Active discussions

Help protect children from gaming harms.

Take our survey

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Conception

When's the best time to get pregnant? Use our interactive ovulation calculator to work out when you're most fertile and most likely to conceive.

Original poster

Preparing to TTC in 2023

955 replies

DanisEndo · 31/10/2022 09:36

Hi,

I'm part of a lovely thread which was started in 2021 for those planning to start TTC in 2022 and it was such a supportive group! we've now seen lots of positives and given each other a lot of support and tips through ups and downs.

I'm now 'pausing' TTC until after my wedding in 2023 and thought it'd be nice to start up a similar thread to see if there is anyone else now prepping and getting excited for next year!

On the last thread everyone introduced themself by saying their age, what they're trying for and when they plan on starting - I'll then keep a list up to date and post so everyone can easily see others who are at the same stage as them!

I'll go first:

Age: 27
TTC no: 1
Starting: Sep 23

Between now and then I'm going to be taking folic acid, try and loose some lbs to get closer to a healthy BMI, save some money in a baby pot and enjoy some 'baby free' activities (i.e., wine, gin, sushi and surfing!). I have endometriosis and PCOS so going to try and get my periods more regular and pain management via diet.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
19
BatildaB · 03/01/2023 22:32

@LeopardLover Well I'll definitely get on the yams then, just in case there's anything in it! I did babysit my neighbour's twins through Covid and although I absolutely loved them they were pretty hard work and very competitive for attention. My ex's DS had been TTC for years before conceiving one child through IVF, then surprise twins showed up almost straightaway afterwards, that was quite a startlingly sudden instant family!

LeopardLover · 03/01/2023 22:22

@twinklebutt Ah,really sorry to hear about your miscarriage 😔 Glad you've finally had your period back, hopefully you'll be back on track soon. Have you ever taken your BBT? Might help track ovulation. Or using an OPK.

@BatildaB We are similar in age and I've just ordered this book our of curiosity. Although I'm not sure I like the thought of expensive vitamins haha. My best friend had twins and honestly they've been a dream since they were born. Always slept well, never really struggled with sleep regression or teething. She makes it look all so easy compared to my hectic toddler haha. I'd still love twins too 😊

BatildaB · 03/01/2023 22:17

Hello, what a lovely thread, can I join please! Just posted elsewhere about my plans - I'm 38 and planning for April although am getting impatient and nervous.

On the other thread someone recommended the book 'it starts with the egg' which I read in one go this evening, so I've just ordered some painfully expensive prenatal vitamins and am excited about the idea that the eggs which are just getting starting to get themselves ready from now are the ones that'll be ready to be put to work in April.

I also did some googling from the twin chat upthread and am now going to add yams to my prepreparation diet, just in case there's anything in that and I can get two for the price of one! (I know twins are hard work and there are health risks, but I have always loved the idea of twins).

twinklebutt · 03/01/2023 22:14

Hello, may I join?

34
Baby number 2 would be lovely.

Came off the pill August 22 to try, miscarried at 7 weeks November 22, currently have an 8 year old DD.
Period took nearly 7 weeks to return after miscarriage so now I've finally had one, unsure when I'll be ovulating this month as I only track through fitness app and its out of sync at the mo!

LeopardLover · 03/01/2023 22:12

So much to catch up on! Welcome to all the newcomers. @DanisEndo it's great to have you back and glad you enjoyed your break. 🌟

@Mushroo Being a night owl isn't a bad thing. This is my husband and it worked to our advantage. We have a non-sleeper but he goes to bed late and wakes up late. In the early days being a night owl helped with all the night feeds! You just adjust to coping on less sleep. It's amazing really.

Also, you don't really know when you'll conceive so something to consider before deciding to delay!

@Ellbell1234 I hope the fertility MOT provides some insight!

@Ella31 I'm so sorry for your loss and how insensitive others have been. So many careless comments! :( I consider myself an empathetic person and I struggle to understand those who aren't. I've seen so many pregnancy announcements over Christmas - it's really triggering to those TTC.

@123ROLO Age gap motivation - there's no wrong answer but doctors recommend waiting at least 12 months from giving birth to conceiving again (18 months for c-section due to scar) mostly because of increased risks to baby such as being premature or low birth rate. I know of a friend who conceived within a year and she was told by doctors she didn't give her body long enough to heal and had plenty of issues throughout pregnancy and birth (baby was born very premature). However, plenty of people have the opposite experience! Including my mother in law. I chose a longer gap because I had a physically traumatic birth and I wanted more one-to-one time with my toddler before #2 came along!

Mumof1hopingfor2nd · 03/01/2023 21:19

As for age gaps I'm gutted that there will be such a big age gap minimum of 12years 🙁I'd never of planned it that way but sometimes life gets in the way 😅 I'm looking at the positives though I'd have loved a 3-4yr age gap but everyone is different

Hopingforno2in2023 · 03/01/2023 20:52

Many congratulations babybrainfart!

LovelyBitOfSquirrelll · 03/01/2023 20:40

@babybrainfart congratulations! How exciting- how are you feeling?

With regards to age gaps, we chose a bigger gap (8 years) purely due to financial reasons unfortunately, or we would have done sooner. Couldn’t afford nursery fees for 2 at the same time, and then we bought a house, got married, then had DC2 (2). I love how our DD (10) is self sufficient, it allowed us to have a bit more of a chilled newborn stage with DS, and she is a good help (when she wants to be 🤣) with her little brother. The gap between the third and DS (if and when it happens) will hopefully be about 3 years which will be nice, I will love to see the younger two playing together. Will obviously make sure our DD doesn’t ever feel left out/ excluded, we manage the time and age gap between them now very well, and she keeps asking for another sibling 😁

Really loving reading the thread and seeing what everyone is up to/ stage they are at x

TrudyProud · 03/01/2023 19:43

@babybrainfart congratulations! 12 weeks already 😱. Have you had your 1st trimester scan. Enjoy your pregnancy x

happyfeet5 · 03/01/2023 18:33

Anyone else think it’s crazy (and so exciting) to think this time next year, some ladies on here could be holding their new babies?
To answer a PP (I hope I didn’t dream this!) I have thought a little about age gaps, it’s just such an abstract concept when you don’t even have one yet. We are early mid twenties so could have a really large age gap between DC1 and DC2 if we wanted, I see pros and cons to it all. There’s 6 years between me and my sister and we do not get along at all, but that could just be personalities. I know I wouldn’t want a small age gap because of the sheer expense in one concentrated period, as well as demands on energy, time and sleep. I’d hope DC1 could be self sufficient and do small things for themselves as well as have a little understanding as to why all of a sudden they don’t have 100% of my attention! I really see the appeal of an age gap of 4-5 years for this reason, so we could concentrate on the early years of one DC at a time. But we’ll see!

GlosGal · 03/01/2023 18:10

Hi everyone. Hope you all had a lovely Christmas. Just catching up on this thread as we’ve been away.

we both caught covid on our honeymoon at end of November which screwed with Cycle 1. Didn’t ovulate until CD23 which should
put me at 10DPO today. Haven’t tested yet and don’t plan to until later in the week but had cramping for a few days, back ache and feeling so sick which is unlike me so 🤞🤞 for the end of the week. We haven’t told anyone our plans so it’s nice to have this thread!

wishing you all baby dust for the year ahead!

Chooba · 03/01/2023 17:30

I'll join!

Age: 36
TTC: No 1
Starting: Now! Well, late December but that's pretty much now.

I've been on the folic acid since late November, had my IUS out late December, and now we're just getting on with it. I'm giving up the booze (DP says he will too) which will be a challenge as we're quite social drinkers with friends...the giving up isn't a challenge, but not telling people why is! We don't want to say anything to anyone so having a thread like this to chat to people will be great :)

Hopingforno2in2023 · 03/01/2023 17:29

Yay great to have you back Danis! Babybrainfart needs to be moved to the pregnant section :)

Mushroo · 03/01/2023 17:20

@DanisEndo thank you and hope you had a lovely Christmas!!

Slight spanner in the works today, my manager is having a baby so will be taking 3 months pat leave when I would be off if we conceived now.

I know logically I should crack on, but we’re only a team of 3 and I already feel guilty, especially as I’ve not even been there a year! Everything is so complicated!

Original poster
DanisEndo · 03/01/2023 17:16

Pregnant!

@marleyandme 27, No.1

TTC

@Weefreetiffany No.2
@WanOvaryKenobi 30, No.1
@louloulollipop 31, No.1
@Tophy124 30, No. 2
@Foreverhope82 40, No.1
@Mushroo 31, No.1
@GlosGal 32. No. 1
@Firsttimetrying2022 No. 1
@PeopleAreToads 28, No. 1
@Summer022 25, No. 1
@JRabbitx
@Floralsandsmiles 35
@CRbear 32. No. 1
@Hopefulhoney6 34, No. 1
@AROSE9 25, No. 1
@Ella31
@CGallo95 27, No. 1
@Notyetamother 29, No. 1
@Babydustthisyear 32. No. 1
@madeofcodes No. 1
@SJ2 32, No. 1
@Almondbut 31, No.1
@bethhop85 37, No.1
@TrudyProud 36, No.2
@Mummymidwife33 38, No.3
@Ellbell1234

February

@babybrainfart 33, No.3
@winterbabyrose 27, No.2
@LovelyBitOfSquirrelll 33, No.3
@Lilothblos 30, No.1

March

@happyfeet5 No.1
@pmore23 28, No.2
@LongDistanceLife 33, No.3
@Hopingforno2in2023 34, No. 2
@Mumof1hopingfor2nd 32, No. 2

April

@Leopardlover 37, No. 2
@SweetLion 30, No. 1
@WolfMother326 38. No. 2
@kiwifruit1234 34, No. 1
@CatLadyH 31, No. 1

June

@ViewFromTheAfternoon 29, No.1
@Sallythesloth3 29, No.2

July

@ShelleyPercy 34, No.1

August

@LibbyL92 30, No.1
@Imjustaherb No.1
@TheUndoing 30, N0. 1

September

@DanisEndo 27, No.1

October

@123ROLO 29, No.1

Unknown

@Newchapter23 32, No. 1
@TRFran 31, No. 2
@AlwaysWorriedAboutEverything

OP posts:
Original poster
DanisEndo · 03/01/2023 17:08

@Hopingforno2in2023 thank you soooooo much!!

Ive had the loveliest few weeks focusing on finishing work on a high, eating and drinking and dancing and long walks and trying not to think about the impending 2023 so avoiding mumsnet and wedding planning forums like the plague ahah

BUT HERE WE ARE EVERYONE! And what an everyone..... so amazing to see so many kind supportive comments of people in so many situations. I can only hope 2023 gives us all the magic we hope for <3

Updated list incoming - please let me know if anyone has been missed or any info needs to be changed! xx

OP posts:
Mushroo · 03/01/2023 14:00

@happyfeet5 absolutely!

I think I was a non-sleeping baby so going to expect the worse, then be pleasantly surprised if it’s better!

happyfeet5 · 03/01/2023 13:54

@Mushroo I can relate! I do the exact same. Then you kind of worry, don’t you, and think how miserable you’ll feel when you have to be up every single day hours earlier than this. But as PPs have pointed out I’m sure we’d adjust. If you never want to risk change to your sleeping habits I guess that’s deciding never to start a family! Haha

You might get a good sleeper, besides. My friend recently had a baby and her 10 week old sleeps 8:30pm-8am. I think this is the minority though!

babybrainfart · 03/01/2023 13:47

@Hopingforno2in2023 I didn't do a very good job of waiting until 2023 and I was 12 weeks pregnant yesterday :)

Mushroo · 03/01/2023 13:35

@Hopingforno2in2023 thats somewhat reassuring!

Let us know how the test goes!

Hopingforno2in2023 · 03/01/2023 12:43

Speaking as someone whose DC regularly woke before 5 for over a year you do get used to it. We now sleep until 7 and yesterday DS didn’t wake until 8 so it doesn’t last forever.

My AMH test has just arrived!

Firsttimetrying2022 · 03/01/2023 12:17

Mushroo · 03/01/2023 11:30

@123ROLO exactly the same sleep pattern as me! Over Xmas reverted to my natural 1am - 10:30am pattern so this morning was hard!

I think that’s right about it being different. I don’t really begrudge getting up for pets (well, I do a bit but I crack on). Just another unknown I guess in the journey!

I'm exactly the same - currently enjoy sleeping in and on weekends we don't really do anything household/admin related so often laundry and stuff builds up. I do worry sometimes about managing it all with a newborn but I'm sure we'll just adapt to it

Mushroo · 03/01/2023 11:30

@123ROLO exactly the same sleep pattern as me! Over Xmas reverted to my natural 1am - 10:30am pattern so this morning was hard!

I think that’s right about it being different. I don’t really begrudge getting up for pets (well, I do a bit but I crack on). Just another unknown I guess in the journey!

123ROLO · 03/01/2023 11:22

Mushroo · 03/01/2023 08:47

i had a real wobble this morning! I am emphatically not a morning person and when my alarm went off for work (which I hate anyway), I just thought, I could not deal with having to get another person up and ready for school!

Im a night owl and have designed my life so I can WFH everyday so I normally get up at 8 and that’s a struggle (please don’t judge!).

I know when it comes to it I’ll just get on with it, but it just highlighted the hard work! OTOH, hating getting out of bed (which I’ve always hated) seems a stupid reason not to have a family.

I relate to this.

I'm freelance and work from home. If it makes you feel any better I set my alarm for 7 this morning but woke up at 09:30 😂(normal weekday is 08:00)

At weekends I can sleep in till 10:30/11.

I'm not a get up and go person in the morning, but what I tell myself is I don't have to be because my current lifestyle doesn't require it. When you are not naturally a morning person, forcing yourself to get up early when you aren't motivated for whatever your doing is really hard work.

But, I think it's an entirely different feeling when you need to get up and someone's relying on you. Not saying you won't miss lazy mornings, but I think you'll adjust, and as there will be that sense of need more so than just rolling out of bed and turning your laptop on, that'll get you going in the morning!

Mushroo · 03/01/2023 10:25

@JRabbitx were both doing dry January and trying to cut down. We’re classic binge drinkers, so trying to avoid any big nights out and aim to stick to a couple of weekend drinks post January. I don’t want to have any ‘so hungover I might die’ days but comfortable sharing a bottle
of wine on a Saturday IFSYIM.

It’s going to be tricky as our friendship group is quite boozy!

Swipe left for the next trending thread