This blog will primarily be about my ttc (trying to conceive) journey. We are ttc in our 30's as full-time working professionals, and trying for our second baby. We have been blessed with one wonderful child.

I decided to start this blog to record my experiences and express myself, to give information and support to others, and to receive information and support from others. Please understand that although this blog is public, my husband and I plan to keep it anonymous. Please feel free to leave comments or ask any questions. I hope you will share this journey with us!

Friday, January 1, 2010

Pre-ttc and the initial approaches

We were married about two years when we seriously began planning to have a baby. What an exciting time this was for me! I started reading up on the subject. I attended two pre-conception visits because I had to change doctors due to insurance. I have a generally healthy lifestyle; non-smoker, minimal drinker, lacto-ovo-pescetarian (meaning I do eat those things), and I made sure that I was exercising regularly.

We decided that we would officially start "trying" on our Mediterranean cruise we had planned for May 2009. So, in February 2009, I went off the birth control pill to get a sense of my cycles, and I started taking pre-natals daily. It is generally recommended to those who actually plan for a baby, to stop the pill 3 months in advance, and to be taking a multi-vitamin at least 3 months in advance. It is best if husband takes a multi-vitamin too.

1st approach:
My initial approach was a casual "let's see how it goes naturally" attitude. I was 32, and honestly believed we would be pregnant within several months. I didn't use OPKs (ovulation predictor kits), basal body temping, or even know when I was ovulating. We tried BD (baby dancing) every 3 days for several months, and honestly, that gets tiring and you don't feel like you are focusing on anything! I was pretty clueless and aimless. During this time I was trying to monitor my body symptoms to determine when I was ovulating. It has been very helpful to keep a small calendar to track my cycles, hormonal symptoms, and anything that could possibly relate to ttc, or affect baby, for example, if I got a cold or had x-rays at the dentist.

2nd approach:
After several months of this, I began trying to practice the Fertility Awareness method for natural family planning, except, I did not take my BBT (basal body temperature). Generally they encourage you to BD every other day during the 10-day fertile window. You can estimate your fertile window with an ovulation calculator . The first rule of ttc: Know when you ovulate!

Call it beginner's luck, but our first month doing this, not only could I determine when I ovulated based on body symptoms, but we also achieved a chemical pregnancy! I guess I was right, we were "pregnant" within three months!!

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