Which is more important? Consistency of time of temp or length of sleep?

[TSomm]

So my DD doesn't wake on a regular schedule, she's really all over the place.  If I temp one day at 5:15 and the next day at 7, does it matter?  That would be the general timing of the first wake up.   What if she wakes at 4am and then sleeps until 6? 

When is best to temp?  After the longest stretch of sleep but inconsistent time OR consistent time but not necessary the stretch of sleep?

[Carlyle]

I'm curious about this too, if anyone has insight!  Thanks.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

I was never able to temp at the same time every day. Even before my first. For me I got just as reliable results by just making sure I had at least 3 hours sleep before taking it.

[ursusarctos]

For me it was most important to temp the first time I woke up. If I went back to sleep and then temped it would be way higher than usual.

[Shelley71]

I've been having this same problem. I wake up on weekdays at 6:35 for work. So, that's when I've been temping. BUT, I'm notorious for waking up at 3 or 5 out of the blue. I go right back to sleep, but I'm worried that it skews my temp!

[trauerweidchen]

I've tried it both ways and wondered this often. I haven't gotten a definitive answer yet, but what I'm currently doing (with a night-nursing, cosleeping toddler) is I have an alarm set for 6:30 and I just take my temp then, even with varying bedtimes. Usually I'll have had between 4-6 hours of sleep by that point, and it's enough to get a trend for both pre- and post-ovulatory temperatures. Remember, you're looking for a pattern of temps, so as long as you can establish a coverline/get the thermal shift figured out, I think it's probably up to you how best to do that depending on your sleep patterns.

I notice that around 4-5 hours of sleep before temping usually means my pre-ovulatory temps are about as low as they ever get (around 97.3 F). If my sleep is especially disturbed, I toss the temp out. I wake slightly with a nursing child occasionally at night, but unless it really disturbs my sleep I don't worry about it.

I personally find having a consistent time is a lot easier for me than just when I wake up, because then I was always second-guessing how much sleep I'd gotten, and if I waited too late DS would be in the middle of his morning nursing, which might make it harder to temp. Also, if I wait too late and my alarm wakes DS up, he gets up for the day prematurely. 6:30 has been a nice compromise for me (we're night owls in this house and usually DS and I sleep until 8:30-9).

I've also found temping vaginally rather than orally has helped a lot in getting consistent temps. HTH!

[JMJ]

By far, a consistent time is way more important for me. I never sleep through the night. DD nurses 3-20 times a night, so my sleep is pretty inconsistent, but as long as it's the same time (or within a short window), I can get a nice trend.

[lactatinggirl]

For me, consistency of time seems to work. When DD wakes up, it's generally me just going to get her and bring her in bed and we cuddle back to sleep. I may say a few words to her, but I do try to limit the amount of talking that I do because I know you're not supposed to talk before taking your temp. This happens anywhere from 3.5 hours before taking my temp to sometimes just half an hour. My temps have been literally within a degree of each other every day for this whole cycle. I am a newbie though. 

I'm guessing it's just different for everyone. Some people could get up and sit around for 3 hours and their temps would be normal. It's all about figuring out what works for you. I think that doing waking temps would also get off because my daughter is finally letting me sleep in on weekends (sometimes) and so I'm literally sleeping 3 hours later than the days that I have to get up and go to school. If it were only a half hour or hour off, maybe it wouldn't be such a big deal.