TTC in 2013 + question

[simpsongal]

DH and I are going to start trying in January. Should I be doing anything right now? My OBGYN said I should start taking vitamins, so I guess I'll buy some the next time I go grocery shopping.

TIA! Anyone else joining the "TTC club" in 2013?

[wawa]

Nope, not really. If you are the type who would be comforted by the knowledge, rather than stressed - you could start charting just to get a baseline idea of how your cycles work. (mostly - do you actually ovulate regularly)

But that is absolutely positively not necessary.

[jessicah628]

Try to get yourself in the habit of eating fairly healthy, and take your vitamins. Otherwise, GL and have fun trying!

[Deleted]

Yeah, I just took some vitamins.
Like wawa said, research and track your cycles if you want. It wasn't for me though until I got to almost a year. Way too much stress on my part.
If you have some really bad health habits you might want to start cutting those out gradually, but no need for extremes.

[ssmjlm]

I started pre-natals, weaned off my acne meds since they aren't PG or BF friendly and started charting (but I only have one ovary, so I wanted to know if there would be issues with ovulation).

I also got bloodwork done to see if I was a carrier for a genetic disease that my dad is a carrier of as it could have affected having children.

[thewop]

I'm in the 2013 TTC club for #2, but it won't be until much later in the year (fall). I started taking a generic Target brand prenatal, and didn't drink so much the first time around. LOL. Have fun!

[wawa]

re: vitamins - should you have issues with them the way I did (any multi I took gave me wicked heartburn. Day or night. With or without food. Prenatal or regular. pregnant or not. Heartburn all the time) - gummis are awesome.

They make them for grownups now and everything. MH thinks they taste kinda chalky, but I kinda like them, and they don't give me heartburn. (why they don't I have no idea. but they don't)

[simpsongal]

Good tip, wawa! Vitamins usually make me feel nauseous. SIL said the prenatal ones 'bound her up.' I'll try the gummi ones.

[tarheels]

Are you off BCP already? I was on one of the lowest dosages on the market for 10 years, but I've been off now for 5 months and I'm still noticing changes in my cycle.

Take prenatals for 60 days prior to trying.

Read Taking Charge of Your Fertility. You can get the previous edition on Amazon for $1 and it's absolutely worth it. (And I prefer the old edition to the 10th anniversary one anyways.) It's amazing how much knowledge the average woman doesn't have. We're only fertile for about 36 hours a month. IMO, if you don't know which 2 days those are, you're going to a) go nuts, b) get tired of sex real quick, c) be disappointed every month when your period arrives. DH and I say all the time how we have no idea how anyone gets pregnant accidentally, the odds of everything lining up correctly seem microscopic.

[pickle123]

I'm on my last pack of BC pills....starting PNV again soon. Good luck!

[pitterwoo]

We're planning for this year, hopefully (insurance is and has been our hold-up). I added vit D and folate to my regular multi. H is also taking a multi and we're both trying to exercise regularly. H is trying to be more careful about chemical exposure because he spends a lot of time around nasty stuff. Those are good habits anyway so I wouldn't say that we're just doing it for TTC purposes but H is definitely being included in preconception health.

[simpsongal]

I stopped my BCP last week - we're using other protection in the mean time. I'll go to CVS and check out vitamins. I wish they had prenatal gummies.

As a swan song, I'm going to party likes it's 1999 this Christmas

That's probably good advice tarheels. I admit, I know very little about all this.

[mrs.jacinthe]

We're going to go for it this year, starting in approximately mid-April. I've determined that I'm going to try not to overthink things - just taking my standard multi unless the Dr. tells me I need to switch to a prenatal when the IUD is removed. Not charting, not changing my eating or workout habits, nothing.

This is really unusual for me, FWIW - I'm a huge overplanner.

[magdala9]

In addition to the prenatal vitamins, go over any other medications that you take with your regular doctor. Some medications that are okay for non pregnant woman should not be used by pregnant women because of complications that the med could cause a fetus. Make sure that you include any topical creams for external use. I had to stop using a shampoo that is designed for a scalp condition.

[simpsongal]

It looks women are typically fertile a week after their cycle - does that sound about right? I realize way more goes into this, but I think we're just going to start out casually.

Fortunately, I don't take any meds besides BCPs and over the counter meds like aspirin or tylenol. But I'll be sure to start checking labels. I've been trying to finish up house projects that require caustic chemicals.

[pickle123]

Just FYI it took 8 months to get my cycle back to normal the first time after BCP. Hang in there if it doesn't happen right away! And usually CD 7-14 are the best, however it depends on your cycle length. I had 34-40 day cycles after BCP.

[hbomdiggity]

My gyn said to start prenatals like a year out. So I did (was taking a daily vit already so just switched). I mentioned taking prenatals to some mom coworkers a few weeks ago and got big eyes because apparently a year out isn't the norm and its more like a month or so. I think we'll take the plunge in 2013, but not likely until late spring.

[boiler717]

Definitely take prenatals now (all women of child-bearing potential should take prenatals). Id also ask your doc about any med changes you may need to make.

[SusanBAnthony]

If I remember correctly, some cold medicines (OTC) are no nos. Or is that just when you are nursing?

[sunshineandwine]

We will be TTC in 2013 as well. I am already taking prenatals, as my OBGYN recommends them to any woman in child-bearing years. It has taken a long time for my body to readjust after stopping BCP, so I am charting now to have a better idea of when I ovulate etc. We lead a pretty healthy lifestyle normally, so I don't plan on changing my eating or exercising habits much. GL to you!

[wawa]

Nov 26, 2012 12:52:06 GMT -5 SusanBAnthony said:

If I remember correctly, some cold medicines (OTC) are no nos. Or is that just when you are nursing?

it's both. there are some things preggos aren't supposed to take (ummm..pretty much everything? I think? I hate cold meds and never take them anyway so I didn't pay attention) and then most decongestants are a no-no for nursing because they dry up your supply.

but that's not something you have to worry about until you have a BFP. While TTC I'd go ahead and take any normal meds except those that cause SERIOUS problems early in pregnancy. Those I'd try to wean off of now/find alternatives if possible. Think things like accutane that can cause miscarriage. Particularly if you're just coming off BC and have erratic cycles so you might not catch a BFP right away.

ETA: not that any of this necessarily applies to the OP since she said she's not on any meds. Just sharing random info.

[emoflamingo]

My MW said that if I couldn't do the prenatals (they were horsepills and I always felt so awful afterwards), to just take 2 Flintstones and supplement with a folic acid pill. But she wanted me to do the prenatals AND a folic acid pill anyways.

I also recommend the TCOYF. Buy a basal thermometer (in the family planning section of Walgreen's) and sign up for FertilityFriend. The free version is just fine. I only bought one package of digitals, the Dollar Tree tests work great. I never got the hang of the Ovulation Predictor test (thingymabobs... sorry) so I didn't waste my money.

And re: cold medicines, you can ONLY take Tylenol but that's only when you're pregnant. Your doctor/midwife will tell you what you can and can't take and if they don't, ask. Mine gave me a reference list that I carried in my purse.

[ssmjlm]

TBH once we were TTC, I avoided anything that was also avoided during PG, especially things like motrin and aleve.

Target has gummi prenatals. I took those initially when I had to take my vitamin in the morning b/c of another med I had to take at night.

I also second downloading fertility friend, they have apps for your phone which makes charting a lot easier. Just wake up at the same time, temp and input.

[pitterwoo]

oh I also am going to try to cut out dry cleaning. I have some stuff at the cleaners now, mostly my winter sweaters and some dresses so I hope to be good for a while.

[boiler717]

I can't do prenatals either (I get super sick with pretty much all vitamins) so I take 800 mcg of folic acid.

[pickle123]

The Prenatal Vita-fusion gummies are good and easy on the tummy...the only ones I can take!

[tarheels]

Nov 26, 2012 12:40:38 GMT -5 simpsongal said:

It looks women are typically fertile a week after their cycle - does that sound about right? I realize way more goes into this, but I think we're just going to start out casually.

It varies a ton depending on your cycle. Some women O on Day 10, some women O on Day 20 (me). The average of all women on the planet is Day 14, but that's 6 days off for me - if we tried based on Day 14, we'd never get pg.

I can't imagine NOT charting. It doesn't have to be obsessive. The knowledge you get from it is enlightening. Just read TCOYF.

[sjh722]

I didn't chart, but I thought TCOYF was a worthwhile read. Even knowing the cervical mucous and other signs of ovulation is helpful. I bought it for $3 or $4 on amazon and got my money's worth. :-)

Other than that, I just kept taking PNVs. Don't worry too much about advil, motrin, etc while TTC - you can actually take those until 30 weeks of pregnancy (my back is terrible due to a previous injury and my midwife okay'd 800 mg of motrin up to 30 weeks, muscle relaxers, and tylenol 3.)

And, when you get to the point of obsessively testing, the dollar store has the cheapest tests.

eta: I just take the Target vitamins and they don't bug my stomach. Some of the prescription samples from the doctor did, though.

[pickle123]

Yes I agree...every woman should read TCOYF. It's more about knowing your body and the signs.

[lemondrop]

Yay! If jobs go as I'm hoping, we'll be TTC in late spring or early summer.

I think everyone has covered the basics, but I'll just add that you should make sure to not get too stressed out.