2nd Trimester

Trying for a certain sex

I was wondering how many people actually tried to have a boy or a girl. What did you do, certain time of ovulation, foods, positions etc.? And did it work for you?

I ask because my first was a boy, we didn't do anything special to try for a certain sex. This time around I would love to have a girl. I found the ovulation calendar on webmd that specifies times to try based on a certain sex and am wondering if stuff like that works?

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Re: Trying for a certain sex

  • I have no issue with trying these methods but I wouldn't invest too much emotionally.
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  • YOU have nothing to do with the sex of your baby... It's all about which chromosome the man gives to the child. So, nothing in your cycle/ encyclopedia of positions/ etc. will do anything to influence what kind of junk your baby comes out with. 

    None of these methods will do anything... Except maybe make you dizzy from trying to stand on your head and do it at the same time.

     

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  • Theoretically, according to the Shettles Method, the closer to (like the day before or day of) ovulation you are, the more likely you are to conceive a boy. The further away from O, you get a girl. I'm a little rusty on how exactly the method works, but you would definitely need to be charting to make this possible. Otherwise, it's just the luck of the draw!
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  • imageBrittRMere:

    YOU have nothing to do with the sex of your baby... It's all about which chromosome the man gives to the child. So, nothing in your cycle/ encyclopedia of positions/ etc. will do anything to influence what kind of junk your baby comes out with. 

    None of these methods will do anything... Except maybe make you dizzy from trying to stand on your head and do it at the same time.

     

    A lot of people believe that this isn't the case.  One theory is that sperm have different characteristics based on whether they are carrying an X or Y chromosome.  X chromosome sperm are hardier but slower than Y chromosome sperm.  Therefore, if you have sex a few days before ovulation, the only sperm who can survive the wait are X sperm.  If you have sex immediately preceding ovulation, the Y sperm make it to the egg quickly.

    There are other factors that are theoretically involved, like the pH of your vagina - supposedly X sperm thrive more in a certain pH while Y sperm prefer another.  I don't remember exactly what it's supposed to be, but the idea is that you can change your diet to change your pH levels.

    Anyway, I am not saying these methods are accurate, but you might be able to hope for something slightly better than 50/50.  I agree that you shouldn't get your heart set on it, but hey, why not give it a shot?

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  • image*BabyMamma03*:

    I was wondering how many people actually tried to have a boy or a girl. What did you do, certain time of ovulation, foods, positions etc.? And did it work for you?

    I ask because my first was a boy, we didn't do anything special to try for a certain sex. This time around I would love to have a girl. I found the ovulation calendar on webmd that specifies times to try based on a certain sex and am wondering if stuff like that works?

    Whoa...um don't think there is any way naturally you can "do anything" to help determine the sex of the baby.  We had the choice to pay a sh!t ton more money during IVF to have them specifically select this but there was no way I was going to pay for that.

    On the other hand my husband SWEARS that doing it from behind will ensure a boy because that?s what the ?guys at work tell him.? OOOOK  Confused So to add to this saddness, when my DH had to do his "rough" part of the IVF process he said that he stood up when giving his sample because that would be like the same thing....OH MY GOD!!  Yep, he's all mine ladies...

    And now I have to assure him that him standing had NOTHING to do with the fact we're having a boy...

    Edited: spelling 

     

    Gunnar is my IVF miracle...after 4 years of TTC...Two cycles of IVF...Our little dude blessed us with his birth...I thank God everyday for him. Lilypie First Birthday tickers PhotobucketPhotobucket
  • imageSoap1:
    imageBrittRMere:

    YOU have nothing to do with the sex of your baby... It's all about which chromosome the man gives to the child. So, nothing in your cycle/ encyclopedia of positions/ etc. will do anything to influence what kind of junk your baby comes out with. 

    None of these methods will do anything... Except maybe make you dizzy from trying to stand on your head and do it at the same time.

     

    A lot of people believe that this isn't the case.  One theory is that sperm have different characteristics based on whether they are carrying an X or Y chromosome.  X chromosome sperm are hardier but slower than Y chromosome sperm.  Therefore, if you have sex a few days before ovulation, the only sperm who can survive the wait are X sperm.  If you have sex immediately preceding ovulation, the Y sperm make it to the egg quickly.

    There are other factors that are theoretically involved, like the pH of your vagina - supposedly X sperm thrive more in a certain pH while Y sperm prefer another.  I don't remember exactly what it's supposed to be, but the idea is that you can change your diet to change your pH levels.

    Anyway, I am not saying these methods are accurate, but you might be able to hope for something slightly better than 50/50.  I agree that you shouldn't get your heart set on it, but hey, why not give it a shot?

     

    A lot of people believe Elvis is still alive, too...

    But seriously... If none of these things are going to hurt you, do whatever you want. Just don't get your hopes up, and be happy with any child you get.  

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  • I have also heard what the poster above me is talking about....

    The farther out from O you have sex increases your chance for a girl bc Y sperm die off faster.   But I dont know if thats actually true or not.  I am having a boy this time.... but I dont know when I O'd in comparison to when we had sex. so....

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  • This book explains how to try for a certain sex. 

     

    Don't get your hopes up too high though. 

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  • The Shettles Method is exactly the thing I was looking at. It has scientific backing, so it's not as crazy as "trying to stand on my head while doing it." This method comes up frequently while looking up information, so I just figured someone out there had to have tried it, and I was wondering how it worked for them. But, no matter if I end up with a boy or a girl the next time around, of course I am going to be happy.
  • imageJhawks482:
    Theoretically, according to the Shettles Method, the closer to (like the day before or day of) ovulation you are, the more likely you are to conceive a boy. The further away from O, you get a girl. I'm a little rusty on how exactly the method works, but you would definitely need to be charting to make this possible. Otherwise, it's just the luck of the draw!

     

    I have heard this too and actually have read and my OB told me that this is "thought" to work because female sperm live longer than the male sperm.  So if it is further from O then the only ones supposedly left are female sperm.  I still think it is 50/50 either way but try whatever!  Could be fun!  :)

  • imageHyfagal:
    I have no issue with trying these methods but I wouldn't invest too much emotionally.

    Ditto!

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  • imageBrittRMere:
    imageSoap1:
    imageBrittRMere:

    YOU have nothing to do with the sex of your baby... It's all about which chromosome the man gives to the child. So, nothing in your cycle/ encyclopedia of positions/ etc. will do anything to influence what kind of junk your baby comes out with. 

    None of these methods will do anything... Except maybe make you dizzy from trying to stand on your head and do it at the same time.

     

    A lot of people believe that this isn't the case.  One theory is that sperm have different characteristics based on whether they are carrying an X or Y chromosome.  X chromosome sperm are hardier but slower than Y chromosome sperm.  Therefore, if you have sex a few days before ovulation, the only sperm who can survive the wait are X sperm.  If you have sex immediately preceding ovulation, the Y sperm make it to the egg quickly.

    There are other factors that are theoretically involved, like the pH of your vagina - supposedly X sperm thrive more in a certain pH while Y sperm prefer another.  I don't remember exactly what it's supposed to be, but the idea is that you can change your diet to change your pH levels.

    Anyway, I am not saying these methods are accurate, but you might be able to hope for something slightly better than 50/50.  I agree that you shouldn't get your heart set on it, but hey, why not give it a shot?

     

    A lot of people believe Elvis is still alive, too...

    But seriously... If none of these things are going to hurt you, do whatever you want. Just don't get your hopes up, and be happy with any child you get.  

    I think the belief that Elvis is still alive and a medical study are a little different.  Not saying I believe in this theory, but I do think the comparison is a bit much.

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  • We tried Shettles with our first and got a son, what we were 'trying' for.  This time around we just sort of having sex around O...so we'll see. 

    In my opinion, it can't hurt to try, and I think it might help sway your odds slightly, but it is in no way going to guarantee you one sex or the other.  So as long as you go into it understanding that even if you do everything 'by the book' for a certain sex you might still get the other, then what's the harm?

    Plus, the things in the book aren't crazy 'stand on your head' type things.  For a boy do it close to O, from behind and drink some caffeine right before.  My DH had no problems wanting to do all 3 of those things!

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  • We weren't trying for one sex in particular because we could not have cared less but, according to the Shettles method, I should have gotten KU with a boy because we had sex on the day of ovulation. I'm having a girl.
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  • Ditto most of the pps. Supposedly "boy" sperm swim faster but die out sooner so if you have sex 2-3 days before your expected O and then abstain, the odds are slightly higher that if a sperm survives long enough to fertilize, it will be a girl. Or, if you abstain until the day of O, the odds are slightly higher that it will be a boy.

    I wouldn't get your heart set on it working, though.

    We did not try any of these since we were half-assedly avoiding, but we expected me to O on day 14-16 so we only had unprotected sex through CD10. When I (surprise!) O'd on day 12, we got PG and it is a girl (so that goes with the method mentioned above, but was not intentional and doesn't really prove anything. 

  • imagetulips12_30:
    image*BabyMamma03*:

    I was wondering how many people actually tried to have a boy or a girl. What did you do, certain time of ovulation, foods, positions etc.? And did it work for you?

    I ask because my first was a boy, we didn't do anything special to try for a certain sex. This time around I would love to have a girl. I found the ovulation calendar on webmd that specifies times to try based on a certain sex and am wondering if stuff like that works?

    Whoa...um don't think there is any way naturally you can "do anything" to help determine the sex of the baby.  We had the choice to pay a sh!t ton more money during IVF to have them specifically select this but there was no way I was going to pay for that.

    On the other hand my husband SWEARS that doing it from behind will ensure a boy because that?s what the ?guys at work tell him.? OOOOK  Confused So to add to this saddness, when my DH had to do his "rough" part of the IVF process he said that he stood up when giving his sample because that would be like the same thing....OH MY GOD!!  Yep, he's all mine ladies...

    And now I have to assure him that him standing had NOTHING to do with the fact we're having a boy...

    Edited: spelling 

     

    OMG! ::dies:: LMFAO
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  • imagetulips12_30:
    image*BabyMamma03*:

    I was wondering how many people actually tried to have a boy or a girl. What did you do, certain time of ovulation, foods, positions etc.? And did it work for you?

    I ask because my first was a boy, we didn't do anything special to try for a certain sex. This time around I would love to have a girl. I found the ovulation calendar on webmd that specifies times to try based on a certain sex and am wondering if stuff like that works?

    Whoa...um don't think there is any way naturally you can "do anything" to help determine the sex of the baby.  We had the choice to pay a sh!t ton more money during IVF to have them specifically select this but there was no way I was going to pay for that.

    On the other hand my husband SWEARS that doing it from behind will ensure a boy because that?s what the ?guys at work tell him.? OOOOK  ConfusedSo to add to this saddness, when my DH had to do his "rough" part of the IVF process he said that he stood up when giving his sample because that would be like the same thing....OH MY GOD!!  Yep, he's all mine ladies...

    And now I have to assure him that him standing had NOTHING to do with the fact we're having a boy...

    Edited: spelling 

    Blahahahahahahah.  I am still laughing. 

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  • imagerobs867:
    imagetulips12_30:
    image*BabyMamma03*:

    I was wondering how many people actually tried to have a boy or a girl. What did you do, certain time of ovulation, foods, positions etc.? And did it work for you?

    I ask because my first was a boy, we didn't do anything special to try for a certain sex. This time around I would love to have a girl. I found the ovulation calendar on webmd that specifies times to try based on a certain sex and am wondering if stuff like that works?

    Whoa...um don't think there is any way naturally you can "do anything" to help determine the sex of the baby.  We had the choice to pay a sh!t ton more money during IVF to have them specifically select this but there was no way I was going to pay for that.

    On the other hand my husband SWEARS that doing it from behind will ensure a boy because that?s what the ?guys at work tell him.? OOOOK  ConfusedSo to add to this saddness, when my DH had to do his "rough" part of the IVF process he said that he stood up when giving his sample because that would be like the same thing....OH MY GOD!!  Yep, he's all mine ladies...

    And now I have to assure him that him standing had NOTHING to do with the fact we're having a boy...

    Edited: spelling 

    Blahahahahahahah.  I am still laughing. 

    He's a real gem!  And the best part is, he's a prison guard...can you imagine a bunch of male guards standing around talking about this!  Oh Lord...

    Gunnar is my IVF miracle...after 4 years of TTC...Two cycles of IVF...Our little dude blessed us with his birth...I thank God everyday for him. Lilypie First Birthday tickers PhotobucketPhotobucket
  • We didn't necessarily try for a certain gender, but it just turned out that we had sex ONLY on the day of ovulation, which would have suggested boy since they swim faster. Still got a girl. Smile
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  • imagekg_08:
    We didn't necessarily try for a certain gender, but it just turned out that we had sex ONLY on the day of ovulation, which would have suggested boy since they swim faster. Still got a girl. Smile

    Same thing for us.

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  • Due to DH leaving town the last we had sex was 3 days before ovulation. We're having a girl. Shettles "worked" for us, though we weren't intentionally trying it.

     

    I think if both people have a preference then it doesn't hurt to try as long as you won't be heartbroken if you don't get your preference. 

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  • I charted my temp and checked CM for about 4 months before we started trying for #2- my cycle is regular, but I wanted to know the second I'd O, and I did.  We tried for and got a boy on our first try (we lost him, though.)  We had sex one time, about 20 hours before ovulation.  We did not gender sway this time, just had sex 4, 2 and 1 day before O.
  • imagetulips12_30:
    imagerobs867:
    imagetulips12_30:
    image*BabyMamma03*:

    I was wondering how many people actually tried to have a boy or a girl. What did you do, certain time of ovulation, foods, positions etc.? And did it work for you?

    I ask because my first was a boy, we didn't do anything special to try for a certain sex. This time around I would love to have a girl. I found the ovulation calendar on webmd that specifies times to try based on a certain sex and am wondering if stuff like that works?

    Whoa...um don't think there is any way naturally you can "do anything" to help determine the sex of the baby.  We had the choice to pay a sh!t ton more money during IVF to have them specifically select this but there was no way I was going to pay for that.

    On the other hand my husband SWEARS that doing it from behind will ensure a boy because that?s what the ?guys at work tell him.? OOOOK  ConfusedSo to add to this saddness, when my DH had to do his "rough" part of the IVF process he said that he stood up when giving his sample because that would be like the same thing....OH MY GOD!!  Yep, he's all mine ladies...

    And now I have to assure him that him standing had NOTHING to do with the fact we're having a boy...

    Edited: spelling 

    Blahahahahahahah.  I am still laughing. 

    He's a real gem!  And the best part is, he's a prison guard...can you imagine a bunch of male guards standing around talking about this!  Oh Lord...

    Your husband is an idiot.

  • I'm not going to say that I 100% believe in shettles (sp?) but we did "try" for a girl both times and both times got a girl. My theory is that if it doesn't hurt you, the baby or your husband, give it a shot!
  • I actually followed the shettles method, and we are happily expecting a baby girl.  The sex of your baby has nothing to do with genetics, it's all science.  It's never 100%, but we tried, and got exactly what we wanted!
  • I did the Shettles Method and am now 22 weeks into my first pregnancy. We tried for a boy (as close to ovulation as possible, doggie style, etc) but we would have been happy with either sex. For us it was just kind of an interesting thing to do and for us, it worked. Or we just got lucky and happened to get pregnant with a boy. My husband used Shettles with his ex too and it has worked perfectly for him 3 times. A lot of people think it is silly, but after you read the whole book it is pretty convincing with lots of clinical references and whatnot.
  • While my husband and I were trying to get pregnant, I read Taking Charge of Your Fertility (www.tcoyf.com) and there's a chapter in there about choosing the sex of your baby.  My husband and I didn't try specifically for a boy or girl this first time, but I definitely think we will try on the second one.
  • Whoa, harsh!  I think he's just funny and uninformed.  Made me chuckle!
  • if you do it missionary, its a boy, girl on top, its a girl.  if you do it doggiestyle, though, you will have puppies.

    J/K

    no, theres nothing you can do to make you have a boy or girl either way unless you conceive it in a petri dish.

  • Yeah, you can improve your chances a little more than 50/50 (if all is normal with you and DH and if you follow the Shettles or other methods).  Despite some of the comments on here, no one who I've known to try for a certain sex (four couples) have believed that it would help 100% more like hoped that the chances were more like 60/40. 

    Anyway as OP aked, of those four, two had the sex they "tried" for (both girls after having multiple boys) and we don't know about the other two yet.  That is so not scientific, though, b/c I don't know very many people who have tried for a certain gender over just TTC any gender.

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  • I know a lady that picked the sex of all 3 of her children. Like others have said X and Y chromosomes have different pHs. One is acidic and the other is alakine. The Y chromosome (boy) is less likey to survive in an acidic enviroment (the vagina is acidic). So when she wanted to have a girl she douched with vinegar (acetic acid), which is a 100% natural product. I don't remember if she said she did it before or after sex. And I don't remember what she douced with when she had her sons.

     I don't agree with gender selection, I'm happy with what God gives me, but I thought it was interesting (I'm a biochemist) and went along with the topic.

     As for silly husbands, my husband's co-worker told him that you have to "go deep" to have a girl (as in have a large penis). This man also had 5 girls out of 7 children, so I think he was just trying to make himself look good LOL! And I LOVE "wives tales" or "husband's tales" in this case.

  • We did Shettles. I am a nurse for many years and some of the book I found to be off but we tried anyways because it wouldn't actually hurt anything. Husband is the last chance for the family name to carry on so he REALLY NEEDED a boy, his words not mine. Well we did everything to a T for that boy and now our daughter is due Jan 26, 2011. So its not solid. I did tell him in a year we can try again for a boy. He knows he gets 3 chances then we are done. So strike 1. All along I knew in my heart she was a girl until they confirmed it with the US. He wouldn't even consider talking about girls names since he said he KNEW it was a boy. Hes excited its a baby and happy for a daughter.

    Oh and my husband also heard the tips from guys at work that you have to do it doggy style to get a boy. Its not stupid as another poster said. They are a bunch of guys talking about stuff they don't really know anything about. My husband is in industrial construction with his BA degree and I find it hilarious they are all discussing how to get what sex of baby. So get off you high horse and get an attitude adjustment! If you don't have anything nice to say, get off this website!

  • imageJhawks482:
    Theoretically, according to the Shettles Method, the closer to (like the day before or day of) ovulation you are, the more likely you are to conceive a boy. The further away from O, you get a girl. I'm a little rusty on how exactly the method works, but you would definitely need to be charting to make this possible. Otherwise, it's just the luck of the draw!

     From what I understand is that the "girl" sperm have more stamina and stay around longer. the "boy" sperm it it hard and fast and don't stick around long (i always thought this was a perfect parallel for men and women's sexual styles lol - a guy can be ready in 30 seconds and gals well dont...) So what i understand is three days before O go crazy then don't do anything for a few days.

    Also I've heard caffeine and vitamin C can help boost "girl" sperm production. maybe that's the reason for the coffee rumor. also orange juice. or what we plan to try is mountain dew. my husband doesn't like coffee and mountain dew actually has orange juice in it (not a lot but every bit helps right?)

    We just had a baby boy two months ago so we won't be trying any of these soon.

     

     

  • imageLinzLou82:
    Whoa, harsh!  I think he's just funny and uninformed.  Made me chuckle!

    Exactly what I was thinking! Has no one watched Bambi? People, if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all!

    "Your husband is an idiot." - Buckets of Moonbeams

    And you're rude.  Did you really think that would contribute to the thread at all? I hope you're not teaching those kind of manners to your kids.

     

  • imagenursenhowell:

    Oh and my husband also heard the tips from guys at work that you have to do it doggy style to get a boy.

    Watch out that may just be his favorite position lol. that's something my husband would do. :P

    I haven't heard ways to increase the chance of a boy.  My husband comes from a line of all boy...ALL boys...all the way back to the 1800 for the last girl in his direct line and there were three - one died very young and one couldn't have children :( 

  • Take a look at https://www.in-gender.com/ They have all the info you may need to sway for genders. Good Luck
  • imagetulips12_30:
    imagerobs867:
    imagetulips12_30:
    image*BabyMamma03*:

    I was wondering how many people actually tried to have a boy or a girl. What did you do, certain time of ovulation, foods, positions etc.? And did it work for you?

    I ask because my first was a boy, we didn't do anything special to try for a certain sex. This time around I would love to have a girl. I found the ovulation calendar on webmd that specifies times to try based on a certain sex and am wondering if stuff like that works?

    Whoa...um don't think there is any way naturally you can "do anything" to help determine the sex of the baby.  We had the choice to pay a sh!t ton more money during IVF to have them specifically select this but there was no way I was going to pay for that.

    On the other hand my husband SWEARS that doing it from behind will ensure a boy because that?s what the ?guys at work tell him.? OOOOK  ConfusedSo to add to this saddness, when my DH had to do his "rough" part of the IVF process he said that he stood up when giving his sample because that would be like the same thing....OH MY GOD!!  Yep, he's all mine ladies...

    And now I have to assure him that him standing had NOTHING to do with the fact we're having a boy...

    Edited: spelling 

    Blahahahahahahah.  I am still laughing. 

    He's a real gem!  And the best part is, he's a prison guard...can you imagine a bunch of male guards standing around talking about this!  Oh Lord...

    Oh dear...XD
  • I read Dr. Shettles method and did LOADS of research online, seriously there is lots of information on how to determine the sex of your baby. I am definitely a researcher and after I researched a bunch I found that really there is only a few key things that need to be done to determine a boy. (also doing your own research and concluding this info might ease your mind as well). Know your Ovulation date, rear position, orgasm during, make husband drink caffeine before sex, make sure he keeps his area cool for better sperm count. There are other things too I've read, I also had caffeine because I read that if you want a girl to have caffeine before hand, so because I want a boy I had some too.

    Also there is true to the ph balance in a woman, for a boy you need a more alkaline environment, for a girl a more acidic environment. There are diets you can go on to prepare yourself for this. With boys you need more potassium and sodium in your diet. I tried eating a banana a day before I got pregnant. ? who knows! lol

    I don't know what I'm having yet, not for another 2 months. But you are not alone! :) Some ppl I tell about my plan of trying for a certain sex laugh at me, and it's very frustrating. And you want to know why it won't be a real 50/50 shot for me? Because my Mom had 3 girls, my husband has 3 sisters and I have two daughters. So I'm pretty sure if we have a boy, it's because we followed these methods. And yes I do believe in God and his choice in the matter, I have prayed for a healthy baby. It doesn't matter to me which it is. I just promised myself that since this is my first Planned pregnancy that I wanted to do research and try for a certain sex. Since I know I can have girls, I wanted to try for a boy. As long as the baby is healthy, I'll be happy :)

  • U are in the same situation i was in and what i did is ckd out books at the library and read up on it and tried the ovulation chart, and diff. positions,& nbsp; org before my hubby also caffine to get the boys a better headstart also read dr. shettles it helped me but we drunk energy drinks 1hr before chances are 50/50
  • We used TCOYF because we were having trouble conceiving.  With this method and two rounds of Clomid we conceived.  I know when I ovulated and dtd so I was convinced it was a boy.  We are having a girl anyday now.  We weren't trying for a certain sex but if we just were and used the Shettles method we would have been disappointed. 

    For our next, which will probably be our last, we are going to combine the Shettles and pH theories.  It is worth a try and we agree with the other posters not to get emotional attached to it working.  At the same time it really doesn't hurt to try either. 

    Good luck!

    BFP 10/31/12, MC 11/9/12 - We had to say goodbye before we could really say hello. Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
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