Trying to be patient...

[KM84]

But it's so hard! AF isn't expected until August 1, and yet I keep looking at the calendar and counting the DPO as if it's going to magically fast forward (right now I'm about 3 DPO).

It's our first cycle of "trying," and we didn't exactly plan things out so I'm not really expecting anything. I've been tracking AF, but I didn't even think to look at the calendar until after the first BD (which we're just doing as the mood strikes). I had been using NFP to prevent pregnancy, but I could never make heads nor tails of my chart - it didn't look anything like the ones in the NFP book I had - so I gave up after a few months. My cycles are anywhere from 31 to 38 days long.

When I realized that we'd BD'd in my ovulation window (since I'm only tracking AF I give it about a 10 day window where we'd previously used condoms or abstained) I started reading everything on ovulation, which is how I ended up here. I signed up for Fertility Friend and entered in my AF dates, which gave me a pretty wide range of possible ovulation dates (about a week). 

Then on a whim I decided to go way back and enter my temps from when I was charting - December through February. While I wasn't able to read them, FF had absolutely no trouble pinpointing O for those months. Not only that, but with the new information FF narrowed its possible O days for this cycle down from 5 to 1 day. Suddenly I wish I'd been using it the whole time.

Since I've only got 2 cycles worth of pinpointed O and my cycles are somewhat irregular, I'm still allowing a margin of error of a few days on either side of the prediction. I've read that the length of the leutal phase tends to be pretty stable even if your cycles vary in length, and the predicted day was the same day I had some brief cramps (either ovulation or indigestion... so hard to tell sometimes).

So now I'm 3ish DPO and incredibly impatient. I went into this with a "whatever happens happens" attitude, but that's quickly turned into "how many more days until I can pee on a darn stick?" I'm planning to wait until CD 38 (my longest cycle length) if AF doesn't show up first, because I figure it's a waste of money to do it sooner but.... I'm so impatient.

"But honey, I want to pee on a stick noooooooooooow" (said in a Veruca Salt voice)

Sorry this is so long! But none of my friends are TTC and my husband isn't an impatient worry-wart like me so I've got no one else to obsess over this with. ;)

[mamaforever]

The waiting game is hard, and it doesn't get any easier with future cycles (if you have any).  Just try to keep your mind busy with other things, and try not to imagine "pregnancy symptoms"!  I would always do that-- obsess over every twinge in my stomach, sore spot in my breast, every tired feeling.  It's so easy to do.  :)

I hope you are lucky the very first month and get your BFP!  Good luck to you!

[KM84]

Thanks! I'm not expecting anything this month, both my husband and I have a few things in our medical history that can affect fertility. I knew that once I was pregnant things would be an emotional roller coaster, but I didn't expect the time between "let's ditch the condoms" and a BFN/BFP to be so nerve wracking!

On the plus side, we just found out that we don't have to move out of the area for my husband's job, so that's a huge relief. He's waiting to hear back about a new job that would pay literally 4x what he's making now, and they're going to let him know around the same time I'm expecting AF (beginning of August). Trying to stay relaxed about it, but it's hard.