Dramabird's girl sway (it's a girl!)
Updated 9/21: It's a girl! I am so grateful for this answered prayer.
Username: Dramabird
Age: 33
DH's Age: 34
Children: 2 boys, ages 3 and 6
No. months TTC: 4
Due date: Feb. 7, 2013
Diet:
I switched to mostly vegetarian from Oct-Dec of 2011 and started the LE diet and went completely vegeterian at the end of December. I started at 107 lbs. (bmi of 19.3) and was down to 95.5 lbs. (bmi of 17.2) when I ovulated the cycle I got pg. That is definitely my lowest conception weight (I was probably around 101-103 with each of my sons) and my lowest adult weight since I was 18 or 19.
I ate only twice a day -- never before noon and never before 6 p.m. No snacking, no breakfast. The first two and a half cycles I was very good about tracking and logging all my food, so I knew exactly where I was on all my values. After all of that, though, I got pretty worn out with food journaling and just started going off of hunches. So I'm sure I went too high on calories some days, as well as fat, but my weight stayed low, so I don't think that was too harmful. I'm certain there were days that sodium was too high, but I'm also sure I never went over 40g of protein.
My earlier cycles I ate a lot more "entrees" (pastas, veggie burgers, egg whites with mayo on toast), but since I was no longer food journaling, I didn't want to risk such high protein/high sodium choices. So by the cycle I conceived, I was mostly eating veggies and fruits (broccoli, both steamed and raw, white sweet potatoes, mushrooms by the bucketful, tons of zucchini, apples and applesauce) and sweets (ice cream and frozen yogurt, fat-free cookies, vanilla meringues, Skittles). I had also enjoyed more alcohol in earlier cycles (wine and vodka) but had very little this cycle (thinking it might be preventing pg).
Exercise:
None.
Potions and pills for me:
- Vitex: I took Vitex every single day from mid-November through mid-February, then switched to AF-O for my first three cycles. I became concerned that my body was interpreting it as birth control (my periods had become super light), so I dropped it right before the cycle where I became pg.
- Low-dose aspirin: five times a week
- Folic acid: at least 800mg a day
- Saw Palmetto: twice a day, AF-O
- Fiber most days, plus Chitosan if I knew I was going to have a fattier meal
- Acidophilus: Yes, to prevent yeast infections
- Antihistimines: NONE. After three cycles of BFNs, I had already decided to drop both Zyrtec and Benadryl for the fourth month. However, I wouldn't have needed it, anyway, as this cycle I had almost no fertile-looking CM to speak of -- I recorded one small bit of EWCM on CD10 and nothing else stretchy after that.
- Cal/Mag: NONE.
Potions and pills for DH:
He was taking LR three times a day AF-O. This cycle, since I was concentrating so hard on our attempts and frequency, I forgot to give him his pills for several days prior to O. So he was taking it this cycle, but not for at least a few days prior to the egg arriving on the scene. He would also drink Crystal Light when I gave it to him (usually with the LR, so again, he didn't have this for a few days leading up to O).
Timing/frequency:
DH started FR around CD3 or 4. He released once on odd-numbered days and twice on even-numbered days, for an overall average of three releases every 48 hours. We then DTD on CD10, CD11, CD12, CD13, CD14, CD15 and CD16 (I ovulated on CD16, confirmed by temping, OPKs and my Clearblue Easy fertility monitor). We did NOT use Sylk this cycle (another thing I dropped, concerned it was contributing to BFNs). However, the pressure of the situation was getting to DH and making performing somewhat difficult. So quite a few of these attempts, especially the ones leading up to ovulation, I got him started orally, so my own saliva served as our lubricant. And then at least half of our attempts (esp. the ones closer to ovulation) was with me on top. No orgasms for me during any of the attempts.
Things in the VG:
One applicator of RepHresh on CD11 and a half applicator on CD14 (I first squeezed some gel out of the tube and discarded, then inserted the applicator and used whatever was left).
PH:
I tested a few times during our first couple of cycles, but PH strips don't seem to change color with my CM ... for DH, they seemed to be the color of 8.5 or 9ish. I just drank a whole bunch of caffeine-free Diet Coke and some Crystal Light (along with some diet root beer and diet caffeine-free Dr. Pepper, since I wanted some variety). And I was also on the baby aspirin five times a week, so I think I did everything I could for PH-lowering. But I don't know what my real values were for this conception.
Faith:
God and I have talked a lot about this. :) He not only knows the desire of my heart, but I figure He put that desire in my heart in the first place, either because I'm meant to have a daughter or because we are so destined to have a specific third son that this was the necessary driving force to get me to have a third baby. :) So I have prayed that he bless us with a healthy daughter, a little sister for our sons; but if his plan is something else, I have prayed that He will fill me with joy and free me from any feelings of loss or mourning. Jeremiah 29:11!!!
Anything else:
- DH wore tighty-whiteys the earlier portion of the cycle, but I let him switch over to boxers about a week prior to O because I was getting tired of BFNs.
- No jump and dump. I stayed propped for at least five minutes after, if not more.
- I painted my nails once several days before ovulation. Silly but fun!
Let me know if there are any sway categories I've left out and I'll be happy to include. Your prayers for a healthy baby (hopefully of the pink variety! :)) would be much appreciated!!
