Advice from successful moms-to-be

[Urchin]

I thought all the people who have finally managed it could give some advice here!

I was TTC for about 8 months, and it felt like a lifetime!

Here's some advice to start us off:

*Don't rely too heavily on the 14-day rule... I think I ovulated around day 7 and waiting till day 14 cost me alot of time I think!

*Don't worry if you don't have much CM.... I had hardly any! I still noticed a change in it though.. so keep your eyes open!

*Lie down after BDing.. I lay still on my back for about 30 mins after!!

*You can buy very cheap preg. tests and ovulation tests on ebay. I used a seller called fertilitynaturopath and bought about 30 tests for £6.99!!

*Bananas can help a low sperm count... or anything with lots of zinc! Also don't let your fella take too many hot bahs, try to keep his bits nice and cool!

*Don't BD every day... do it every other day, otherwise it can lower sperm count as it "dilutes" the sperm doing it too much!

*above all.... try not to get down about it... everyone told me when I finally relaxed it would happen, and even though it was really hard, I managed to do it and sure enough I got there! You have to believe that it will happen for you too!


*GOOD LUCK AND BABY DUST TO ALL*

 

[Becky]

Myself and my friend both decided we wanted to start a family this year but because we'd both heard that it can take at least a year of activly trying for a baby we took the attitude or "We're not trying, but we're not preventing".

This seemed to work for us because we were both pregnant within 2 months.

* Relax and enjoy having sex with your beloved - babies are made with love
* Don't go to the toilet straight away after having sex
* Your partner should avoid very hot baths - this can kill sperm
* Reaching orgasm is an imporant part of conception as it releases a hormone that makes the uterus contract and this helps the sperm make the journey to the egg. (This I found out at my antenatal class!)

 

[margaret]

Thanks for all the tips ladies!

Just to address the suggestion of not going to the bathroom after sex...Going to the bathroom after sex is good for preventing urinary track infections, and a UTI is no fun (never mind that it is something that makes you want to not have sex for a while!)

 

[Urchin]

Although the UTI thing is true, a doctor will still tell you to lie down after BDing if you are TTC...try to give gravity a helping hand.

 

[Becky]

Indeed, probably something that if you're prone to UTI's then you should contintue to go to the bathroom straight after but otherwise waiting a few mins shouldn't be an issue. Otherwise you may be flushing your hopes down the toilet so to speak!

 

[Firstbabe]

Hey all
My hubby and I were TTC for 7 months and it felt like a lifetime. I even went to the doctor to see if there was anything wrong with me as when I was younger I had suspected PCO and then went on the pill for 9 years until coming off it after getting married and expecting to get pregnant straight away. I am now 9 weeks pregnant and am still finding it hard to believe.
Here are a few tips that I can pass on which may have helped us. Once I had my first 3 periods after coming off the pill I used a Persona kit - its usually used as an alternative form of contraception but it basically tells you which days are red and green. Red means not safe to have sex (but good to conceive) and green means safe to have sex. It keeps a record of your cycle month on month and tells you when you are ovulating. I think it is better than using ovulation kits because if you do not have a regular cycle its hard to know when to use the ovulation sticks. Its not cheap though. It cost about £60 to put the kit and then £10 a month for the sticks.

Another thing I did the month we conceived was to not move after sex and not go to the loo. My doctor also suggested putting your legs up in the air to block everything in!

The one thing which people said to me was to not think about it too much and they were probably right but its really tough.

Anyhow, the best of luck to all those of you who are trying. I know how it feels.

 

[Urchin]

My doctor also suggested putting your legs up in the air to block everything in!

hehehe I did that too

Must have been doing something right!
It's horrible when you do everything right month after month and still don't get pregnant. The wierd thing was, When I finally DID get pregnant, I was like, "What? It's that easy?! WOW!"

 

[fizzle]

Well, we tried for 2.5 years and feel that the key to getting pregnant i sto be relax and at one with yourselves. Being stressed out about work is not good and worrying about not getting pregnant is worse.
Imho keeping fit, eating healthily lots of fruit and veg and relaxation are, we think, key attributes to getting pregnant.
We conceived during 10 days holiday in the sun where we were both feeling relaxed. The strange thing about it was that we were booked in to see a fertility consultant and found out the day before by sheer chance!

Natural remedies used were Bushflower She-oak tinctures and natural progesterone cream see www.progesterone.com

 

[hayley]

Hi Ladies

Thanks a lot for the advise.. Real interesting reading.. I'm still trying and hoping every month. One thing i'm definately going to try is the lying down for 30 min's or so. I do tend to jump up and run the loo afterwards. Also we're always so busy that the baby making tends to be rushed lately. We do need to relax, take is slow and enjoy...I'm feeling really down and fed up this month (got my af yesterday). I've decided i'm gonna put your words into action and get myself pregnant this month... I'll be back 4 weeks today with a BFP... Got DH on zink and i'm on pregnacare. Are there any other vit's you recomend?

4 weeks today i'll be back with a BFP.....

thanks again

 

[Kerry]

I too do the legs in the air thing , what must we all look like, my DH just laughs at me!!

I also have refrianed from going to the loo.....or anywhere else afterwards, it's all about keeping the little buggers in and just staying horizontal for as long as you can.

I have been using ovulation sticks this month which seem to be working and showing me as fertile when I expected I would be. We do Bding every night though during that fertile time........someone told me that every night wasn't a problem as men can always make plenty more sperm......oh well, maybe we'll try the every other day thing next month.

Love to you all and thanks for your inspiration.
xx

 

[Urchin]

Just thought I'd bump this to the top of the pile again as there is some good info here and some questions people have been asking recently are answered.

 

[Sarah W Baby Belly]

I know I keep going on about this book, but I thought I would mention it here as well

"taking charge of your fertility"

An absolutely essential book, that I wish I had read in my teens.

It explains all about the workings of our bodies and goes into great detail about the drama of conception. How to get pregnant and also how to avoid it, depending on what stage you are at.

Every woman should read this book.

 

[Urchin]

I wish I knew about that book when we were trying it sounds really good! I'll remember (if there is a) next time!

 

[Urchin]

*bumping this after reading the other thread when someone asked successful moms for help*

 

[hayley]

it was good to read this topic again... i read my old post when i was trying!!! seems like so long ago now!!! a few of the points i'd like to stress are:

*** don't rely on the 14 day ovulation thing!!!! as urchin has already said... i also wasted a few months practcing around day 12, 13, 14 and 15.... i've now learn't i ovulated on day 7....

*** dont stress yourself out if you go over a week without BDing... we'd go quite a few days after trying... due to being worn out. A doctor told me never to go more than 3 days without BDing... kills off his sperms! didn't do any harm to us!

*** definately lie flat on your back for a short time after! I would always jump up and rush to the loo.... the month i got BFP i pu the telly on and lay there for 30 mins.

*** put your bloke on zinc... and selenium - helps him build good sperm!

*** try not to stress yourself out! obviously your gonna get upset when AF arrives but try to see the next try as a new start! and keep thinking it will happen.

*** they say drink less alchol when trying! i cut down my wine in take a lot but never got BFP! the month i did get BFP i'd drank quite a few bottle of wine!!!! my best mate got pregnant over the christmas holiday!!! not saying get drunk every nite but don't put too much pressure on yourself to pack in drinking... if you feel like a glass or 2 after work - go for it! at the end of the day the more relaxed you are the better chances you have...

*** i didn't have much of the clear egg white mucus i read loads about! and when i did it seemed to come on the wrong day! but then i was thinking i ovulated around day 13 to 14....

hope that helps... i remeber reading posts like this and thinking... it's still not gonna work for me! but it did.

God luck!

 

[Lindsay]

I can only re-iterate what the others have already said, here's my story ....

I had been ttc for 14 months before I got my BFP and I honestly thought that it wasn't going to happen. I think that this was one of the reasons why it wasn't happeneing cos I was too uptight.

The month that I got my BFP, I was on holiday in Majorca and getting PG wasn't the main thing on my mind when DH and I were baby dancing (it still crossed my mind though )

People say to cut out alcohol when ttc - we didn't infact we were drinking more than ever while on holiday.

I had been using the OV sticks so knew that I was ovulating around day 18 of my cycle, I got my BFP on cycle day 17 and I remember it well. The day went a little overcast so DH and I went into the hotel bar for a drink(see I told you I drank more!!) Dh wanted to go up to the room for a baby dance, I really couldn't be bothered as I was still hot and bothered but remember thinking that I should do after all the times I had demanded it when I thought that it was the most fertile time! Anyhow we did the deed (which I enjoyed very much, lol!!) and I then grabbed my magazine to read, (so I didn't jump up to the toilet either) I must have layed there for about 30 mins before moving so if you can lay still afterwards , I would recommend it.

I had been to visit my GP before going on holiday to get the tests started as to why it wasn't happening for me - I also think that this contributed to my relaxed attitude.

Everyone who is ttc - don't give up hope, it will be your turn one day



Xxx

 

[hayley]

i'm similar to Lindsey - in the way i had been to see my GP the month i got my BFP.. i think speaking to someone and having a few blood tests took my mind off trying a little! Like someone was helping us! The day i got my blood results was the day i got BFP... not saying rush to your GP for tests but try talking to someone (us, a friend, a relative, a family planning nurse) just talking and getting advise might help you relax....
x

 

[Dippy]

Hi Guys,

Can't emphasise what great advice is being given out to those of you who are on the road to ttc. I was on that same road for 18 long months, it seemed like my time would never come, but I got my BFP on the 2nd March. The month we conceived was the month we had our first appointment with the fertility consultant at our local hospital, I know I felt some relief at finally getting some outside help. About the Bd'ing side of things (very important!!) we did the deed every other day to give OH sperm a chance to reproduce, we were told that sperm is not as strong a swimmer if you BD every day, so bear that in mind, after all sperm can survive for up to five days, so as long as it's there when the egg is released you are stll in with a chance. Do use the ovulation sticks (the month I got PG I ovulated early on day 11), lie with legs in the air for 30 mins, get OH to take vitamin C and celated zinc (get both from Holland & Barrett) and FINALLY, start charting your temps if you are not doing so already, I found it an invaluable way of learning about my cycle. Good luck and baby dust to you all!!

 

[weestar21]

sorry i just want to wish you all the very best of luck

 

[minikins]

Also a good tip or something that may make you feel better if you have just started TTC is that it can take on average six months, so try not to get too stressed early on.

It took 4 years for us so for all you long term TTC'ers it can happen any day