do you chart temps when DC wakes you up a different time each day?

[indigosky]

For those of you who already have one child (or more) and are TTC, do you chart waking temps if DC wakes you up at a different time each day? If so, how? I'm self-employed, and DC is young enough that she's not in school yet, so most days she's my alarm clock -- I don't set an alarm. So far I've just given up on charting temps (I charted for many years for birth control, and continued when TTC DC#1). But I'm curious how others deal with this.

I find that at age 37, I produce WAY less cervical fluid than I used to, so it would be nice to have more data about what's going on now that I'm TTC...

[earth-mama]

I often get up at different times. Sometimes I have to get my DD early in the morning 4, 5, 6, or 7. So, the times I actually take my temp vary, and sometimes I take it twice. For example, if I get my DD at 4 in the morning, I will also take my temp a few hours later when we get up. I use the one that seems to fit most with the rest of my temps. I have found that my temps vary more than they did when I was consistent in when I took them, but the pattern is still clear enough to identify ovulation as long as I am diligent in checking my CM. The variation in temps may also be related to having regular nursing child rather than the variation in times. I would just record everything and see how the months go.

[Baby_Cakes]

DD is 2, and generally wakes up around the same time (7 or 7:30 am) so I set my alarm for 6:30. Earlier than she rises. That way *generally* I get to temp at the same time daily.

It's rare for her to wake that early, but sometimes she does. So if she does, I try to temp within that half an hour window.

The 3 hours of sleep rule doesn't seem to be as important for my chart as the whole temping at the same time rule. I see a pretty clear shift even if for some odd reason I've been awake for awhile or was woken up many times during the night.

[indigosky]

This is interesting. It's true that even for all the years I charted before I had a child, I wouldn't necessarily wake up at the same time each day, but I was able to see a clear pattern by adding -- what was it? 1/10 a degree for each extra half hour I slept compared to my norm?. Not sure if I have those details right without confirming in Taking Charge of Your Fertility, but something like that.

But one rule I ALWAYS followed was taking my temp before I got out of bed. Since DD wakes up in her own room and calls for me, these days I hop out of bed and go to her pretty promptly, not leaving enough time for me to take my temperature. Are you saying it could still work fine even if I take it a few minutes -- or even 15-30 minutes -- after waking? If so, I could take it in her room, while we nurse.