Let me start, by saying that I love all of you guys and pray every day for all of the Mommies I’ve met during my journey since Isabella's death. I pray for all of us to have strength and peace during healing, TTC, and for everyone to get a BIG FAT POSITIVE!
I know that much of this information, you guys already know, but a few people have asked that I post how I prepared for TTC. I had 7 months to the day to prepare, and then only took 1 cycle of trying to get a BFP. So although I don’t understand how it feels to keep trying month after month, I do know what it’s like to have to wait. Initially, we got the go ahead for TTC at 3 months following our (full term) daughter’s death. Then during a regular appointment, my doctor mentioned that I needed to get another mmr vaccine, which meant we had to wait another 3 months due to the brand of vaccine our doctor’s office uses. Well, based on my cycle, then we had to wait what ended up being another month. Every month we had to wait was torturous. Then once we did try…. It was so miserable waiting to know for sure. I can honestly say that the week after ovulation was completely awful (as u all know) and I commend all of you for keeping your sanity month after month.
The two most important things I owe to our success at getting pregnant is definitely prayer and preparation. Even before we were able to ttc, I spent night after night praying, begging God, to please make my womb a healthy place for a baby (or maybe two). I told God night after night, that I will take what He gives me, be it a boy, a girl, 3 of each….. I didn’t care, just a breathing child that I get to take home and care for and rock to sleep and comfort. My heart broke every time I prayed because I knew it was still too early to try, but I was filled with hope too because I knew that when it was God’s time, He would bless us with a child, or two, or 3….
When I wasn’t praying, I was researching. I spent so many hours on the internet finding everything I could regarding non-medicinal fertility. I didn’t use everything I learned, but I did absorb a lot of information and save tons of websites in my favorites folder that are still weighing down my computer. I want to share some of those websites and research with everybody in the hopes that something I learned can help someone else. And if anyone has anything to add, please do! I’m certainly not an expert at anything, and I know there are some things that some may disagree with, or things that may not work for some people… but I hope if nothing else, I’ve given you something to think about.
First, let me start with what I did.
#1- I took high dose folic acid and prenatal vitamins for 6 months prior to starting TTC. Granted the high dose folic acid was given to me because of a slight genetic mutation I have. However, studies show that increasing folic acid before TTC, can encourage fertility. And taking it before conception can decrease the risk of spina bifida in your baby once you do get preggers.
#2-I took care of myself. I ate healthy, got enough sleep, and got back down to my almost pre-baby weight (124lbs.) Until the 5 weeks before actual TTC…. Then I ate even better (fruits, veggies, whole grains) and increased my diet so that I actually gained 2lbs. I read some studies that said gaining just a few pounds before TTC for some reason (they didn’t know why) seemed to increase your body’s ability to ovulate. Also, I began sleeping about 30-45 minutes more per night also and increased my dairy intake which also supposedly increases fertility.
#3- I monitored my cervical discharge for about 3 months before actual TTC month. One of the websites below tells you how.
#4-Also, I began “practicing” being pregnant. That’s right! Dumb sounding, but I did. When preggers (as we all know) some things are just harder to do. Like eating big meals, remember to start shaving your legs at the bottom instead of the top (belly WILL get in the way again someday), drinking enough water if you’re not use to it, NOT drinking a lot of caffeine… So what I did was make a chart with squares on it every day for meals, water, and caffeine. And just try and do things like I did when I was pregnant so it wouldn’t be as big of an adjustment when the time came.
I ate 4-6 small meals a day, drank 60-100oz. of water, and cut my caffeine consumption down to two a day (I LOVE Mountain Dew!). I made a chart once a month and hung It on the fridge. Every day I would highlight the things that I had completed. I’m a chart/list person, so this really helped me do something toward TTC, since I couldn’t do anything else. Also, by keeping it on the fridge, it helped keep me accountable to remembering to take my pills every day and just be healthier.
#5-(TMI) I stopped wearing mini-pads. It was a pain, and on heavy cm days, I would change my undies half way through the day. But mini-pads raise the temperature of your vagina and can cause your ph balance to be off which can lead to things like yeast infections and bacterial infections. According to my gyno, an imbalanced ph can also affect fertility. Also, my gyno recommended not using soap directly on the groin area and not spraying that area with a shower head to rinse off with but to spray directly above. She said it may not feel like it, but soap and water both can be getting into the vagina via the spray and be disrupting the ph as well.
#6-Once it was TTC cycle, I began using OPK strips (I used Wondfo, about $10 for 30 of them on Ebay) until I got a near positive (never actually got a positive cause it seems I only had a short LH surge in the middle of the night).
#7- We didn’t wait to BD for the LH surge. We started the day my AF left and BDd every other day until I felt myself ovulating and then BDd two days in a row since I had ovulation pain for two days.
#8-During ovulation week, I took it easy. I didn’t lift anything I didn’t have to and spent as much time as possible relaxing. That doesn’t mean I didn’t do anything… I just did things carefully and took lots of breaks.
Anyway…. That’s all for me personally, but here are the other things I was planning on looking into if month one wasn’t “the month” and just some websites that I found to be useful in general. I read through all of the websites and found a wealth of information that gave me encouragement and helped me know whether I was really ready to start TTC emotionally or not.
This site has a lot of TTC links and also early signs of conception lists:
http://www.storknet.com/experts/obgyn/index.htmlWhat to After Sex to Improve Chances of Implantation
http://www.babyhopes.com/articles/what-to-do-after-sex-to-improve-chances-of-implantation.htmlFor when you’re ready to start testing, here is a list of the hpt sensitivities. All tests are not created equal. I got a faint positive line at only 8DPO using a First Response Early Result test. If this tells you anything, I got blood work that day and my hcg level was only 12.3miu. Most over the counter hpts won’t test positive until at least 25miu or even higher!
http://www.fertilityplus.org/faq/hpt.html Also, here is the link to a $2 off printable coupon for First Response hpts, or ovulation tests, you can print it out only twice per computer:
http://www.firstresponse.com/ then click on the yellow button that says “Save $2.00”
Fertility Awareness site. It goes over Charting Cervical Mucus, Charting Basal Body Temperature, and a few other things:
http://www.fwhc.org/birth-control/fam.htmhttp://www.fwhc.org/health/moon.htmMore cervical mucus information and a chart you can download and print out:
http://www.babyhopes.com/articles/cervical-mucus.htmlSome ovulation prediction kit information:
http://conception.lifetips.com/cat/54832/fertility-monitors-ovulation-predictor-kits/For fun, here’s a TTC glossary to help with those pesky message boards:
http://www.fertilinet.com/trying_to_conceive_glossary.htmPlanning to Get Pregnant:
http://www.americanpregnancy.org/planningandpreparing/How to Chart your Basal Body Temperature and how to Detect Ovulation:
http://infertility.about.com/od/tryingtoconceive101/ss/howtoBBTchart.htmHow to Detect Fertile Cervical Mucus:
http://infertility.about.com/od/tryingtoconceive101/a/cervicalmucus.htmHerbs to avoid during TTC and pregnancy:
http://www.healthy.net/scr/article.aspx?Id=1586Top 10 Herbs to Aid Conception:
http://www.healthy.net/scr/article.aspx?Id=1586Protect Your Pregnancy Before You Conceive:
http://www.webmd.com/infertility-and-reproduction/features/protect-your-pregnancy-before-you-conceive20 Things to Do Before You TTC:
http://www.babycenter.com/0_twenty-things-you-should-do-before-you-try-to-get-pregnant_7171.bc10 Steps to Getting Healthy Before TTC:
http://www.marchofdimes.com/pnhec/173_1021.aspArticle on Pregnancy After Stillbirth:
http://ferdinandsgifts.wordpress.com/2008/03/19/article-on-pregnancy-after-stillbirth/WebMD’s Pregnancy Vitamin Guide:
http://www.webmd.com/video/pregnancy-vitaminsWill tell you about many doctor’s in the US. Like if they have complaints registered against them, etc.:
http://www.physicianreports.com/?tv_eng=prcom&goid=pr&cid=pa_google_pr_doctorsearch&aid=2729650886&dist=CFinding a doctor after miscarriage and stillbirth:
http://miscarriage.about.com/od/tryingagainafterloss/bb/typesofdoctor.htmWhat you Need to Know About Prenatal Vitamins:
http://www.webmd.com/baby/guide/prenatal-vitaminsSafer Food for a Healthier You:
http://www.webmd.com/health-ehome-9/pesticides-hormones-in-foodUnderstanding Fertility and Ovulation:
http://www.webmd.com/baby/slideshow-understanding-fertility-ovulationPreparing for Pregnancy Emotionally:
http://www.webmd.com/baby/guide/preparing-for-pregnancy-emotionallyPreparing Your Body for Pregnancy:
http://www.webmd.com/video/eddleman-prepare-your-body-pregnancyGetting Started on Getting Pregnant:
http://www.webmd.com/baby/guide/getting-started-on-getting-pregnantThanks all for reading my huge list of things. I love you guys and am keeping you in my prayers. I thank God for all of you every day because you have been my sisters through the biggest tragedy anyone could ever experience.
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