New cycle of TTC - what are you doing differently?

[MrsMcJnr]

Hello, I know it has been done so many times before but when I get to cd1 (yet again) I find it helps to think about what I've tried before that didn't work, what helped me cope and what I have yet to try so here's my list:

STOP
-OPKs (they just stress me out)
-Checking CP (don't think it's worth it)
-Focusing on fertile week only (OV happened early this cycle and caught me off guard)
-Putting too much pressure on both DH and I (we always have huge rows just before OV because I don't think we are BDing enough!)

KEEP
-Charting temps & CM
-Taking B6 (helped with PMS & maybe LP as it's been extended by 1 or 2 days last 2 cycles)
-Taking pre-natal vits
-Taking Royal Jelly (overall well being)
-Drinking grapefruit juice
-Using saliva scope (didn't work last cycle but that was the first one of using it)
-Trying to stay calm and relax

START
-watching diet and drinking less
-consider acupuncture/reflexology
-re-read books

How about the rest of you?

never really thought about tipping too far, but.....(this will let you know how truly obsessed i am)......i do try to lie on my back for 20 mins, then roll onto one side and then the other side to try and cover all angles!!!!
having said that i am sure my ds was concieved by having a quickie leaning over the bed and then i had a shower straight afterwards!

why does it have to be in the car for you? is your house too far from your providers? it does live for a couple of hours doesn't it?

OH MY GOD!!!! i have GOT to go! i NEED to think about something else! i am obsessed with my downstairs damp feeling and keep running to the loo to check and then coming back and posting a message and then running back to the loo again! i need my dh to get home and CONTROL me! i am a damp, out of control, ttc nutcase!!!

HELP!!!!!!!!

I've also tried moving about to really coat myself!

You know, you're right: I could come home. I live about an hour away. If I'm that stressed by leaving it that long I could do one night over there and one night at home. Thank you for putting a bit of sense into me. I'll do the sperm, you do the sense! Thanks x

Gotta go now greedy, but nice to chat to you, and I'll offend you sometime soon. Sneaked a peak on the other thread and saw you might be testing in the morning. Good luck. I'll be delighted for you if the evil bitch stays away and you get your bfp in the morning. Try and stay sane tonight!

Crossed posts with Greedy. I guess my hopes for her staying sane have come too late, huh? x

Greedy and Impatience - Now its my turn to laugh at you both how funny are you two!! . Impatience - I daren't ask but....how exactly do you drive home afterwards? I have this very strange vision of you (even though I don't know you!!) with your hands on the steering wheel and legs balanced ontop of each arm.... she chants all the way home...

BoJingles, NO!! I drive home in regular, feet below pelvis manner. But if dp is with me my feet are on the parcel shelf! If I'm on my own I lie under a blanket for 20mins before driving home and hope noone tries to break in! Mostly I'm concerned about the police asking me what the hell I think I'm doing with a syringe down a dark sidestreet. Honestly Officer, it's sperm! Smell!

Hello. XmassyCharlotte ? I read in a couple of places that it is better for your body not to use tampons as you are more liable to get infections. Last AF was so much longer than usual for me and I did worry that I had an infection afterwards so I thought I?d try not using them this AF. AF now at an end and I do feel better inside than I have done the last few cycles. Could be in my mind though!

Nannyknickers ? how cool is that!! Thank you!!

ImpatientElf ? nice to see you more like your old self Hope this is your lucky cycle, we?ll be testing together again, wow, you must be super fertile getting EWCM so early again! I am hoping that OV will be later than last cycle as it?ll give DH more time to recover (and to shave off the horrible beard he?s been growing, yuck!) I love grapefruit juice too, especially with vodka! [frgin] Can understand how you feel about the syringe, isn?t it odd that the cervix is high just when it would be more helpful being low?! Apparently orgasms can help suck up the magic stuff, any chance of trying that at the same time? Now I?ve just read what you said about the car, oh I feel for you so much, you are probably really stressed when you do it! Could you not use your friend?s bathroom or a spare room for a few minutes before you leave? They needn?t know what you are doing, it?s natural to need the loo before a long drive. Oh Hun, can?t help laughing at the thought of you under the blanket in the car. If it was not so important to you, it would be very funny, I hope you are writing a TTC diary so you can laugh about it once you have that bump. I intend to start a diary the minute I get my BFP. Symthsons have just the book for me ? pink for my baby girl (just think first will be a girl!)

Want to try something new with me? Was reading last night in the Zita West book that nutrition in the 5 days prior to OV is particularly important and that between 11.30 am and 7pm on the day before OV, you are most susceptible to toxins. I am going to try to not drink and be really good with my food and veg next week. I try to always but I fail, a lot! Maybe if I put extra effort in, I?ll get a good result. Want to play?

Greedy ? PMSL at you explaining your DH?s enthusiasm! When I was a teenager, I used to spend hours in the loo crying because I could not follow the tampax diagram, it just wouldn?t work and I thought there was something wrong with me until one day I could stand it no more and told my Mum I was broken. She laughed and told me that as she was retroverted, chances are I was too and to try tilting the opposite way, which worked! I have now had it confirmed that I am but I do wonder where another resting position would suit me better than tilting the pelvis up, what do you say oh educated one! at your daughter?s conception! When I got pregnant in my 20s, I?m sure it was from a standing shower experience! . I was like you running to the loo to check out sensations at the weekend, it was awful, poor you!

BoJingles ? PMSL at your image of ImpatientElf!

Hi again MrsMc, I have a suspicion I'm going to keep crossing with you between this thread and the other. I'm going to stay on here: I've already had my Dec af!

yes, I'll try the diet thing. We eat really well, practically nothing processed (except bread and things like that). No ready meals. Loads of fruit and veg. My dp is an excellent cook, which is good because I am rubbish! I do have a real beer-thirst though. Had two big bottles laast night , oh and wine the night before and a bottle of champagne the night before that... So if you will help me, I will drink no more alcohol until I have ov'd. Oh, except Saturday because we're having people around for dinner... Can I have Saturday, please, pretty please? (If that's too crap of me tell me off and I shall stay dry!)

(apologies for more than making up for my radio-silence by harping on and on...)

What does anyone think about my early ewcm? MrsMc, you said I must be super-fertile this month. Are you making that up, or have you read that somewhere? Does anyone think I'll ov early, so should get onto my donor for earlier arrangements, or I'll just end up having ewcm for days - there'll be no point inseminating a week before I ov! (And don't want to do that trek for nothing...) It's only CD6 today, and I've had quite a bit. Typically I start getting it about CD10, and ov CD14.

Strange that my luteal phase last month was 14 days rather than it's usual 16, and now this part seems to be shorter too... What's going on?! Surely my actual body can't be getting impatient too?!! If anyone can shed any light on this I'd be most grateful. x

Greedy: Did you bleed or test this morning? Wishing you the good one.

And ANOTHER thing...!!

Mrs, thanks for the hypothetical offer of your sperm! (on the other thread) I have mentioned time to our donor, and he said he's not bothered, and we'll just keep going as long as it takes. He is a complete angel; we are very very lucky. I'm not cross with you for not bding as much as you can - in fact, I'm pleased that's a stress that dp and I don't have to handle!

DP keeps pushing me toward IUI, but I just don't want it, or IVF. I can't quite say why, but it's a bone of contention between us

Blimey, anyone else want to edge a word in?

Sorry Impatience, did cross with you on the other thread. Will chat to you here just now but don't leave that thread, we are still due our BFPs in December!

I make everything from scratch too but I do have a sweet tooth and probably have far too much refined sugar so I need to cut back there. I am good with veg and eating low fat food but I am not good about fruit, must make crumbles or something as I would eat that. I'm trying to buy more organic stuff too.

Booze is a biggie for me, I don't think I'm addicted but I am in a habit of rewarding myself with it and it is hard to give up. The more I consciously try to cut back, the more I want. You're better than me if you can give up, I will try and cut back and be very good around OV but given the time of year, it is going to be really hard isn't it? we could try to have dry school nights?

Re the EWCM, some people do OV so early that they mistake EWCM as part of AF, it is true that you must be fertile if your fertility returns so quickly after AF. I don't know if it necessarily means you'll OV early, do you ever have EWCM outwith OV? but if I were you, I would try and fit in an insem in the next few days and then another one or two next week just in case. Then there'll be plenty of soldiers around to meet the egg and you can relax a bit. ZW says that conception a week after insem can happen so think of it that way.

Its true that the LP does not nomally vary that much in a person, don't think 2 days is all that odd though. OV can vary dramatically though but usually later rather than earlier isn't it? Maybe it would be a good idea to back up the CM observations with OPKs this cycle?

Oh here you are... I have missed out on some real talking points haven't I... that'll teach me to click "threads I am on" instead on looking at the bigger picture!!!

HUGS x

Impatience - hope you didn't take offense at my comment about you in your and driving in strange positions, I meant it all in a type of sympathy/ humour Must admit when you said you had to do it all on your own it really tugged on my heart strings.... poor you!! Now... talking of OV pains, I get them just like you do and they usually start on CD10 and drag on for about 3days, but have had them for 4 days this month - ugh! Can still feel them today. I definately noticed a difference in CM also, whether that is due to the sporadic grapefruit juice drinking or just OV I don't know. I really should be writing a diary to record all this!!
MrsMcClause - Yikes re the alcohol!! OV recently has landed on a Sunday/Monday so there's no hope for me there I've been really good mid-week but must admit I've had a fair few glases of wine at the weekend to make up for it. Maybe there's more hope for us all in Jan when we're all detoxing

BoJingles, no offense taken at all! It's been rather a relief to be so open about all these things that I can never get off my chest in 'polite company'! Thanks for the sympathy. I do feel very sorry for myself at times

Ov pain is uncomfortable, but I love it! I love imagining the swelling cyst (hmm, lovely...) and the fat ripe egg bursting out, with party hat and tinsel shouting COME AND GET ME!!!

Oh MrsMcClause.... no no no, I don't think I bring myself to join you with the eu naturale attitute during AF. Does it take you back to being a teenager...??? Is it true what they say about clearing one's "nether regions" from using tampax? I had read about not douching etc not being good for the ph level but not this?

I'm also up for a bit of a pact to try and reduce the amount of alcohol.

Am I right in thinking that it's particularly post OV that it's important to cut down?

I've just been for a reflexology treatment which was superb. Told the lady that I'm TTC and she made a point of saying I should try to reduce the amount of caffeine and alcohol I consume. Caffeine consumption has definitely slowly been increasing (1-2 coffees plus a tea each day), and alcohol... well... that's always been a regular part of my diet!

I've been trying to 'watch' how much I drink, but every now and then I am still going a bit mad and getting drunk. How much is everyone else drinking? I reckon I'm averaging 10-15 units a week, so not loads, and I'm dry at least some school nights, but can't resist the odd bender night out.

MrsMc I think our AFs are due at the same time (ish)... 29th or so? Anyone else around that time..? My estimated OV is around 15th/16th Dec although it's pretty early days for me in TTC so that might not be too accurate.

Also, I've just bought one of those saliva ferning microscope thingies... is anyone else using one of these? Does the saliva really fern just before ovulation and does anyone here find it an accurate depiction of fertility? (Maybe I should have asked before buying one!! .

ha ha ha!! Yes I do too....there's something very definate about it all when you experience the OV pain. The only thing I worry about is that if this is definately OV pain and we are B'Ding at the right time.... why on earth isn't it happening for us?? Then I get worried next week that maybe we've BD'ed at the wrong time completely

Sorry - that last message was for impatience...

Oh Bo, I know exactly what you mean. Can't help I'm afraid, only sympathise x

I have never used tampons mainly because of the risk of toxic shock syndrome, but also the chemicals that they put in to dye the cotton bright white cannot be good for you

Agree about cutting down on the alcohol, I don't drink at all, and haven't for a long time now... crikey, I must sound like such a bossy square... don't test early, cut out the booze etc etc!!!

If I annoy you, just tell me, and I will get my coat

IE - I think you should assume that you are getting an early Christmas present from the OV fairy! At this rate, you are going to have 2 more chances before the turn of the year!

I'll do my best on the alcohol front and I will help you - we need a really powerful image to put us off, I'm going to imagine my egg as a pickled strawberry instead of a nice fresh one, that might help me! you?

Love carrot cakes, banana cakes all things like that, do you have a recipe for carrot muffins? I make banana loaf quite alot but never made carrot. Thank you! Stewed fruit is a great idea too. I have porridge every morning and I normally add raisins to give me some help on the 5 a day front but stewed apple would be yummy! Never had skinny cows either - must try!

This thread is an additional one to the Dec thread as a lot of us have just had AF but due again in Dec!

BoJingles - well, all I can say is there would be a lot less babies if it weren't for alcohol so it can't be too bad for conception can it but seeing as a few of us want to try and speed up our success, it's worth a go isn't it?! re AF and feminine hygiene - I'm not quite going au naturale, not washing out rags or anything !! Funny thing is that I have used tampons for as long as I remember even when I was a teenager as I grew up in a hot country and there was just no other way (well, in my opinion!) I remember my Dad going mad and telling my Mum that he did not want us using tampons (that's my 3 sisters and i) until we were over 18 because it would affect our virginity!! My Mum laughed in his face!

Not sure about any advice about clearing one's "nether regions" but I have read that douching etc is not a good idea for the reasons you state.

I think I got the stopping using tampons idea from one of my books, I'll find it over the weekend and post the extract.

XmassyCharlotte - hello yup, lowering alcohol is meant to be important in the 2ww but before now, I always thought that I could have what I wanted pre OV, damn it! . Do you think the reflexology was worth having from a TTC perspective? I had reiki last month and it was very relaxing but I don't know if it helped or not with TTC!

If I'm really honest, I'd say I rarely drink less than 1/2 bottle of wine a night, that's every night, recently, it has been 1 glass, maybe 2 and though I have cut back at the weekends, I used to drink maybe a bottle of wine on a Fri, Sat and a Sun. I've stopped drinking spirits though. Maybe it's rubbish but I assumed as they were stronger, wine would be better?
can't resist the odd bender night out.

I think we are cycle buddies again 29/12 is my birthday so hopefully it'll be a BFP for me, hoping, praying, begging and bartering with anyone with a say who's listening!

I have a saliva ferning microscope thingy, it was my new toy last cycle but I never got any ferns so was pretty cross. I'll try again this cycle but if none again, it'll be going into the "you stress me out!" bin along with the OPKs! Babymad had one, got ferns and got a BFP maybe its me!

RR - [frgin] I hadn't even thought about those reasons! You'll be pleased to hear that I have found myself an organic box scheme and they will deliver a bumper box of veg and fruit each week for £10, yipee!!

i think i lost it last night......sometimes i feel like this whole MN thing is a bit much for me, it kind of takes me over.!!!
perve......next time you get your sample of little swimmers take it home and relax with it! chat to them, tell them what they want to hear, boost their little egos and then .......lie back, squirt, orgasm and relax! hows that for a plan?

im still not really sure whats going on with me. still spotting and got a bfn this morning, but temp is still high. i am hanging on to the ridiculous hope that i might still be pg!

MsMc - YAY, so pleased about your veg box - If I can convert one in 100 people I meet (and by meet in this case I mean, talk to online) then I will be a happy gal. I am a bit of PITA aren't I... I have such strong views and opinions and I really ought not to share them with every single person I talk to

Greedy - How do you mean you lost it?? Hug. I know what you mean about MN, sometimes I feel it is too much, but when I had those days away, it didn't make me think about ttc any less, and I didn't worry and stress any less, I just chuntered away to my DH more, bless him!! I think it's great to be able to rant to some people in the same (ish) boat!?