Waiting to TTC Graduates Thread

[rollerskaterdata]

Hi lovelies!

A thread for the graduates of those who were waiting to TTC and are now actively trying, or very soon to be actively trying! Apologies if I've forgotten anyone or tagged the wrong people, please do join in or join later as necessary! Hoping we can continue to support and keep each other sane in this TTC madness!
@cupcakesandglitter @NoseringGirl @Pinkroseuk @BusyBee27 @Hofty @Jxtina86 @Jelliestogether

I did a low GI diet last time. As women with PCOS can have insulin resistance so reducing sugar can help get hormones under control. Some people go full keto but I can never stick to anything that strict.
I'm starting out this time but trying to reduce what I eat as I was comfort eating a lot after the chemical. So I have a protein smoothie for breakfast, soup for lunch (without bread which was a killer at first!) and then a balanced meal in the evening. If I'm hungry at night I have a protein based snack. Not as strictly GI at the moment but I'm managing to stick to it so it's a good starting point for me.

@dottydally I didn't want to find out initially but I'm ridiculously impatient so not surprised I caved! I'm glad I did though, it's helped me bond and it's so much fun planning the nursery and buying clothes that aren't all white or grey! Nothing wrong with that of course, just my personal preference. When TTC, first month I didn't track or plan sex or anything as we were on holiday during what I guessed was my fertile week and I knew I would get obsessive and ruin my holiday if I did. So we took a relaxed approach and that month didn't work, I got AF. Second month I threw everything at it (impatience getting me again!), I used preseed, clearblue digital advanced OPKs and SMEP and got my BFP x

@NoseringGirl well done for sticking with the diet, it takes so much self control to do that. I hope it pays off for you quickly, how long do you think you'll try it before getting metformin? X

@cupcakesandglitter so sorry to hear about your chemical hun ☹️ I hope this cycle brings you a sticky BFP x

@cupcakesandglitter relaxing is a good idea. So is wine! I hope to be like you and just see what happens but I also know what I'm like.

@NoseringGirl a low GI diet sounds like cutting all my fave foods out  good luck!

@rollerskaterdata lovely news though! Is this your first? I feel like it's not but my memory is hazy. I think we will go grey/yellow/white but just because I am quite traditional like that. I feel like I am wishing for a girl though. Obviously wouldn't love a boy any less but it's what I've imagined myself with.

Is preseed worth it? How bad are regular lubes?

@dottydally that's basically what it is! I get to eat cheese though so it's not all bad.
Sperm doesn't survive as well in regular lubes so if you'd usually use lube then you're better off with something like preseed.

@rollerskaterdata I found out the sex at the 20 week scan with both my kids. I was so impatient the first time, I would've waited the second time but DH wanted to find out. If we manage to get pregnant again, then I think I might try and wait this time, just to do something different. It definitely helped me feel more prepared the first time though, so I get what you mean!
Not decided when to go ask for metformin again. I keep going back and forth and whether to make an appointment now. I'd like to give my body a chance to ovulate again on its own as I was managing it before the loss. Plus metformin makes me really ill the first couple of weeks.

@NoseringGirl cheese is the saviour! I did hear you have to give up blue cheeses when you are pregnant though I might have a look, I just remember preseed being really expensive when I looked. Good luck though, it'll be better to sort it like that than end up on tablets, especially if they make you unwell. Is there any harm in making an appointment for a month or so and then cancelling if you don't need it?

@dottydally this baby is my second, I have a 4 yo DS. When we told him he's having a baby sister he stomped his little feet and said he wanted a brother 😂 he's come round now though and is really excited lol. And personally I think preseed is totally worth every penny (I sound like a salesperson lol!). Apparently regular lubes hinder sperms motility as they aren't the right consistency/PH, whereas preseed is as it mimics your own natural fertile cervical mucus. I dried up downstairs (sorry TMI!) as soon as we started TTC (typical) so I used it based on that, and also based on all the good reviews I read online about it. Lots of women said they got preggo first cycle or first few cycles using it so I thought why the hell not?! As it turns out it actually ended up working for me first cycle too x

@NoseringGirl I think if we have a third we'd wait too, again just to have that experience. I said that last time though so I won't hold myself to it 😂 totally understand about wanting to wait to get metformin, I have a close friend in a similar position and she says side effects are awful. I really hope the diet works for you xx

Lovely to see you on here @dottydally :)
I would also recommend preseed- much prefer it to other types!

I have also started back on the metformin after stopping due to the side effects- taking one a day for two weeks and about a week in and been fine so far - just going to up it gradually and see what happens xx

@rollerskaterdata oh yes, I do remember now! Have you had to move DS around to get baby in or is he staying where he is? I guess baby will be in your room for a while anyway though.

I'll look at buying some. We are literally so close I can't believe it (I know it gets less fun with the tww!). You could be a sales person! I'm still taking folic acid but no special vitamins other than that. Did you take any while ttc or just wait and take pregnacare once you were pregnant?

My biggest worry about it all is feeling lonely. None of my friends are in the same stage of their lives as me and I'm concerned I'll end up feeling isolated. It's something I've spoken about before but I think it's become more pronounced as time has passed. I think I had hoped my friends may have 'caught up' by the time I was here.

@dottydally there are some cheeses that are on the banned list in pregnancy but I think you can still have them if they're cooked?
My GP surgery is really good for getting appointments so don't really need to book in advance. At the moment I'm thinking of giving it until March and then going along.
Do you worry about the loneliness once you've had a baby? I think everyone feels that to some extent but because you're all in the same boat, you can meet people who feel the same. Some of my best friends now are people I met through baby groups etc.

@Pinkroseuk good luck on the metformin! Taking it with food helps a little and I found it did get better after a couple of weeks. Apparently the extended release is less rough on side effects.

My temps have been going up the last couple of days. FF puts me at 14DPO but that's impossible as no AF (usually have a 10 day LP) and getting BFNs. I hate cycles like this as I'm constantly analysing everything and trying to guess what my body is doing. I think it would be worse if I didn't track anything as I'd be completely in the dark but the data isn't giving me much to go on as it is!

@Pinkroseuk good luck with your metformin, you sound like you're doing well so far!

@NoseringGirl your doctors sounds much better than ours. It's at least 2 weeks for an appointment here and probably 4 if you want one to fit around work. We'll be here to keep you sane until March. I know how crazy I go when my cycles are a few days out so I can't imagine how you are feeling

A little bit. I know I will meet people but it feels a bit daunting. I also have no idea what sort of groups are near me. Is there anyone else here who is in the SE? Are you still close with your pre-baby best friends?

@dottydally thank you! The support on here really helps!
I'm in the NE so can't help with specific groups but there are some national franchises that are all over the place. My favourite is Hartbeeps so you can look stuff like that up in advance. Also worth looking at your local children's centres and libraries. Things like bounce and rhyme, post natal groups, stay and plays and breastfeeding groups are great ways to meet people. Antenatal courses are a good start too.

And yes I'm still close to my pre baby friends but most of them are down south where I lived for a while before having DS1 and coming home. We still talk a lot and visit each other though!

@dottydally we don't need to move DS, we finally bought our own house a few months ago (yaye!) so DS can stay in his room and baby has a nursery, although yes she'll be in with us for up to a year anyway. And we were taking pregnacare his and hers preconception vitamins for 3 months before we actually started TTC. And then when I got my BFP DH stopped taking his and I started taking the pregnancy ones, and still am. I'm sorry to hear you're feeling so isolated. You'll always have us on here to chat to 🙂 and I live in the South East! We probably don't live that far away from each other actually but I'm hesitant to give my exact location for obvious reasons 😂 I can always PM it though. @NoseringGirl has some really good suggestions for meeting ppl

@NoseringGirl March will be here before you know it but with any luck your body will get itself back on track before that. We do actually have a hartbeeps near us so I'll think about that when the time comes. Hopefully there'll be lots of people in the same boat!

@rollerskaterdata I remember you househunting but didn't know it had all gone through. Congrats! You are all lovely and I had forgotten how nice it was to have you to chat through. I had dropped off the waiting thread as I didn't feel like it was the right place for me any more.

How spooky would it be if I knew you! You're welcome to PM your rough location and we'll see how nearby we are. You could be my neighbour for all I know!

Hey @dottydally , welcome to the graduates thread! Good to see you here. So nice to see updates from everyone.

I'm about to ovulate on cycle 7 - hopefully this is the one! An October baby would be lovely. Can I just really recommend Natural Cycles - I literally bought it two days ago, the thermometer hasn't even arrived yet, but I put it in all my historical data and it has just been so helpful. I think it's going to help me waste less money on OPKs, because its fertile window calculations are so precise! And I'm hoping that now I've spent some money on an app, that Sod's law I'll get pregnant first cycle using it 😂 if anyone wants a discount code, hit me up.

@NoseringGirl that's such an unusual looking chart from FF. Hopefully either AF or a BFP arrive soon and you'll get some answers!

Hi everyone. I lost you all! Fell off my threads I'm on and couldn't find it on the conception board (although it doesn't go back too far on the app).

I looked again today because Flo is predicting me as having 26 day cycles so says I'm due on tomorrow. I used to have 28 day cycles and haven't had one in so long. Every month I get so upset when my period starts even though we have only been trying since October. I know it can take so much longer.

I am happy you are all still here anyway and supporting each other, it means a lot that I can chat with you all if need be.

Hey @NeverHadANickname glad you found us again! Oooh the end of the TWW is exciting and nerve wracking in equal measure! Will you be testing? X

@mussie I've heard good things about natural cycles but I already have an Ava AND pay for a fertility friend subscription so probably shouldn't add another, however tempting it might be 🤣
October babies are brilliant, my oldest is an October baby and it was a nice time of year for it (easier than my January baby!) The weather was still quite mild and my MIL knitted little pumpkin hats for him. Best of luck with this cycle, hope it's the one!

@NeverHadANickname welcome back! I think a lot of people feel like that. It's hard not to get your hopes up and then it's hard when that hope is taken away again. I hope AF stays away for you!

@rollerskaterdata @NoseringGirl thanks both! I will definitely not be testing. That's something I decided early on. I think it'd feel like an extra kick, a BFN then AF arriving. I have been using ovulation sticks though and have read a couple of threads about people getting positive ovulation sticks close to AF and them actually being pregnant so I was tempted to do that in secret. I stopped myself though.

That's some impressive willpower @NeverHadANickname I'm a POAS addict. If there's a stick, I'm going to pee on it 🙈

Yep I'm a POAS addict too! Will you only test if AF is late then @NeverHadANickname ?

Yes only if late and only from day 29 onwards even though I am being predicted a 26 day cycle. I just had the unmistakable dragging feeling in my lower abdomen which is always a sign of AF starting in the next few hours 👎

So no AF yet... usually would have arrived by now after the pain last night. Trying not to get my hopes up, still only cd 27. If I do get to the point of testing it'll be Thursday/Friday and I have family arriving on Thursday for a week.

@NeverHadANickname oooh exciting... I think you should test Thursday morning 😁😈

@NeverHadANickname yes, definitely test before family arrive! So that you have time to compose yourself and act normal if it's a BFP. You wouldn't be able to celebrate properly if you were trying to keep it quiet from other house guests. So exciting!