Peony's Girl Sway Update but Shhh, it's a secret!

[PeonyPrincess]

Update: It's a Girl!!

I had my 20 week scan today at exactly 20 weeks. I was unable to get any nub shots at my 12 week scan as the tech said she wasn't allowed. DH and I had decided not to find out the gender seeing as we had made it this far and he didn't want to keep it a secret from the kids, but I asked the OB doing the scan to write it down in case we changed our mind between now and the birth. I knew all along that if it was just me at the scan I wouldn't have been able to resist finding out. Anyway, he wrote it on a copy of the report and stapled the sides up. I took the big envelope with the pictures, DVD and letter with me to go and pick up the boys and DH went back to work. I stopped at the shops and couldn't resist holding the stapled paper up to the light (I am hopeless with surprises!) and I saw the words "Baby a GIRL" written on it. I am still in shock but delighted of course. Now I have to keep it a secret from DH and literally everyone I know, except on this site! With DS2 the OB slipped up that it was a boy and I never told DH that I knew (he still doesn't know!) so I know I can keep a secret. I am scared to update my profile saying it's a girl in case DH wanders past when I am on the computer and sees it. This baby girl is a dream come true and her big brothers who have told me time and again they want it to be a sister are going to be besotted.

My Sway:

I will try and get things down now before I start to forget. Some of the things I ended up doing weren't necessarily on the girl sway recommended list, but I think it is important to point out that I tried virtually everything in 2011 and only got BFNs. I took a few months off at the end of 2011 when I started a new job and decided that in 2012 my main focus would be on being healthy. If I got a baby girl at the end of it then it would be a bonus, but a healthy mum and bub were highest on my priority list. I have been tracking my cycles since March 2011, so you would think I would know exactly what my body was doing, but it did plenty to confuse me along the way.

Username: PeonyPrincess
Age: 34 (35 in April)
DH's Age: 37 (38 in Oct)
Children: 2 boys aged 6 & 4
No. of months TTC: BFP after the second month of TTC in 2012.

Diet: I followed the a-gender girl diet since the 1st of January 2012. I was on it for exactly 8 weeks until I O in the BFP month. I chose to do this diet as it allowed me more options than some. And I liked that it was essentially the opposite of my diet when I conceived my boys. I always chose the vegetarian meal options so did not have any meat for 8 weeks. It included drinking pure cranberry juice daily, and milk, which are both unusual for me. My normal diet has always been heaps of meat, plenty of chocolate, alcohol, full fat foods, generally yummy wholesome foods! So this was a big change. I lost 3.5kg and everyone commented I was looking very lean. I am not normally big but just naturally slim and athletic.
I did not drink any tea or coffee. My DH gave me a weak coffee in the 2WW and I had heart palpitations for hours afterwards! I drank sparkling mineral water with a low pH. (Perrier, but not gallons of it).
I was completely slack in the 2WW as I did not think I had a chance of a BFP and we were soon to go on holidays, so I told myself I deserved a break.

DH was not on any diet. He weighs at least 5kg more than when we had the boys. His work is highly stressful and he gets very little free time to exercise. He normally drinks a fair amount of beer and wine but did not drink any alcohol in February as he was part of a work fundraising group. It nearly killed him, but may have helped his swimmers!

Exercise: I used to do a weights class at the gym so stopped it late last year. Did occasional cardio exercise (like maybe 2 times a week) and tried to get to my relaxation class each week (pilates/yoga/taichi) which I adore.
DH did barely any. Fishing was probably the most he got!

Potions & Pills: Vitex- I was taking 1000mg a day non-stop since October 2011 and then AF-O since January 2012. It really messed up my clockwork cycles!

Vitamin B6: 250mg spread out over the day (so you don't just pee it all out in the morning). Only been on it since Jan 2012.

Antenatal multivitamin: Included 500mcg of folic acid and numerous other things.

Fish oil capsules: 2 a day

Zinc: 1 at night

DH was not on any supplements. He occasionally took a men's multivitamin, but often forgets.

CM pH: Mine was always around 4.4 when I checked it in 2011. I had stopped checking it.
DH was around an 8 from memory but I had not checked it for months.

Timing: DH was releasing every other day to ensure he had plenty of healthy swimmers. In Feb, I thought I had missed my +OPK as they had been -ve, and then late on CD14 I started getting O pains. I had minimal EWCM all cycle, so it was confusing all around. I was also extremely emotional which is unusual for me.

So, we BD on CD14 (PM) missionary, no big O, no J&D, I fell asleep afterwards.
And we BD again on CD15 (AM) missionary, no big O, no J&D, I waited 20 mins and then got up.

CD15 was DS1s birthday, so things got really busy as I prepared for his party 2 days later. I gave up on the OPKs but kept doing temps. My temps stayed low and the O pains, which were quite severe, ended up lasting for 4 days (I usually get mild discomfort for a couple of hours, so this was very strange).
I ended up thinking I must be going to have a month where I wouldn't O at all as my temps were still down. DH had gone away on a fishing trip after the party so BD again was not an option. And then suddenly on CD19, I had a big temp spike to show that I had indeed O on CD18 (my latest ever O date). Maybe with all the running around for DS1 my body had got ready to O but then waited until I relaxed. So we ended up with a 3 and 4 day cut off. In January we had BD 1 day before and on O day and I did not get pg, so I assumed I had no chance in Feb.

Things in your VJ: Nothing. No rephresh, sylk, and barely any EWCM all cycle. We used sylk in Jan but as we got a BFN I decided to use nothing this time.

Ions & Moon: I O 5 days after a new moon. It was a boy moon sign (Aries). I also O in a boy moon sign when I conceived both my boys. I was hoping to O in a girl moon sign so it would be the opposite of what I did with my boys, but there is only so much you can control! Since I started tracking my cycle in March 2011, I only O in a girl moon every 3-4 months. And although I O in a girl moon in Jan and BD right around O, I got a BFN. As you can see, I find the moon interesting! Just an addition: all of my scans have showed me dating slightly different and they think I actually O'd on CD15, which was a girl moon and right around when we were BDing. So no idea which it was in the end, but thought I should mention it.
I wore a hamatite ring because I love it and tell myself it is calming. I have 2 salt lamps in my house that are on all the time. They are a perfect nightlight for when the kids get up during the night. I bought that stuff when I was on IG as you tend to want to do everything at first!
At this time of year we have thunderstorms almost every day as I live in the tropics. Fans are on all year around. It is always bloody hot where I live as we are not that far from the equator.

Anything else?: Soon after O I discovered that my boys had intestinal worms (ewww, but it is common living in the tropics). The antiparasitic medication said to treat the whole family and I took some as well, thinking there was no way I could be pg after such a crazy cycle. At 10DPO I decided to POAS. I normally do it earlier but thought I had no chance. I often get spotting in the 2WW and hadn't had any so decided to do a test, and was stunned to see 2 dark lines. So it is not ideal to have taken a tablet containing mebendazole in the 1st trimester, but as it was so early, I am hopeful things will turn out ok.

Anyone that has read all of this deserves a medal. Sorry, I know I tend to crap on. But I really wanted to tell you everything so eventually we can look at it as things to do, or not to do!!
All the best to everyone still waiting for their BFP. Especially you TTC pink girls, you all have a very special place in my heart.

Peony x

[_Lala_]

Yay Peony!!!Just wanted to say a HUGE congratulations again!! I sure hope this is your precious little girl growing! Big love x

[mydream]

Big Congrats!!! Great news!

[auroara78]

LOL, Peony, I love you Still hoping for a girl, but I really think you wanting to be healthy for the baby was so awesome and sweet A little girl would be so lucky to call you her Momma!

[HopeandDreamG]

Yay Peony!!! You did awesome, I never lost hope for you this past cycle ...hoping you got a little pink bundle in there!!

[prayforprincess]

I think it totally looks like girl!!
The long cycle, the timing (not that it truly sways but the myth is in your favor), the diet -- you did sooo Well!
Congrats on your bfp! Hopefully we hear GIRL soon

[PeonyPrincess]

Aww, thanks guys you are all very sweet. I am enjoying being pg but not yet feeling pg, IYKWIM. It is like having a special secret, but one I am so glad I can share with you.

[zanacal]

Congratulations!

[starflower]

Yayy Peony, CONGRATULATIONS! Wow... your sway looks fantastic, very impressed by your efforts! Don't worry about the moon sign thing... yes, I know you were hoping for a girl sign but as you say, there is only so much you can control! Besides... I think I conceived DS in a New Moon and a female sign, so there you go!

Just wanted to ask your opinion on the Vitex and if you think it helped you to get a BFP? I also have very regular cycles and have been scared that Vitex will stuff them up. Having said that I feel that my diet is weakening due to the length of time it is taking to get a BFP, maybe the Vitex would strengthen my sway? hmmm

All the very best for a happy, healthy pregnancy!

[PeonyPrincess]

Thanks starflower. I initially didn't include vitex because my cycles were so regular too and I didn't want to muck them up. But the naturopath said it would be a good idea to balance my hormones as I was getting spotting at around 9DPO each cycle. I knew it was recommended for a girl sway as well, so that was ll the convincing I needed. I have no idea if it was related or not, but just after I started taking vit B6 as well as vitex my O seemed to be much stronger (ie O pains and length) and that was when I got the BFP. It could have been a coincidence of course.
FX for you super soon!