I definitely ovulated! :)

I'm currently 3 dpo! I really thought I might not ovulate this cycle, so I'm very happy that I did. It's only the first hurdle though, of course. I'm sure the next 10 days or so are going to go by so slowly; the 2 week wait tends to be that way! We're both hopeful that this time I might end up being pregnant, but we know that only time will tell.

I think I'm clinging to the small hope that the HSG will have worked like magic, and it'll make all the difference. Ridiculous, I know! So many women say they got pregnant right after having a HSG, but I don't really expect it to make a difference for us when I think about it logically. It's nice to dream, but it's usually better to be realistic. 

My period is due the day after the first adoption event I'm running... I hope my LP is its usual 13 days so it doesn't come early! Yikes. The event is only for a few hours, but I don't want to be having agonizing cramps during that time. The best scenario is obviously that my period won't come at all, but that's clearly wishful thinking! 

Speaking of the event, we're going to collect pens for it at the weekend from the lady in charge of the rescue. She's fostering an adorable 12 week old pug puppy, and he loves to play so we're taking our pug (Suzie) with us so they can wear each other out! I wish we could have the puppy, he's only 4 pounds and super cute. I know we can't have him - we have enough on our plates with our girls and our 2 fosters. He's highly adoptable, being a puppy and all - so he'll get a great home when the right person comes along. Still, I'm definitely looking forward to some puppy cuddles! :)

10DPO

I'm 10DPO today and feeling super hormonal! I'm having a lot of cramping, which has been quite painful at times. I'm still very gassy and bloated, and my skin is truly awful. I've tested at 8, 9 and 10DPO and all were negative (of course). I knew I shouldn't test until 12DPO but it seems I never listen to my own advice... Anyway, I haven't had any spotting yet so even though I'm cramping a lot I don't think my period is imminent. The last ovulatory cycle I had, I started spotting at 11DPO and my LP was 13 days. Now that I'm on the B vitamins, my LP may be longer, I don't know.

My chart still looks good, but it's probably still too early to make any real predictions. Here's my current chart:



Interestingly, my post-O temps are similar to my last ovulatory cycle... at least from 6-8DPO, anyway. Here's that chart:


The big difference with my current cycle's chart is that the cross-hairs are solid, which means FF is very sure of my ovulation day. Last time, they were dotted which means it wasn't entirely sure. The temperature rise with my current cycle was the rise and fall kind, which is also different, but it's a recognized ovulation pattern so I don't think that's anything I need to worry about.

I only hope that my temps stay high and that AF doesn't show! I'd love to get my BFP this month, it would be wonderful. I know I shouldn't get my hopes up, though. I'll most likely keep testing with my Wondfos every day until 14DPO, if my period hasn't turned up by that point. At least the Wondfos are cheap, so it won't break the bank! :)

10-11 DPO

Well, I still have a lot of the same symptoms I've had the last few days (or longer). The only difference today is that I'm cramping and I kinda feel like I'm gonna get my period. I really, really hope that I'm wrong about that, though. Fingers crossed it won't happen and I'll still get to test on Saturday. I think I could probably test tomorrow, actually, but I don't want to keep wasting tests and if I test too early then it's a waste!

I guess this is how TTC is going to be - lots of waiting and wondering, analyzing every little symptom...

It's still possible that the cramping I'm having is related to implantation, but every time I go to the bathroom I kinda expect the wait to be over for this month.

Well, it's not over yet, so there's still hope I guess! It feels as though hope is fading, but if I do just get my period instead of a BFP then it's not all bad - at least it means I'll be getting back to 'normal' after my BCPs. I'm still gonna be majorly disappointed, though!

9-10 DPO

I've still got the same symptoms I was having before, so I'm still hopeful that maybe I'll get a BFP on Saturday!

Today I had at least 3-4 episodes of nausea, one was really bad while I was doing the dishes this evening. I seem to feel worse when I haven't eaten for a while. I have a slight headache and I'm still very gassy/bloated. I also had some lower back pain earlier on, it didn't last very long but it was noticeable. I had some twinges in my pelvis, but nothing too bad. I seem to be producing a lot of saliva at the moment, it's odd. I think sometimes that I have a slight metallic taste in my mouth too, but I'm not 100% sure on that one. I hope that these are genuine symptoms and not my body messing with me, just because I want to be pregnant... I know that can happen but I seriously hope that's not the case with me. The symptoms I'm having are very real, they're not in my head, but I know sometimes our bodies can play tricks on us!

I think I'm 9 DPO, although I could be 10. I'm going to test on Saturday morning, hopefully by then I'll be able to get a positive HPT if I'm pregnant. If it's negative, then I'll re-test 3 days later if I still haven't gotten my period. Obviously I'm hoping that I won't need to do any re-tests - fingers crossed the one on Saturday will be a BFP! If not then it's not officially 'over' until I get my period, so there's still hope!

I'm so tired right now, I think I'm gonna have to go to bed. It's only 9.20 p.m! Ah well, I need my sleep I guess.

6-7 DPO

I'm cramping a little today, nothing major or really painful, just dull cramps. I'm hoping that it's not a sign that my period is on its way... I keep telling myself it could be implantation cramping, which I suppose it could be, but I'm trying to prepare myself for it being my period instead. It would be the right kind of time for implantation to occur, though - I'm 6-7 DPO right now, if I'm right about when I ovulated, and implantation is supposed to occur at 5-10 DPO. Also, if I'm right about my ovulation date, then it should be too early for my period.

I'm still kinda bloated and gassy, and I feel a little lightheaded, but I don't think either of those things can be attributed to pregnancy - well, they can, but they're also attributable to a lot of other things! I've had a few episodes of mild nausea over the past 3-4 days, but nothing severe. The thing is, some women have lots of symptoms very early, while some have very few or even no symptoms until they're like 6-8 weeks pregnant. It's easy to look on every little thing as being a 'good sign' and in doing so, you could be setting yourself up for a big disappointment.That's what's so frustrating about this whole thing - so many things can be a symptom of pregnancy but also a symptom of an impending period.

Hubby thinks I expect to get pregnant right away, which is really not the case - I really hope to get pregnant right away, but the sensible side of me knows it's likely to take some time. I keep trying to be positive but sometimes I just think I should stop thinking about it, because the chances aren't really in our favor if you look at the statistics! Healthy fertile couples apparently have a 20% chance of conceiving with each cycle, so that's an 80% chance of not conceiving with each month, too.

I'll confess, on Friday night the waiting was really getting to me and I did a pregnancy test just in case I might have ovulated earlier than I thought. Well, I really thought I could see a very very faint positive result, but I think I was seeing what I wanted to see. The line was definitely there, albeit really faint, but I suspect it was some kind of glitch or something. It wasn't enough to convince me that it was real, anyway.

I'd love to be able to do a test now but it would most likely be a waste of a test. At 6-7 DPO it's too early. Some people have had positive results after 8 DPO but I think they're in the minority. It's a shame the tests are single use - it'd be great if you could get one that was somehow reusable, I don't know if that's even possible but it would be worth paying extra for! I got 2 packs of 2 First Response Early Result HPTs and they were $8 per pack, so if I take one too early that's $4 down the drain each time, which doesn't seem like a lot but if this baby-making process goes on for many months (I hope it doesn't!) then that would start to add up. I need to refrain from testing before 12 DPO, so at least I'm in with a good chance of getting a positive result if in fact I am pregnant. It could still be negative if there isn't enough hCG in my system, though - which would mean re-testing in 2-3 days to see if anything's changed.

I guess at the end of the day, what will be will be. I sincerely hope that when I take that test it's positive, but I need to be realistic about it.

Impatient!

Wow, I'm finding this 2 week wait (2ww) really hard! It's my first, of course. From the forums I've been reading it seems a lot of people do a pregnancy test 12 days post ovulation which would mean I could test on June 24th or 25th. The tests I bought are supposed to be accurate from 6 days before your period is due, but the accuracy increases the longer you wait. I'm guessing if I did ovulate when I think I did, my period would be due around June 26th or 27th, so testing 2 or 3 days before I should get the correct result. Not necessarily the result I want, of course, but I guess if I test and it's negative, and my period doesn't show, then I'll re-test 2 or 3 days later.

So, 8 or 9 days until I can test! It feels like forever because I can't stop thinking about baby stuff!