Nursing Mamas TTC - July! - Page 4

[erigeron]

Can I join? I have a 12 mo old nursling who still nurses all the time and we're kind of idly ttc #2, but next month would really be the ideal time to get pg (DH has the entire summer off work--he's a teacher--so a May baby would be perfect) so we're probably going to be more gung-ho then. I am on post-partum cycle #3, but as far as I can tell I haven't ovulated in any of them! The first cycle, I didn't temp enough to tell for sure; second cycle I was on vacation and drinking more than usual and had a mix of high and low temps during the second half of my cycle and I suspect the highs were alcohol-related. This cycle I'm already on day 20 and my temps are still low; both other cycles were short so I'm expecting this one will end in a few days. Too bad because we are often too busy/tired to get around to matters but we did BD on a day with a lot of EWCF... but them's the breaks, I guess.

I'm a pharmacist, so I will reply to the med question upthread, from the poster with the expired vitamins. In the US (your use of the term "expiry date" makes me think you are in another country; I'm not sure about the standards elsewhere, but I would be surprised if they aren't identical or fairly similar) an expiration date is assigned based on when 10% of the drug is projected to degrade. So a drug at the time of its expiration date is at 90% or more of its original potency. There are only a couple of drugs that get toxic when they expire. Most of them just become less effective. I can't officially recommend that you take something which the regulatory body considers expired, but I can provide you with the information and let you make your own decision. (fwiw, I'd make the same rec to a patient standing in my store; selling products is not as high a priority to me as making sure patients have accurate information.)

[nstewart]

Updated to here.

Welcome Eigeron!  Wishing you a short stay on this board.  It's good to have a med expert on here too.

Originally Posted by NewMama2BBBoy 

6.5 hours of sleep feels amazing doesn't it?!  If only you could could on it happening every night, wouldn't that be great?! 

nstewart which method(s) do you rely on to know when you O?  I've started temping and I'm thinking of ordering some OPK's, too.

6.5 hours of sleep would be amazing!!  My DS does.not.ever. sleep through the night (or even that long, a "good" stretch is about 4 hours and its usually 8-12).  Anyway, lately I just feel like I'd give almost anything for him to sleep through!  I am SO tired most of the time, and know that it affects my cycle if I have a really bad stretch (as I did in May, resulting in a 7 day luteal phase).

I really just know when I O based on cramping and CM.  So, I guess I might be off by a day either way, but for my purposes I've decided that's ok this go round.  Last time I obsessively temped, which just made me a bit too obsessive.  I tend to fixate on things and so I'm trying to just relax and enjoy this time, but know that others can do this regardless!

Jen&James, I would love a May baby too.  It just seems like a good month.  Not too hot, not too cold, easy to get out for walks, etc. right away...Obviously a BFP this month would be amazing but I am looking on the positive side in the event AF does show up (which is pretty darn likely I think).

[brogansmomma]

CD19 started about an hour ago. I'm waiting my second PPAF and hoping desperately that I don't have an anovulatory cycle(s). I want my body just to jump back into things with no fits and starts. I started opk testing on CD11 or so and will continue until AF shows.

[SandyLoam]

nstewart - I'm thinking I'll wait for AF until July 26. If it hasn't arrived by then I'll test. That'll be 14DPO. Although I keep thinking about testing on 10DPO, but I think I'd rather just wait for AF because it seems less disappointing than getting the old 'not pregnant' from POAS. It's taken me a while to conceive in the past, so I'm anticipating that again this time. But you never know! It's our 3rd month ttc. Good luck to you this month! It only takes one time.....

[BabySmurf]

Originally Posted by NewMama2BBBoy 

BabySmurf, just 1 week after combining 2 nursing sessions into 1 I got my first PPAF.  My doctor advised against Vitex though taking it was very, very tempting as soooo many women have had great luck with it.  Good luck!

Wow, that's quick! I know it's one of those things that is different for everyone (of course!) but it's encouraging to hear that. 

Boomer78 - it's crazy the way things work.  sorry for your loss :(

I think that it's so tempting to try things like vitex so that we feel like we have some element of control...for now I am stocking up on the best nutrition I can and trying to slowly cut down on nursing...although I really don't want much more than 3 years between kids (I would have preferred less, but that's not in the cards!), so I am really having to consider what changes I am willing to make vs letting go and letting nature take it's course.  Tricky, tricky!

Good luck ladies!!!

[BabySmurf]

also, I guess I technically should be in hoping to catch the first pp egg instead of waiting to O...i think i got confused! thanks :)

[Lynann]

I'm at CD14 and CM is showing signs of fertility, but my temps are flatlined right now. Its probably a good job that I'm not ovulating right now as we haven't DTD since the weekend. DH is working crazy long hours right now so he is always too tired by the time we get the boys to bed in the evening. I'm trying not to get obsessive about it and just let nature take its course, but I want another one so badly I get all wrapped up in the process. I know its going to be so much harder on my birthday next month if there isn't a BFP before it. I know turning 40 doesn't mean that its over, but it does mean there is only a few more years of fertility left. I know I should just try to focus on enjoying my toddler and baby right now, but the baby is almost a toddler and the toddler is baby obsessed almost as much as his mama. I know he would just love another baby in the house, and I'd love for DS2 to be a big brother.

Right now I'm simply keeping my fingers crossed that we manage some BDing before I O.

[erigeron]

Originally Posted by Lynann 

I'm at CD14 and CM is showing signs of fertility, but my temps are flatlined right now. Its probably a good job that I'm not ovulating right now as we haven't DTD since the weekend. DH is working crazy long hours right now so he is always too tired by the time we get the boys to bed in the evening.

One or the other of us is usually too tired too... I hear you. The past couple of nights I've just been like "get OFF me, I want to sleep". :/

On the bright side, my chart is kind of crap this month (I'm not nearly as good at temping every day as I was before having a baby, and I missed the first 8 days due to vacation followed by a power outage) but I'm wondering if maybe I mightn't have O'ed after all because I do have a cluster of a few low temps (96.0, 95.8, 96.1) then 2 blank days, followed by a day of EWCM and a cluster of high temps (96.5, blank, 96.6, 96.9, 96.6, 96.8). If these are highs, they aren't as high as they were pre-baby... which would kind of make sense with nursing, right?

[LivingSky]

I haven't read the other posts but just wanted to pop in: jen&james - I did some reading on soy isoflavones (I took them to help get my first pregnancy) and they are 100% NOT SAFE while breastfeeding. they have been shown to cause tumours in the nurslings in animals.

[hannybanany]

I'd like to join! This is the third or fourth time I've joined this thread in the 6 years I've been a member here :)

My youngest is 15 months old and nurses like a newborn, haha. AF returned 2 months ago and so far my LP has been 3 days and 4 days, with O happening super late in my cycle (30+ days) last month :(. Today is CD25 and I think I o'd last week. At the very least it'd be great if my LP lengthened.

Anyway, can I be put in TWO WEEK WAIT? Thanks!

[nstewart]

Hi all, updated to here!

Originally Posted by SandyLoam 

nstewart - I'm thinking I'll wait for AF until July 26. If it hasn't arrived by then I'll test. That'll be 14DPO. Although I keep thinking about testing on 10DPO, but I think I'd rather just wait for AF because it seems less disappointing than getting the old 'not pregnant' from POAS. It's taken me a while to conceive in the past, so I'm anticipating that again this time. But you never know! It's our 3rd month ttc. Good luck to you this month! It only takes one time.....

I was actually thinking of testing the same day.  It'll be 14DPO for me as well, and my DS's 2nd birthday!  On the off-chance of a positive, I thought it wuld be a neat day to find out! 

Originally Posted by BabySmurf 

also, I guess I technically should be in hoping to catch the first pp egg instead of waiting to O...i think i got confused! thanks :)

I've moved you.  I don't think you're wrong though, you are waiting to O! lol 

 

Erigeron and Lynann, My DH has been crazy busy too, working late and on weekends and this has definitely affected BDing opportunities.  Oh well, it's looking hopeful that the craziness will come to an end next week so if we haven't conceived this month I'm hopeful that August will be more promising timing wise!

 

Hannybanany, welcome!  I'll cross my fingers for you that your LP is lengthening out!  At least you are Oing with a mama milk crazy baby!  That's a positive I suppose!

[Lynann]

I guess it should be comforting that we are not the only ones not finding the time & energy together for the actual baby making.

Yesterday DH got up at 3am so he could be in the office by 4am to get some things done that needed to be done while nobody else was on the computer system (so it didn't crash when he made the changes), then had an airport run at 10pm to pick up his cousin who was staying for one night on his way from Indiana to Ecuador and we stayed up chatting with him until midnight (it was the first time I met this cousin.) Yet somehow we still managed to DTD when we finally got to bed. The best part of that is that today I've got EWCM, so more baby dancing tonight and tomorrow and waiting to see if my temps shoot up over the next couple of days.

Erigeron, my temps are not as high as the were pre-baby either. I used to get temps around 97.7 that would rise to 98.9 after O. These days my temp is in the 97.2-97.5 range, but mostly 97.2 then after O they went up to 97.7-97.8 last month. I also only had a 7 day luteal phase last month (1st cycle back temping) so my progesterone might be a bit low which would explain the lower temps and shorter LP. If I get a BFN this cycle I think I might try the progesterone cream after O next cycle.

Welcome Hannybanany. Hope your LP gets longers, but yeah for Oing.

My 40th birthday is on the 13th, so I'm really hoping I get my BFP in time for my birthday. If I do O over the next few days I should know before then. I'm only CD14 today and last month I didn't O until CD21, but even if I don't O for another week I should still have time for a BFP by my birthday. An April baby would be really nice as I'd get to enjoy being my most pregnant before it heats up too much down here.

[Lidamama84]

Thanks for the info re: prenatal pills, Erigeron. BTW, were you in the June 2011 DDC? I swear your screen name is familiar and I remember there being a mama who was writing her exams to be a pharmacist

[brogansmomma]

I'm trying to talk myself out of my crazy thoughts. I used to temp before I went back to work from mat leave but since returning to work (full time shift worker) I haven't been able to temp because I can't find a consistent time OR consistently get three hours of sleep at a stretch. So really, I haven't been doing anything to track. Initially, I was wanting to temp because I hadn't yet had PPAF and was trying to narrow down when to expect her.

PPAF arrived on July 2 and lasted for five days (or was it six? I'd have to check my chart) and was not at all like I expected her to be. She was like any other period, not heavy and long like I thought. I started peeing on OPKs on CD14 and apart from missing CD19 completely, all have been negative. There was one day (can't remember which) that was slightly darker than the rest (both before and since) but nowhere near dark enough to be a positive. If all the others were faint (and they were), this was one shade up from faint. Tonight though, as I was heating up leftovers for supper, I had a very brief (15 seconds?) yet very noticeable metallic taste in my mouth. I remember with my daughter, somewhere around the time that AF was due (can't remember if it was just before or just after) but before I had tested, I got the same thing. Very brief but very definite. I remember with her, thinking, "I wonder if I'm pregnant" because I had heard of women tasting metal. Everything I've googled tonight in relation to it though really only talks about a much longer experience - days or weeks of a strong "horrible/disgusting'gross/etc" metal taste. I remember having a week or so of a bad taste in my mouth with my daughter but I wouldn't have described it as metallic at all and it was much further into the pregnancy, as Google is telling me too.

So I'm trying not to read into tonight's metallic moment. It was there, hung around for 15 to 20 seconds, and then was gone. Just as it did with my previous pregnancy. BUT I'm fairly certain that I haven't ovulated yet. AF isn't due (if my cycle is 28 days; this will only be my second PP cycle so I'm' not thinking it will be) until the beginning of August. Unless I ovulated sometime before CD14, which is possible but probably not likely.

I'll keep OPKing until AF shows or until I get a definite positive. If AF doesn't show when I think she should then I'll POAS.

Just kind of voicing my thoughts. Opinions? Experiences? Thoughts? What say you?

[Lidamama84]

Brogansmomma, I remember after going back to work from my first mat leave my first PPAF was really irregular, but after a month or two, my cycle became SUPER regular and predictable, to the point where I knew I was pg w/ #2 bc AF didn't show on the first Saturday morning of the month, lol. Not that any two ppl are the same, but just as an idea of what you might see. I also never temp or anything, though I might start when we start trying for #3.

Lots of Canadian girls on these TTC boards lately, eh?

[jen&james]

OK I might be finally getting PPAF back.  Yesterday I had blood tinged CM after using the bathroom and I thought yay!! its finally back after 19mo.  Since then nothing.  DH and I dtd last night because I was hoping it would stir something up in there and get it going but still nothing.  I am pretty sure it isn't from O because my OPKs are still all neg and I always have O pain when O and i am not getting any of that. Anyone else had spotting a bit before you actually got your PPAF back?  At least this is a change from the norm so I am encouraged.  I just want to finally start TTC.

[erigeron]

Lidamama--Yep, I was in the June 2011 DDC. Junebug will be 13 months on the 25th!

Brogansmomma--What shifts do you work? I work a mix of day/swing but never overnights, so my sleep schedule usually doesn't vary a ton. Have you tried temping at a kind of fixed time whether or not you've slept 3 hours? It might not make a difference in your chart--for some people it doesn't. I temp around the early morning baby wake-up, which tends to be around 5-6, whether or not I've gotten 3 consistent hours of sleep. I think I've been getting fairly decent consistency, although I can't tell if my chart is triphasic the last few days or if it's just screwy because I was up more than usual (trying to reduce middle-of-the-night nursings right now). It's worth trying though and seeing what results you get. You might also look into the methods that just chart cervical fluid. I just hate to think of the cost of using an OPK every day all month! :(

[brogansmomma]

I got my opks from eBay, so a little cheaper but yes, still pricey when used at this frequency.

My shifts are 6am - 4pm and 4pm - 2am. They are all over the place though over the course of a seven week rotation. Three days two nights, off for two, two days two nights, off for five, two days one night, off for three, two days three nights, off for two, four nights, off for two... I likely have the sequence wrong in some spots but that's the gist of it. I wake at 430 for my morning shifts and often don't get to bed until 230 or 3 after my night shift, depending on what time I actually get out of work. Our nights are I guess what you would call a swing shift? We only have the two. There isn't any replacement from 2am until 6am. With a fourteen month old who still wakes throughout the night and a 7.5 year old who does too (Grrrr!) and a shift working DH whose shifts and rotation are different than mine, my sleep is incredibly chopped up. I started temping vaginally before I went back to work from mat leave because it was a little more stable but since going back I didn't think there would be any accuracy at all.

I did try checking CM a few times but I was never sure if it was what I thought it was - eg: creamy v sticky

I am VERY new to temping and other fertility tools and am still trying to figure everything out. Initially, it was to try and see if PPAF was anywhere close to coming. Now it's to try and catch the next available egg. LOL

[erigeron]

Rough schedule! I would probably just try temping when you wake up for the day... and if you get usable numbers then great, and if you don't you're no worse off than now. I agree CF can be difficult to interpret (one reason I usually don't bother, haha... I can tell eggwhite from the other kinds, but that's about it).

[LivingSky]

brogansmama - My DH works shift work and I'm still bedsharing with my nursling, so I wake up at erratic times and I never ever get 3+ hours of sleep before I get up. I do often get mountain-range type charts, but my temp shift for O is still noticeable even with my crazy sleep schedule. So don't count yourself out from temping! You might not get a pretty chart but it should still give you an idea of when you O!