Crusade to Conception (January to May)

Remember in High School when you thought you could get pregnant at any moment? It felt like simply looking at a boy would lead you straight to the maternity ward! Here is my favorite example.

Anywho...... the truth is that for some of us it isn't enough to just toss out the BC. We are conditioned to think that this process is almost instant, when really even if you time everything perfectly you only have a 20% chance of (as the Brit's say) "falling pregnant".

So for this entry, let's back up to those happy days over a year ago when Hubby and I anticipated the end of each cycle with fingers-crossed and smiles-on.

Hubby and I were married in February and we thought it would be a wonderful surprise for our families if we could immediately announce that we were expanding our family. We actually tossed out the BC well before the wedding, and figured that I'd announce a month or so after the wedding. We began actively TTC (Trying To Conceive) in January.

I began my Crusade very humbly. I didn't buy any ovulation tests or special thermometers. I figured we were young and healthy, we would have no troubles. So I use a regular old app to get us started.

This is next month's PeriodTracker- great little app! If you are just starting your own crusade, I recommend this as a great place to start. There is also a social tab where you can chat with people all over the world. Even now I use this app to track ovulation and "intimate" days. The app is supposed to help you pinpoint fertile days based simply on the dates of your cycle. (I now know that this isn't the most accurate method...more on that next time).

Then the turning point came. By the end of May I received a positive home pregnancy test while on vacation. It was early and faint, so I kept it to myself.  6 days later a two-week long period began. (Thank goodness I kept it to myself!).  I don't have a clear answer as to what happened, but this was the moment that I started to panic.

So what happens when you start panicking? Well for me, you start reading. I read anything and EVERYTHING that I could. I read everything from blogs to the Mayo Clinic books. Finally an amazing friend (who now has a beautiful baby of her own) recommended The Impatient Women's Guide to Getting Pregnant. BUY THIS BOOK. It is light-hearted, scientific, and true to all ages of women TTC.

So get reading and find a friend to talk to! Avoid Panicking at all costs!

Next entry I will cover June - September and how my methods changed.  I like to call the next phase the "Pee on a Stick Phase".

Thanks for reading!