Anyway, how about a story? This is our third cycle TTC since my septum resection surgery. I had a lot of hopes riding on the first cycle, as it was my only chance at a BFP before my original EDD. I was not pregnant. This was sad, but I got over it. However, I was a bit annoyed that I did not ovulate until CD28.
Cycle number two was even worse. CD28 came and went and I still hadn't ovulated! I was really depressed. I felt like my body didn't work, that I would never get pregnant. I made the decision to stop charting for a while and try to put it out of my head. I knew that trying to predict when I was going to ovulate is probably what delayed it. Sure enough, I started to feel PMS symptoms, and my best guess led me to figure that I had ovulated on CD32. Oh, and I was still not pregnant.
Luckily, I had a plan. I had done some reading about soy isoflavones, and how, when taken for five days at the beginning of the cycle, they would help stimulate my hormones to make me ovulate earlier. So when I got my period at the beginning of TTC Cycle #3, I already had the supplement on hand, which I took daily CD3-7. And to help predict ovulation and help reduce stress, I bought a pack of ovulation predictor kits. I knew Erich had a few business trips planned, so I really hoped that I wouldn't ovulate in the middle of him being away.
In mid-October, Erich and I visited his family down in southern Indiana. On our way home, we decided to do some shopping in Terra Haute. We wanted to buy Rock Band 2, which had just come out. And I knew there was a Dollar Tree store there, and I've heard lots about their pregnancy tests. So we stopped by, and I picked up five. No, six. And, of course, a bottle of water and some paper plates. I wasn't JUST buying pregnancy tests, no sirree.
Anyway, I ran out of the first pack of OPKs and decided to buy cheap ones in bulk from the internet. That was a good plan. Because I had to use a LOT of those puppies. Even though the OPKs continued to be negative, I started to be hopeful that I would ovulate around CD21. And then... spotting?!? WTF. Was this my period? What was wrong with me? I felt really horrible for about half a day. Luckily, though the spotting lasted a full 48 hours, it was never heavy and it did cease. My cycle was still in progress.
Halloween day I got my first positive OPK. I was readying the house for our Halloween party, and Erich had just gotten home from work. I was so happy about this, because if it weren't for the positive OPK, I would have had no idea that ovulation was imminent. Even though we both got pretty sauced that night, we made sure to give it the ol' college try. I got another positive the next day, and a few more days of high temperatures indicated that I ovulated on Sunday, CD29. [So I guess the soy did basically nothing but make me spot. I only took the smallest dosage, though, and was planning on upping it the next cycle if needed.]
I worried about the chances of conception based on when we "tried," but all-in-all I felt rather at peace. I felt really good knowing that I could see ovulation coming and that we did our part to make a baby. The "two-week-wait" was not too bad for the first eight days or so. But then the questions started flooding my head like they always do. "Is this PMS or pregnancy? Was that a menstrual cramp or implantation?" Tuesday I felt a few cramps, and I really thought it could have been implantation. Yesterday, after registering my highest temperature ever, I was feeling super curious. But I scolded myself not to test early. I hated getting BFNs that first cycle, and if I had just waited a few days, I wouldn't have wasted the tests because my period arrived right on time. But THIS time I had cheap tests on hand.
I told Erich my notion of testing on Thursday or Friday, thinking my good rational husband would talk me out of it, but he was actually in support of testing early. See, he's going on a big hunting trip with the men of my extended family this weekend (my period is due Sunday), and he didn't like the thought of me testing and getting a positive without him there. And plus, even if it were BFN, I still have five other cheap tests, so it's barely a waste. So with his permission, I got up this morning after another record-high temp, peed in my special pee mug (which says "I <3 Jim Halpert"), took out the test, used the dropper to carefully drop four drops of pee in the proper place, and we watched the line of pink move across the test. The control line came up right away and no second line, but it had only been about 90 seconds. Erich walked away, but I kept staring, fully prepared for a BFN. But then... it started to appear. It was faint but undeniable. I could see it without squinting or holding it up next to my face or tilting it just right. It was there.
Erich's reaction took me right back to my original BFP back on January 5th. His logical, rational brain just cannot equate the faintest of faint lines on a cheap little object to a baby. As for me, I am excited already. It's a bit daunting that I'm only 3 weeks and 4 days along, but getting pregnant at all is a big first step. And this time, I was expecting it. I already know I'm pregnant; there's none of the confusion or wondering "When did this happen?" that I had last time. And my uterus is remodeled and, as far as I know, totally baby-ready.
Barring any unforeseen difficulties, I'm due July 26. Yippee!!!
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