Charting To Avoid February 2009 Thread - Page 5

[AnnieA]

Yeah there have been many times where my EWCF doesn't show up until around 9 PM. So the 6 PM thing would have left me knocked up many times over!

With regard to paper charting vs online charting, like FF, I think that if you don't feel comfortable paper charting, you should get comfortable fast! Relying on FF to interpret your signs and temps for you will get you in trouble! I personally use FF just to have a convienient place to keep temps and to share with the ladies here. But there have been some times when I disagree with FF and that is because I know how to paper chart and I know what my chart should look like. If I start to doubt myself, I pull out a paper chart and fill in the data just to cross reference and make sure I am interpreting things correctly. FF is not perfect. It's a software program. Same with Ovusoft. Just my two cents!

[MarineWife]

Originally Posted by AnnieA

With regard to paper charting vs online charting, like FF, I think that if you don't feel comfortable paper charting, you should get comfortable fast! Relying on FF to interpret your signs and temps for you will get you in trouble! I personally use FF just to have a convienient place to keep temps and to share with the ladies here. But there have been some times when I disagree with FF and that is because I know how to paper chart and I know what my chart should look like. If I start to doubt myself, I pull out a paper chart and fill in the data just to cross reference and make sure I am interpreting things correctly. FF is not perfect. It's a software program. Same with Ovusoft. Just my two cents!

: I think it's very important to learn how to chart on paper before using any software to do it.

On the dry day rule, in my siutation the dry day rule still wouldn't apply since I've had creamy cf for day before this (although even that didn't show up until later in the evening). I guess it would be more of an issue if I were dry or sticky for a few days so thought I was safe, dtd, and then discovered later that night that I had creamy cf. I wonder where the 6 pm time came from.

About my cycle, I haven't Oed yet. 3 days of ewcf with spotting on the first day and 3 days of lower temps. Oh well...*sigh*.

[ReikiMommy07]

Originally Posted by MarineWife

Ok, you guys ready for another dumb guy thing? DH and I were talking about how we are not going to be able to gio because he's sick and the kids are still up running around. I added that I've got tons of ewcf right now, too. He says, "Isn't that a good thing?" Huh? If we were ttc, yeah, but we're supposed to be cta. Idiot!

Reiki ~ I think it was you that mentioned something about being safe every day after 6 pm as long as you are dry. Do you stop checking for the day at 6 pm? What if you're dry all day and then get very fertile cf after 6 pm? That's what seems to be happening with me. I'm dry all day and then sometime just after 6 pm I'll get lots of ewcf. Today it was around 7:30 pm.

Don't think it was me. I mean, I know that rule, but only use it for maybe one day, just b/c I do have dry days after AF. For me it's easy b/c it's AF, then dry for a day or 2, then creamy, then EW. When it's creamy or I feel moist/wetter than before, I consider it unsafe, even though often in retrospect I would have been fine. I have no idea where the 6PM thing came from, and don't use it. Sounds like it could get a lot of people into major trouble!

[MarineWife]

Originally Posted by ReikiMommy07

Don't think it was me. I mean, I know that rule, but only use it for maybe one day, just b/c I do have dry days after AF. For me it's easy b/c it's AF, then dry for a day or 2, then creamy, then EW. When it's creamy or I feel moist/wetter than before, I consider it unsafe, even though often in retrospect I would have been fine. I have no idea where the 6PM thing came from, and don't use it. Sounds like it could get a lot of people into major trouble!

Oh, ok. I thought it was you since you use just CF.

[heather719]

Good News / Bad News -

Good - DH is not making me take BCP! but he wont dtd without a condom, even if its "safe". He said he doesnt want to take the chance

Bad - I am bleeding today... I guess I am not immune to the effects of removing the IUD, bummer! My temp was up today and I was dry yesterday after more than a week of fertile CF. I dont really know what this is going to do to my cycle, but I guess since we are doing back up, it doesnt matter much. I will still be charting anyway.

[MarineWife]

Originally Posted by heather719

Good - DH is not making me take BCP! but he wont dtd without a condom, even if its "safe". He said he doesnt want to take the chance

Give it time. He may come around.

I'm beginning to think my dh is trying to get me pg contrary to what he says. I told you guys of our discussion about me having ewcf right now. I very clearly told him it was only good if we were ttc. We actually had the chance to gio today and he didn't pull out! He hasn't said anything about it and I don't know if I should. I don't know what he was thinking.

[AnnieA]

Originally Posted by MarineWife

Give it time. He may come around.

I'm beginning to think my dh is trying to get me pg contrary to what he says. I told you guys of our discussion about me having ewcf right now. I very clearly told him it was only good if we were ttc. We actually had the chance to gio today and he didn't pull out! He hasn't said anything about it and I don't know if I should. I don't know what he was thinking.

I would personally not say anything. You gave him fair warning! Of course I am at the point now where I think "DH is a big boy...he as the same access to my charts that I do and I have told him how things work. He can make his own decision since he is the one that doesn't want a baby." Last night we were DTD and it wasn't a perfect execution of the withdrawal method. Oh well. He knows where I am in my cycle. I told him months ago that executing the method that way is not that safe so he's been warned!

[MarineWife]

Originally Posted by AnnieA

I am at the point now where I think "DH is a big boy...he as the same access to my charts that I do and I have told him how things work. He can make his own decision since he is the one that doesn't want a baby."

Yeah, that's how I feel. It's not my responsibility to tell him every single time right before or in the middle of dtd what he needs to do. I keep him up to date about where I am in my cycle. A lot of times he even asks since he sees me entering data in my charts. He's also the one who says he absolutely, positively doesn't want another baby. I have decided that we probably won't have another good time to have another baby so I'm not really wanting one, but I wouldn't be upset if I got pg, if that makes any sense. The only problem now is that, if I O soon, I'll be driving myself crazy and poas like a nut (they'll know me by name at the $ store) from about 6dpo until AF shows.

[heather719]

I am hoping DH will get to that point, LOL. I hope everything works out for the 2 of you the way you want.

[CanidFL]

Originally Posted by akaisha

this happens to me all the time; multiple days every cycle. therefore, i don't use the dry day rule at all.

i mean, you could be dry all day, DTD and wake up with lots EWCM. sperm can survive in seminal fluid alone for a few hours so if that happens you could still be in trouble. isn't that what happened with texaspeach (or was it someone else?) with the oops she had last year? i know she's happily pg now, but before that.

Yeah that happened to me a few cycles ago. We dtd and within a few hours, I had dripping EWCM....not semen. I didn't get pregnant though.

Marinewife - to your DH. I Think he is trying to get pregnant too.

Heather - after a few cycles, I'm sure your DH will come around.

[BarefootScientist]

Originally Posted by MarineWife

I'm beginning to think my dh is trying to get me pg contrary to what he says. I told you guys of our discussion about me having ewcf right now. I very clearly told him it was only good if we were ttc. We actually had the chance to gio today and he didn't pull out! He hasn't said anything about it and I don't know if I should. I don't know what he was thinking.

Wow...huh. I guess I would still mention it to him now rather than telling him that I'm pregnant in two weeks because I know my DH has a tendency to completely forget things. If you just mention it now, that he didn't pull out when you were clearly fertile, he won't be able to deny it later.

Maybe that's just my DH. Good luck in any case...it does look like you're close to O!

[MarineWife]

Originally Posted by BarefootScientist

Wow...huh. I guess I would still mention it to him now rather than telling him that I'm pregnant in two weeks because I know my DH has a tendency to completely forget things. If you just mention it now, that he didn't pull out when you were clearly fertile, he won't be able to deny it later.

Maybe that's just my DH. Good luck in any case...it does look like you're close to O!

My dh won't try to deny it later. He knows it takes two to tango.

Our situation may have changed a little, too. He will still be deploying this spring but it may be for more like 9-10 months than 6-7 months. That may sound like a bad thing but it might actually be good. If he's deployed that long, he won't have to leave again for another 5 months immediately after getting home. That means I wouldn't be a single parent for another year or so.

[ReikiMommy07]

Heather no matter what, your DH can't *make* you take the BCP anyway. You're responsible for what you chart/don't chart, take/don't take, etc, and even if he doesn't like it, he can't change it.

[ReikiMommy07]

Wow, CD 32 today. But I thought this cycle would be longer than usual. AF should be here within the next day or so. If I had DTD this cycle, I'd probably be out of my mind by now...

[akaisha]

CD 1 for me. got all the way to 25 days last time.

[MarineWife]

Originally Posted by akaisha

CD 1 for me. got all the way to 25 days last time.

Would it make you feel better if I said at least you Oed? I have had several very short cycles when I get AF way too soon again and I haven't even Oed. GRRRRRRR!

Reiki ~ Is AF late?

I have a question about ttc for a girl. I understand that the rules say to stop dtd about 3 days before O. How in the world do you know when that is? I imagine that only working for women who have very predictable cycles. Do you chart for several cycles hoping to recognize a pattern that you can rely on?

[AnnieA]

Originally Posted by MarineWife

Would it make you feel better if I said at least you Oed? I have had several very short cycles when I get AF way too soon again and I haven't even Oed. GRRRRRRR!

Reiki ~ Is AF late?

I have a question about ttc for a girl. I understand that the rules say to stop dtd about 3 days before O. How in the world do you know when that is? I imagine that only working for women who have very predictable cycles. Do you chart for several cycles hoping to recognize a pattern that you can rely on?

Yeah I think it would only work if you have predictable cycles. For instance I usually O between CD 12-15. So if DH and I were TTC a girl, then we would DTD as soon as EWCF started to appear around CD 9-10 and then stop. I used to nanny for a family and the mom said they used the Shettles method to conceive their last child, a girl. Who knows if it really works?

[akaisha]

mmhmm, i agree with annie; i don't see how it would be possible w/o predictable cycles. or, at predictable CM.

[MarineWife]

Originally Posted by akaisha

mmhmm, i agree with annie; i don't see how it would be possible w/o predictable cycles. or, at predictable CM.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. I'd love to have a girl someday but don't think I'd be able to follow the Shettle's method. I'd never be able to figure when to stop since I can get several patches of ewcf before I actually O.

[cahwilson]

MarineWife- Wow things have changed with your dh! Who knows what they are thinking sometimes.

CD 14 here and my temps are higher than last cycle. Haven't really had any CF yet though. My period this month was 8 freakin days! Usually it's only 4.

I am super happy CTA now, b/c dh said we can start TTC when dd is 4. : Previously he was saying maybe in like 7 years. Lol That gives me a year and a half to get really healthy (and get dh really healthy) and get my hormones balanced. I am very happy with that!