*Getting Healthy for Baby* June

[obraxton]

Originally Posted by amm

Good morning, Ladies!

I looked back on this thread and noticed that I complained about the pain in my side on the 16th. So hopefully that was actually ovulation pain and maybe I did actually spit out an eggie. It also says that if I conceive this cycle, the estimated due date would be March 10th. Our anniversary is March 3rd... so wouldn't that be an awesome 8th anniversary gift to us?

!

Amm....I just wanted to share this thread back in mid-November that I posted...
does anyone experience mid-cycle discomfort. I'm having some really strong pressure today, I notice it every month around this time, but this is a little more intense than usual. I'm going to ask my doctor on Thursday. I've heard of ovulation pain, but also cystic pain that occurs around OV.

This pain I felt was two days before my estimated date of conception. After I felt the "pain" I stopped BDing, out of concern, but I guess DH's swimmers were already waiting for the big show.

I think when we're actively TTC, we pay a lot more attention to our bodies than if not, so the slightest change means a lot to us.

[godsbeloved79]

Liz,

You came to the right place. These ladies are awesome in many ways.

Sending baby dust your way ! I just wanted to mention that I have come across a lot of posts where women state that they have PCOS and low carbing has helped with it. Following this WOL can be rather hard, especially if you don't plan ahead.

[Stinkerbelle]

Liz!

This is a super fast drive by post....just wanted to say hi to everyone and I have not disappeared!! Been crazy busy but I will post soon!

Love you all!

[Izzybeff]

Originally Posted by obraxton

Glad to have you here.
If I have to say anything about the "girls", they're all supportive, loving, and helpful in all aspects of WL, TTC, PG, and all things in between!
I really love this group!

Thanks so much for the welcome.. I really appreciate it!

Originally Posted by godsbeloved79

Liz,

You came to the right place. These ladies are awesome in many ways.

Sending baby dust your way ! I just wanted to mention that I have come across a lot of posts where women state that they have PCOS and low carbing has helped with it. Following this WOL can be rather hard, especially if you don't plan ahead.

I know that low carbing really helps with PCOS.. Unfortunately, with the metformin that i'm on, eating meat makes me ill... Hotdogs are about the only thing that doesn't bother me right now. I've really been focusing on trying to have protein, veggies & fruits.. I also am an overeater/emotional eater and i've been trying to work on that more than anything.. I've actually lost 11.2 pounds since May 15th..

Originally Posted by Stinkerbelle

Liz!

This is a super fast drive by post....just wanted to say hi to everyone and I have not disappeared!! Been crazy busy but I will post soon!

Love you all!

Hello! Thanks for the welcome!

[AsmallerME]

Hi Liz! Welcome. It's always exciting to get another person to join on our journey to health and motherhood. It's sounds like you're involved in a pretty good eating and exercise plan. Do you have any calorie guidelines or anything? Or are you just trying to go with "healthy" foods? I'm currently following Jenny Craig. I did LC a few years ago and successfully lost around 40 pounds but gained it back plus another 40 pounds. I'm an emotional, binge eater and staying in ketosis is hard work for me. I love the food, thoroughly enjoy Linda Sue's recipes, love the quick weight loss, but really crave carbs and rationalize too much to stay on plan.

Hi Belle! I'm glad to know you're okay.

Hi GB! How's this cycle going for you so far? Are you charting or anything?

Amm - okay, wow. I can't believe how much BDing you guys are doing. No wonder you're tired and it feels like a chore. Sadly we don't BD that much. I feel tired after 3-4 days in a row, much less 14. You go girl!!! Keep temping to make sure the temps stay up. It really looks like a good thermal shift though, so I think you caught the O. Did you two BD that much over the past months???

Dessa - how are you feeling? Is everything ready for your son? It's the final countdown now!!!

Okay, so I ate off plan for lunch. I tried to make a good choice by eating a salad but the restaurant didn't have light dressing. It wasn't my choice of places - it was pub food mostly. I used only one packet of dressing and only about 1/2 of it, so it wasn't too bad. It was a good salad though. Yum.... Breakfast was banana nut cereal and dinner was bbq chicken pizza. Dessert was a mint candy bar thingy. I'm not getting enough veggies and fruit this week so I need to work on that next week.

Oh, and the BEST news of all? AF arrived!!! Haha..it's crazy to be excited about this, but I'm just so happy to know that I can move on to BDing and trying for a healthy baby. My last cycle was 44 days long. Hopefully they stay around that length and don't keep getting longer now that I'm not doing LC. I really think LC regulated my cycles a good bit and I'd hate to reverse that with higher carbs. I'm going to start temping regularly again and using my cheapie OPKs (around day 15). And since I have 6+ weeks until next AF or BFP, I'm aiming to be down another 15 pounds by then. Here we go girls...I'm back in the game! Time for my obsessing to begin...

[amm]

Originally Posted by AsmallerME

Amm - okay, wow. I can't believe how much BDing you guys are doing. No wonder you're tired and it feels like a chore. Sadly we don't BD that much. I feel tired after 3-4 days in a row, much less 14. You go girl!!! Keep temping to make sure the temps stay up. It really looks like a good thermal shift though, so I think you caught the O. Did you two BD that much over the past months???

Amber... haha . No, we don't usually BD that much. I hope this isn't TMI... but with our usual routine we seem to BD on the weekends but rarely ever during the week. This month I was determined to keep up the BD until I know I ovulated. I know that some people say that every day isn't the best and that every other day is better... but I've also read that every day is fine so we'll see what happens.

I'm a little frustrated with DH today (which probably means no BD tonight ). I wanted to show him my chart where I've been keeping track of temps. So I was explaining it to him and he said that I need to stop obsessing and worrying about it all the time. I know he's right, but I haven't been worrying about TTC as much as I usually do, and I think that's because of the temping and the charting. The chart helps me clearly see what is going on. He said that we will get pregnant when God is ready for us to and it will just happen. Now, I do believe that God will give us a baby when it is our time... but at the same time I think that God likes to see a little effort on our part. I told my husband that it hasn't happened on its own in the last 8 years... so I feel like we have to do our part to make it happen.

[Nik]

Wow! SO much to catch up with!

First, to Liz: Welcome! We seem to have a LOT in common, so I just want to share my story with you briefly. DH and I have been TTC #2 for about five years. I also have PCOS, and tried Met and Clomid during that time. I used Demulin cycles to regulate my hormones, then went off to TTC. I used Provera every 3 months, because I had NO CYCLES. In fact, I only menstruated about three times in my entire life without the assistance of drugs. Last August, I decided to try losing weight as a last resort. I lost 95 pounds by March through LC, started cycling every 42 days or so (I had four natural periods in a row!) and got pregnant in May! I'm so excited, and I know that it can happen. I continue to hope that all of us here will find success, and I'm lucky to be surrounded by such supportive women.

Amm: WOW! That is a TREMENDOUS amount of BD'ing! You also look great, by the way. You are just doing a fantastic job, and I'm sure that it's about to happen for you. I will be really surprised if it doesn't happen this month. However, like I always say: one more month to get healthier for baby! In fact, you talk about how you exercise all the time. Your BD'ing has to be of the Olympic magnitude. HOLY COW! You must be burning like, 4000 calories a day!

Amber: Congrats on having a cycle to chart with. This month is going to be a great one to prepare your body for motherhood. I just know that every little step takes us closer to having a healthy pregnancy. I'm trying to convince myself that part of a healthy pregnancy could very well be sleeping 18 hours a day...

[godsbeloved79]

Originally Posted by AsmallerME

Hi GB! How's this cycle going for you so far? Are you charting or anything?

We are kinda FREE lancing right now . Just going with the flow.

Once I lose maybe another 25 lbs, I'll get a bit more involved (tempting, ovul kits).

[godsbeloved79]

Nik - Thanks so much for sharing your story . For some odd reason, I feel like the weight loss with me is going to do the trick. I'll use other methods if need be, but I'll be amazed if I make it to GOAL, without a BFP .

[godsbeloved79]

Originally Posted by amm

I'm a little frustrated with DH today (which probably means no BD tonight ). I wanted to show him my chart where I've been keeping track of temps. So I was explaining it to him and he said that I need to stop obsessing and worrying about it all the time. I know he's right, but I haven't been worrying about TTC as much as I usually do, and I think that's because of the temping and the charting. The chart helps me clearly see what is going on. He said that we will get pregnant when God is ready for us to and it will just happen. Now, I do believe that God will give us a baby when it is our time... but at the same time I think that God likes to see a little effort on our part. I told my husband that it hasn't happened on its own in the last 8 years... so I feel like we have to do our part to make it happen.

amm, this is so my husband. He means well, but I just can't get him to really get involved in all the other methods, without starting an argument. He has seen me shed plenty of tears, cycle after cycle and he tends to tip toe around it, so I don't get all wrapped up into it.

I trust that God is going to bless us, and you all............but like you said, HE wants to see efforts on our parts .

[AsmallerME]

Nik - sleeping 18 +++ hours per day is definitely a part of a healthy pregnancy. I swear it is! I read all about it and had it lined up as one of my excuses for not doing as much housework! Get the rest now and you'll get energy back before you know it!

Amm - I think you're right about the BDing daily. It's only bad if your DH has a low sperm count or other mobility issue. We usually BD 2 times a week and usually on the weekends. The month we got our BFP we used the OPKs so we saw that I was getting close to Oing so we did it 3 days in a row right before my O. My husband believes in the idea of "reinforcing the troops". So consider yours reinforced! Don't feel too badly about your husband and the whole charting thing. I have been charting on and off for one year and DH just now understands what the red lines on it mean when he walks into my office. It took a while but now he's sweet about it - he'll see a red O line and say, "oh good, your temps went up!!" I'm not 100% sure he really understands any of it, but he's trying.

GB - oh, that's right! I remember you saying that you were going with the flow until you lost more weight. I was the same way until we got our surprise BFP 3 cycles ago and then m/c. The doctor said that my weight was a nonissue and it's lifted such a burden off my shoulders. I'm now happily TTC with my doctor's support. If you do reach your goal then you probably won't cross the 200 pound mark when pregnant. That would be neat and something to be proud of!

Okay, happy Saturday morning girls! I'm off to eat breakfast and watch some tivo'd shows. I'll see you all later!

[AsmallerME]

Okay, that's too weird that "red lines" links me to some netrition product. Obviously that's not what I meant...

[Nik]

God'sB: Thanks for the support! The reason that I tried losing weight to conceive is that, of course, all the gynos said it would help. I resisted for years, because I was in the 220's with my son, and I still hadn't been cycling. The thing is, the release of the hormones stored in fat can "jump start" ovulation. I think that's what worked for me.

But really, my dear friend (now my ex-BF) had gastric bypass in October of '06. She lost about 80 pounds and got pregnant with her son (they were not trying) in July of last year. After she got her BFP, I started wondering if a big weight loss would work for me. I started Atkins in August of last year, hoping against hope that it would work...

P.S. I want you all to come over to my house. I'm in the mood for a slumber party.... *I have been MUCH more needy of affection, especially physical touch, since my BFP. WEIRD symptom, but the cuddles are nice...*

[amm]

Amber, my doctor told me at my last visit that it is fine if I get pregnant at this weight because I'm healthy and in good physical shape (for a 258 pound girl ). It was reassuring to know that I won't hurt my baby by being overweight. Now, when I weighed 400 pounds, she wasn't as encouraging as she is now. But that's totally understandable.

[obraxton]

Originally Posted by amm

.

I'm a little frustrated with DH today (which probably means no BD tonight ). He said that we will get pregnant when God is ready for us to and it will just happen. Now, I do believe that God will give us a baby when it is our time... but at the same time I think that God likes to see a little effort on our part. I told my husband that it hasn't happened on its own in the last 8 years... so I feel like we have to do our part to make it happen.

I think most of us have had that conversation with our spouses....I think it's good to know what's going on so you'll know what to pray for. Obsessing about it will definitely stall your progress, IMO though. DHs may not have the sense of urgency that we do, and that's fine too. I think I did it every other day, but that month for me I refused to chart or do any other OV predicting b/c I decided to just enjoy DH and have a good time. Since it's been 8 years, I understand your frustration, but also remember that you lost a tremendous amount of weight, and it may not be much longer for you now.

[obraxton]

On my way to take a state exam for a promotion in my job...just taking up my whole Saturday, why don't you, on top of the regular 9 to 5. Really, I'm taking this just in case I'm in there for the long haul, but I've never really been satisfied with working for DYFS. I've always worked with the elderly, disabled, and AIDS populations, and working with children services wasn't what I expected. Much more red tape, policy, and overriding of your decisions than anything else. So, needless to say, I'm not that excited about taking this test. I pray that God will do whatever needs to be done, b/c I don't know myself. I had a lot of problems even getting the job but I wanted it so badly, I saw that it wasn't for me, but I didn't listen to the Voice within. When I'm out I'm going to pursue other things, get my resume into circulation, etc. My DH is going to college right now, and I really just want to encourage him right now. He was passed up on a promotion b/c he didn't have a college degree, and had to even train his new superior. He's a very good, hardworking, and supportive husband, and works so hard...But not having a degree and being a minority makes it harder for him to be taken seriously when he's very qualified to do the job. He doesn't complain, so he keeps going with a smile on his face. But I know he wants more for himself and for his family. He encourages me to keep reaching for whatever goal I set for myself, and ultimately after our next child is born, I would like to consider working part time instead of being away from home all day as we both are now.

[godsbeloved79]

Dessa,

Wishing you well on the exam .

[amlundie]

hiya girls

welcome Liz!

Dessa - Prayers that your test went well.

I am doing well just trucking along, being blessed by the Lord and enjoying His rest! I hope you are all doing well also, have a great weekend!

[obraxton]

Thanks, it was at the local high school. I guess it was ok, but you know when tests are a little "too simple"? Will know in a couple of months..but not too worried.
I couldn't fit in the school desk , even sideways...That was my first "it's not gonna happen" moment with the pg. Did I tell you guys that he's dropped yesterday? He was pretty high after the doctor's appointment, but the next day he seemed to had gotten lower...Hopefully that means he still has a couple of more weeks inside, long enough for the lungs to work properly....

[AsmallerME]

Dessa - it's never a bad sign when the test seemed easy! Good job!! Haha about not fitting in the desk. At least you can blame your 8 month along belly.

Amm - I bet your doctor is so proud of you for going from 400 to 250. It's really an amazing accomplishment. Do you ever put on your old (400 pound self) clothes to see how much you've changed? I'm shocked at how much I can already tell in myself with just 30 pounds gone, I can't imagine how crazy it must be for you. Do you know how long your LP is generally? Just wondering when you might expect AF or get better news...

Nik - I wish we could do a girlie slumber party too. I'm in a weird place of limbo with most of my girl friends so I could use some fun. Hopefully you get in the cuddles today with your husband.

Okay, I have to go study. I promised I'd do 2 hours today and now I need to start so I can get to bed at a reasonable time.

See you all tomorrow.

[amm]

Thanks, Amber! I'm proud of myself, even if I do seem to focus more on what I have left to lose rather than what I've already lost. My doctor is really proud! She didn't expect me to be able to lose more than 100 pounds... and she pretty much flat out said that when I first started dropping weight. I told her that I want to get below 200, but she doesn't know if I'll be able to with the excess skin problem I'll have. Yes, she's brutally honest... but sweet.

I donated most of my old clothes and sold some of the nicer stuff on Ebay. I probably made close to $200 on Ebay and used all of it to buy new clothes. But I did save two pairs of jeans and the shirt in my before pic. My biggest jeans were a size 32 stretch denim from Lane Bryant. The smallest I can fit into now is a size 20. I haven't been in a size 20 since high school. It's crazy, but exciting.

I'm not exactly totally sure how long my luteal phase is since this is the first time I've tried temping. With my cycles recently being 29 days long, the calendar on babyzone.com estimated I should O on day 15. That would have given me a 14 day LP. But Fertility Friend is thinking that I O'd on day 17... so we'll see. I figure if I haven't seen AF by the 4th of July, I'll test. I have one test in the cabinet that came with my last OPK. I'm going to try my hardest not to test too early because I usually stock up on Dollar General tests and test like crazy.

[Nik]

WOW! The board's active today.

Dessa: Congrats on your test. i'm sure it went as well as you thought it did. You must have been really uncomfortable through the whole thing! I hope they offered you a chair and a table...

Amm: Sending you self-restraint vibes on testing. You can hold out until the fourth! My next OB appointment is the third, and I'm chomping at the bit to go in, so we can wait together. Just do other things to take your mind off of it. Don't even think about testing (yeah right!) Also, congrats on the great loss. As I mentioned, you look awesome.

Amber: I totally feel you on the friend thing. I think I'm going through a much-needed transition right now, and it's pretty lonely. Luckily for my, DS is pretty lovey these days. He always volunteers to give me a hug, and asks to sleep in our bed almost every night. We always say no, but at least he asks...

I've had a great day today! I think it comes from A) sitting on the couch all day and B) eating about every 1/2 hour. I've had very little heartburn or nausea, though it never COMPLETELY went away. I've also been awake for 13 1/2 hours!!! Of course, I'm exhausted and going to bed after I post this, but I'm still proud of myself!

See you girls tomorrow!

[amlundie]

hiya girls,

AF is here this moning so I'm getting more and more regular every month!

Praise the Lord!

Have a greaat day!