! Omg I can’t believe your boss told everyone, that is so unprofessional and an invasion of your privacy!! 😡 I think there are lots of Sept/Oct TTC-ers on this thread 😊

Would love to join this thread.

I finally (after asking doctors since the beginning of lockdown) had my coil removed today.

After talking it through with my DH I think we're going to wait until September/October to TTC because I have a work friends hen party in late September and as much as I love my work friends they're a bunch of terrible gossips and will not believe me if I give any other reason for not drinking.

I don't want anyone at work to know until I'm ready for them to this time. When I got pregnant with my DD almost 4 years ago I told my boss pretty much straight away and he then told 3 other members of staff outside of the management team so by the time I had my 12 week scan and told everybody, they already knew 🤦‍♀️.

@JamesZebra sorry you’re feeling meh, hopefully you’ll feel better after you talk to him about it. I sometimes find that me worrying about bringing something up is worse than the actual conversation and I usually feel so much better even if it’s a difficult conversation. (Both with DH and with work colleagues!)

@Nate1 yes and I even talked DH through the benefits of certain things food/nutrition wise and he was actually quite interested! I’ve just read the bit in the #bible (love that 😂) about the planning sex for a boy or a girl...whoa! I wouldn’t do it for my first but if I have a boy first I’d be tempted to use it to get a girl second time round!

@Nate1 thank you, I think I will try that, failing that I am just going to tell him what it is doing to me mentally and that if we can't have another at least I can deal with that rather than the torture of getting my period every month and hoping I wont. I think part of him is scared that I will leave if he can't give me a baby, if we can't have another child I will accept that. I would just kind of like to know if there is a problem.
It's more likely to be me - I only have 1 Fallopian tube and there is a chance it's scarred/blocked because the other one was. I have heard that people have had the test to check if its blocked and inadvertently ended up unblocking it so that might be an option further down the line. Once again I am waaaaay over thinking things.

@JamesZebra Sorry for giving advice although I don‘t know you guys, but maybe it helps to use the approach from the book (#Bible) and tell your partner that your doctor says you can't start your tests/appointment until his sperm is checked. This shifts the focus from him to you. So to speak "everything will be fine with you I know" :D

@Lollipop87 Great that your supplement arrived. It gives you the feeling of beeing in control a little doesn‘t it? :)

On that note. I‘m not taking fish oil capsules but I want to incorperate more fatty fish in my/our diet.

@Lollipop87 i think that sounds like a good swap
Cake was all that got me through lockdown in the beginning.

I think i am feeling a bit meh today because I have started spotting so I know I am probably out for this month- i guess it could be implantation bleeding but I think thats unlikely.
We aren't really trying but it would be nice if it just happened like that since we haven't used any contraception for quite some time. I guess it gives me another 4 weeks to shift some more weight and pay off another chunk of my credit card.
I am trying to be positive but I am really worried that something is wrong with one of us. I have asked Dp to get his swimmers checked but he doesn't want to - he hates going to the DR's.

@JamesZebra & @queenatom I am so over working from home!! I got into a really good routine in April, was going out for walks every day and doing my boot camp and yoga religiously but I feel like it’s all fallen by the wayside a bit. I think because it was my niece’s and then my DH’s bday I got into the habit of eating too much cake 😂 It’s my birthday next weekend so after that DH and I have promised we’re going to have a super healthy August - our reward can be lots of BD’ing in Sept in what will hopefully be our first month TTC (if I can persuade him!) 🤞🏼

@queenatom thank you, I’ve done some more reading about it and you’re right! The supplements I have are the seven seas fish oil that do contain cod liver oil but only a small amount, and from reading about it sounds like the vitamin A can actually be beneficial for fertility you’re just not supposed to take it once you’re actually pregnant. So I think I’m going to carry on taking them for now and then switch to one without cod liver oil once actually TTC.

@stepmumSW5 good luck!! I’ve been reading the section about OPKs etc. in the book! I never realised there were so many ways to track ovulation!

@Nate1 I’ve also been reading more of the book and my combined calcium & vitamin D supplements arrived today!

@maloney123 I agree with the others around exercise, if anything I’m going to try and continue with as much exercise as I can so that I can carry on doing some of it into pregnancy. My Bootcamp instructor said that you can carry on doing whatever exercise you already do (other than contact sports) once pregnant you just shouldn’t take up anything new, so I want to try and keep it up so I’m fit for the marathon that is labour 😮😂

@JamesZebra Yes, it's difficult, isn't it? I would love to park myself in a cafe for a few hours right now, but just not viable. I think trying to get walks in is a good idea, and maybe also trying to mix up your routine a little - popping out to pick up a takeaway lunch from somewhere nearby (if that's an option where you live) or taking a break outside?

@queenatom that sounds like a good plan. Work is strictly out of bounds at the mo so I can't do that. Would love to just go sit in a cafe and get on with some work but that's not possible either. I think a walk would do me the world of good.

@JamesZebra I have good days and bad days on the WFH front. It's better when I'm busy, when it's slow the time really drags and I resent having to be sat at my desk when I could be doing other things. I think doing what you can to shake up your routine is a good thing - I've started trying to get out for a walk at lunch and tomorrow I'm actually going in to the office for the first time since early March, just for a change of scenery. I'm weirdly excited about the prospect!

I think exercise is fine like the other say, as long as you don't over do it. If anything it's probably beneficial- helps manage stress and keeps your active and fit.
These days at home, working drag so badly sometimes. I think i need to shake up my routine a bit. How is everyone else coping working from home?

@Nate1 @MsQueenInTheNorth thank you both! I think I probably need to stop over thinking so much. We’re going away in a couple of weeks so I’d ideally like to be doing my work outs until then !

Enjoying the book over here with a cup of decaf and dark chocolate :)

@maloney123 I‘m doing HIIT sessions too but 15-20min twice a week max. Not because I think it‘s wrong to do it more often but because my muscles are sore two days afterwards :D. I agree with @MsQueenInTheNorth that it‘s not likely that non athletes can overdo it but that’s just what I heard. :)

I’m exercising more @maloney123, but then we’re not trying at the moment. This is more in preparation as I want to be as fit as possible for pregnancy and labour! The NHS website has some quite useful guidelines on exercise during pregnancy, if that helps?

My understanding is that it’s generally only really intense amounts of exercise (bordering on professional athlete levels) that affect periods and fertility and that exercise in general is a good thing. I’m very much not a doctor though!

Is anyone avoiding exercise? I usually do HIIT and core type work outs a couple of times a week but I’ve been terrified to in case it has a negative effect!

@Lollipop87 I think in the 18th if all is right with my calendar. I keep getting flashing smileys but never saw a static one. I'm starting to fear I didn't ovulate. But I had that supposed "ovulation bleeding".. I'll try not to overthink and in the meantime baby dance!

@Lollipop87 - I think that the risk of fish oils are specifically around cod liver oil, as its the liver that contains Vitamin A. If you take a specific Omega 3 supplement which isn't a liver oil then my understanding is that this should be fine. If in doubt though, I'd just skip the supplement and maybe try and get more (low mercury!) fish in your diet.

@sunflowersaremyfav93 so glad you got your appointment, and the book! I even read some in my lunch break, it’s such an easy read and I just wanna know more! One thing that confuses me is she recommends fish oil (and we already had some in the cupboard so I took one today) but I know you’re not supposed to take them once you’re actually pregnant as there’s too much vitamin A. The bit that confuses me is she talks about the vitamins etc. building up in your body, so does that not mean the vitamin A from the fish oil builds up? In which case you’d think you shouldn’t take it before TTC?? I don’t get it!

@stepmumSW5 ooh I didn’t realise there was a 6 days early one, when will you be able to take it??

@sunflowersaremyfav93 that's great news about your appointment...not too long to wait with especially for NHS. Hopefully that will ease your anxiety a little. I really wouldn't worry about one coffee a day either.
I think I'm going to need to buy this impatient guide too. I had a slighter stronger line on my OPKs yesterday so was hoping it was building up but then today... nothing! Any one else had that?

@sunflowersaremyfav93 good news about the appointment :) ! Fingers crossed they can help and/or set your mind at ease.

I switched to decaf but I probably am closer to ttc than some of you and I have a friend who drank one cup of regular coffee per day and everything was fine. So I think whatever relaxes you is fine. For some it’s quitting for some carrying on. :)
And I also bought the book :D thanks

@stepmumSW5 fingers crossed for you :)