SMEP-ing our way to a BFP 🍁🍂🐿️🍂🍁 Part 2

@HoneyPea I had to google that, really sorry to hear youre not having the easiest of times. It appears that it goes away by the time they reach six but its completely logical to try and resolve it as soon as you can. How long until you get the test results?
@NSx congratulations on your pregnancy, I am so pleased for you, after the time hard time we had to conceive whilst smepping :D the first few weeks are tough but they go by quickly. Are you hoping for a girl or a boy this time round?

@NatGeeLovely to hear from you and exciting/nervous news that you are getting ready to try again soon. @allgoodthings84My little man will be 2 in August as well. We are having a bit of a tough time with him at the moment as he has been diagnosed with Ketotic Hypoglycemia and we are waiting for test results to see if he has an underlying condition causing it or not.

That's right, our little smep babies are nearly 2! Mina stays with us most of the time and is an absolute chatterbox. I'm loving watching her grow
We fell pregnant again earlier this year but lost that and are now getting ready to start again soon. I feel another smep round coming my way ! Would love a sibling for our little girl xx

Hi @NatGee how’s it going? My little one is 2 in August, it has gone so quickly! She’s going to start pre school at the end of August so she can get more chance to be around children her own age as I’m at work all week and my mum doesn’t take her to baby groups as doesn’t feel comfortable and my eldest is 10 now. It’s mad that I can apply for her primary school place next year!

Ressurrecting this thread because, as silly as that might sound, I thought of you ladies on and off since Mina was born
How have you ladies, and your bubs been? @NSx @HoneyPea @allgoodthings84

Thank you for replying. It sounds like your issue was a bit different from mine in that case. I've never had irregular periods of any issues with my periods/ cycle until now. I stopped the pill at the end of November so I have been off it for 7.5 months. I am convinced that is what has caused the spotting and the shorter luteal phases. I can't be sure the spotting issue is the reason I have not been able to conceive obviously as I am 37. I have been referred for a day 21 progesterone test but at the moment I can't book it because of the NHS cyber attack which has affected a lot of care in London. I don't think my progesterone will show as low on day 21 anyway as it doesn't on my Mira tests. I'm so angry at myself for going on a new type of pill after I had my first baby. So many friends warned me about the pill affecting their fertility but I never believed them because the official advice all says your cycles return to normal in 2-3 months and when I stopped the combined pill my cycles returned to normal the next month. Now it has happened to me and I'm kicking myself not to have listened. The hospitals really push you to go on the pill after birth though - the midwives were literally handing out packets of desogestrel in the maternity ward when I had my first baby.

@HPrior I’m sorry you have the spotting too 😔. Progesterone does naturally start to drop after the mid way point of LP for everyone if you’re not pregnant which is why they recommend the day 21 tests to be done half way through your LP not necessarily day 21 so it may not be a progesterone issue. I had day 21 tests done twice and my results were over 50 at 6dpo (my mid way point) both times so suggests it wasn’t a progesterone issue with me. My GP had no problem letting me have the day 21 tests to check my progesterone levels though so it is well worth you asking if you can have them done.

The spotting wasn’t anything to do with contraception as I hadn’t been on the pill since before I got pregnant with my now 9 year old. We used condoms. I don’t like how hormonal contraception makes me feel
so I don’t use it. How long ago did you come off your contraception as it could very well be why you spot as it can mess with periods for awhile after?

I can’t remember when spotting started for me if I’m honest. It was before I started ttc my second for sure and my periods have always been horrible so probably for many many years. I didn’t pay attention when I wasn’t ttc and my first born wasn’t planned so I wasn’t thinking about it. Now nearly a year after my second being born some months I spot and some I don’t for awhile after I didn’t spot at all but it seems my body is going back to my normal 😔

I never found out why I spot. It didn’t stop me conceiving in the end so I let it drop. I wasn’t prescribed progesterone when ttc as nhs don’t tend to prescribe progesterone unless you have had previous losses and then have a bleed after 6 weeks. You can definitely get it if you go privately though.

I would start with requesting a day 21 progesterone test but book it for half way through your LP and take it from there. I had full bloods done as other things can affect periods and spotting too but nothing came up on mine. Good luck 😊 I know how horrible it is worrying something could be wrong

@allgoodthings84 congratulations on the baby girl. I hope you don't mind be bumping this but I saw from other threads that you had spotting around 9-10 DPO for 3-4 days before period starts. I have one child who I was lucky to conceive easily but am struggling to conceive a second. I have similar symptoms to you: everything seems to be normal al until about 10 DPO then I get spotting for 3 days (a couple of months it has been 7 days), then period starts. This has been happening since I stopped taking desogestrel progesterone only pill in November (which I was taking as contraception when I was BF my first). I never had the issue before when I came off the combined pill. I have had scans and these show nothing wrong physically. I think it's a hormonal imbalance - I have been using the Mira hormone tracker which shows my progesterone starts to drop when I get the spotting. I have some questions:

Did your spotting issue start after you stopped hormonal contraception?

How long did you have the problem for?

Did the doctors ever work out what was wrong?

Did they prescribe progesterone for the spotting?

@NSx @allgoodthings84 @NatGee Sorry I have only just seen your messages. Hope all the babies are ok and looking forward to Christmas 🎄 🎅
Still feeling like I have a newborn here as little man is only nearly10 1/2 lb at 17weeks.

Hi all. @HoneyPea my scar is all good now and I forget it’s even there most of the time. It will likely always be a bit numb round it though but that doesn’t bother me.

@NatGee congratulations on your beautiful girl. Time goes so fast doesn’t it.

My daughter is 15 weeks on Monday. Things are going well but think we are hitting the sleep regression as in the last few nights she’s been mega fussy in the night but has been sleeping through since 11 weeks and from 6 weeks to 11 weeks only one wake up for a bottle so this constant waking isn’t fun even though she’s going straight back to sleep it’s just loads of times and it’s got to be me who sees to her because when her dad tries she thinks it’s wake time! I didn’t notice a regression with my first born as she never slept well as a baby 😂

@NSx thanks for checking up on us and congratulations on the arrival of your daughter 🩷🎊 and on such a lovely date, shell have fireworks on her bday 😀

My baby has also arrived now, on the 14th of nov and we named her Mina Aurora. She was born at home but not in water. Still, so happy to have managed to birth at home as that had always been the plan

How are you feeling? Still in your bubble i bet, the love for these little people just deepens as time goes on 💓💓
Personally im really grateful for this time we get with our babies. Can be lonely and difficult at times but its so important

@HoneyPea Glad your scar healed up, how are you feeling? Is little man still breastfeeding ?

@allgoodthings84 hope youre doing well, let us know how youre getting on xx

@NSx congratulations 🩷 wow you made a big one 😂🤣, I recon she will probably weigh around the same as my little man does now at 13 weeks as he was around 9lb last week!
@allgoodthings84 I hope you managed to get your scar sorted. Some of mine split open but it was fine and healed very quickly with some antibiotic cream.

Sorry I’ve not been around been a bit of a blur in the last 3 weeks. My c section scar became infected and although I’ve finished my antibiotics I’m going back to GP today as I’m still not happy with how it’s looking and feeling and don’t think it’s just an infection as it’s really red around the incision still and as far as I’m aware the redness should have died down by now and it feels not quite right. Doesn’t feel or look like my previous c section at this stage. It doesn’t hurt, smell or weep which is why I don’t think it’s still an infection but not sure what it is. Maybe it’s normal just taking longer to heal than before.

Darcie is doing great though 🥰.

I hope you’re all doing good? Not long for you @NSx and @NatGee now?

@HoneyPea how was your little man coping in the heat?

@NatGee Hope you are coping with the heat, its been hard enough not pregnant so don't known how your feeling. Exciting that you get to see baby again tomorrow, hope everything goes well.
@NSx Glad you enjoyed your baby moon. Have a great baby shower next weekend.
@allgoodthings84 Hope your both still doing well?
Little man is doing well, nearly 4 weeks old and he had his first ever breast feed a few days ago (on his due date actually!! 😊)

@NSx wonderful and welcome back ! would love to go on a babymoon but not brave enough to fly at this stage !
this heat is a lot isnt it? my feet puffed up yesterday and i was a little annoyed about that as ive not swollen up all this time. The combo of extreme heat and sitting for too long did not help but otherwise doing well

Have a scan coming up next Tuesday so itll be nice to see baby again. What news from your side?

how are babies coming along? @allgoodthings84 @HoneyPea

@HoneyPea huge congratulations on the safe arrival of your little boy ❤so glad to hear you are both doing well. I am sure you are ensconced in newborn bubble at the minute... ah cant wait for my turn !
@NSx thats right, just you and me left. I didnt appreciate youre only a couple of weeks ahead of me. Officially 30 weeks today :) Are you back from your holiday or still enjoying your time away?

@NatGee @NSx @allgoodthings84 Sorry I haven't replied been a bit of a worrying time over here. Baby boy started rapidly dropping percentiles and there was a high blood flow to his cord so the Drs decided they wanted him out at 37weeks. Little man then decided he didn't want to wait so I had a low level emergency section and last week at just over 36weeks! They made sure they had a bed for him in the special care unit but he didn't need it 😊 He's tiny but perfectly formed.
I now have a 13day old baby boy who weighs 4lb6.

@allgoodthings84 Congratulations on the safe arrival of your baby girl 🩷 Hope you are both well and enjoying the newborn bubble.

@NatGee Im so glad baby's bowel is clear. How far along are you now?

@NSx Hope you have a lovely relaxing holiday and the iron tablets start to work.

Just realised I tagged you all twice there, the joys of late night feeds 🤦‍♀️