First time TTC - help please!! Any one else TTC for their first time?

[BeeR2009]

Hi everyone,

Me and my husband have made the decision to try for a baby - we had a talk last month after I thought I might be pregnant (we weren't actively trying) and after 12 years together feel that now is the right time.

I'm feeling really excited and a little nervous - I know it may take a while and I just want to be as prepared as possible and be doing as many of the right things as I can.

What do people recommend for trying to get pregnant? Is anyone else in the same boat and would like to keep in touch/progress?

I'm due to finish AF in around 2 days and due to ovulate around 28th according to my tracker app - I've got folic acid and vitamin D arriving tomorrow that I can start taking, what else can I be doing to prepare as much as possible? I know it sounds silly, but do we just start 'trying' as soon as my period is over?

Look forward to speaking to you all soon!

Thanks,

Bee x

Cut down on caffeine. That’s my one big tip.

Hi Bee,

I'm more or less in the same boat. Starting 2nd month of TTC but still very new to everything and not really sure of what I'm doing. I agree with Louise's comment re the caffeine so I've switched to decaf and trying to avoid the diet coke haha

My doctor also suggested starting folic acid supplements right away.

I finished AF last Friday and I have longer cycles so i'm also due to ovulate on 28th according to my app. I'm giving some cheap ovulation tests a try to check whether the dates on my app are right.

Also I know it's probably pointless but if it's at all possible for you then try not to drive yourself crazy over analysing everything! i've only done this for 1 month but the TWW made me slightly lose my mind!

I've just recently got a positive pregnancy test after TTC with my husband for 8 months. Tips from me would be take pre-natal vitamins (I had pregnacare) and to have sex every other day. We were only TTC on ovulation days for the first 7 months and then on month 8 it was every other day and seemed to work!

Definitely cut out the caffeine, you can get caffeine free cokes which I used to have and now actually prefer them!
We DTD every other day, but tried not to put too much stress and pressure on it, it should be enjoyable, not routine!
I got quite good at tracking my cervical mucus (sorry if TMI!) which helped me a lot and is what I will use, alongside the Flo app which I use anyway, this time around! We are planning to start again after June's AF!
Good luck to all

Thanks so much - I'm trying to cut out caffeine, working from home it's not the easiest! I've cut coffee and down to 1/2 teas a day!

I think I'm going to try to do the deed every day, or as often as we can - my husband is delighted haha!!

How long did it take you to conceive actively trying?

What should I be doing to track CM? Is there a certain type that shows you're ready?

Thanks again for all your help so far!

B x

You know you can get decaf tea bags. I love the stuff. Much luck on your TTC journey. I’m not currently TTC so will but out now.

Hey all,

Really pleased to see this post as I just joined the other night, and my head is swirling at all the acronyms and getting up to speed on everything! This is also my first post!

I'm hoping it's ok for me to join even though I'm still waiting for my coil to be removed - all being well, it's happening this Friday! We're thinking we should be ok to begin TTC a few days after, as I've been taking folic acid and Vit D for a few weeks now!?

I would also appreciate any advice on apps, things to do, trackers, etc! Can I ignore the caffeine one though?

Good luck to everyone!

Hi @BeeR2009 ☺️

This is my first cycle TTC also. With CM, you're looking for EWCM - egg white cervical mucus. This helps the sperm reach the egg and is meant to occur 2-5 days before ovulation.

Are you thinking of using OPKs? I started the day after AF as this is my first cycle and I'm not 100% sure what my cycle length will be as I came off the pill around 6 weeks ago and got AF 30 days later, so cycle may vary. I'm using OPKs throughout my cycle to get used to them, and also to make sure I don't miss my surge ☺️

Hi @M4v3r1ck congrats on deciding to start TTC ☺️ By the time my first fertile window comes around I'll have been taking folic acid and vitamin D for a month. I think generally speaking it's advised to start taking it a few months ahead if possible, but think that's just best practice so wouldn't worry too much ☺️

I use the Premom app with OPKs which I find good as it charts your results for you, and you can enter in other info to be added to the chart, such as CM, when you DTD, your temperature if you're temping etc. It seems pretty comprehensive.

This is my first cycle so I'm still learning too x

@MintGreenLife thank you so much! Will check out that app! 😃

I meant to say that I also downloaded Ovia yesterday, and wow, the detail! I used to just log any coil spotting/symptoms on the iPhone health app, but this is another level! 🤯

I didn't even realise OPKs were a thing until I joined Mumsnet - feel like I'm back in school/uni with the amount of swotting up that I have to do! 😜😂

Hope everyone has a good day! 😃

@M4v3r1ck The only memory I have of being aware of OPKs is from Friends when Monica and Chandler are trying for a baby and she waves her test stick around saying she's ovulating and it's time to TTD. Think I'll refrain from using my ovulation stick as a seduction tool for the time being

Oh gosh I know, there's so much to learn. We only decided to TTC officially about 10 days ago and I've read so much since, including an entire book and a lot online!

Welcome and good luck with your TTC journey!!

We are TTC our 1st currently as well. This month I have started tracking everything via 3 differemt apps until I can work out which one suits me best.
Currently Fertility Friend is coming out on top with the detail and info provided!
I've used OPK's for the first time which was interesting and I've also been tracking my BBT as well.

There is so much info from real people on here that has helped me get my head round everything so far!
Good luck to you! 🤞🏻

@Flutterby8 which other apps are you using? I was using Flo and another one called PC but it got really confusing as they were saying completely different things.. In the end I had no idea which date I was supposed to be ovulating.

I live in Portugal and it's a bit difficult to get out to the shops at the moment so I've ordered some OPKs online... taking ages to arrive though. At this rate I won't be able to use them this month.

@saraVB I downloaded Flo, Ovia and Fertility Friend.
Flo is super east to use but the predictions are waaaaay out for me. Even with putting OPK data in the predictions didnt change. Said I had a 10 day fertile window 🤷🏼‍♀️

I like Ovia, again nice and easy to use and gives you a decent amount of useful info along the way and the graph is nice.

But Fertility Friend just seems to be more accurate. It gives me more info and the graph is easier to read and has more info on it too. It tells me if the readings I give it dont make sense and explains why and what I should do (like not taking my temperature at the same time every day).

I ordered my OPK's from Amazon, just cheap ones. First time using them this month but they seemed to do the trick and I think (hopefully I read things right) that I am actually ovulating!

@Flutterby8 oh thanks that's really helpful. I'll give them a try. I had the same experience with Flo even after inputting tons of information so I've actually cancelled my subscription.

I also got some cheap OPKs.. estimated delivery was between 19 May - 4 June! If they don't arrive I think I'll try DTD every other day at least in the couple of weeks around the middle of my cycle.

Sorry new to this but do you need a special thermometer for testing BBT?

@saraVB DTD every other day is prob the best thing to do anyway regardless of when you're actually ovulating, at least you know you're in with more of a chance!

You should get a proper basal body thermometer if you want to track accurately. You can get them on Amazon for about £9 (not sure on the €).
I have ordered one but havent used it yet. I've just been using a standard digital one and to be honest, I can see on my graph my temperature spikes and dips when I ovulated etc. So I'm not sure whether they are necessary?

I'm sure though, but I'm sure those who are alot more clued up than me can advise on this!!!

Omg how could I forget that in Friends! 😂

Thanks re: apps and temperature, ladies! 😃 I'm slowly making my way through the larger threads and Mumsnet articles too...

Just reassuring that there's other folks in the same boat and still learning too! 😃

Also, daft question re: these May/June etc buses - do you just join every month that you're TTC?!

@M4v3r1ck haha so funny.

I'm not sure to be honest, but I guess so. I'm finding I like the threads with fewer people in as I find it easier to keep up. I joined one that was TTC over 30 and I got lost in there pretty quickly as there were a lot more posters. I guess it depends what you're looking for? I read some threads when I'm looking for an answer to a question, but don't post and try to keep up with it all. Think ideally for me I would just find a few people in similar situations to keep up with now and then, and then otherwise just look for advice when I need it :)

@MinGreenLife yes I feel the same.. I've tried joining a few other threads but my msgs get lost, I can't keep up and somehow don't get much comfort from it all. I get the feeling that the same people have been chatting to each other for a while.

@SaraVB at least we're not alone :) think it's nice to make a few connections, but any more than that I find it can be a bit overwhelming and tricky to keep up with.

Would love to know more about you all...

@M4v3r1ck @SaraVB @BeeR2009 @Flutterby8 xx

I'm 33, from Malta, just moved to Portugal 6 months ago after living for about 5 years in the Netherlands. My OH is Portuguese we met while studying in the Netherlands but we had been doing the long distance thing for a while.

Now I'm trying to settle in here, make some friends and adjust to a new job. Finding it difficult to meet people at my age! We also had a the crazy idea of building a house and TTC all at the same time... Seems quite overwhelming at the moment but really don't want to put off having children any longer. Life is always busy and I feel like it will never be the perfect time.

Would love to know more about you all as well!! @MintGreenLife @M4v3r1ck @BeeR2009 @Flutterby8

Hello!

Newbie here also. Can I join?

It’s our first month of trying also and all tips are welcome. I have started taking folic acid and tracking my fertile window via the clue app (also just downloaded fertility friend) but I haven’t taken any proper ovulation tests or anything, would anyone recommend?

Hi @LennyAndToots welcome!

It's only my 2nd month of TTC so definitely not an expert and we didn't use any ovulation tests last month. I'm planning on using them going forward (provided they actually arrive in the post at some point!). The info on the apps can be quite off as everyone is different so if you're a bit of a planner like me you may find it frustrating not to know whether the date you''re relying on is correct. I was using 2 different apps last month with 2 completely different dates.

Also my partner and I have quite stressful jobs with very long hours so DTD all the time for the entire month can get a bit much...

Thank you everyone for the tips and advice - it can all be a bit overwhelming can't it!?

I thought my period would end today, but I'm still bleeding - my apps are still saying 23rd is the start of my fertile period though, so hoping it stops tomorrow!

Our plan is for this month to dtd every day as we are both working from home - husband is delighted with this haha! My thought is that will hopefully put us in good stead!

I'm 29 and live in Dubai - originally from Liverpool in the UK! I'm a teacher, so going to miss the UK maternity as here in Dubai it's only 45 days I'm just really excited to start and I'm already showing my husband baby items every opportunity I get haha! We are officially married (as we live in Dubai it's law here to live together), but we were supposed to have our 'wedding day' this year - it's now been postponed to next year, which means we've got a window to hopefully fall pregnant this year (before August) or then we will have to stop and pick things back up in February!

How about you ladies?

B x

@LennyAndToots @MintGreenLife @M4v3r1ck @Flutterby8

Ohh @BeeR2009 we are sort of in a similar situation, not Dubai etc ha, but our wedding is booked for early September this year and we are pretty sure it won't be going ahead because of the pandemic. We decided to start TTC instead, so at least we have something else to focus on rather than worrying about our most-likely canceled wedding.

I'm 31 and live in Bristol. I'm a freelance copywriter and work from home, so hoping that'll be helpful when we have little ones running around and ideally will still work part time.

@SaraVB wow what amazing places to live. I had a holiday booked to Portugal in March but for obvious reasons that got cancelled. I went to Copenhagen a few years back and absolutely loved it.

You guys are obviously a lot more adventurous than me as I only moved about 150 miles west of where I grew up ha. Like a lot of you though, life is so up in the air at the moment and nothing seems certain, so we decided to start TTC as seems you can't plan for much anymore, seems like one of the only things we can be proactive about right now xx