This is an incredibly exciting time but for some it can be unbelievably painful and stressful. Everyone is so different. Some have no trouble at all with conception while others have many issues.

We were very fortunate both times around.

Miss A

After years of conversation and no real decisions as to when we would like children we finally decided it was time. I stopped taking the pill in October 2015 as I was at the end of my box and I was not going to buy them anymore as they came in lots of 3 months. At this stage it was not decided exactly when we would like to try but I wanted to give my body time to figure itself out again after being on the pill for so many years.

December 10th 2015 we decided we would start trying then my periods came on 11th. Bugger! After my period it was back to trying and basically just taking it as it came and see what happens. Only thing I did was check online on those ovulation calculators when I was ‘due’ to ovulate. My cycle is LONG! 40-43 days. Makes it hard to know when I would ovulate as the average cycle is 28 days.

I can’t remember exactly but I started to have a few random signs of possible pregnancy; nausea, light headed, sore boobs. So I took a couple of pregnancy tests but they came back negative. Now this was all within that 40-43 day cycle. As I had been on the pill for so long and only had my October period prior to the December period I wasn’t exactly sure how long my cycle would be. No periods. On day 43 I took a test and yep POSITIVE!! Hooray. I had fallen pregnant in the first cycle of trying to conceive a baby.

 

Miss C

10 months after having Miss A my periods finally returned. I breastfeed her exclusively for 6 months and then introduced solids. I breastfed her till 16 months.

I always said she had to be one year old before we would try for another baby. We were tossing up a few events in 2017 to revolve our trying times around. We decided that November we would start trying for number two.

I didn’t go on any form of contraception and just used condoms after having Miss A. I didn’t want my periods to return if they weren’t ready to return. Also I knew we would be considering a 2nd baby in the months after Miss A turned one (September 2016). This meant I would be going onto the mini pill in November 2015 after my 6 week appointment and then going off the mini pill in June 2016 to give my body a few months to sort it’s self out again. I was also SO uncomfortable after having Miss A with my prolapse that sex was that last thing on my mind so not doing it meant I was having the best contraception available.

Early November, Miss A had not long turned 14 months. My periods returned when she was 10 months old- July/August 2016. 40 days later my next period came. 15th  September they came again. 43 days later and they came again- October 27th.

We then decided to start trying 7th November- Why then? Because we were both finally home for a decent length of time to make it doable. Again I jumped online and checked out the calculator for ovulation. This was mostly just stressful and frustrating. As my last two cycles had been 43 and 40 days it was hard to determine if next one was 40 or 43 days. which meant ‘ovulation days’ could be in two different times. Complicated. Anyway we just went with the flow and waited to see what would happen.

13th November and I began to feel signs. What? Surely you can’t feel signs this soon? I felt nauseous, tired and was no longer interested in trying. I still had a number of weeks before my period was due. As the weeks passed the signs were still apparent. I did a couple of tests. Negative. I was sure something was happening though. Also as the weeks passed I was getting frustrated at myself for not giving it a full go (remembering I wasn’t 100% when I ovulated due to long cycle). What if I had wasted a month by giving up so soon or missed the chance because I stopped trying too soon?

As the date my period was due came closer I was determined to wait a few days after just in case before testing. I was actually away from home up at my parents when they were due so I was going to wait until I got back home before testing anyway.

Periods were due and no sign of them, nor was there any sign of them coming. But in saying that I had had 2 periods since December 2014 so I wasn’t fully on top of the whole periods/cramps etc thing, nor was I 100% how long my cycle was now.

When I got back to Sydney 2-3 days after my periods were due I decided to do a test. At first I was going to wait for the next day as they say first wee of the morning but I couldn’t wait. Testing time…… POSITIVE!

Again we had fallen pregnant in the first cycle of trying. However it surprised me even more this time as it was literally only 1 week and guessing and hoping it was ovulation week in a 40-43 day cycle. Where as with Miss A we tried from last period to when the next one was due, 40-43 days later.

I actually can’t believe just how fast it happened, especially second time after not having my periods for 10 months then 2 periods and then pregnant again!  We were very fortunate.

 

What I want to know is, did you do anything to plan your conception?

• Tracked your cycle?
• Took your temperature?
• Used ovulation tests?
• Used ovulation calculators online?
• Other?

 

By Clare at Relaxed Parenting