My husband asked our daughter Saylor........

My husband asked our daughter Saylor if she wants to have a little brother or sister, and she nodded yes. Then he asked her if she wanted me to have a baby, and again she nodded her head yes. Well at least we know Saylor is also on board!

My Lovely Family

Another Important Fertility Sign

Cervical fluid/mucus (CM) is a very, very important sign of fertility. On my personal list, CM is the second most important sign (my first being ovulation prediction tests). Throughout your cycle CM changes. At first, soon after menstruation, most women feel dry. As you get closer to ovulation, you will start to see more CM. At this point it will most likely be sticky, and will break apart easily. As you get even closer, it should be more wet, and less sticky. It still though will not stretch very far. Now right before and during ovulation CM will resemble egg whites. It will stretch several centimeters, signifying ovulation. When this happens, sex is strongly encouraged. Now why is egg white CM important? It is sperm friendly. Egg white CM can allow sperm to live inside of your body for up to 72 hours. This is important because once an egg is released you do not have much time. This allows you to be able to have sex before ovulation, and still have a chance of falling pregnant. You may be wondering, what if I do not have egg white CM? Don't worry, there are plenty of things that can help with this. One thing that I have tried (and that worked) was Mucinex. That is right, mucinex. This stuff thins out the CM, and increases egg white CM. With Mucinex though make sure the only active ingredient is Guaifenesin. Start with one pill maybe 7-5 days prior to ovulation. If you are not noticing a difference increase to two. Another option is Evening Primrose Oil. This is not something I have tried yet, but I plan on using it next month if we do not get a positive pregnancy test this month. This herb can help you produce more egg white CM. Now, you do not necessarily have to take a pill to achieve egg white CM. You can use a sperm friendly lubricant, such as pre-seed. Pre-seed comes with an applicator, and can give you egg white CM that you cannot produce on your own. This is the next thing I want to try. You can buy it here http://www.early-pregnancy-tests.com/pre-seed.html This product has RAVE reviews, so it may be worth a try. Last, this is a little different, but definitely an option. You can use actual egg whites as a lubricant. I have found quite a few websites that recommend trying this if you do not have egg white CM. With this you should leave the whole egg out at room temperature for an hour. Then before sex you should crack it open, and separate the yoke from the white. Then immediately insert the white into the vagina. Do it right away, otherwise you risk infection. You may want to try this if all else fails.... I here some women also have amazing success with this. I hope this informed you on this topic. If you have any questions do not hesitate to leave a comment. I will answer your question(s) to the best of my ability. Take Care All!

Prenatals....... take them

If you are to take one thing daily while trying-to-conceive, let it be a prenatal. Folic acid (which prenatals have high amounts of), can decrease the risk of neural tube defects in infants by 70 percent. Prenatals also are plentiful in so many other vitamins, for example: Calcium, Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Vitamin E, et cetera. One thing to point out is DO NOT BUY ANY VITAMINS/SUPPLEMENTS THAT ARE MADE IN CHINA!!!!!! These vitamins/supplements are not regulated by the FDA, and can be impure. Always look at the pill bottle, and make sure they were made somewhere in the United States of America. One last thing....... sometimes prenatals can make you feel sick. Always make sure you take them with food, and a big glass of water. That should help greatly with the nausea. Thanks for reading, and good luck!

Basal Body Temping (BBT) charting

Basal Body Temping (BBT) charting is a great way to pinpoint exactly when you ovulate. I first want to say that this is not the best idea for beginners. It can take a bit of dedication, and in my opinion can create stress. If you are in the first months of trying-to-conceive.... enjoy it. Try ovulation prediction tests first. I started charting a couple months ago. After 7 cycles with no success, and trying to just use ovulation prediction tests, I felt it was time to try BBT charting. First, you need a special thermometer. You need to purchase a basal body thermometer. This is the thermometer I purchased at Wal-Mart. It works wonderfully.... saving your highest temp, and your previous temp, which can be important if you forget to enter your temps into fertility friend right away. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Reli-On-60-Second-Basal-Thermometer/10161099
Now you could use a normal, oral thermometer, but it not recommended. The BBT thermometer is so much more accurate. To start charting you will need a fertility friend account. This is what I use for charting, and I love it. They even offer VIP membership for free at first (which afterward you can still use the free version, which still works great). Here is the website for fertility friend. http://www.fertilityfriend.com/ttc/login.php
After you have this in place you can start charting. It is best to start charting on Cycle Day (CD) 1. This is the first day of actual menstrual flow (not spotting). Take your temperature when you wake up, before rising. Also try to take your temperature at the same time every day. If you cannot take your temp at the same time, you need to adjust the temperatures. If you wake up an hour later subtract .2. If you wake up an hour earlier add .2. Also make sure you have slept at least four hours before taking your temp. I recommend "practicing" before CD1. I stated temping a week before CD1 to get practice. Next, let's go into more detail pertaining to BBT charting. In the beginning of your cycle estrogen is dominant. This causes lower temperatures. A day after ovulation a spike in temperature will occur, and then temps will stay up. This is because progesterone is dominant. This pretty much creates two different levels of temperatures. The lower pre-ovulation temps, and the higher post-ovulation temps. Fertility friend does all the work for you. All you have to do is put the temperatures in. Fertility friend will do the rest, marking ovulation and drawing up a coverline. Fertility friend will mark ovulation after three days of higher temps that are above the coverline. This is why using ovulation prediction tests is important. You will not know that you ovulated until after you ovulated. Ovulation prediction tests will give you an idea of when you are going to ovulate. The temperature shift informs you that you did ovulate, then three days later fertility friend will mark the day of ovulation three days prior. Here is my chart from last month. Notice the two different levels, and where ovulation was marked. You can also see a red dotted coverline.

If you have any question pertaining to BBT charting just leave a comment. BBT charting can be confusing, and if you have question I would love to answer them.

Ovulation prediction tests or kits (OPK's)

I want to look at OPK's a little more closely. OPK's (ovulation prediction tests/kits) can give you a better idea of when you are ovulating. First, I want to say if this is your first month trying, try not to use OPK's...... just enjoy trying-to-conceive. Just have sex every other day, and see if it works. The first couple months we just tried without using OPK's. After a couple of months though I decided that OPK's were probably needed in our tyring-to-conceive journey. So what are OPK's? They come in different forms..... some are strips, some are midstream tests, and some are actual fertility monitors. They all detect the luteinizing hormone (LH) surge. The LH surge occurs approximately 24-48 hours before ovulation occurs. With the fertility monitor it not only detects the LH surge, it also detects a spike in estrogen. OPK's are pretty easy to use. There is a control line, and a test line. With most OPK's if the test line is darker or the same color as the control line, the LH surge has been detected. This signals a very fertile period, so intercourse is strongly recommended. OPK's are best taken in the afternoon (unless the directions specify otherwise). You can buy them at grocery stores or online. I have noticed that just because you pay more does not necessarily mean you are getting a better product. Personally my favorite brand is the dollar general brand. A package with 5 tests costs $6. They are midstreem tests but I use them just like the dip strip ones. Here is a pic of some negative tests from this brand....... Notice the test line is on the left, while the control line is on the right.

Here is a pic of a positive dollar general test

  My next favorite brand are interent bought tests from http://www.early-pregnancy-tests.com/pacof3ovtess.html  These babies are cheapies, only costing about $1 a test, but goodies. These are strips so you have to use a cup with these, but this company also sells midstream tests. Here is a negative pic...... Notice once again the test line is on the left, and the control is on the right.

Here is a positive with this test brand

My least favorite brand is Answer. These tests are not as sensitive as the other brands, and are super thin. Even when my LH surge was detected, it was not nearly as dark as it would be with another test. These tests though are easy to find. I can find them at the local grocery store. They are cheap too..... you pay about $20 for 20 tests.
Here is a negative pic (it is the bottom test)......... Notice the test line is once again on the left, with the control on the right.

Here is a positive test

This though is my personal preference. Every women is different so what works well for one may not be the same for another. I will also leave you with an awesome website that has a lot of useful information pertaining to OPK's and pregnancy tests. http://peeonastick.com/