Hello :)

[Twobeautifulboys]

I lost my last lengthy message so will keep this short!

Hoping to sway for a girl in the Spring after next, thereÂ’s a chance could try earlier. Have a few questions!

IÂ’m dairy and soya free now and eat a lot of coconut based products, should I cut back on these?

Would waiting the extra year sway more as IÂ’d be 36 rather than 35. Hubby would be 35 or 34. On the other hand the earlier we try IÂ’ll be more likely to still be breastfeeding, my cycle hasnÂ’t returned yet and youngest boy is almost 16th months. We have two gorgeous boys.

I struggle to keep weight on but really want to do exercise and 12 weeks on the diet! Should I just eat extra carbs?

Ages ago on a scan it showed that my ovaries were polycystic but I had a hormone test and all was fine, no other symptoms. We seem to get pregnant very easily as it was first month for each child, second time it was one attempt after a 2 week unintentional abstain and it was my first cycle after getting it back. Do I need to do the alternative LE diet or the normal one?

IÂ’m very OCD and have had it diagnosed along with anxiety. I donÂ’t think I should chart my cycle as IÂ’ll get too obsessive! Should I do the every 4 days or should I do one attempt with a cut off (would prefer to do this but would have to base the attempt on cervical mucus etc).

IÂ’d love to hear if other obsessional types have gone on to have girls! Thanks so much! X

[Pretty]

Hi there! I too was diagnosed with OCD at one point, attempted medication but never stuck with it. Definitely still OCD though and swayed pink successfully!! I am currently swaying pink again! Good luck!

[Twobeautifulboys]

Hi there! I too was diagnosed with OCD at one point, attempted medication but never stuck with it. Definitely still OCD though and swayed pink successfully!! I am currently swaying pink again! Good luck!

That’s good to hear! I feel like I’m such a typical boy Mum that I’ll be so surprised if I actually manage to have a girl lol I think I will end up with three boys but it’s worth a try! Hubby is not keen on more than three children so this is my last chance to try. Eek no pressure!

[Pretty]

I felt the same way! I definitely thought of myself as a boy mom but always wanted a daughter. I still can’t believe she’s real (10 months old)! For my last sway we had one attempt at ovulation and both were vegetarian. I am still vegetarian (lapsed while pregnant) and hubby is slowing starting to go vegetarian as well (I’m trying not to be too pushy since it’s less important for him and I don’t want to be too demanding about it). I was on low dose femara last time and probably won’t be able to do that this time as I’m breastfeeding but I understand breastfeeding to be a good away tactic.

Atomic is amazing and has totally helped me on my journey for my daughter!

[Twobeautifulboys]

We are also now veggie and hubby is too (was eating meat and a lot of dairy with both my boys). My last boy was one attempt too but I was quite obsessive about charting and also my diet was very different to what it is now! I’m hoping it might help. Did you do anything else for your sway last time? I don’t think they would give me medication either due to breastfeeding plus my periods were quite regular once back.

The thing I am going to struggle with is the skipping breakfast and exercising too ha ha I find eating little and often helps as I have ibs so I might have to do 4 meals! Hubby is really sceptical. He wasn’t sure about three kids but just coming around to the idea!

[Twobeautifulboys]

(I say veggie but I’m still eating fish or seafood a couple times a week so will be cutting that out)

[Pretty]

I definitely didn’t exercise and I found that skipping breakfast got much easier over time. I too have IBS, recently prescribed linzess but also, not taking it lol. Yep, that’s a trend with me (plus I’m stubborn) but I think that taking fiber frequently helps that (and I use it for swaying). I drank alcohol frequently last time (generally at night, a shot of vodka mixed with diet sprite) and will try to incorporate that again once we get a better sleep schedule and I know when my last feed of the night will be. I still don’t have a period yet so I haven’t been great about the diet yet or making DH go strict vegetarian but that’s great that you and your husband have done that, mine struggled with that more than anything. I did chart but if you don’t feel the need, I wouldn’t either! I was being monitored for the femara so I had to kinda keep track for my doctor. I am going to try to get clomid when my period starts but that’s certainly not a guarantee.

[Pretty]

Maybe tmi but I did j&d after our attempt and immediately got into the shower. I also had been using ph neutral tampons but that was really just a “why not” sorta thing and I totally don’t credit them with giving me a girl IYKWIM

[Pretty]

https://www.genderdreaming.com/forum/add-your-girl-sway-/65723-pretty-ttc-girl-sway-attempt.html

[Pretty]

I admit my last sway wasnÂ’t perfect but I was working in a super competitive, stressful and male dominated environment and I was super skinny... and IÂ’m not either of those things anymore so IÂ’m really worried about my future sway...

Sorry to keep posting, I keep remembering things and donÂ’t know what may resonate with you.

[Katie.Z]

Hi twobeautifulboys! I just wanted to tell you that i have OCD, remember my rituals even as a young girl (5/6 years old, and I was diagnosed with it officially in my late teens. I have two beautiful girls. I think it’s safe to put that out of your mind, we have enough to stress about. All the pink dust to you.

[Twobeautifulboys]

Hi twobeautifulboys! I just wanted to tell you that i have OCD, remember my rituals even as a young girl (5/6 years old, and I was diagnosed with it officially in my late teens. I have two beautiful girls. I think it’s safe to put that out of your mind, we have enough to stress about. All the pink dust to you.

Aw thanks so much! I remember the same when I was about 14. Just need to try and not get too obsessed with the whole swaying process he he

[Twobeautifulboys]

Luckily we both wanted to go veggie/vegan anyway so he didn’t mind! I’m hoping he might do a bit of cycling nearer the time. He trains at the gym and has protein bars but I don’t think he’ll want to give those up! Can I ask how you get the Clomid? Is that to bring your ovulation and period back?

[Twobeautifulboys]

Thanks this is really helpful!

[Pretty]

I plan to use clomid for swaying, it stimulates ovulation but often causes more than one follicle to be released (I do worry about multiples but I did really well with femara so I’m hopeful)

[Twobeautifulboys]

Ah I see, I’m based in the UK and I’m not sure how easy it is to get hold of here!

[Pretty]

I’m sure atomic can help you with that, it may be best to start a new thread with that specific question

[atomic sagebrush]

can you guys bump this for me??

[Pretty]

Bump!

[atomic sagebrush]

Luckily we both wanted to go veggie/vegan anyway so he didn’t mind! I’m hoping he might do a bit of cycling nearer the time. He trains at the gym and has protein bars but I don’t think he’ll want to give those up! Can I ask how you get the Clomid? Is that to bring your ovulation and period back?

Clomid actually helps with pink sways with about 3-5% more girls conceived with it than without (proven by studies.)

[atomic sagebrush]

Ah I see, I’m based in the UK and I’m not sure how easy it is to get hold of here!

while I don't endorse this, some have ordered it online or gotten it from Spain where it's available over the counter.

[atomic sagebrush]

1)coconut stuff is fine within the limits of the diet. All foods are allowed within limits of LE Diet.

2)While on average older couples have slightly more girls than is statistically expected, this is MINOR and not the kind of thing a year could make any appreciable difference with. I would not ever postpone a sway for that reason, it's too unreliable. Breastfeeding does sway pink but that too is a minor thing and not anything to rush over. I think it's best for you to TTC when it's best for your family's needs since none of these things are magic bullets. (I do think breastfeeding sways much more than a years' difference in age, though, so there's that if it's any help)

3)We can adjust the diet accordingly to keep weight on. I want you on 2000 cals a day, 65 g fat and protein till your cycle resumes. (do NOT count protein and fat in fruit and veg, and calories too in low carb veg. Low carb veg are free and unlimited.) This is slightly beyond the limit of LE Diet (just barely) but I don't want you to eat any less till your cycle comes back. Then we can also do exercise starting 6 weeks before TTC. Since you have a history of PCO I would have you do whole grains most of the time instead of white refined ones, full fat dairy instead of skim or part skim, and limit sugar somewhat (like, don't live on gummy worms or whatever) but you don't need to completely avoid white grains entirely or sugar entirely. It's a kind of modified alt. diet.

I would have you do the every 4 day method but do it 96 hours apart (so counting Monday/Friday instead of Monday/Thursday). This will for sure be one attempt in the fertile window but will be a less control freakish way to go than trying to hit one attempt on a certain day.

I agree I do not want you to chart your cycle. The cutoffs don't work anyway, especially when done with cervical mucus. Studies have shown cervical mucus can only pinpoint day of O 1 out of 3 times and predicting cutoffs using CM is impossible, it just doesn't work. People ahve too wide a variation in CM patterns.

We do see an overall trend of more anxious/control freak/OCD people having boys, but it's not set in stone and many of us still get girls. That's not a dealbreaker at all but I would not have you chart and do the e4d method instead, that's for sure.

[atomic sagebrush]

We are also now veggie and hubby is too (was eating meat and a lot of dairy with both my boys). My last boy was one attempt too but I was quite obsessive about charting and also my diet was very different to what it is now! I’m hoping it might help. Did you do anything else for your sway last time? I don’t think they would give me medication either due to breastfeeding plus my periods were quite regular once back.

The thing I am going to struggle with is the skipping breakfast and exercising too ha ha I find eating little and often helps as I have ibs so I might have to do 4 meals! Hubby is really sceptical. He wasn’t sure about three kids but just coming around to the idea!

I would rather see you guys do 4 meals and stick with over time than to try to cut back too far and end up giving up in frustration. Do the doable and it's still a different pattern than the type of all day every day eating many of us do with all boys

[atomic sagebrush]

(I say veggie but I’m still eating fish or seafood a couple times a week so will be cutting that out)

I would keep doing that since you're breastfeeding. 2x a week within limits of the diet. :agree:

[Twobeautifulboys]

1)coconut stuff is fine within the limits of the diet. All foods are allowed within limits of LE Diet.

2)While on average older couples have slightly more girls than is statistically expected, this is MINOR and not the kind of thing a year could make any appreciable difference with. I would not ever postpone a sway for that reason, it's too unreliable. Breastfeeding does sway pink but that too is a minor thing and not anything to rush over. I think it's best for you to TTC when it's best for your family's needs since none of these things are magic bullets. (I do think breastfeeding sways much more than a years' difference in age, though, so there's that if it's any help)

3)We can adjust the diet accordingly to keep weight on. I want you on 2000 cals a day, 65 g fat and protein till your cycle resumes. (do NOT count protein and fat in fruit and veg, and calories too in low carb veg. Low carb veg are free and unlimited.) This is slightly beyond the limit of LE Diet (just barely) but I don't want you to eat any less till your cycle comes back. Then we can also do exercise starting 6 weeks before TTC. Since you have a history of PCO I would have you do whole grains most of the time instead of white refined ones, full fat dairy instead of skim or part skim, and limit sugar somewhat (like, don't live on gummy worms or whatever) but you don't need to completely avoid white grains entirely or sugar entirely. It's a kind of modified alt. diet.

I would have you do the every 4 day method but do it 96 hours apart (so counting Monday/Friday instead of Monday/Thursday). This will for sure be one attempt in the fertile window but will be a less control freakish way to go than trying to hit one attempt on a certain day.

I agree I do not want you to chart your cycle. The cutoffs don't work anyway, especially when done with cervical mucus. Studies have shown cervical mucus can only pinpoint day of O 1 out of 3 times and predicting cutoffs using CM is impossible, it just doesn't work. People ahve too wide a variation in CM patterns.

We do see an overall trend of more anxious/control freak/OCD people having boys, but it's not set in stone and many of us still get girls. That's not a dealbreaker at all but I would not have you chart and do the e4d method instead, that's for sure.

Thank you so much for getting back to me with this! All sounds great 👍 and IÂ’m glad itÂ’s just the 6 weeks of exercise as thatÂ’s much more manageable. I do tend to eat whole grains so thatÂ’s good. But I probably should cut down on the amount of sweets I eat! The only thing is that after going so long without dairy I now canÂ’t stomach it myself at all, so IÂ’m completely dairy free, so wouldnÂ’t be able to do the full fat dairy. I tend to do Alpro coconut or almond milk which is fortified with B12, calcium and vitamin D. Or I could have rice or hemp milk? May need to get an unfortified version nearer the time.

Does b12 sway at all? IÂ’m not currently taking any vitamins or supplements but a lot of the vegan substitutes I eat add b12.

What are your thoughts on the theory that more girls are born during the Autumn/Winter months? Do you think it holds any weight? My boys were Spring and Summer babies so IÂ’d love an Autumn/Winter baby but IÂ’m not sure whether we will feel ready to try next Spring, but waiting a whole extra year is a long time.

The every 4 day method sounds like a good plan, so we would dtd on the Monday then the Friday then the Tuesday then the Saturday and so on?

The other things I was thinking of including are - coffee, alcohol, getting hubby to cycle (6 weeks too?)

ThereÂ’s so many boyÂ’s on my husbandÂ’s side (no girls for three generations) that I do think there must be a slight sway towards boys. Whether itÂ’s the sperm or a lifestyle environmental thing. But I have three sisters and one brother so more girls on my MumÂ’s side.

Thanks again!

[atomic sagebrush]

No worries, you can have the milk replacers, but do watch them as some of them are quite carby. (rice milk, for instance, is very carby) Most milk replacerss are fortified, it's just the nature of the beast. Dairy is fortified too. It's not the type of thing like power bars and breakfast cereal taht's really the same as taking a vitamin. We allow milk and milk replacers in limits..

Some sweets are ok for you, but some swayers do this form of LE Diet where they eat LOTS of sugar and this would not be a good idea for you (or really, anyone, I vastly prefer everyone do a more balanced diet and avoid doing the LE Diet in a form where it ends up being cucumbers and gummy worms!!!)

B12 may sway blue but the amounts added to ~most~ foods are ok. I would not deliberately take a B12 supp and I do think it's one of the benefits of eating more vegetarian, but it's ok to still get some B12 from various sources.

A couple pretty good studies indicated that there was a girl peak of conceptions in March-May. (culminating in births in very late fall and winter) But that having been said, this was a SMALL variation. The interesting thing is that it's stayed consistent over years and what it may tell us about how swaying works, NOT that you MUST get pregnant in those months becuase it's in any way a magic bullet. It was only about 1-2% difference. I think that swaying via lifestyle changes vastly outweighs things like months of conception. I got my girl in a boy peak month and two boys in the girl peak.

Yes that's right M/F/T/Sa and so on.

:agree: coffee, alcohol, cycling all good tactics.

It's likely not genetics and you can read why here: https://www.genderdreaming.com/forum/gender-swaying-general-discussion/47852-we-only-dont-make-boys.html But yes some families do have statistically more of one gender, likely due to lifestyle commonalities. But this does not mean you can't have a girl! SO many people have told me this exact thing only to have a girl even when they were sure they "couldn't."

My pleasure, let me know how I can help.

[Twobeautifulboys]

No worries, you can have the milk replacers, but do watch them as some of them are quite carby. (rice milk, for instance, is very carby) Most milk replacerss are fortified, it's just the nature of the beast. Dairy is fortified too. It's not the type of thing like power bars and breakfast cereal taht's really the same as taking a vitamin. We allow milk and milk replacers in limits..

Some sweets are ok for you, but some swayers do this form of LE Diet where they eat LOTS of sugar and this would not be a good idea for you (or really, anyone, I vastly prefer everyone do a more balanced diet and avoid doing the LE Diet in a form where it ends up being cucumbers and gummy worms!!!)

B12 may sway blue but the amounts added to ~most~ foods are ok. I would not deliberately take a B12 supp and I do think it's one of the benefits of eating more vegetarian, but it's ok to still get some B12 from various sources.

A couple pretty good studies indicated that there was a girl peak of conceptions in March-May. (culminating in births in very late fall and winter) But that having been said, this was a SMALL variation. The interesting thing is that it's stayed consistent over years and what it may tell us about how swaying works, NOT that you MUST get pregnant in those months becuase it's in any way a magic bullet. It was only about 1-2% difference. I think that swaying via lifestyle changes vastly outweighs things like months of conception. I got my girl in a boy peak month and two boys in the girl peak.

Yes that's right M/F/T/Sa and so on.

:agree: coffee, alcohol, cycling all good tactics.

It's likely not genetics and you can read why here: https://www.genderdreaming.com/forum/gender-swaying-general-discussion/47852-we-only-dont-make-boys.html But yes some families do have statistically more of one gender, likely due to lifestyle commonalities. But this does not mean you can't have a girl! SO many people have told me this exact thing only to have a girl even when they were sure they "couldn't."

My pleasure, let me know how I can help.

Great thank you. IÂ’m thinking may opt for hazelnut or almond milk as IÂ’ve found some which are non fortified here which are also really yummy.

Thanks thatÂ’s good to know, so many ppl I know have had girl Autumn or Winter babies!

Using the ovulation testers with the smiley faces - do you think I should avoid these also? Not charting all cycle just around ovulation. I do tend to get ovulation pain so I can sort of tell anyway! I know itÂ’s silly as has been debunked but IÂ’m still keen to avoid peak ovulation as thatÂ’s when I got pregnant with both my boys!

[atomic sagebrush]

No, I prefer you use OPK. O pains can get you in the neighborhood, but having an attempt O-3 is much lower chances than at positive OPK, for instance, and many people get O Pains after ovulation has already happened and the egg is dead by then. But you do not need to chart to use OPK.

"Peak ovulation" for timing for swaying is NOT positive OPK. Positive OPK comes about 1-2 days prior to O. Even more so, if you intend to avoid ovulation, you are going to want to use OPK since just guessing will not tell you how many days you are from O.

And just to clarify, tons of people say "but I got my boys around ovulation". That doesn't mean anything. The fact is we can only get pregnant for 3-4 days in the cycle max, and most conceptions (of either gender) are on only 2 cycle days, O-1 and O-2. If you include O Day in there, those three days account for the vast majority of all conceptions. So when people tell me they got their boys around ovulation, that is meaningless because everyone got every baby around ovulation. It is impossible to get any babies with those long cutoffs, and the peopel who say they got pregnant with cutoffs of 4 or more days are simply wrong about when they ovulated. Even most of the people who think they got pregnant with a 3 day cutoff got their O day wrong. So please don't get too hung up on trying to have sex way away from ovulation, because you will not conceive doing that.

[Twobeautifulboys]

No, I prefer you use OPK. O pains can get you in the neighborhood, but having an attempt O-3 is much lower chances than at positive OPK, for instance, and many people get O Pains after ovulation has already happened and the egg is dead by then. But you do not need to chart to use OPK.

"Peak ovulation" for timing for swaying is NOT positive OPK. Positive OPK comes about 1-2 days prior to O. Even more so, if you intend to avoid ovulation, you are going to want to use OPK since just guessing will not tell you how many days you are from O.

And just to clarify, tons of people say "but I got my boys around ovulation". That doesn't mean anything. The fact is we can only get pregnant for 3-4 days in the cycle max, and most conceptions (of either gender) are on only 2 cycle days, O-1 and O-2. If you include O Day in there, those three days account for the vast majority of all conceptions. So when people tell me they got their boys around ovulation, that is meaningless because everyone got every baby around ovulation. It is impossible to get any babies with those long cutoffs, and the peopel who say they got pregnant with cutoffs of 4 or more days are simply wrong about when they ovulated. Even most of the people who think they got pregnant with a 3 day cutoff got their O day wrong. So please don't get too hung up on trying to have sex way away from ovulation, because you will not conceive doing that.

Hello again! Thanks for the info and sorry that I never replied back. I’m finally getting hubby onboard to try for a third child, but it’s looking like we might try next Spring, so I’d start swaying next Winter.

Just a quick question on exercise. At the moment all I’m doing is some gentle walking with the buggy, probably about an hour once or twice a week. I plan to start a yoga class soon but that’s mainly for enjoyment rather than swaying...I’d like to take up running again as I used to really enjoy it. So my question is would I need to do an hour of running on top of the walking or can the gentle walking count as the hour? At the moment I’ll only do this every now and again but I plan to increase it nearer the time.

Fasting - nearer the time I’m thinking of eating dinner with my boys at 5.30pm then not eating anything until the morning at say 8am. I could push it a bit further depending how I feel. I think I’ll struggle to skip breakfast. Is that enough fasting time?

Thanks!

[atomic sagebrush]

No worries, it's not your job to get back to me, it's my job to get back to you LOL.

Walking for an hour is a great form of exercise. Definitely allowed.

It's fine to eat an early dinner and then have breakfast. It's the overnight time that matters and not the time of day you eat. We say "skip breakfast" only because most of us have found that easier than eating dinner early, but please do whichever option works best for you.

[Twobeautifulboys]

Great thanks! :) I think I’ll find that easier than skipping breakfast. Yay that the walking is included, that will help as it can be hard to find the time to exercise with my two boys! Now to persuade hubby to do some cycling nearer the time, I have a year to convince him lol! Obviously it’s quite far away, but is there anything else I can do now that would help, other than eat mostly veggie / vegan? Maybe stop snacking so much? I’m bad at grazing and not eating a proper lunch during the day, apart from dinner when I will eat a proper meal...

[atomic sagebrush]

I would hold off on making most of the changes for now. Just eat less meat overall. Don't worry about snacks and stuff till 12 weeks ahead.

[Twobeautifulboys]

Ok 👍 thanks! x

[Twobeautifulboys]

Hi there!

IÂ’m back with a few more questions about swaying for a girl later on this year, or early next year!

So last time we spoke my cycle hadn't returned so you advised I eat 65g of fat and protein until it returns. It returned around 5 months ago and IÂ’ve been eating a dairy free and pescatarian diet for a while now (mainly for other reasons rather than swaying).

IÂ’m getting a bit nearer to when we will try for a third child now and was wondering a few things! Hoping you can help :)

1) At the mo I eat fish about once a day, do I need do reduce this even if I am within the LE protein limits? You advised previously to do an alt le diet as I have polycystic ovaries (but not the syndrome).

2) What limits would you advise now my cycle is back but IÂ’m still breastfeeding around 4 times a day?

2) I have put my food into fitness pal for a few days to see what my diet is like and IÂ’m normally under 50g/60g protein a day but my fat is often higher, like 80 - 90 odd! 😂 I would be interested to know whether you think the protein or fat is more important, or both! Will be reducing the fat down nearer the time but curious to know.

Although IÂ’m not trying to conceive right now my cycle is back and in the past IÂ’ve got pregnant easily, so I would say thereÂ’s a chance I could get pregnant by mistake, as we are not super careful, hence why IÂ’m keen to make a few subtle life style changes now.

Thanks!
Helen

[atomic sagebrush]

1)you should always limit fish to 2x a week when trying to conceive due to the potential risks of mercury in fish. No one should be eating fish every day when trying to conceive.

2)I would suggest 1800-2000 cals a day, 50-60 g protein and fat. if you lose weight too quick and your milk supply wanes you can go up to 2000-2200 cals and even up to 65 g pro and fat if you need to.

Are you counting protein and fat in fruit and veg? If so, stop.

Protein and fat are both important. I can't pick one vs. the other, they both matter in different ways.

[Twobeautifulboys]

1)you should always limit fish to 2x a week when trying to conceive due to the potential risks of mercury in fish. No one should be eating fish every day when trying to conceive.

2)I would suggest 1800-2000 cals a day, 50-60 g protein and fat. if you lose weight too quick and your milk supply wanes you can go up to 2000-2200 cals and even up to 65 g pro and fat if you need to.

Are you counting protein and fat in fruit and veg? If so, stop.

Protein and fat are both important. I can't pick one vs. the other, they both matter in different ways.

Thanks for getting back to me!

Re. Fish, does white fish count too in the 2 per week limit? I know we have to be more careful with oily fish and I definitely need to cut down on that if we try to conceive, but I didnÂ’t realise the same applied for white fish. Maybe IÂ’ll try and cut down on that now anyway!

With the breastfeeding, my son is 2.5 now so itÂ’s not the end of the world if my supply wanes a bit but plan to continue for now. I also wondered about soya. Me and my hubby both eat a fair bit. Hubby eats quite a lot these days which IÂ’ve heard can be good for a girl away, but should I limit the amount of soya IÂ’m eating?

Sorry last question, if I need to up my calories but stay within the limits, are carby things ok to eat or will that not work with the alt le diet? I find it hard to think what to eat without going over the protein limit. I will make sure I donÂ’t count carbs in veg though!

Thanks!

[atomic sagebrush]

Yes, it all counts. White fish can have bad stuff in it too. You are NEVER supposed to eat the high-in-mercury fish at all when TTC, and the low-in-mercury should be kept to 2 servings per week.

Soy is great for your husband and a pink sway, have as much as he wants (though if you guys don't get pregnant, say, in 6 months, he should cut back). For you, I would keep it at 3x a week. Some people believe that soy may sway blue in excess when eaten by women, and it also may reduce your chances of conceiving if you eat too much of it.

If you're on the alt LE Diet you need to get your carb calories primarily from fruit, higher carb veg, whole grains. You don't need to count carbs, just keep protein and fat to a set limit (not counting fruit and veg) and then cals at a certain level and pick the right carbs, and you will be getting the right amount of carbs.

[Twobeautifulboys]

k thanks 👍🏻 I’m based in the UK and the rules on white fish are slightly different here, but I’m going to cut down anyway as I’m likely eating too much.

Re. protein in vegetables, do we count protein in a jacket potato and things like chips (obviously chips aren’t a vegetable but as they are made of potato I wasn’t sure 😂).

Alcohol - I assume we need to stay within the calorie limit even though it doesn’t contain nutrients?

Thanks!

[atomic sagebrush]

Potatoes are free for fat and protein. Count only cals in potato.

Yes, technically you should count alcohol in your cals for the day, but if you NEED the alcohol to keep weight on don't sweat it too much if you find you're going over by the amount of the alcohol

[Twobeautifulboys]

Hi! I’ve only posted on here a few times but was planning to sway for a girl at some point in the future (was trying to get my Husband onboard).

I found out last month that I’m pregnant! We were in complete shock as it wasn’t planned. We are happy but I’m kicking myself that I didn’t get a chance to properly sway and feel like I’ve messed up my last chance at having a daughter. We will love this little surprise baby so much regardless of their sex, but I’m desperate for a girl.

I’m 36, my husband has just turned 35. It was a complete opps, we used the pull out method, which we have used for years without getting pregnant, but this time hubby didn’t pull out quick enough - oops. We hadn’t bd in about 3 weeks or more. I’m still breastfeeding my 2.5 year old (it was between 4-5 times a day at the time). My cycle has been a bit irregular and I’d had breakthrough bleeding a couple of times. I’ve still been ovulating but sometimes a week or so late. About a week before I ovulated I had some breakthrough bleeding and what I thought were ovulation cramps. Ovulation must have come around two weeks later than normal. I was also trying new asthma meds which could have messed up my cycle. On the night of conception I was a bit unwell with a sore throat, which turned into a cold and cough.

Sadly I didn’t get a chance to do the LE diet properly but I had made some changes and my diet is different to when I had my two boys. I am completely dairy free and don’t eat meat, but I do eat fish and seafood (changed about 2.5 years ago for a number of reasons). I drink 2 to 3 coffees in the morning but espresso with lots of hazelnut/rice milk, so like a latte, no sugar. I was having a coconut yogurt smoothie made with a banana and berries mid morning between 9.30am - 10.30am (normally get up around 7 or 8). Sometimes I’d have a crumpet or piece of toast with it. At the weekend I normally had eggs. My lunches and dinners were a mixture of fish / seafood and vegan meals which included soya based foods about three times a week. I was eating salmon about once a week :/. I was eating pretty well and not dieting. I often ate candy sweets in the evening! I normally ate some of my boys left over dinner with them in the evening so sometimes ate about 4 times a day but didn’t normally snack too much outside of that (I sometimes did). I had a couple of unhealthy days with takeaways and cake due to birthdays! I drank alcohol as and when I felt like it, mostly at the weekend.

I tried to do the LE diet for a few weeks in January and I was normally on or under 60g protein but often over on fat and calories, so I made a few changes such as changing to low fat Flora margarine and half fat coconut milk for our curries but this would have only been for around 8 weeks and I was probably still over on fat and calories on quite a few days. I have no way of knowing though as I didn’t record it!

With my boys I was eating a lot of red meat and full fat dairy everyday and lots of dairy milk chocolate each evening, so I likely had a higher protein intake, not sure about fat but probably higher due to the animal fats. I was also breastfeeding when I fell pregnant with DS2 but a bit less so.

I was planning to start exercising more regularly but hadn’t started so I was doing very little exercise, in fact probably less than normal as we were in ‘lockdown’ in the UK for the 3 months before (not in the two weeks leading up to conception though) and I was homeschooling my eldest so only doing light walks here and there.

My BMI was between 18-19 and I put on a little bit of weight, maybe 5 pounds, around Christmas / New Year, then rebalanced a bit and lost maybe 2 pounds, so sort of holding steady after gaining a bit. My weight fluctuates a bit with my cycle so I’m not too sure.

I wasn’t taking any supplements, very occasionally took vitamin D (worried about Covid) but always forgot! My mid morning yogurt contains added calcium, vitamin D, vitamin B12 and active probiotic cultures :/ though I don’t think too much (I would have changed this). The hazelnut/rice milk didn’t contain any added vitamins but was quite high in fat (I would have changed to a lower fat alternative).

At the time of conception I was involved in a campaign for asthmatics to get the COVID vaccine. The whole thing was making me feel stressed, down but also angry and kind of hopeless and forgotten about at times, but the campaigning was also giving me a sense of achievement. I expect this also sways boy. I wasn’t even thinking about swaying or Gender Dreaming at the time! I have the ‘boy mom’ personality - an obsessive nature, OCD diagnosed and definitely like everything to be clean and in order!

My husband also doesn’t eat dairy or meat anymore (just fish and seafood) and has been eating a lot of soya foods for the last 6 month - year. He’s also taken up drinking peppermint tea every now and then. He’s reduced his calorie intake and lost a small amount of weight and gained muscle (he’s into weight training). He has also been doing cycling and spinning classes more recently.

The fact we got pregnant under these circumstances makes me think we must still be super fertile which points towards another boy. I have everything crossed that the fact it was unplanned may sway girl?! I’m not sure if that even sways though? This is very likely my last chance at having a girl. I’m feeling so nervous about finding out the sex and don’t even know whether to before the birth, but if I see the nub at the 12 week scan it might give it away anyway! Thanks for reading if you got this far! Just wondered if anyone else has been in this situation.

[Twobeautifulboys]

I’m trying to put this in a separate post on a new thread but I can’t see how to do this?

[Twobeautifulboys]

Have re-posted this under the BFP! thread x

[atomic sagebrush]

I'll reply in your other thread!