TTCAL check-in 1/25

PeggyOlsonFTW

Welcome to TTCAL! This check in is a great thread for you to jump in and introduce yourself.

1. Introduce yourself (if you're new)

2. Status (WTO, TWW, Benched, etc.)

3. GTKY: What's your favorite thing about yourself?

PeggyOlsonFTW

2. TWW, 7dpo

3. My favorite thing about myself is that I'm pretty patient. I'm good at keeping calm during a stressful situation, even if I don't feel super calm.

cjt121413

2. Status (WTO, TWW, Benched, etc.): TWW? FF is thinking I O'ed two days ago. I'm still skeptical since it would be my earliest O ever.

3. GTKY: What's your favorite thing about yourself? Hmmm...probably that I'm pretty strong in the face of adversity. Life has thrown me a lot of obstacles but I've turned out pretty okay.

queenklau

2. Status (WTO, TWW, Benched, etc.): TWW? TWW! I am 11dpo, and feel super excited. I have this feeling that this is our month. My temps look like the start of a triphasic pattern with 0.4 and 0.5 higher day 10 and 11 respectively. I am symptom spotting like crazy, but will wait until day 14 dpo to test. I'll let you guys know later this week .

3. GTKY: What's your favorite thing about yourself? I am very outgoing and make new friends fast, but I also like to nurture my close friends. I'd like to think that I am a good friend.

BornReady

2. Status (WTO, TWW, Benched, etc.) in the tail end of the TWW here. We'll see! I'm usually a 14 DPO tester, which will be towards the weekend. My anxiety about this whole process is creeping back in. Sometimes it can be so hard from to balance the desire to want time to move faster to go on to the next cycle, and be in the moment and you know live my life. Anyone else relate?

3. GTKY: What's your favorite thing about yourself? I would say that I'm pretty open to new experiences and people. It's let me do a lot of great things and meet some interesting people.

chloe97

2.) Status TWW according to FF, I'm 5DPO, but I'm not 100% sold. I had pretty sharp o pains at cd 15 and cd 20, but the temp rise came after cd 16. My acupuncturist said the cd 20 pain could've beeen implantation pain, but that seems early? I'm symptom spotting like crazy- sore boobs and hungrier than usual(my 2 first signs from last pregnancy). Because of our trip, I'm going to test DPO 6, 8, 10, 12. I hate to live like I'm pregnant when I'm probably not and I want to drink pina coladas on the beach without feeling guilty.
3.) My favorite thing about myself is that I have been able to maintain a group of very close friends long distance. I got married this summer and the average length of time I'd been friends with my bridesmaids was 20 years. All 4 of them are going through their own fertility issues this year, so it's been helpful to lean on each other through the anxiety and disappointment.

catiecatp

2. status - TWW 6DPO - CM was all over the place but my temperatures saved the day in terms of knowing if/when I ovulated. Temps are quite jagged, FF is blaming it on my inconsistent timing, but it is because I wake a lot at night and the MC (I think). Pre-MC they were more stable. 

3. GTKY - I'm quite trusting and give people the benefit of the doubt - and my self-discipline is pretty good too.

strickland8052

@bornready - I know what you mean about wishing time would fly by until a BFP. I hate feeling like I am wishing my life away. Since MC, I feel like I won't be happy again until after I get a BFP, and I think that is completely unhealthy to have circumstances beyond my control dictate my happiness.

@chloe97 - Glad to see that you finally saw your temp spike!

2. Status (WTO, TWW, Benched, etc.): I think I am finally in the TWW!  Saturday I had to go to my first baby shower post-loss (which wasn't as bad as I thought it would be) then Sunday I woke up to CD 21 with still no temp spike. Between those two things, I had a borderline nervous breakdown. Fortunately I woke up to a temp spike today, which makes sense after O pains, EWCM, and a positive OPK a couple of days prior to that.

3. GTKY: What's your favorite thing about yourself? I'm very reasonable and I always seek out solid, factual information before making major decisions. Trends, popular opinions, and knee jerk emotions don't really influence me too much, and I see straight through bullshiz. I have yet to serve jury duty, but I think I'd make a pretty darn good juror.

WinchesterGirl

2. Status (WTO, TWW, Benched, etc.) Benched, but bleeding stopped mid last week, so I am finally waiting for AF, and then we are clear to start trying again! Feeling much more positive this week, and physically better to boot.

3. GTKY: What's your favorite thing about yourself? I would say that I am a very good judge of character and situations. I often pick up on people who are lying, and am usually not wrong in my impression of someone. This is very helpful in my landlord role, as well as in the office and day to day life.

@BornReady & @strickland8052, you have made a good point about wishing life away and making external factors responsible for my happiness... it is Monday, and you're making me think deep thoughts.

GoldenTMama

2. Status (WTO, TWW, Benched, etc.) TWW possibly?? I haven't really seen a temp spike yet (so that's weird) but FF says that I "may have" O'ed yesterday. I'm not 100% convinced though. We shall see if I get a temp spike tomorrow.  

3. GTKY: What's your favorite thing about yourself? I'm pretty patient and usually give people the benefit of the doubt. I think it's a good thing. I make sure people give me a reason to be upset before I get myself worked up. 

chloe97

@GoldenTMama what Cd are you at? It took FF 3 days to confirm my ovulation this month and my temp went up, but didn't spike like I thought it should until I was 3 DPO. I'm still not convinced. If I hadn't been told to stop TTC by my doctor bc of our trip, we would have BD-d all week just in case. Good luck!

Thanks @strickland8052, I'm glad that you got your spike too! I'm not sure why I was so antsy, before my MC my cycles were 33 days long and I probably O-d around cd 20 according to the Baby Med app, but the more intense o pain after mc is making me more aware that my bodies gearing up for ovulating.

MissAmeliaPond

2. Status (WTO, TWW, Benched, etc.)  WTO, and I'm at CD22... I've O'd CD16-19 in "normal" cycles. I was kind of expecting things to be wonky since this is my first cycle after the CP, and I wouldn't be mad about it except DH is leaving for business tomorrow and not returning until Friday night. So I feel like if I O while he's gone, this month is a bust. I'm just feeling sad. I had high hopes for this month being "regular" since my CP was so early (4 weeks), but I guess my body feels otherwise. 

*Question: how many of you had wonky O dates the first cycle post loss? How long did it take to get back to normal?* 

3. GTKY: What's your favorite thing about yourself?  Hmm... I'm pretty logical and detail oriented. 

catiecatp

@MissAmeliaPond - I only have one data point pre and post MC - and my pre MC was only 2 months out from BC. I ovulated CD18 pre MC and this month I ovulated CD27. No idea how long it will take to get back to normal or establish a new normal as this is my first cycle post MC.

Wishilivedinflorida

2. Status (WTO, TWW, Benched, etc.) CD 1 here. So, WTO.

3. GTKY: What's your favorite thing about yourself? I think I'm pretty resilient as a person. I've been through a lot of crap in my life and have a less than optimal family dynamic but I have risen above it and don't let it affect my life choices and how I treat others.

**Question: Want to start temping this month but the Mabis reviews on Amazon sound awful, indicating they arrive broken or break easily oftentimes. I know that's the preferred brand around here....is this true or not so much in your experience?

PeggyOlsonFTW

@MissAmeliaPond My O dates post loss were CD 25, CD 23, CD 23 and then this cycle it jumped to CD 13 - the day after I had acupuncture. I know correlation isn't the same as causation, but still.... I was expecting a gradual move to normalcy, not a huge jump like that.

FWIW, I don't know what a "normal" O date is for me. When DS was conceived, it was my second cycle post BC. Cycle 1 was 60 days and cycle 2 when he was conceived, I O'd on CD 19. After his birth, I tracked my cycles, but didn't temp, so I have no idea when I usually ovulate.

queenklau

@MissAmeliaPond, the first cycle after mc is hard to decipher. What do you count as CD1, which bleeding is AF, why are my temps all over the place???? Argh! That was me...but once you get the first AF (mine came 5 weeks after my d&c) that's the best time to begin temping.
After the first wonky cycle post mc, my O dates went back to CD17 as pre-mc right away. However, after my 2nd mc they shifted to Cday 13-14! Big change for me, as I am used to ovulating late. I believe that as PP have said, it may take a cycle or 3 to see your new cycle pattern. It is not unusual that your cycle changes from pre-mc. Keep tempting and you will start to see a trend. It is hard to tell when you only have a few data points.
What can I say, our bodies have their own way of getting back to normal or the "new" normal.
I hope my message helped, not sure if it confused you more.

chloe97

@MissAmeliaPond I can't say with 100% certainty, but my cycles have seemingly sped up post-D&C. I also conceived on the first cycle trying and had started temping, but gave it up bc H and I were just gonna NTNP that month, so I have nothing to compare it to. My cycles had been 33 days for 5 months straight, making me think I ovulated around day 19 or 20 at the latest. First cycle after mc I o-d at cd16 or 17 and this cycle has been the same so far. Hopefully this 31 day cycle thing keeps up.

@Wishilivedinflorida I use the Mabis and had no issues with shipping or breakage. They are pretty cheap from what I remember too.

SuperKristy85

2. Status: tww, I think it's 4 dpo. If this isn't my month, I will finally start temping. I've been avoiding it because it seems like so much to keep up with.

3. GTKY: What's your favorite thing about yourself? I am very laid back and pride myself on the ability to stay calm in stressful situations. I hate when people get so worked up over small things.

MissAmeliaPond

@catiecatp thanks - it sounds like we're in the same boat. Hopefully it doesn't take too long to get back to normal! 

@PeggyOlsonFTW That is super interesting about the acupuncture. I am going to need to try harder to get my new patient appointment set up! Hopefully she can help me get back on track, too. 

@klauerinaking my post-mc temps haven't been too crazy, but this is my 8th day of ewcm (the most I've ever had before was 4!), so at least I know my body is trying. There's a link to my chart in my siggy. I wish there was a faster way of getting back on track. I'm terrible at patience.

@chloe97 I wish my cycle was speeding up! I'm super jealous. 

Wishilivedinflorida

@SuperKristy85 I feel you on being reluctant to temp. I work a 5 day on/5 day off schedule and on the days I work I sleep VERY restlessly, so I'm afraid my numbers will be skewed. I figured the worst thing that could happen is my charts may be wonky but it's worth a shot! I'm going to try it and see.

Boots&Co

Status: still benched till next cycle

Fav thing: I can make people laugh easily.

BornReady

@SuperKristy85 I temped every cycle for over a year TTCing #1. I actually really liked the routine of it! A few cycles in I only temped for part of my cycle once I knew about a week before ovulation, so I was able to give myself a break during part of the month. It taught me so much about my body and took the guess work out of wondering if I had ovulated or not. It fascinating to me to look back and see the months I did it, and the month I eventually got pregnant. 

BornReady

@MissAmeliaPond  I did not temp my first two cycles post miscarriage, so I don't know if I actually ovulated or not. I did have positive OPKs my second cycle, but got AF 6 days after that positive OPK, so I'm going to assume I had a very short luteal phase or an anovulatory cycle. My first two cycles were 23 days and 35 days respectively. I am on my 3rd cycle and ovulated a few days later than "normal" before MC/Birth, but in the general vicinity which makes me happy. I too am on board the acupuncture train (weekly) and have been since very early after my miscarriage. I like to think it was helpful in getting things back to normal. 

CoonMom

2. Status (WTO, TWW, Benched, etc.) WTO; CD 5... It's good to finally be back in "the game"

3. GTKY: What's your favorite thing about yourself? I love how organized I am.


*Question* this kind of goes alongside @MissAmeliaPond's. This is my first cycle post MC and wondering about O'ing. I heard after a MC it could be earlier or later than it was before MC. For those of you who use OPKs when do you start them? I used to O around CD 14 and would start OPKs around day 10. Should I start earlier?

PeggyOlsonFTW

@dogmomwantinghuman I'd start your opks around your usual time. I doubt you'd ovulate before CD10. If anything, I think you'd ovulate later than usual.

valleric

2) 22 months of ttc with a mc in the middle. Feeling totally discouraged.

3) I am a teacher and have a wonderful class this year, so I love how I can connect with the kids and really make a positive influence in their lives, while at the same time they have made me so happy this year because they are they best class I've had in my 6 years of teaching!

DaAliDShow

1) Hi, I'm new. I'm 30 and DH is 37. We've been TTC since September, and our first pregnancy just came to an end. My doctor will probably call it a chemical because I started bleeding about 9 days after AF was due. For some reason, this makes me more sad.

2) Not sure just yet. I go for a final blood draw on Thursday to make sure I'm at zero. Hoping we can jump right back in, but might have to be benched until AF.

3) I love my ability to connect with/read people. I teach private music lessons and I just LOVE working with different students. Even the ones that don't practice... @valleric, I can relate to loving making a difference in kids' lives. Such joy! I'm sorry you're feeling discouraged. Sending hopeful TTC thoughts your way.

MissPrint1219

1. I noticed we have some new faces, so I thought I'd introduce myself again. DH and I are both 38, married 2 years, still trying to perfect the baby recipe. We've had three pregnancies: 1st was BO that ended naturally @ 6wks; 2nd was MMC discovered @ 12wks followed by d&c; 3rd was natural mc @ 8.5wks.
2. TWW here. Yay!
3. I like my sense of humor :-)

monkey41

1. Hey I'm new on this board! Made an intro post last week but that's it. Now on cycle 2 following an MMC/D&C at 10 weeks and want to go ahead and start trying again! DH is 33 and I'm 29, married 3 years with 1 pregnancy so far, not long after starting TTC in September.

2. WTO on CD7. Will be starting opks for the first time in a couple days. I just temped last time. This time, temps are looking on track for a normal cycle again. My sister is also TTC via ivf and is waiting for the all clear for her first FET which may happen during my TWW. Life would be perfect if we could both have a successful cycle immediately

3. I love that I took a job working at a community college with an access mission helping all kinds of people and may be able to help those less fortunate get the same education my family spent a bunch of money on. I also love how organized I made my house closets a couple weeks ago!

susykat77

2. Status - TWW 10DPO. I'm 90% sure I got a positive OPK (I took 4/day for a few days) but without the positive OPK FF puts me O'ing on CD 16 vs on CD 13 with the OPK. Ugh. I'm planning to test on Thurssday morning.

3. My favorite thing about myself is that I am smart. I can't say that I have fully applied myself in life but when I do I am a quick learner. I LOVE learning new things.

AL_TwinCities

I love reading this gtky! @strickland8052 your answer makes me feel like we are long lost sisters

@Wishilivedinflorida I haven't had issues with the mabis initially. My first mabis had something go wonky with the screen when I had dropped it several times, but it lasted 6 months before that and they are so cheap I didn't mind getting a new one. You can also get them at Walmart if you want to avoid potential shipping problems.

1. I'm 29, DH is 34 and we have been TTC since spring 2014, with two pregnancies and two losses.

2. Benched this cycle, my first after my more recent loss.

3. This journey - how long it's taking to conceive, infertility, the losses - has made me so empathetic. If there is a silver lining, this is it. I feel like I am so much more caring now, and I can feel the pain that others are going through now that I can relate to it.

dpjennifer

2. Status (WTO, TWW, Benched, etc.):  I'm in the last few days of the WTO.  Started using my OPK for the first time this month, so I'm sort of excited about that.  

3. GTKY: What's your favorite thing about yourself?  All of you with patience and an ability to not sweat the small stuff have me very jealous!  I struggle with trying to remain calm and reminding myself that many things I get worked up about do not really matter in the long run, so I have to work to shrug many things off and try to stay relaxed.  However, I am excellent at planning, scheduling, and time management.  

Kay6519

2. WTO and waiting for AF to leave
3. I like to think that I am very patient and strong in the face of adversity. We have had a lot thrown our way while TTC, and DH and I have pulled through and been better / stronger for it.

admac3

1. Introduce yourself (if you're new): New here! This is my first day here. I have experienced three losses since July 2014, the last one was in October. After a lot of testing, we just got the green light to TTC again. 

2. Status (WTO, TWW, Benched, etc.) Officially in the TWW. I can test next Friday. 

3. GTKY: What's your favorite thing about yourself? I'm really good at staying positive and keeping my head up. I've learned that about myself in the last year and a half.

RiverSong15

2. Benched cycle. TWW, 13 DPO. AF should be here tomorrow based on temp drop today. I have my follow up with my OB this week, so we'll she what she says about my thyroid issues and my family history of MTHFR. If everything goes well, we should be back to TTC next week!

3. I'm a pretty quick learner.

GoldenTMama

@chloe97 I'm having the same issue this cycle as you. I'm now at CD 16 and FF thinks I O'ed on CD 13 and has now put me at 3dpo. I'm not sure I buy it still either. My temp is rising slightly, but still no spike really. I had my biggest hike today, but I didn't know if I should discard my temp from today because I had to get up quickly this morning before I could take my temp, so i feel like it's probably not even accurate. 

Also, I'm a little frustrated because my acupuncturist was working on getting and keeping my post-O temp above 98, and last month my chart was great! Now that we are actually trying again my chart is irregular again. today was my only day above 98 and it was only 98.14. I'm getting disappointed, but I know i need to try and stay positive. 

catiecatp

@GoldenTMama - I'm sorry your cycle isn't cooperating like you want it to. I'm still in my first cycle post MC, and FF says I'm 7DPO, my temperature dipped below the coverline today (trended down the last 2 days) and I'm spotting - it is way to short of an LP - I'm hoping that it is just another symptom of an irregular cycle that will normalize next month but I'm struggling to stay positive today. 

In terms of the getting up before taking your temperature - I'd look at trends - so take note of the day that is a potential discard and then in a few days see if today's data looks like an outlier. What I might do next cycle is try to fiddle with the system on a few days I don't work - take my temperature normally, then get up briefly and retake temperatures, and then move a bit more and take my temperature - to get a sense of how much my temperature fluctuates with activity. I'd like to do a series of temperatures at different times of day but that would require a more stable day-to-day temperature than I've had this cycle. (why yes, I am a researcher/scientist by training... apparently I transfer that training to TTC...)

chloe97

@GoldenTMama I hear you. My sleep is always so messed up. I often wake up at 4 am to to go to the bathroom and the I only go back to sleep for 1-2 hours and my temp gets messed up. I started taking my temp righ when I wake up after my longest period of sleep. Sometimes it's 4:30, sometimes it's 5:30, most of the time it's around 6:30, but not always. Sometimes I lay in bed in the morning in a twilight-type sleep and sleep/dream about if I'm messing up my temp bc I'm not doing it right after sleep. It's frustrating! If not for my trip and my doctor advising us to stop trying bc of the Zika virus, I would have just kept trying every other day between cd10 and cd 23. (No worries, H is on board.) If I do end up KU this month, I will be more apt to believe FF bc I would have been -1, -3, and -5. If end up with some crazy 17 day LP, then I'm gonna go ahead as write this cycle off and try better to wake up at the same time everyday. No travel planned for next cycle, so it should be better! Good luck!

GoldenTMama

@catiecatp Thanks for the suggestion, I think I will just keep an eye on the trend and maybe discard today. FX it is an actual uptick and my temp keeps rising. I also hope your spotting is just a symptom of an irregular cycle that will normalize next cycle. 

@chloe97 I'm the exact same way with wake to use the restroom and the twilight-type sleep. We tried on CD9, 12,13,14 (no complaints for DH). So it's still possible to get the BFP this cycle. Enjoy your vacation! 

After 2 MCs last year, i'm also a little nervous of what will happen if I do get KU when my cycle is not ideal. But I am trying not to think like that. FX everything will turn out fine this cycle for all of us! 

edit for clarity 

ThePax89

1. Introduce yourself (if you're new). Fresh meat. I have a 15 month old. Lost first pregnancy at 5 weeks, got pregnant that cycle, and lost that baby at 10 weeks. Had a d&c and then a second a week later for retained tissue.

2. Status (WTO, TWW, Benched, etc.) benched. Waiting on my hcg to zero out and to get my period. Benched for 2 cycles. Wondfos ordered and ready to be peed on.

3. I love my children. I'm a mother at my core. I love my babies, even my two I'll never hold in my arms. And I love them ferociously.

Aera11

2.  Currently benched this cycle & the next before we can TTC.  Saw my RE for a post-op check since my D&C almost two weeks ago.  We also got our karyotype results back today and she said DH and I are both 'normal', PHEW!  Seriously...that was stressing me out a little since we've had two losses in a short period of time.  

3.  I am with @AL_TwinCities, this journey/battle/freakishly-large-mountain we are trying to overcome with all this infertility/loss, I have so much more empathy and compassion for the countless women (and men) who go through this.  It has made me more outspoken to those who are ignorant about infertility and loss.  Normally, I try to keep the peace, go with the flow and avoid drama/confrontation...but call it the hormones or frustration, I feel like I have become a spokesperson (ok, just to my friends...some who have said stupid things) for infertility and loss.