Posted By: WandaP (edd 11-Jan-00)

Monday, 3 May 1999, at 3:26 a.m.

Clear Blue Easy was definitely a +++++++++. The directions say to wait one minute before reading result. By the time I had the cap back on and was setting it on the shelf, there was a second line. No question.

I've been really messed up in my days, I guess from all the excitement. Today is day 31 of my 28 day cycle and I am 14DPO today. According to the due date calculator, I am also 4 weeks pregnant today, which coincides with my O date.

As I said yesterday, sore boobs were my only symptom this far. But I am feeling very tired, whether due to pg or just working hard, I don't know. Taking today off anyway to have a day to recuperate.

And just so you know, one time is all it takes!!! We BD on day 16 later in the evening because that was my second day of EWCM. No CM on Monday, and I was too late at work to get another round of BD in. O'd on day 17 or 18, not sure. That was it. And here we are.

Have a great day girls.....gotta send my love and thanks to heatherb, GailG, Heather, Sonya, Momma, Elizabeth, Trudy, Di, Tara, chloe, em, and everyone who has been so supportive and helpful during the last few months. You are all wonderful women and I am so lucky to have discovered this place.

I will still be lurking in the shadows and spreading dust wherever I can!!!!!!!!!!!!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~

Love
WandaP and baby-to-be

Well I was going to wait to post but I just couldn't--I'm +++++++(m)

Posted By: MicheleB

Friday, 14 May 1999, at 3:34 a.m.

I haven't been on the board much this cycle- because last cycle I really became overly obsessed-- AF was about 2 weeks late, I had every symptom imaginable and practically a breakdown when AF arrived. On top of all that DH was very unresponsive and basically told me he did't want to follow calenders or charts, temps or anything clinical. So I pretty much thought that this cycle was a bust--BUT NO!!!! yesterday at 1 day late I tested w/ conceive HPT at first there where no results so took my shower ( and even began thinking about next cycle getting back into the swing of things) about an hour later looked at the stick and there was 2 lines I couldn't believe it--I ran to the store and picked up an EPT and that was positive too. I think I was in shock I cried so hard. I have a appt at 9:15 am w/ my DR. so she can confirm. DH is happy but he says he wants to hear it from the DR.

This is what I did this month I took vitex, EPO, Rasberry leaf & robituusin up to O & I drank green tea every day. I quess its true when you least expect it.

I'll post the results from the DR. when I get back. Thanks for all of the love and support - I don't think I could have made it thru all this w/out you guys!!!

LOL- Michele B

The Details (Warning: This is sooo long) ...
Posted By: alison sf
Thursday, 20 May 1999, at 5:46 a.m.

After 4 other faint + hpt's since 10dpo, I got a solid + on the Store brand hpt this morning at 13dpo, so I feel better about posting details now. I still don't want to ever leave you guys -- really. I have had so much fun on this board, even through the pain of ttc disappointments, that I can't imagine not coming here every day and sharing all my "stuff" with you. So I still will from time to time. You can't get rid of me!! Besides, I have too much vested in you people and I will go insane without you.

I'm 35-1/2, DH is 47. TTC #1 for me, #3 for him. He's got a DD age 17 and a DS age 14. I went off bcp in Jan. '98 and was shocked that I didn't get pg the first month. Then the second month. Then DH got really sick (cluster headaches) and was out of the game on heavy meds until October 1998 when we started ttc'ing in earnest -- like really trying to time ovulation, but I had not yet discovered TCOYF. We have now been charting for 6 cycles. We had a sperm analysis done in early April that came back with disappointing results -- count was 12 million per ml (2.5 ml total in sample), 28% motility and morphology was bad too. Once I talked DH out of shooting himself, we e-mailed Kiki and Elizabeth -- our saviors -- who gave us encouragement and told me to get a ton of vitamins and supplements for DH. You can read what he takes on my database #503 but it's basically the same as Kiki's. Also, DH likes to "smoke" now and then, and as of last month's SA results that activity has been verboten. The lucky dog had an appointment with a urologist on 6/16, which he now gets to cancel (altho I still think he should go in case we have to go thru this again soon, god forbid).

As for me, my diet still sucks (but I'm changing -- I had a glass of milk this morning with breakfast!). It was the next thing I was going to get to on my ttc list of "things to try." Luckily, now I get to clean up my diet for a baby. I have been taking folic acid forever and all sorts of other vitamins. I usually drink a cup of green tea (Tazo zen tea) at work around 10 a.m. and DH and I may have a cup at night before bedtime. After DH's SA results, we decided to put me on the fast track for fertility treatments, because at my age who knows how long I should "let things take their course" before getting the doctors involved. I had an HSG on May 3 and got an all clear. I O'd on May 7. Obviously, for me, the HSG did the trick. Plus I took my friend who got pg last year after her HSG with me to my appointment for good karma. Our next step was going to be IUI and I still have a 6/1 appointment with my doctor when I was hoping to discuss that. Also, I don't know if this helped at all, but I do 100 kegels a day (helps keep the swimmers in there????? I don't know.)

Things we did different: We finally hit the morning of O and we got it with great quality sperm. With DH's low sperm count, we didn't realize it, but in prior months the poor guy was completely depleted by the time O came around. This time, DH was on a business trip to NYC the week before O. I was concerned about "old" sperm, so DH got to make "an X" (as opposed to a "check" when we do it together) all by himself in NY if you know what I mean to ensure we'd have grade A sperm when he got home. Because of my HSG, my system was a bit screwed up and, where I normally have only two days of EW, this time I had three. The day before O and the second day of EW (which I thought would be O day), we played hooky from work at lunch time and came home for a romantic interlude. It was fun. We had a picnic in the kitchen, and I put on a black slinky thing. The next morning we dtd again for safe measure because my temps were still down. I O'd that afternoon on cd 14 and we had finally timed it right. I also had the "big O" within a few seconds of the swimmers going in -- I've heard it may actually enable more of them to get into your uterus. As I usually do, I propped my butt up and DH literally put the timer on me for 20 minutes. Can you believe that?!!

Things I've noticed different since O: One thing I noticed on 3dpo was that my temp shot up to 98.1 where it stayed for four days. I usually have four days right after O of 97.7 thru 97.9 before I go to the next level of 98.1-3. I had to leave for business in Chicago on 9dpo (Sun.) and my temp that morning was the highest I've ever had (with the exception of the cycle where DH and I had the mother of all fights) -- 98.5 -- but I chalked it up to being out late the night before. Then on 11 dpo my temp spiked to 98.6. Now the temps seem to be reaching an even higher "base" level of 98.4 and I imagine will spike even higher, and I wake up feeling hot. I've had no breast tenderness, altho I have noticed a "fat" feeling in my upper stomach area just below my breasts. That, of course, could truly be fat. I've been on the road a lot lately for work and as I said, my diet sucks. Today, 13dpo, my bra does feel kinda tight. Also, starting on 10dpo, I had really noticeable light-blue veins across my chest and my nipples have seemed slightly larger and rounder than usual. Some of the veins are on my breasts themselves, but most of these little spindly veins are on my upper chest below my collar bone. Also, starting about 7dpo I have been noticing these killer hunger pangs at about 10 a.m. -- regardless of whether I've eaten breakfast. I was buying snicker's bars at 10 a.m. all last week because I couldn't fathom going foodless until lunch time.

My CM has been the biggest telltale sign. Usually right after O I get pasty dry CM for a few days, then creamy CM then milky white wet CM for a few days before AF. This time, I had dry pasty CM for a couple of days, then really thick creamy dry CM. It wasn't creamy like lotion, it was creamy like Cream of Wheat. Dry. Then on 7dpo, I was checking CM before bed and noticed a strand of really yellow, gelatin like, wet CM that (gross part coming up) looked a lot like snot. I didn't show DH because I didn't want him not to want to touch me again. I haven't had that stuff since that one night. Since then, my CM has been creamy, thin wet stuff. CP has been hard and medium height, but not as hard as usual. From 12 dpo, it has been harder on the very tip and soft immediately behind the tip and in the flesh on the sides.

All of what I've written above is so easy to spot in retrospect. But it isn't really any different than any other month when I've waited and watched and spied on my body so it would give me the smallest clue of pregnancy. The thing that made me test on cd 10, which is earlier than I would have ever counseled anyone on this board to test, is that I had a really really really vivid dream on the night before I O'd that I was pregnant. In my dream, I looked down at my breasts and saw dark, almost bruise-like veins running across them and I felt happy that we were finally pg. I'm not a cosmic "dreams can be so real" type of person, but this one was really real. And in all of ttc'ing it is the first (ok maybe the second) pregnancy dream I've had. So feeling lost in Chicago, I went straight to the nearest Walgreens and bought a couple of tests and took them. Now looking back I realize I was feeling kind of achy all over in my guts starting last weekend at about 7 or 8dpo. Since testing +, and especially since 12dpo, I have an almost uncomfortable twangy feeling on the left side of my belly button and down a couple of inches. Of course, I'm thinking "ectopic" but DH says not to worry. I also noticed yesterday while getting into a cab, when I arched my back to sit up so I could unbunch and straighten my skirt, I felt a somewhat painful pull on my left side in that same area.

I won't repost my temps here, but you can check them in my database. I really hope this kid sticks with me. This baby would be born at a special time for us -- DH was born in February and his two kids were also born in February. DH says he only knows how to make February babies. It would be the first grandchild for my parents. I have three brothers, 2 of whom are married, and I'm the oldest. My mother is going to be in heaven when she hears what we've accomplished! While in Chicago, and while innocently browsing in Tiffany's (I really was just gawking), I got her a silver heart pendant with a little bow inside on a silver chain. We'll give it to her when we tell her the news once it's confirmed by a doctor. Thanks for reading my saga.