Congratulations to M and A for their Big Fat Positive!

I just wanted to post this because I'm so happy for my friend, M. We got to know each other at the last company I worked at before I chucked it all to be a wife and mom-to-be. She's a great person, she's warm, she's funny, she's intelligent... and she'd been trying for so long to get pregnant.

I was one of the lucky ones. I stopped the Pill in Dec last year right after our wedding and found I was pregnant by March. I was disappointed that Aunt Flo made her monthly appearance in January but I found it easier to accept because mentally, I was prepared to try for at least six months before we sought any more medical help. Besides, I knew my body would need time to adjust, so I was prepared to wait.

But I could identify with M's longing to get pregnant and be a mother. I remembered thinking, "I gotta wait for my body to adjust??? Nono!!! I want to get pregnant NOW!" I can just imagine how she must have felt, having tried for years and not been successful despite numerous fertility treatments. It's not just physically exhausting, it also takes its toll on you emotionally. She told me once that she doubted her womanhood with every failure and I can just imagine what her hubby, A, must have felt as well.

Lately, she tried a different fertility treatment. I'll post more about this once I get more details on the procedure in case there's anyone out there who's trying and trying as well and would like to know more about it. To cut a long story short, she got her Big Fat Positive!!! WOOHOO!!!!

I'm so happy for you, M. May this be a sticky... looking forward to sharing mummyhood experiences with you!

For everyone else who's trying and is getting sick and tired... keep positive, don't give up hope. I believe that when the time is right, something will happen.

Just read: 10 days late and still not pregnant

*sigh* I read this on a TTC (trying to conceive forum) yesterday. Someone had posted that she was 10 days late and had taken a test but it showed up negative. :(((

Now I'm wondering if I'll be like that. I'm only 2 days late, but by gosh, it's felt like it's forever. I know for sure I would be very disappointed if Aunt Flo came by a few days later. I know we've just started trying and most couples take some time to conceive and I've got to be patient but it is REALLY frustrating when it doesn't happen.

*Big hugs* to the poster mentioned above... keep on trying and don't give up.

How long before I conceive?

This was a conversation TM and I had one night while we were in bed. I'd just spent most of the day working on this blog, reading up articles and reading responses on pregnancy forums from women who were all, like me, trying to conceive.

I'm not young anymore, I'm 33 and I've watched my own friends try a few years before they were finally successful. I'm now wondering if I'm going to be the same.

I've read the articles. They all assure me that even the healthiest of couples can take some time to conceive. Most websites and friends tell me that I should just enjoy it and take it easy. A friend I was talking to today told me that the moment she stopped worrying, she conceived! I appreciate all the advice and the comforting words but all the same, I can't help wondering if I'm going to be lucky or if I'll have to wait a little longer for our Little Monkey to come along.

How long did it take YOU to get lucky?

Getting Ready for Pregnancy

Let's see. What have I been doing to get ready? Got the sperm donor, sorry, husband? Check. Come off the Pill? Check. Ovulation calculator? Check. What else is there to do?

I found this article off WebMD which is pretty useful if you're planning to get pregnant. To me, it's akin to getting into a car for a long-distance trip. You wouldn't do it unless you're sure the car's in tip-top condition, right?
Basic things to do:

1. Improve your diet. Cut out the junk and focus on a well-balanced diet. This is the time to look at taking vitamin supplements. Most stuff I've read as well as friends I've consulted have also advised me to take a folic acid supplement BEFORE I get pregnant. This helps in reducing the chances of having a baby with neural tube defect. Most articles I've read recommend a 400mcg (micrograms) of folic acid supplement for women who are trying to conceive up till the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
2. Get a full check-up. If you haven't had your Pap smear, this is the time to do it. You may also want to check for STDs. This should also be the time that you check your immunisation records e.g. for rubella (German measles). It's also a good time to let your doctor know if you have conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure which could affect your pregnancy.
3. You may also want to get screening for potential genetic problems such as thalassaemia, Tay-Sachs.
4. Change your lifestyle if it's unhealthy. Give up the ciggies and cut back on the alcohol. If you've never exercised, this is a time to hit the gym and get your body in good shape for the baby.

I've been going to the gym regularly since Oct to get myself into shape. My diet's quite ok, I think. I eat mostly chicken, rice, salads and I always eat breakfast. That's usually muesli and fruit for me and I'm not big on coffee. I'm not good at vitamin supplements though, I usually forget to take them! The only biggie I haven't done is the full physical check-up which I wanted to do only when we've settled in Jakarta. A friend has advised me to do it now in KL anyway - any thoughts, anyone?

I'm in ok physical shape, I think. My only big problem now is my still-misaligned pelvis but the sessions with the chiro have helped a LOT.

TM's done the same, he's a much more faithful gym-goer than I am and he's fit and strong. He's been trying to cut down his alcohol intake, he usually has a few G&Ts when he gets in from work in the evening, nothing serious. Maybe a bottle of wine over the weekend but he's not a big drinker.

I've had some friends advise me to take ginseng if I wanted to conceive. Now I don't doubt this at all because I've had two friends who'd been trying to conceive for years turn to ginseng steeped in brandy and they were pregnant within a few months of taking it. I'm just wondering - WHERE do I get it?

Project Little Monkey

We've just started trying, so I don't know either! :)))

Trying to conceive - Feb 08

Ok. This would be our official first try. As mentioned, I'd gone off the Pill in early Dec 07 and when my AF (Aunt Flo as in your monthly visitor, picked up this acronym from Babycenter UK) appeared right on time in Jan 08, I started the calculations.
I used this ovulation calculator from Babycenter UK. I like it because it gives you an estimate of your ovulation days for the next 6 months. That gives me the feeling that it's not just this one time that you've got for a chance to try. It makes me feel like Wow! I've got at least six chances!

So we did the uh, deed on the dates indicated in the calculator. Woohoo! What fun! For all you out there trying to conceive, don't you ever forget to have fun while you're at it! I spent my whole life being told not to have sex. This is the first time everyone's encouraging me to have sex! Groovy, baby!
Right now, I'm just waiting for time to pass before I can check if his "boys" did their job. C'mon boys! Swim! Do a Mark Spitz!

I was in Guardian pharmacy yesterday and saw a home pregnancy test kit. Ooh, how my fingers itched to buy it! Haha! Pregancy test kits are able to detect the human chorionic gonadotrophin hormone (hCG) in your urine about the time your next period is due. hCG is first secreted when the fertilised egg is implanted in your uterus by the cells that will then form the placenta. However, if you test too early (Eager Beaver syndrome), the level of hCG may be too low to give you an accurate answer.
I've got about a week more to wait before I can do a test. In the meantime, I shall get to know the other mums I've met on Babycenter UK and learn as much as I can about pregnancy and motherhood and try NOT to walk into pharmacies.

Ok, so how do I get pregnant?

I wonder why it's so easy to get pregnant when you don't want to but when you desperately want to, it suddenly gets... difficult? :D Ok, I've never gotten pregnant before mainly because I'd never been interested in marriage and I wouldn't consider being a single mum. I know a few single mums who do a great job raising their child but I just don't think I'm cut out for it.

Now I want a baby. So what's to do? Well I'm doing what others are doing.

1. Getting to know my cycle
I'd been on the Pill for close to 2 years and came off it in Dec 07. They all say it takes some time for your cycle to be regular again, it takes time for the body to adjust again, so I guess I'll have to be a little bit more patient than I am now. The good news is that my Feb period appeared just when I calculated it would... so am I getting back into cycle now? I hope, I hope!

2. Have lots of sex!
I'm a stay-at-home wife, so any day's good for me! ;) I don't know about you but wouldn't you try to have more sex if you were trying to make a baby? Besides, isn't sex with the hubby the most earth-shattering ever? ;)
But there is a fertile window in your cycle which can INCREASE your chances of getting pregnant, typically a few days leading up to ovulation day (OD). Which can only mean that you have to...

3. Know how to calculate your ovulation day
Ok. This is the easier part. Ovulation is when eggs are released from the ovaries (Oh, why didn't I pay more attention during Form V Bio class!). If an egg isn't fertilised in the 24hrs after releasing, it dies. This normally happens about 14 days before the start of your next cycle and varies from woman to woman. That's why you should start charting your menstrual periods - when they start, how long they last - so that you can determine more accurately your OD. Or you could use this ovulation calculator to get an estimated OD.

This is what we're trying right now and it's great to have a supportive husband who does his best, er, performance when the dates are right. Since this is only our 2nd month trying, we'll give it a go for a bit more before turning to other methods.

Anyone out there with some tips?