last shot at ttc a dd: tips on tweaking my sway?

[balt0038]

Thanks again! I am making a point to get more fat after checking my weight again (don't own a scale so I don't check very often) and finding I lost two more pounds. It's not easy to eat fat while staying on the LE diet! I also bought Zyrtec and will take that instead, maybe Sudafed only one time if I see a lot of EWCM and get freaked out, lol. I'll also make sure to try and do the Rephresh a full day before.
I just found the perfect girl name and now I'm even more excited at the idea of this attempt working out in my favor. I would be disappointed if I had a fourth DS since this without question our last LO, but would not be devastated like I was about DS 3 initially. If we knew LO #4 would be a boy beforehand we would not ttc though-it's all about the chance for a dd. But I know it would be much worse to not try and spend the rest of my life wondering than to try and end up with DS #4. Please cross your fingers for pink dust for my last chance!!

[Elico]

diet coke! i loved the stuff and have 2 DD. im talking 3x cans per day. fake sugar in coffee and tea , yoghurts ect . Anything with 99.9 % fat free I lived on. and dtd every day. i had a high sugar , low protein and low carb diet and was reasonably physically active. I still think i may have conceived really close to O day with both girls so i dont think timing is that bigger deal. good luck! I know how you feel except i have girls and REALLY want this bub to be a boy! I think diet is the key to success!

[atomic sagebrush]

1 T butter - 11 g fat
1 T mayo - 11 g fat
1 T veg oil - 14 g fat
2 T salad dressing - 12-15 g fat depending on variety

1 T is a MINISCULE amount and 2T salad dressing is hardly anything - it's actually easy to get, you just have to move past thinking of fat as this enemy that can't be eaten. Saute some veg in butter or oil, have a salad with a little dressing, a veg sandwich with some mayo and even cheese - you can do this!

Sending you all the pink dust I have (it's not a lot, but it's very sweet pink dust since it brought me my daughter!)

[balt0038]

Well I'll take all the pink dust I can get, thank you! Just O'd this morning, a bit later than my CBE monitor said so it ended up being a 2 day c/o instead of 1 or 1.5 day as I'd planned. We used just enough Sylk to lube and I didn't do any pH testing, douches or jellies afterwards...that wasn't easy for me but I just kept remembering what you wrote about pH below 6. I did Zyrtec once per day and also one dose of Sudafed when I had a larger amount of CM (wasn't EWCM, but more watery). I'm now just hoping it was enough to get pg but feeling worried about my short LP. Would you recommend Vitex or progesterone cream for my 2ww? Thanks!

[porcelina]

Hi, just following your story here -- wow, the pressure is on! Maybe DH will be more open to trying again if things don't happen. You said you would NOT TTC if it were to be a boy, so to me, that means you want to do all the swaying you can, even if it takes longer. Maybe you can start up again later on, if it doesn't work out this time. It isn't all that bad traveling with a newborn, right??

From what I have read, Vitex is rarely used from O to AF, and definitely not while TTC, as it can possibly be harmful to pregnancy. Have you had losses in the past (I think you said one but have not gone back to check)? The progesterone cream might be good if you have, but if not, there is no reason to believe you have low progesterone. I say call it gold and keep your fingers crossed for a successful cycle! We just ended up with a 2 day cutoff and an O+12 attempt this month because my OPK instructions were wrong. So, here's to hoping those swimmers survive with Rephresh!

[BabyGirl4Me]

First off kudos to you for trying a sway under such tight circumstances. You know, the vast majority of couples out there (even when doing things to maximize their chances of just getting pg will not get pg during any given month of trying. It takes a lot of couples several months just to conceive, and of course there's an element of luck to it. DH and I have had one hit wonders both times but most of my girlfriends actively tried for months and months and months before they got their BFPs.

What happens if you don't conceive this month? Will DH just not agree to trying anymore? How does he really feel about a 4th child?

If you're serious about having a 4th child and really want to maximize your chances for pink (and take this for what it is, free, unsolicited advice from a chick on the internet) if I were you, I'd take the time to do a heavier sway with LE diet for several weeks, 1 attempt at getting pg at +OPK and 60+ minutes of cardio style exercise at least 6 days a week. If DH will agree to taking Licorice Root and his physical health is good/he's young/his body can handle it, I'd use that too. This seems to be one of the most straightforward ways of swaying that seems to be yielding a high number of successful sways.

I really *DO* think that we're on to something here at Gender Dreaming with the LE + intense exercise combo with the high number of successes following that program. I think as time goes on, the success rate of sways with those tactics is only going to keep climbing. I'd love to see you as another success story here.

Based on your initial post, when you said you can't imagine life without a DD, it sounds like that's a life goal that is very important to you and a stronger sway attempt may be what you need because you feel that way. If the next several months are going to be super busy, maybe you'll want to put off TTC for another year or so? In the northern hemisphere, statistically, April produces the highest ratio of girl to boy pregnancies. Maybe you'll want to TTC around March-May of 2015 year to help you and take the pressure off during the busy months coming up for you? Can you allow yourself to wait that long to TTC?

Anyway, that's just my 2 cents. Feel free to not follow any of that advice, and regardless of whatever you decide to do best of luck in your journey to ttc, and if there's any pink dust left in me after my sway, please take it and enjoy.

[balt0038]

Thank you for responding and helping me sort through all this. Only my BFF knows we're even TTC, let along swaying, so this outlet for talking it over is so helpful.
My DH is a wonderful man and, though he would preferably stick with 3, he is willing to give #4 a try while being supportive and open to the idea of LO #4 even if it's not what he would have chosen if it was his decision alone. He's a team player kind of guy, would love to have a dd himself and would love even more to see the dream come true for me. At the same time, he's very practical and realistic about the added time/energy/financial commitment of another LO, which honestly gives both of us doubts. Life is certainly easier and less demanding when the kids get a little older and more independent, but easier isn't always better. I was the one who originally brokered the three months of ttc deal since we are on the same page about when a newborn could best fit into our family's life.

However, now I'm considering heading to my doctor to check on my progesterone level. I have yet to have a temp spike even though I'm all but certain (based on CBE monitor, CM and cramping) that I O'ed Monday morning. I've also been having 10 day lp's or 11 days max, one time.

After talking over all this with him tonight, DH seemed open to the possibility of trying one or two more months especially if we do find that progesterone (or some other issue) has hindered our chances.

If it doesn't happen this year I don't foresee either of us really on board with such a large age gap, though I definitely see your logic in this suggestion, Babygirl4me. We became pregnant with DS 1 quite unexpectedly and at way younger ages than we would have ever chosen, so we were doing the parenting thing when everyone around us had their time to be young and free. I know we'd both like to try and recoup some of that time to travel/explore our own interests and hobbies once our ds's grow up and we're still relatively young, so I don't think we'd want to be starting over much later than now (at ages 29 and 30, ds's are currently 9,6 and 3). I did mention once the possibility of ttc again in the spring of 2014 for an early 2015 baby but I'd only give that a 5 percent chance of happening based on our shared vision for our future.

I did add intense exercise into my routine through O for this cycle based on what I read here, though it's also a source of worry because there were a few days where it just didn't work to fit it in. But it was definitely a big change for my body to be ramping cardio up so much, even if I didn't hit the ideal recommendation for swaying. I'll also look into licorice root for dh.

Good luck to both of you on your sways, and thanks again for the helpful feedback.

[porcelina]

Glad to hear the intense pressure is off and that you guys will take it more slowly. Also good to hear you are both on the same page for the most part about TTC and your future life plans. Wow, I didn't even get started trying to have a family until I was 29. But I definitely enjoyed those carefree 20s!

Progesterone is definitely an issue for me, but for miscarriage, not pregnancy. It is always good to get the opinion of a professional, though. I hope you get some answers.

I have not embarked upon the licorice root for DH. I don't know his actual testosterone levels, but I truly think they are low, based on a lot of things (sex drive, not so competitive, very sensitive and cries at the drop of a hat). I am a little reluctant to add that into our sway, but maybe will give a shot next cycle just in case.

[atomic sagebrush]

No, I don't recommend anything during the 2WW with the exception of progesterone supplementation prescribed by a doctor.

[atomic sagebrush]

would love an update on how you are - I can't always check back as often as I would like but that doesn't ever mean I'm not interested in how you ladies are doing!