[alexisyael]

And if so, how are you superstitious?

I:

Sometimes feel like I cannot even think that someone might be pregnant, for fear that she will get AF.

Sometimes feel that if I say someone *isn't* pregnant on the forum, she will be!

Will not buy baby clothes or get the ones my sister has in storage at mom's house for me until I am pregnant (and probably out of the first trimester, but it depends on when my first visit back home is).

Will not buy baby related items until I'm safely pregnant.

Have thought about buying maternity pants (b/c they seem more comfy for my IBS belly-pooch, which makes me appear 5 months preggers sometimes) except I don't want to jinx myself!

Mike won't read the book his friend gave him on being an expectant dad until I get a BFP. (And silly friend, if he thought he'd get that book back quickly! :LOL) He also agrees with my "no baby clothes/ items before a BFP policy."

I have two fertility amulets that I keep under my pillow. They're both gifts, and the friend who gave one of them to me (hevea) is pregnant, as is Shannon, who also got one. So, I'm convinced they might help... For awhile, I was carrying the purple G-d-ss around with me in my bra, but I almost lost her in the toliet and stuck her under my pillow instead!)

I talk to M's sperm and to my uterus/ eggie outloud. And I say encouraging mantras (though I know they don't help, I still feel comforted doing this).

Ways I'm not superstitous:

I tell everyone we are TTC. I'd go into great lengths, if people allowed

(Mike would feel more comfortable not discussing it, but it's my body, my choice!)

We discuss names and birth and childrearing as-if it were a sure thing we're going to be pregnant...

So how about you? How are you superstitious? Do you wish you weren't? I do and don't -- being superstitious is comforting, in some ways. In other ways, it gives me a false sense of control I don't feel like I really have...

 

[muse]

Interesting...I think in Jewish culture it's very bad luck to bring baby clothes/toys/etc into the house before it's born, right?. In Tibetan culture you do not name a baby till they're born. I don't think I'm superstitious particularly. But...

* I don't talk to anyone but my bestest friend about TTC. Mainly because I've had a fallout with one "friend" about this and it can be hurtful when people don't get it.

* Until this month I was nervous of charting and "actively" TTC because I felt
like trying to control things was not good. I'm past thinking that now.

*I do believe my first m/c had great meaning and happened for "a reason"...it happened when Dh and I were about to split up again and it brought us together and brought DS into the world, and changed me forever.

*I am starting to wonder if I really can ever concieve in the UK LOL. I joke but we'd barely been off the plane before I m/c'd and it's been 6 mos now without concieving again, when I always found it so easy before. I just don't feel fertile here. I feel disconnected from my body. In CA (bay area) I felt completely in tune with it. And last time we concieved easily in Maine. It's the ocean. Luckily we'll be there in August.

* Dh refuses to think about names until after a baby comes. We didn't name DS till he was 2 weeks old (well till then he was "Snuffles").

* I do have a couple of African fertility goddesses but I've neglected them. time to put them under my pillow

 

[glitterbits333]

Awww! This thread, and a song from Korin, it doesn't get any better! Thank you!

I'll be back with my craz-o list after work.

 

[Patchfire]

I found a really good deal on a maternity outfit online, that I would really love to have, but wouldn't let myself buy it, because I was afraid I'd jinx it!

We still have so much baby stuff from when dd was a baby. It had been at my parent's house until we moved 2 months ago, and they've been bringing it all down, piece by piece. I think if I'd had my druthers I wouldn't have had it around until we got a BFP, but I didn't really get a choice on that one. :/

I admit to trying visualisations, trying to encourage my cervix to open up, last night. The only problem is that I was a biology major, once long ago, so my visualisation consisted of me thinking "Imagine the FSH sliding along..." and that just does. not. work. :LOL

I also have made up some connection in my mind between drinking adequate amounts of water and having lots of EWCM..?? Haha, I have no idea if that's factual! But I've been drinking water assidiously!

I'm definitely not superstitious about telling people we're TTC. Most of my Mothers & More group knows we're trying. My fandom buddies online know we're trying. About the only people who don't know specifically are my parents, but I've dropped hints. Just not something about which I want to go into detail with them!

 

[slightly crunchy]

I have some things that I am even too superstitious about to post on this thread! :LOL

But I am definitely one to not buy any baby things until the very end of pregnancy. The exception was one thing I made for my son while I was pregnant. I won't buy maternity clothes until I need them, either.

I also won't be buying any new clothes for this fall and winter because I figure I will be pregnant. I need new bras now, but are not buying them either, because, darn it, I am getting pregnant!

I think thinking about pregnancy too much is not such a good thing for me. When I got pregnant before, I definitely wasn't thinking about it on a daily basis. I have this feeling that when it is the right time in the universe, the baby will come to me. I am slightly conflicted about charting right now. I am trying to have the mindset that the charting is really to keep a record of conception date, rather than timing BD and all that.

I have the book "The Infertility Cure" that I got just to read about acupunture and ttc. But, I dislike the title of the book as I do not have this diagnosis. I keep the book turned over so DH or I don't see the title, and I won't read or keep the book in the bedroom.

That's all I can think of but I'm sure there are a few more.

 

[chiromama]

I'm not too superstitious. My hubby has money he wants to start a bank account with... and it's cash.. sitting in a drawer until we are PG. He won't even think about putting it in the bank before that.
I'm sure that every time I take a test it will be negative and postitive at the same time.

I think thats it.

 

[Laurel]

No, I'm not supersitious about ttc. I have been on a very long fertility journey, and there have been times when I've played those kinds of mind games with myself. For example, telling myself that it would happen when I wasn't "trying" or that if I was "trying" it wouldn't happen and things like that. I guess I've just done so much of it at times (and not done it at other times) that I've recognized that conceiving or not conceiving is totally independent of all of it.

When we started the adoption process I started buying baby things pretty much the day our agency approved us. I didn't buy things before, not because of superstition but just because I didn't want to have all that stuff laying around causing me pain. In the beginning of our ttc journey I didn't buy baby things simply because we couldn't afford it. I couldn't justify the expense until there was an obvious reason. After we started trying to adopt, I shopped quite a bit. It was very healing for me. We still waited a very long time for our baby, but I don't think the fact that I bought baby items had any impact on it.

I talk to everyone about ttc and adoption. I spent the first 4 years of ttc not talking about it and that was miserable, so now I am very open.

I wonder if superstitions are a way of trying to exercise control over the process? I say do whatever makes you happy and helps you reduce stress/heal during the experience.

 

[jocmtl]

Interesting how many similarities there are in our superstitions (not buying baby clothes and items, for ex.).

I had this thing about the book What to Expect When you're Expecting. I've bought it as a gift a few times when friends were pg, and I always said I wouldn't buy it for me until I was pg for sure. But then my friend Michele, who now was two beautiful girls, handed it to me one day when I was there, specifying that it was a gift, not a loan. While I was touched by the gesture, I was freaked out because of my superstition!

As it turns out, I wasn't pg that month, but as I had all sorts of wonky symptoms, I poured over the book trying to get a sense of what I was feeling, and it confused me even more! On one page, spotting is perfectly normal, and then ten pages later, it's cause to call your doctor! Gees!

Needless to say, I am now waiting to know if I am pg, and I haven't touched that freakin' book. Haven't even looked at it.

We were also at a garage sale recently and while there was tons of cheapo baby stuff, it felt too weird to buy it at this point. So I guess I'm superstitious about that, too.

 

[chiromama]

I guess I'm really not superstitious at all then.... cause I have bought tons of stuff at garage sales (stroller/carseat system for $65 (retails for 280), diaper pail, swing (probably won't use it, but it was hardly used, and only $10), pack n play (probably future toybox), and a couple of slings) I love to get stuff at a good price - and I have a big basement. I'm sure if I'm not pg in a year, I'll want to ditch all the stuff... but we shall see.

I've even bought some baby clothes when I see a good sale... mainly a cute little orange and black number with black cats on it (and a matching black cat hat) cause we have 2 black cats...

However, I don't want to knit anything for my own baby till I'm pregnant... I did knit one hat... but It was kind of a trial hat.. and I decided to keep it.

 

[glitterbits333]

Okay let's see.....

I don't know if it is technically a superstition, but I've been trying to avoid any negative thoughts in general this cycle, because it can't hurt!

Visualization and affirmations have been big for me lately, and do seem to help with the whole process.

I had started to knit a baby blanket, as a way to channel my TTC nerves and energy, and it really helped, but it felt too 'jinx-y' so I set it aside.

We have a beautiful Mexican fertility goddess, and she even lives in the proper Feng Shui zone

, but it's right by the kitty food dish, so I feel like that's got to be bad somehow! :LOL

I have wanted to go ahead and buy cloth diapers, outfits, etc. because there have been some great deals, but I just can't bring myself to do it yet, and like someone else said, I think it would be painful to come across those items if I'm still TTC after much longer.

: that my recent divacup purchase will activate Murphy's law and get me pregnant this month!

Then there's the occasional smudging with sage, and keeping the bedroom a peaceful place in general.

Okay, yes, I'm nutty. But so far, it's helping more than hurting, so I'll stick with it!

 

[alexisyael]

I've owned "What to Expect when you're Expecting" since my early twenties and it's not the most... uh, crunchy book in the world, but I do like how it goes week to week... that said, I like my Sheila Kitzinger better ("The Complete Book of Pregnancy" or something like that) and Ina May's books RAWK! (I've also owned "Spiritual Midwifery" since my teens...

So, I'm not at all superstitious about that...

And yeah, we lived in a shoebox before we moved, so that was part of why I didn't amass anything :LOL

And it is also a strong Jewish custom (though not law) to not give gifts or buy things before the baby is born. We're going to go with "before conception" most likely, though -- cause baby-shopping is fun!

 

[muse]

WTEWYE that book did me more harm than good I think! Birthing from Within and Sheila Kitzenger were my faves. Ina May is coming here in July!

Ok back on topic, I guess I am more superstitious than I admit. I went to see Spring, summer, Autimn, Winter..Spring last night (beautiful film about the life and death of a Buddhist monk) and I found myself clutching my belly and summoning a little soul to come into it...

 

[alexisyael]

Quote:

Originally Posted by muse Ok back on topic, I guess I am more superstitious than I admit. I went to see Spring, summer, Autimn, Winter..Spring last night (beautiful film about the life and death of a Buddhist monk) and I found myself clutching my belly and summoning a little soul to come into it...

I do that all the time... and when I see pregnant women, I mentally rub their belly (um, I wouldn't do it IRL unless they OKed it).

And when we were at my MIL art opening, there was a grotto in the sculpture garden where there was a pregnant statue -- I found her quite by accident, wandering around, and I did lay my hand on her belly (even though usually I don't touch art -- but this one seemed to call for my hand!)

It was an outdoor granite sculpture, so I doubt I did any lasting harm....

I do know that none of these things will get me pregnant, but I still feel that I want to send as much positive energy into this as I can....