Anyone TTC from Jan 2024?

[skyerojo]

Any other lurkers out there patiently (or impatiently!) waiting to TTC in the new year?

Anything in particular you're doing to prepare?

Congratulations @Solyaire

@skyerojo we are also going to now start in May/June time! 😊

@StampOnTheGround exciting!!

Hope you're all doing well?

I will be CD1 in 5 days and it'll be our first cycle trying - getting excited but know it could take ages!

Hi @StampOnTheGround how exciting!!

I'm on cycle 3 now, literally just peaking today so I'll be ovulating tomorrow. Had a little meltdown last night as I find it all really stressful😢It is much harder on my stress levels/emotions than I thought it'd be. I really thought I'd breeze through each month and just let it happen. Instead I'm crying at every negative test and pregnancy announcement argh!

We're on holiday next month so if this month isn't it, I'll stop testing for a month and try to RELAX!

Argh @skyerojo I didn't realise I hadn't replied to you! Yes my cycles are so unpredictable - but I only came off the pill in October so to be expected I guess, I'm hoping they start to regulate a bit soon.

Good luck @StampOnTheGround I hope it doesn't take too long for you. I've found that since I stopped regularly OPK testing, I've chilled out a bit. I do BBT every morning and use Natural Cycles and they give you your red days for fertile periods and then suggest when to OPK test but it's not as frequent. In fact the first day they suggested I test this cycle, I got a peak so I only did one more and BBT suggested I'd ovulated then as well so that was nice. Now just impatiently in the TWW!

I don't know if it helps anyone else but I've had quite a few BFNs now, and I've found that telling myself that I have a good and fulfilled life now helps. Children would be an absolute blessing but I'm telling myself to enjoy what I can about being child-free now and it does seem to help a little with the disappointment. I hope that's not too blase and insensitive, but I just thought it might help if you were getting a bit down every month.

Woohoo @StampOnTheGround it's showtime!

Sending love @MrsRandallFraser @WonderingAboutBabies and fingers crossed for the tww/next cycle 🤞

I'm still impatiently waiting to start but still hoping next month. I did order some ovulation strips though just to try and sure enough I got a peak around the time I already thought might be my ovulation dates. Seriously though how do you guys do it around work?! I ended up with long gaps between tests so don't think I got an ideal picture.

@LeCreusetLove early days but how have you been getting on?

I was diagnosed with PCOS from a teen and always had struggles with irregular periods. HOWEVER, I now swear by clear blue ovulation tests, this will be my 5th pregnancy but only 2 live births and another baby on the way and 3 times I have used it and dtd on smiley face day I have got pregnant straight away. Hope that's helpful. I was also taking Maca powder before hand. X

@skyerojo I read so much on here about testing with your second wee of the day and not drinking anything for 4 hours beforehand... impossible! I also tried testing at work but I can't hang around in the loo for 5 minutes waiting for it.

The only way I've found that works for me is to have a wee first thing after I wake up and test with my next one about an hour later just before I leave for work. I have had a few dark lines that way so it's picking up something, it's just rare that my apps read it as a 'peak'. Then we just dtd as soon as I get home from work.

After my optimism of my last post and the OPK and my temperature lining up, natural cycles was predicting AF arrival three days ago after saying I ovulated on the 5th. No sign of AF and a BFN two days ago and now it's changed AF date to next week! I didn't input the BFN so I'm not sure why it's done that. I've been so crampy this week as well, no idea what's going on.

@MrsRandallFraser @WonderingAboutBabies @skyerojo
Thanks all!

I won't be doing any ovulation testing or anything like that unless nothing has happened after 6 months. I'd prefer to go with the flow and just have fun haha!

Thanks for checking in @skyerojo! I hope everyone is doing well.

DH and I had a "slip up" (not that it really mattered!) in March, the month before we had planned to start trying, and here I am, 6+6 pregnant! 😄We are both delighted.

Baby dust to all of you, hoping for a lucky thread and lots more BFPs to come! 😍

@LeCreusetLove ohhhh my that's amazing news!! Congratulations! How are you feeling so far? Did you guess before you even tested? V happy for you.

@MrsRandallFraser how are you getting on? AF just started for me, blegh, cycle continues to change slightly every time without fail so all that's fun & games to look forward to!

@skyerojo thanks for checking in! AF arrived yesterday. After the optimism of natural cycles and my OPKs lining up, NC changed it mind and pushed back ovulation a week, and of course DP was away so last month was a bust. It meant I had a 31 day cycle which is quite long for me, I think the one before was 24 days! So we go again this month.... Not too upset tbh because if it happens in the next few months, my due date would be Feb/Mar/Apr next year which I would absolutely love!

@MrsRandallFraser ohhh bummer sorry to hear but yes positive attitude for the next! I feel same way I would love a spring baby, may we both be lucky in these next few months 🤞🍀

Hello gang! Hope everyone is doing well 😊

I've had some really bad lower back pain over the past 2 days, so I decided to test... I tested on my second urine of the day which wasn't the best idea but there was the faintest pink line! I'm about 8 or 9DPO which is still so early but I'm really hoping this is it! My DH says not to get my hopes up but I can't help it now! 🙃

@WonderingAboutBabies this is an exiting update! Sounds really promising, fingers firmly crossed for you. When is your period due? Will you wait or test again?

*exciting

doh!

@skyerojo I'm not sure if I'll test again this week but AF is due Friday/Saturday.

I have massive doubts that this is a pregnancy!! Just feels way too early to be feeling sick/cramping... I've turned my nose up at my dinner and have been dry heaving all evening 🤢. Perhaps I'm more than 8DPO!!

@WonderingAboutBabies how are you getting on now, any news?

So looks like we're getting started over here TTC #1 👋😬

Can finally join you all properly. Well kind of - won't be doing any tracking or anything for now, and I'm still ages away from what I'd vaguely predict to be my fertile period. But we're more just stopping preventing than actually trying yet anyway, and seeing how it goes for a bit.

Realise this could be day one of a very long and complex journey, just don't know until you get started! But still feels exciting to have reached this stage together.

Hello @skyerojo 💕

Eek, how exciting for you!! Hope it goes well 🤞

I'm now 5 weeks! Did a digital with my DH which confirmed. Scans and midwife appointments all booked. Still very early days but trying to remain positive and relaxed!

@WonderingAboutBabies AMAZING news huge congratulations! That's wonderful. Wishing you a happy healthy pregnancy ✨

Congrats @WonderingAboutBabies amazing news!

How are you getting on @skyerojo?

Officially first cycle of trying now, although we aren't doing any tracking at all - I just popped in when my period was and will loosely make sure we do it at least a few times around what would be predicted the right time!

Congratulations @LeCreusetLove @WonderingAboutBabies !

Hope everyone is doing well,
I’m on cycle 6 now, although had one annovulatory 20 day cycle in January , which would make it cycle 5 really. I’ve been taking OPKs from Premom using the free Premom app and then inputting it into fertility friend. I did pay for fertility friend but it’s not that much and you can pause it when you get pregnant and it will save the months you have left on VIP which I think is great.

Started using temp drop to take my overnight temperature in January and I can’t recommend it more! So much easier than waking up at the same time everyday to temp, although we tried that in the beginning before splashing out.

Here are my 2 cents after tracking since November :

save:

• I wouldn’t buy clear blue OPK tests as I have long and irregular cycles and can have multiple peaks, which means that I was stopping after my first peak and then it couldn’t read subsequent ones which could have meant missing my ovulation time, however if your cycle is like clockwork then I guess they’d be fine but I don’t think they’re worth the money when Premom tests do the same thing for much cheaper

spend :

• Buying premom OPK tests in bulk
• premom pregnancy tests
• VIP fertility friend

splurge

• temp drop

I also got lost in the TTC Reddit threads which I felt was bad for my mental health so now I’m trying to stay away and just get on with my life . 😝

Sending best wishes to everyone 💛

@StampOnTheGround oh hey, same! This month will hopefully be our first go. Not tracking either but I do vaguely know my likely ov dates and signs so can be hard to fully ignore... do have a nice weekend away planned next weekend, which I'm secretly could be good timing, but not going to force it.

@Timeforacutie good tips! I tried the premom strips before to get a better view of likely ovulation window and to make sure it matched other signs I was seeing (it did 😊). But what is temp drop?

Fingers crossed for a lucky June 🤞

Thanks all... I'm now 9 weeks. We saw the baby on Saturday and it was absolutely magical. We could see the heartbeat flickering away as well ❤I had my first midwife appointment this week too, which was really lovely and relaxed. Still feels very surreal!

That sounds great @WonderingAboutBabies - I hope the midwife appointment went well!

@skyerojo - definitely best not to force it, a nice relaxed approach is the best. I think ovulation time is over for me, so let's wait and see 🤞🏻