Getting ready for baby challenge

[TheresAlwaysTimeForTea]

Hi all, we are planning on TTC in the new year. Before that I want to get a bit healthier lose three stone and generally be in the best shape possible to get pregnant and run around after a baby. Is anyone else in the same boat? Would you be up for a little thread to keep us all on track? Planning on doing a dry January as a kick start and then will be dragging my arse to the gym after Christmas as well. Very open to suggestion and ideas to shift the bulge. Would be good to have a few buddies though. Anyone fancy joining in?

How are you feeling today Grumpy? Your headaches might be AF related!... also I think the CBFM tracks your hormone level so I am not sure if you can just do a random one which is annoying!... i just purchased the CB dual hormone OPK as a bit of a prezzie to me as they are half price on Amazon atm for the 20 pack! But I know that remembers your hormone level too.

Theres do they not have Family Planning there? I have heard of scar tissue but I think thats quite rare. Iranian chicken sounds awful!

I an doing rubbish at this dieting stuff! I just cannot cut out Chocolate! Ergh what is wrong with me =(

Thanks confused and red
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I'll read the instructions tonight* for the CBFM. I'm feeling ok today just super bloated (I look pregnant!) and no sign of AF, not using mooncup. Did a first response pregnancy test this morning just in case - of course it was negative.

Well done on the diet tea and for losing weight red
I'm too scared to weigh myself in this bloated state but going to spin class at lunchtime

Bold fail!

theres have you just come up with the winning strategy for dieting... Make horrific rat like food and not eat it?!

11 days til bikini... Help!

I've started my temping, two days in, but unfortunately it doesn't really tell you anything til you have a lot of results in front of you!!

Ooh HB where are you off to again? We are away for a wedding first weekend of Feb. would love to be a bit skinnier for that! Eats more rat meat in anticipation.

Well at least you know you arnt preggo Grumpy... how long has it been since you came off the pill again?

It's funny you say that HB but you could be onto something there! My diet just seems to consist mostly of Carbs and I just can't cut them out...

Where are you going for the wedding Theres?

I'm off to Thailand for two weeks... Slightly belated honeymoon!

I lost four pounds in Christmas week & have put three back on in 'being good week' The world is against me!

Hb Remember there is a lag.. this weeks diet is next week's body! Have a great time (a tan is slimming in any case)

Confused I'm 9 days off the pill and we DTD the evening of the day I took my last pill so not inconceivable that something could have happened - however from what I understand of others experiences of Cerelle / cerazette is that it takes a while for ovulation to restart [plus I have no womb lining it seems]

Ah HB I remember now. Ooh that will be lovely. We were in Bangkok in November and it was still boiling! Also get swigging water likes it's going out of fashion and that will flush the water weight off. You should drop a few pounds.

My friends wedding is in Cheshire. Really looking forward to it - she is having an Indian themed day and black tie at night. So I'm going to dress up in a Saree for day and then full length at night. Should be great. Not bought outfits for either bit yet though!

Sounds lovely, I've always wanted to go to Thailand HB , i'm such a fussy eater though and imagine i'd starve! (unless they have plenty of MacDonalds!)

I'm beginning to wonder if i won't get a withdrawal bleed now (after having one in October) and that i am just back to my old teenage irregular cycles! I hates periods, but have never wanted one so badly

Hi all

I know what you mean Red, my AF finally showed up 13 days (and 13 pregnancy tests) later :/ But I am glad now, I really do want to get more in shape before I get preggo again.

confused I'm a carb lover too, I reckon I'd be soo skinny if I could cut them out of my life! Also read that low carb diet can help with hormone regulation or something, so is good for women TTC. Anyone thinking of doing high protein/low carb/moderate fat?

Need to do a big healthy food shop this week, thinking yoghurt and smoothies and soup, all the stuff that gave me awful morning sickness last time I tried to eat healthily for a pregnancy

Hi Evie I'm trying to do low carb - it's so hard to get out of the habit but once you are used to it the cravings do go.. the initial part requires willpower. My lunch is just fish and salad and breakfast was chia pudding but I failed mid morning and had a croissant 🥐

• wow there's a croissant emoji! Let's support each other

'Anyone thinking of doing high protein/low carb/moderate fat? ' That's pretty much what i started on 1st Jan Evie , It's been fairly easy really, even coming straight from xmas treats to doing it! (Mind you, it's only day 4 but i find the first week the hardest)

Yess that would be lovely! I do think I can do it, I like colourful food and meat/cheese, so we will just have to look for some nice low carb recipes :) I am going to have a curry without rice tonight, and for lunch tomorrow an "Aztec" salad with chicken, peppers, avacado and red onion with some chili powder and lime. Mmmmm :P

I've made an appointment with my GP to discuss my totally wrong medical records (I posted another thread about it but they are way off with random things on like measles and eating disorders neither of which I have ever had...) and tell him I'm off the pill and TTC.

Confused I'm failing massively too. There's too much chocolate in my house!!!

Grumpy if it makes you more hopeful, when I came off cerezette I was regular pretty much straight away (3 months in anyway!!) fingers crossed for the same.

Red that's really good to hear it's not bad, and well done you!

We ended up having loooads of food and treats left over from Xmas and NY, which I have been snacking on But the last of them will be gone today and I'm so determined this time. The prospect of TTC shall be my motivation

And FC for everyone's cycles becoming regular as rain. The long one I have just had was killer, but at least it had the decency to come to an end around the new year :) I just hope we can actually stick to barrier methods as I really do want to wait until some weight has shifted..

Thanks unicorn that's great to hear!

Evie I swing between wanting to get pregnant now, being terrified I'm somehow infertile, and wanting to be sensible and wait until the spring/summer as planned. Doesn't help that I'm pretty bored at work right now! Dreaming of six months off - although I know with a newborn it'll be tough I feel like a change is as good as a rest sometimes.

Some more spotting today. A good sign except I didn't take anything (mooncup or pads) to work today argh!!

Ah Grumpy I know exactly what you mean I'm in the same position! Started back at work in September, and thinking how if I got pregnant now I'd have all that time off again while she was little too :) But I only work 3.5 days a week so need to stop being lazy.

I hope we can wait til summer it sounds silly but as DD was a surprise, I always said before DP decided he wanted another how nice it would be if we ever did, to be able to plan and get excited. Plus I have a wedding to go to in July and fancy doing it without a huge bump!

Anyone have any preferences about the time of year you conceive? I don't think I do, hmm

Evie as I'll only take six months off work I want march to August off! I want to be able to go on walks in nice weather etc while I'm at home. So a late Feb/ early march baby ideally.. means end of May conception. My DH is up for taking shared parental leave and will take six months off after me.

I'm having a bit of a 'mare in work (bit if an exaggeration - it's not awful, I just find myself self becoming quite frustrated) so I'm tempted to find a new job. Is it awful to start a new job and then head off on mat leave? I reckon if I moved jobs now and conceive in June/ July, I'd be in the new job well over a year before going off. That's not too bad is it? For background, I'm a lawyer and they can be a bit uptight about time off at the best of times!

Tea personally I wouldn't just because I'm paranoid about not being seen as committed (you would not be off until having been there a year but you'd have to tell them much earlier).. also many companies require a certain length of service before they pay maternity pay over SMP. If I were you I'd go on mat leave asap at your current job then return and find new job or find new job while you are off and just don't return

Yeah I was thinking that. In Dubai you have to have a years service or you're only entitled to half maternity pay. I think they would look down on it a bit. Also we want to have a two year age gap ideally between kids so I'd be hoping to announce another pregnancy within the year if coming back to work. Ahh so annoying. My boss is driving me nuts!!

Hi. I really want to have my second baby now (well nine months from now) but my DH wants to wait till march at the earliest. I'm a bit annoyed because it took ages to get pregnant last time!
So the plan is to lose some more weight and then start trying. I've got about a stone to lose.

Tea you should check carefully your maternity rights for your current and any new jobs. I had to have worked there for a set time to be entitled to mat pay and then I had to return for a set time or pay all the money back. So be careful or you could end up in trouble.