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!!