Update: It's a boy.
If I could go back and change anything, it would be to tell my dh about swaying. I was scared to because I thought he would be against it, and that would turn him off of ttc altogether. But now that we found out we are having boy #4, he has been talking about wondering if we could have done anything differently. I think I underestimated him - he would have cooperated more, and I would have had a much stronger sway. He knew I was watching what I ate, but didn't know why or to what extreme, so I tended to eat more, or to eat things that I shouldn't, when he was around so he wouldn't get suspicious. We also have always dtd almost every day each time we conceived. We could have tried abstaining.
Also, I would have not been so impatient to get pregnant. I had just finished bfing in August, and then came off bcp in mid September. I had not had a period since February 2010 before I conceived ds3, so I had no idea what was going on there. I kept thinking I might have ovulated, so I'd go off the vitex and peppermint tea, so when I actually did ovulate, I wasn't taking anything, and my diet was not the best. I thought I had more time.
TTC a Girl Sway Attempt
Gender Result: Unknown
DW Age: 32
DH Age: 34
Current Children's Gender(s) 3 boys
Number of Months TTC 1
Did you purchase and follow a GD Personalized Plan? No
DIET
Did you follow a diet plan? Yes
If yes to diet, which one did you most follow?
Comments regarding DW's diet changes- I changed my eating habits drastically. I am usually a grazer - I eat small amounts all day long. I also used to eat cereal twice at day - at breakfast and before bed. I actually cut down the cereal from 14 bowls a week to about 1 a week in September 2010 when we started talking about ttc, and then cut it out all together when I started the diet. I didn't go vegetarian because I was a vegetarian for over a decade when I conceived my first two sons, so I don't think that was a huge factor for me. I did cut down a lot on how much meat I ate, and tried to stay within my protein and fat limits. I ate under 1500 cals a day, and tried to keep protein around 60 g or below and fat below about 40 g. I did not snack, and I either skipped breakfast or ate something really small around 10:00 am. I did drink coffee with creamer and splenda when I first woke up. I introduced a lot of artificial sweeteners to my diet. I never used them when not swaying.
If diet was used, length of time before attempt? about 7 weeks
Did you skip breakfast regularly? Yes
Did DH change his diet with you? No
Comments regarding DH's diet- DH ate a lot of Yoplait Light yogurts, but that was it.
DId you consume alcohol?
DId you try to limit caffeine? No, I drink caffeine regularly
Any Diet Details? *No snacking
*Lots of artificial sweeteners
*No breakfast or late breakfast
*Little meat
Any Diet Comments/Additional Info? One thing I am upset about is I was going over on fat around the time I ovulated because I didn't know I was ovulating and thought I had more time before my attempt
WEIGHT AND EXERCISE
What did you weigh/BMI do leading up to O? I went from about 150 pounds in July (BMI - 23.5) to 135 (BMI - 21.1) at time of ovulation. I lost 3 more pounds before I got my BFP, so my end weight was 132.
Any Weight/Exercise related additional info/comments? Only exercise was keeping up with the boys, and I did walk for about 30 minutes twice a week.
THINGS in VG and CONCEPTION DATE(CD) INFO
pH Before Starting a Sway Program, if known 4 or 5
Any VG potions used? -
CM pH at attempt don't know
DH pH don't know
How many BD attempts did you make for the BFP cycle? Not sure - we usually dtd every day
BD Dates according to Ovulation
Any additional comments? I didn't know I was ovulating. But we generally dtd every day.
THE DEED INFO
DH Info about Swimmers
BD Position Missionary
Did you Jump and Dump?
Any relevant attempt details? I usually jump and dump, but I can't be sure if did the time we conceived.
SUPPLEMENTS USED
DW Supplements
DH Supplements -
Any additional supplement info? I used a generic fiber supplement and peppermint tea. Unfortunately, I stopped Vitex and peppermint tea about 2 weeks before I ovulated because I thought I had possibly ovulated on October 3.
Did you do anything with Ions? I did ion-related stuff mostly out of superstition. I wore a hematite bracelet, but then I lost it and switched to a Ki-Flow bracelet I had from years ago. I also switched out bath and cleaning products for lavender scented ones.
Moon Phase during conception? New Moon
Did you use any Old Wives Tales? I have had a wooden spoon and a pink outfit under my bed for about 4 years, lol.
Things that make me feel great about my sway: Not snacking and skipping breakfast/eating a late breakfast are huge changes to my diet.
Things that make me nervous about my sway: The amount of fat I was eating around O time worries me.
Things worth mentioning: I weaned my 21 month-old son in mid-August, and stopped taking the mini pill on September 15, so I did not have a real PPAF. I had three days of moderate spotting on Sept. 3 - 6, and then 3 days of very, very light spotting (like one spot a day) Oct. 3 - 6. If I could change one thing, I would have waited until I had a real PPAF and had a better idea of where I was in my cycle before actually trying to conceive. I kept thinking I may have ovulated because I had symptoms and dark opks, but I never got a positive opk. I wish I knew I was ovulating when I did so I could have been better with my diet.
