We are all jolly well going to smack the rat this month and grow a baby and we'll brook no argument. And probably eat some cake too.

[Imps7]

Ladies....begin.

Great to have you back Munk

Good luck for today Have I am brooking for that Christmas Eve BFP of yours

Generic you have nerves of steel. I am getting so excited for you

Have a good sleep Cupcakes

Whim I have two lovely patterns for shawls, though I only have them as PDFs. Will see if I can figure out how to send you them. They only need 1 skein of yarn, and are so pretty.

I have the worst headache ever. It's going all down my neck and my nose and throat are burning. Possible pregnancy symptoms? Oh yes

Generic! This is it! All that brooking has finally paid off, your BFP is within reach I just know it. 15 days post ov is fantastic for you isn't it? I'm going to be on tenterhooks until you test.

Munkii so glad to hear it wasn't eptopic. Brooking for a quick BFP for you.

Great to see you back Have Got everything crossed for your DH's appointment tomorrow.

Hope the rest of you are all ok, I'm still brooking for all of you too. I've been lurking but I admit I'm struggling to keep up with everything discussed on here now. I'm also not good at remembering the newbie names, but I'm looking forward to meeting you all properly in the vomitorium very soon.

I'm now 18+3. Still amazed I've made it this far. Where the hell has the time gone?!

I feel this is entirely appropriate for all festive PIAR-ers

www.johnlewis.com/231270016/Product.aspx

Scarlet great to see you. 18+3?! Amazing, hope all is well with you and bump

welcome back munkii and so sorry to hear bartlets news.

Fingers crossed for generic. Someone must get a BFP soon, they simply must!!

To anyone who has already had a DC, what was your first period like after pregnancy? I haven't had a period since Feb 2010, but have pink/brownish tinges when i wipe, has been happening since Saturday, but no proper flow of anything, so not sure if this is a very weird very light first period, or whether it's a sign my body is about to have a proper period or what. Never had anything like this before.

(and i've not baked anything as trying to drop a few pounds, am back to pre preggo weight, problem is that pre preggo weight was too heavy as it was!!)

All good I think maybe. I don't think I'll believe it fully until I'm holding the baby, but it does all seem to be going well. My 20 week scan is next week which feels a pretty big milestone.

Hope things have got better for you at work?

Generic - I think Scarlet is right - this is it!!!!

Am so excited and joining Scarlet on the tenterhooks until Wednesday.

Hi looopy - not seen you for a while. Can't remember much aboutmy first period post DS - I think it was about 6 months after he was born and normal ish as far as I can remember.

So if no period yet, have you been ovulating? Where are you in your cycle?

Oh Maybe that sounds horrible (the headache, I mean). I hate headaches - they are evil. Have you got some good drugs? Get back to bed and sleep it off I say. And I love the ramekin! If only there was a John Lewis near to where I work I got get one at lunchtime for my Wednesday PIAR!

Wow Scarlet 18+3 - amazing! Are you feeling movement now? So exciting. Yes, 15 days is unheard of, so I am definitely pregnant. I also just 'bumped' into the resident workplace heavily preggo lady and am sure the good vibes have worn off on me!

Loooopy I went back on the pill after having DD so I don't think I had a period, sorry. That could be the start of it though. Do you know if you've been ovulating? Maybe the ov strips would be a good idea to see if you're fertile again yet?

Been feeling some slight flickers and squirming for the last couple of weeks Generic but not had any full on kicks yet. I can't wait to started getting bashed all the time, it's so reassuring.

The vibes will definitely have rubbed off on you. Ooooh I'm so excited, how can you possibly wait until Wednesday? You're already 3 days over your usual cycle length. Have you got any cheapies?

Welcome back munki and hello everyone.

I've had a bad start to the week, as a funding application I had in has been turned down, so no money for my uni to employ me. However, where there's a down, there have to be ups too, right? So it must definitely be a good week for someone. Let's hope it's all of us.

possible I had terrible headaches with my pregnancies. It's almost certainly a symptom. Fingers crossed! If I PM you my email, could you email patterns to me? I promise not to tell who you are if you promise not to tell who I am...

looopy. First one was quite light, then they got heavier for a few months and then settled down. My cycle seems to have gone from 28-30 days to 30-32 though.

Whim of course Will email them when I get home as they are on my lap top. So sorry to hear about the funding. I am pooing my pants at the propspect of finishing my PhD and actually having to get a job

Glad to hear that headaches are a definite, guaranteed bona fide pregnancy symptom though so far today I have taken paracetamol, ibuprofen and codeine. And it still hasn't shifted. Would love to scuttle back to bed Generic but instead I am on here at work

Movement sounds exciting Scarlet

Ooh, thanks. Will do possible

Did I know you were doing a phd too? My viva is on Friday. I am frantically photocopying lists of generic viva questions in the hope that if I have looked at them all, I'll know the answers.

raspberry that is w.i.e.r.d. (Has anyone else found the facebook really brings out the cliquiness in some, though? Some people get flooooods of messages from people they barely know)

maybe love the yuletide ramekin!

Hi munkii I'm really glad you're back :)

I've spent the past three days swinging between being in floods of tears and happy as larry, and between absolutely starving and being nauseous to the point of not eating - but technically I'm only 4dpo. Both are AF symptoms, though, and given my wierd cycle I'm peeing myself that AF will come as normal tomorrow, giving me a 4 day luteal phase

Oooooh Pop sounds promising (for pregnancy, not AF)

Whim good luck for that viva. I still have another year left but I wish I was finished now You will know all the answers, it's your work after all, and you know it better than the examiners. Just remember that. If all else fails, you could challenge them to a game of smack the rat

Generic very excited about your testing, fingers continue to be crossed for you! I can feel a BFP coming your way.

Have good luck with the appointment!

RealLife ooh, implantation cramps and 11DPO. Excellent. Another BFP coming!

Little implantation bleeding?

Munkii welcome back. Glad everything is confirmed ok, hope you're feeling well.

Maybe so sorry about the headache, can you go home to sleep? I find it's the best cure (if you can get to sleep with the pain that is).

Pop your LP should stay the same, even with a late ov. Must be pg symptoms!

Who on here offered a Christmas sponge cake recipe using the same spices as a fruitcake? I didn't ask at the time, but I'd love the recipe.

Well, I broke down in floods of tears on Friday, but picked myself up and carried on. Spent the weekend looking at patterns on Ravelry (spent hours on there!), knitting, and shopping. All in all a very quiet boring weekend. We should enjoy them while they last I suppose, once we get that BFP nothing will ever be the same again.

I had a dream Sat night that my tests results were back, and not good. Can't remember specifically what the diagnosis was. I've got to the stage now where I'm convinced there's something wrong. It seems most probable the problem is with me too (because that's the way I think). I just don't know what it can be? We've never had any sign of a BFP, I seem to ovulate every month, and my cycle length and LP seem mostly ok, if not on-the-clock regular. After all the talk of AF the other day I've been analysing my AF this time - I think I'd count my flow as light, v. light, v.light, practically non-existent. Is it still spotting if it's red flow, just really light?

Stasi I always think of spotting as the sort of thing you'd need a pantyliner for - whatever the colour; anything heavy enough to warrant a proper pad I'd call flow?

How long til you get results? If you're sure you're ovulating then that's really positive. Try not to stress in the meantime

Oh Stasi you sounhd like me. I always think that way too. But I am sure you will be fine, and I am brooking for those results. Sounds like you had a lovely weekend. It was me with that recipe, I shall get it to you tonight when I am home I wish I could go home. Whislt I am not at all busy today (no experiments) I feel like I have to be in to please my boss.

My AF never eally gets past the light stage either, but I have been assured by the GP that that is fine. Still bloomin hurts though when it comes

Oooo Generic I feel even more excited for you, can't wait until Wednesday x

Maybe whenever I get a headache I try and drink a lot more water which I really believe can help, hope it goes away soon.

Awww Stasi you don't know for sure what the problem is yet, if there is even a problem and sometimes it just takes time, how long have you been ttc? When DH & I started ttc I just assumed because of our age it would take us a little longer than you younger girls. Is it worth speaking to your gp about your flow?

Glad to see you back Munkii

Popcorn these are obviously pg symptom :)

Nothing to report here, all very boring on CD11 so will be starting SWI hopefully tonight..

All sounds very positive Generic am brooking very hard for you and all the other lovely ladies too of course

Poor Maybe hope the headache goes soon, seems like the amount of tablets should shake it off. I would love the spiced cake recipe too as DH hates dried fruit so this sounds ideal.

Whim good luck for the viva on Friday.

I am expecting AF before the end of the week, if no show I will be testing Saturday and I have a boozy lunch with the ladies planned and would prefer to know before consuming copious amounts of champagne and cocktails.

I am not having any symptoms so to speak does bawling my eyes out through Children in Need count as a symptom? so don't think it was our month.

Chin up stasi. These things can take time. It's a tough enough time without you being hard on yourself too.

Thanks Sweetie and Solars. I am very good with my water, Have already guzzled over a litre so far today. Think I just need some sleep to finally shift it.

I also cried my eyes out during Children in Need. Proper sobbing in the Maybe household

Am brooking for you Sweetie

Good luck with the SWI Solars

Stasi I'm sorry to hear you're finding it hard. Please don't be despondent - it takes a long time for some people and that doesn't mean there is anything wrong. Hopefully the tests will reassure you, and if something is going on, at least you will know and something will be done to fix it. FWIW when I conceived DD my periods were almost non-existent - I only needed a pantyliner for 2-3 days and that was it. I don't think a light flow is necessarily a problem.

Solars here's hoping the clomid does the job this month and enjoy the SWI.

Sweetie I think the blubbing is definitely a symptom - I keep bursting into tears too but it could be the stress of waiting to test

Maybe get home to bed and tell your boss to sod off!

Thanks everyone. I'm not actually feeling that bad today, I think things had just reached a point where I had to let it out. I've found I've lost the confidence in my health since being so ill before. I no longer tend to think "Everything will be fine" or "That won't happen to me".

However, I really am ok, and I'll wait and get my blood results today and report back the numbers. I think I'm pretty good at dealing with what life throws at me, and if that's waiting longer, IVF, egg donation, surrogacy or adoption - they're all options! I will not be without hope!!

Now, time for tea and a choccy biscuit.