Preconception planning - anyone want to join?

@Lollipop87 I do try although when there has been loads of chat it takes ages haha! I would say more calm than happy- I just have been feeling stressed the past couple of weeks and over planning about ttc and suddenly I thought breath and just go back to the o.g plan! Keeping everything crossed for you to have your first scan by Christmas :) would be so nice to tell everyone then :) such a good idea to be prepared with the first response tests :)

@olderthanyouthink oh no bless you that sounds so stressful. I really hope the right opportunity comes up for you. It’s so crap how they calculate the pay especially if you have only just reduced hours.

Omgosh twins imagine! Do they run in your family? Maybe just see how you feel over the coming weeks. Really hope everything resolves itself for you x

@Lollipop87 thanks, could do without the excitement atm though :P

@mackjm20 I was thinking that maybe we should stop NTNP for a few months to avoid a summer baby (if by some miracle my period returns) and now I'm thinking holding off for a few months would be a good idea because last time I was shattered all the time and I don't need that while trying to figure out freelance life. Knowing our luck though I'm now pregnant with twins.

Oh I forgot I took a pregnancy test the other because I felt a bit ill, tired and irritable and BFN

Thanks @CookieMonster3001

@queenatom good plan, wishing him luck!

@mackjm20 I'm just slightly terrified about having a big childcare bill to pay (btw people you might need to have a terms nursery fees ready in advance for when you return to work!!!) and no idea if I can manage it. Thankfully I have a list of people I can reach out to to look for jobs a DP does too but I've never had to do this kind of thing, I've only had 2 jobs and one of them was an apprenticeship.

Just realised that as I went part time at the beginning of the year I'll get less redundancy pay, not to mention furlough pay, for the sake of working part time for about 9 weeks! Hind sight is great, isn't it

@olderthanyouthink sorry to hear about redundancy, but maybe freelancing will be an exciting new chapter for you.

Hi @ThreeTree and welcome, you’re definitely in the right place! These are our people 😂

@mackjm20 you’re so good at replying to every single person! I get myself in a right muddle sometimes. You sound pretty happy about delaying to November so must be the right decision 😊 Oh I know what you mean about trying to plan around Christmas, I’ve already worked out that if it happens first cycle I’ll be able to have my 12 week scan before Christmas. I’ve also ordered some first response tests today, because I have an appointment to give blood a couple of days before my end of Oct AF and you’re not allowed if you’re pregnant so figured I should get a couple of tests so I know whether or not to keep the appointment! Such planners on this thread, I love it! My sister is the total opposite, she didn’t even read the book I got her - I’ll be taking that back for myself! 😂

Ah all caught up. Been so busy with work the last couple of days. I think it is more likely that we are going to delay ttc (ntnp) from after August AF to after Nov AF now... I have been so caught up on due dates and “what if I was able to tell people at Christmas” and plan plan planning that I got a little carried away with it all. I am currently so busy at work that although I am desperate to get started I know that added stress in sept is just not what I need. So pushing it back a couple of months to get the workload under control, debt fully cleared, last weight lost and exercise in full force :)

I feel like then I won’t be stressing constantly and DH will be happier too as I will have a better work life balance :)

Just got to work out if it does happen before Christmas how to hide it but cross that bridge if we get there (it’s funny as although I know it doesn’t happen first time very often in my head I had scheduled EVERYTHING around ttc in September! Despite all my research haha!) Anyway I’ve tried to rationalise my obsession a little and I know that the original plan of nov that I kept moving forward is still for the best!

On that basis @sunflowersaremyfav93 and @CookieMonster3001 the countdown has been reset 92 days to go! Xx

@MsQueenInTheNorth hope you had a great time away :)

@Pebbleinthesand post holiday washing is the worst! Sorry to hear your cycle is still up in the air! Hang in there hopefully it will settle soon mine was the same when I had it out in Jan :) it’s so frustrating the impact covid has had!

@KittyT30 omgosh HUGE CONGRATULATIONS! Also how amazing that you came off birth control last month and are already expecting that’s amazing so so so happy for you :) this is super exciting having the first positive test in the group :) thats made my day! Eek congratulations! I hope the morning sickness is kind to you with going back to school bless you!

@Bells3032 ah exciting about the coil coming out! I have got the fermometre ones based on queenatoms recommendation too and going to give them a try next month :)

@CookieMonster3001whats a border biscuit? I feel like I need to know now and will end up wanting a pack too haha! So glad the lump doesn’t seem as hard really hope like you said it will just go by itself!

@queenatom sorry to hear you are achey this week and about the thrush that is the worst and can make you feel so run down! Sorry to hear about dh risk of redundancy. Hope he finds something soon fingers crossed.

@Lollipop87 so good that your cycle has got into such a good pattern! Omgosh so so exciting about the kitten:) he is absolutely beautiful and I love the name! so much to look forward to between now and October :) it’s like it’s meant to be that your fertile weekend hits your anniversary break away fingers crossed for you :) totally know what you mean about wasted opportunities! Also well done you on eating all the right fertility foods! I really need to start doing that :)

@sunflowersaremyfav93 omgosh that insta post 1000 days! I have been eating so bad the past week or so! Note to self put the chocolate down lol- jokes aside though everyone has a bad food day don’t be too hard on yourself :) I hope your call with the gynaecologist goes well- keep us updated x

@olderthanyouthink glad to hear you had the blood test and it’s over and done with glad they let DP In in the end! So sorry to hear about the potential redundancy. I was so nervous to go freelance when I was made redundant but 2 years down the line I am so happy to have taken the plunge and have so much more control over time (also will be much easier for you to work around little ones)

@ThreeTree welcome :) your list is almost identical to mine and so many others on here to you are certainly in the right place:)

Hi all!
Late joiner to the thread, but we are also pre-TTC, due to start (based on my cycles) just after Christmas. We’ve been planning for this date for a maybe a year or two, and made a list of things that we want to do before TTC and I’m glad to say we’re on target.

They generally fall into 3 categories:
Money - pay off all credit cards/loans bar the mortgage (on track for December), save 3 months worth of earnings (on track for March
Health - lose weight (down 30ish pounds from last year, 44lb from my heaviest. 26lb to go!), drink more water, upping the kegels, exercise 5 times a week. Have a dental appointment next month, and need to book in a doctor appt too.
Educate - read books and other data driven resources (taking charge of your fertility, expecting better etc), track BBT

Have a tick list definitely makes the waiting better! I changed jobs last year in anticipation, knowing that I’ll have at least 2 years tenure at the company by the time mat leave came around so hopefully you can tell I am a Type A planner!!

Wow, I’ve missed a lot!

@KittyT30 congratulations, first BFP of the thread!

@Lollipop87 what a little darling! I love the name, too.

@olderthanyouthink Sorry about the redundancy, not a great place to be but I’m sure you will figure something out. Hopefully your contacts will be able to help. DH is also at risk of redundancy (massive organisational shake up that makes no sense and it putting heaps of jobs at risk 🙄) so he’s on the hunt so hopefully he can jump before he’s pushed.

@KittyT30 that's amazing!!! Wishing you a healthy pregnancy!! And fingers crossed you pass on some of that baby dust to all of us too! Would be the dream to conceive on our first cycle!

@olderthanyouthink I used to have plain fat free greek yoghurt with fruit and some muesli but saw these and thought I would give them a go.. They do taste delicious, but now I know why! Think I will go back to my usual yoghurt lol. So sorry to hear about your potential redundancy as well, although the freelancing sounds promising and would be great flexibility! Keep my fingers crossed for you that you get some work come in and it takes off!

@sunflowersaremyfav93 hahaha yeah DD stubbornly bulldozed through all of it! I spoke to someone the other day who didn't know she was pregnant till 26 weeks and she went to festivals sort of "heavily" pregnant, baby is fine.

Might be able to find contract work but it's difficult if they want me to come in because DD will do school hours or a half day. I have some contacts I can also for work though so will get one that soon.

@CookieMonster3001 hopefully it's something dull like a cyst. I have some lumps in my boobs and I took me ages to buck up the courage to get them checked but they were thankfully nothing (two different types of lumps, in each boob though )

I have plain yoghurt in my breakfast but with strawberries and banana on top so probably a fair bit of sugar, I wonder how much sugar if you just mashed a fruit in to plain yogurt to get a similar thing?

@KittyT30 congratulations! Those tests aren't very sensitive so defo pregnant, Yay!

@sunflowersaremyfav93 be interesting to see come much it reduces miscarriage and how good or bad you have to eat to have an effect... DD was conceived on no vitamins, a fair amount of meal deals and some ready meals and she got passed 2 morning after pills (and condoms) I cant speak for her long term health but i don't think you have to worry too much especially as your proactive enough to already be working in your health

I had my blood test, numbing cream helped but the HCA doing it didn't want to let DP (and sleeping DD) in with me but I wouldn't go in so she let them, I needed him and typically DD would up as I sat down. Results in a week, I hadn't eating very well that day do probably not great.

Also I'm almost guaranteed to be being made redundant I don't think I'll have much luck getting another job with my being part time and weird days (childcare) and I hope to be pregnant soon-ish so during probation. I'm looking at freelancing now which is kinda terrifying but if I can get work it pays way better than my job, I'd still get maternity allowance though.

So this was our first month TTC, last month I had just came off the pill and didnt have proper period and had 5 weeks before my first proper period. I read that ovulation happens around 14 days after period, I tested 11 days after and very faint line, then 14 days and had a positive ovulation result with the line darker. We did the deed day 12, 14,15,16 - so it was 3 days in a row before and after ovulation. We made it fun, not focusing on baby making (even if I was thinking about it, my husband was just glad for the sex) 🤣🤣🤣.. I would eat healthy enough but added more greens into diet- avocado, broccoli and peas. I think it helped I'm pretty relaxed at the min, off for Summer holidays. Back to my job as a teacher next week they say morning sickness happens around week 6, dreading it with 30 4 year olds in my class. Not going to tell work until I'm over the 12 weeks, im not permanent so its really non of their business.

@sunflowersaremyfav93 yes but plain yoghurt not flavoured as the flavour comes from the sugar. I used to eat a fat free flavoured one years ago and then found out how much sugar it had in it! Now I eat plain full fat Greek yoghurt, takes a while to get used to the plain flavour rather than like a sweet fruity flavour but once you do it’s really nice

@sunflowersaremyfav93 that's really interesting! I literally just searched for her and followed. Don't beat yourself up over one day! Just get back on track tomorrow. I find that as long as majority of the time I am healthy that's the main thing. We still need to live and enjoy life!

I just found out my usual pot of greek yoghurt that I have (flavoured) has 18g sugar in it. I nearly passed out!!! The plain version only (I say only) has 6g, so I wasn't expecting it to be that much but 18g is insane!!!

Trying really hard to cut back on sugar intake, and so I am defo not buying that again! LOL. There is 20g sugar in a mars bar, so Id much rather have that for the extra 2g then yoghurt!

@KittyT30 OMG congratulations!! That’s so exciting! I’ve had friends say it doesn’t feel real until you see it on the scan, so I think it’s normal for it to feel strange like you can’t actually believe you’re pregnant.

Thanks everyone, just wish I could have him at home with me right now. Although I probably wouldn’t get any work done!

@Bells3032 fingers crossed for your appointment! And @sunflowersaremyfav93 that’s really interesting, honestly though don’t beat yourself up we all have bad days. I’ve actually put on weight because I’m trying to eat foods good for fertility which has meant switching to full fat yoghurt and eating good fats like avocado but I haven’t felt like doing any exercise especially in the heatwave! Ate a lot yesterday but just told myself tomorrow is another day, had a healthy breakfast and am going to do some exercise in my lunch break.

@CookieMonster3001 that’s really interesting, I’m glad it’s reassured you 😊

@MsQueenInTheNorth Mine look very similar to that yesterday. Mine was very weak and then super strong (not what they class as positive either) and then super weak again. I reckon I will need to test twice a day to catch it really.

@Lollipop87 omg so adorable!!! he is SO CUTE!

@KittyT30 OMG congratulations!!!

@Bells3032 keeping my fingers crossed for you.

After talking about CM yesterday, I found an interesting article on the internet: www.kindara.com/blog/the-many-faces-of-cervical-mucus which described the different types of CM and it has defo made me feel better, as I don't think mine ever really fit the usual EWCM description and have never really had that, mines always been more on the watery end. Its also quite re-assuring to know that its still possible to get pregnant without that

@Lollipop87 omg he is sooooo cute. I really want a puppy but the idea of a puppy and a baby at the same time sounds awful to me. trying to persuade my DH into a kitten instead (i am just a general animal lover). Maybe once we've bought our house.

@KittyT30 oh wow congrats! i think the first positive on this thread!! wishing you lots of luck and hopefully the rest of us will find it as easy! you can't get false positives and the clear blue are notoriously nonsensitive so must be strong if coming up there!

We went up this morning to town to get my DH blood tests to see if he's had any surge in FSH and LH. Fingers crossed. appointment on Thursday with the endo for the results. I am bricking it

*cant really get a false positive (not negative)