Early pregnancy signs (or not)?

When you're TTC, things can get a little crazy and make you LOL while you're waiting for that BFP.

I'm currently about 10 DPO but trying to wait until I'm at least 12 DPO until I test so I don't get a BFN. I'm expecting AF Sunday. Well, sorta expecting.

When I was pregnant with Lil' J, before I tested I had a crazy suspicion because there was a lot of EWCM (update: don't google it). I'm sorta noticing that this time too. But I've had false alarms before. So who knows!

Are you following? If not, here's a translation guide.

Ok, I'll speak English for the rest of this post.

Another sorta-sign?

Lil' J climbed on me last week and said "baby?"
I looked at her and said "Yes, you're my baby."
She looked back and me, shook her head and said "No. Baby," and pointed to my tummy.

I think this could mean one of a few things:
A. She remembered my friend's pregnant belly, us pointing to it and saying "baby", showing her one was inside. Which also could mean...
B. I'm getting fat. or...
C. I'm pregnant.

That's not all. Yesterday I had a complete and utter breakdown out of no where.

I got home from having lunch with Lil' J and a friend. When I walked in my husband was doing the dishes. I was going to do the dishes. He had just woken up from sleeping after his long shift at work. Did he think I couldn't do the dishes like I have been the last couple of weeks? Now he wants to help? None of these thoughts were logical but I was agitated and went off out of no where.

The next several minutes are a blur but I remember throwing out phrases like "you're always sleeping" and "But you make time for the gym!"

And the next thing I know I'm sitting on the floor in the office, unpacking some random box of tape, CDs and batteries, and sobbing hysterically. You know, like when you were a kid and you just got the biggest butt whoopin and you can't talk straight for half-an-hour cause you keep gasping/hiccuping for air?

No? Just me? Well anyway I was all:

"I...*gasp*... just... want... to... *gasp*... spend... more... time... with... you *sigh*." At the same time I was saying this I was having an outer-body experience looking at myself, shaking my head and laughing 'lady what is wrong with you?' "And... *gasp*... I ... feel... like ... you... *gasp* don't like me. *sigh*"

By this time my husband set the dishes aside and came to see who I was and what I did with his wife. ... Apparently I had given her a butt whoopin.

The discussion ended as quickly as it started as did the waterworks. I actually don't even remember exactly why I was so mad.

So, now I'm thinking there are a few possible answers.

A. Sleep deprivation. I was working on a project for 28 hours and had only slept 2 hours the night before.
B. I'm pregnant.
C. All of the above.

Guess I'll know Fridayish. Ack!

Getting Pregnant {Again}

It's amazing looking at the past {almost} three years of my blog and seeing how I'm right back at square one. Except this time, I have a baby. I'm totally content. Honestly, I'm fine and happy with one, and am not feeling the slightest bit pressured to have another.

Sure there are some things that get me thinking. Friends' pregnancy announcements, General Conference talks on procreating, and lingering just a tad too long on newborn photos of my daughter. But other than that... I'm cool.

Last time I did so much fertility research, I probably could have written a doctoral dissertation on the topic. I was slightly neurotic before even trying to have a baby.

But good things have come from this. I find myself useful from time to time when my friends ask me about getting pregnant. Some are lucky enough not to have to try very hard but others feel like they can use any extra bit of assurance they can get.

In case you're wondering, here are three simple tips I think can make the most impact:
1. Get a physical. You know, those fun annual appointments you get from your family practitioner? They'll run all sorts of tests and let you know where you are health wise. They can also let you know if something is off from the get go and save you some time if it's something that can get in the way of fertility.

For example, after about a year of trying to conceive, one of my best friends found out her thyroid was out of wack. She got pregnant about a month after getting help with that. That is something you'd get tested for during your physical.

2. Learn your body's workings. You can read books about knowing your body's cues to when you're fertile. I recommend Taking Charge of Your Fertility. ... Either that or just do it every-other day.

3. Keep your legs up. Simple, yet effective. (Not all day every day, just for a little while after doing the baby dance)

And that, ladies (and gentlemen?) are some things I learned in my years of obsessive studying.

Next time around I'm sorta hoping I'll forget everything else I learned and keep these three things in the back of my mind. Looking back I sorta went a little crazy, worrying about not being able to have children or being "punished" for waiting too long (oh dear, don't let me get me started on the mind tricks I played on myself).

Like before, part of me finds myself battling internally with questions about how the future will pan out. I like to think I'm in charge of deciding when and how I'll have my next child but the reality is, I'm not.

I found a post I wrote in May of 2009 debating taking a First Response fertility test to give me a heads up if I would have trouble conceiving. I freaked out every time I saw the commercial and went back and forth on deciding weather or not to buy the test.

You'd think now that I have one kid I'd be like "oh, yea I can have a kid, no worries" but a little birdie put a phrase in my mind years ago that's stuck and made me curious again. That phrase being secondary infertility. It's like it sounds--When you have a successful pregnancy but then can't get pregnant again.

About a month ago this First Response Fertility test was tossed back in my life again and this time I took it.

Discreetly.

... Attempted discreetly that is.

I capped and threw the pregnancy-looking-test in my purse after my husband walked in while I was waiting for the results to show up.

It looks just like a pregnancy test but results take 30 minutes to read instead of 5, and it tests your FSH level.

No line, or one light line and one dark control line means you're all good in that department. My results read normal (yay!). While this isn't the answer to every possible problem it's still nice to know.

So it appears I'm re-tracing some of my steps. It's different this time though. I feel a little more embarrassed sharing by back and forth to-baby or not-to baby because 1. I have a child already, and 2. I have a much larger audience. Last time I ranted into outer space the Internet and hardly anyone read. Now I have people getting these things emailed to them, and relatives bookmarking my blog on their iPads. Oy!

But I should probably give #2 the same privileged of reading how seriously thought-out, loved and anticipated they were before they arrived right? Wrong? Oh, I haven't a clue!

Disclosure: I was selected for this #spon post by the Clever Girls Collective #CleverTTC, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do. This opportunity sorta timed out great with the beginning of my new pre-ttc journey.

My Top Ten Baby Making Tips

Now I'm not a fertility expert or anything but I do know a thing or two about baby making. Before trying to get pregnant, I researched fertility tips and tricks and thought "what the heck, why not try it."

So in no particular order, here are some things you can keep in mind if you think you may want to try to get pregnant in the next year or so:

1. Start Taking Prenatal Vitamins: Never too early to start. It can take your body a few months to stock up on all of the nutrients you may be low on (especially folic acid), so it's not a bad idea to start a few months before you begin trying to conceive.

I picked up some cheapos at first but then a few people told me they go straight through you and don't break down right. So I got Garden of Life Raw Prenatal vitamins. All of the ingredients are things you can understand, and while they don't taste the best, they're easy to swallow. I also took the Oceans Mom vitamins (and still do) which has DHA and is great for baby's brain development. I attribute Lil' J's advanced intelligence in part to my religiousness of taking these.

Vitamins not your thing? BeNice Prenatal is a drink that comes in a packet you mix in with water to get all the prenatal vitamins you need! (Free shipping right now too!!)

2. Eat Healthier: Really, you should be getting all of your nutrients from food but take note to things you can cut back on, and what you can eat more of. Green leaves are more rich in folic acid, so eat lots of yummy salad. Also, cut back on caffeine. Studies are back and forth on whether or not caffeine affects the ability to conceive but it doesn't hurt to take a break from it. I did, and haven't looked back since. I had my husband give it up too because excessive caffeine can affect sperm count.

Also, think about cutting out artificial sweaters if you haven't already. If you're craving something sweet, BellyBar has a bunch of yummy things to try. I love their shakes but my favorite is their Berry Nutty Cravings. They also have a new "boost" bar that compliments your prenatal vitamins.

3. Keep Warm: I read a great book called Pulling Down the Moon which has 12 steps to optimizing your fertility. One thing I thought was interesting learning about were my body's processes, and how fertility is a warm process, therefore drinking warm liquids (or water at room temperature versus cold temperature) made less work for my body. I dunno, maybe it was all in my head but I ate a lot of steamed veggies, and drank a lot of warm water with lemon, and if I ever ate something cool, I would usually drink something warm with it.

4. Use a Sperm-Friendly Lubricant: Did you know stuff like KY jelly inhabits the swimmers from getting to their destination? It's not birth control or anything but it doesn't help things when you're trying to get pregnant. I used Conceive Plus. Which doesn't inhibit them and supposedly helps the swimmers get there easier.

5. Keep the Legs Up: Ya know. After doing the deed. Use good old gravity for 5-10 minutes to get the swimmers on their way.

6. Get Your Spouse Involved: My husband thought I was a little crazy when I was telling him what he could and couldn't eat and to skip hot baths. But it's good to discuss things and make sure you're on the same page. It's a good idea for him to eat better, exercise too. My husband used these vitamins. Oh, and Horny Goat Weed is supposedly suppose to help male fertility but really... Who the heck knows! Whatever you do, don't be like me and turn in to a sex natzi.

7. Relax: It's the #1 think you'll get tired of hearing from people when you're trying to conceive. But try it. Go on a baby-makin moon, or try Circle + Bloom (a fertility relaxation program). I did both. Use this as an opportunity to try that yoga class you've been eye-balling. Or start a new book. Something to get your mind off trying to conceive (TTC). If it doesn't work, you can always think about all of the reasons why you DON'T want to get pregnant and try to trick your uterus using reverse psychology.

8. Get Regular Exercise: I took my dog for a jog every day (obviously pre-baby. Now he's lucky if I remember to pet him). Gaining or loosing weight can whip your baby making machine into gear! You can try Carmen Electra's Striptease DVDs like I did during my stripper stint and hit two birds with one stone!

9. Know Your Fertile Days: There's a few key days every month that you're most fertile. You can take your basal body temperature every day to track when you ovulate. I did this for a month but it really took the fun out of "being spontaneous" (but even when I wasn't tracking I still knew when I was ovulating I just didn't tell my husband so he thought it was spontaneous). I recommend the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility to learn more about that good stuff.

10. Know it Can Take Time: Only about 25% percent of couples actively trying, get pregnant in the first month of trying. You really have only a 25% chance in any given month but 90% of couples get pregnant within a year of trying. So don't give up!

Questions anyone?

And here's a little something to help--Everyone who comments on this post before October 9th will be entered to win a pack of the Garden of Life Prenatal Vitamins I mentioned earlier!

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Random.org winner: Commenter #37: Brittany!