Last cycle I had heard about Robitussin to help with CM. WHAT? Guaifenesin, the active ingredient in plain Tussin acts as a mucus thinner. The primary component of Cervical MUCUS is mucus (semen too).
Everything I've read suggests taking 200mg 3 times a day. So I go to my local pharmacy (Walmart) and pick up an 8oz bottle of Tussin for $2.50. It should last me near two cycles. Take it for the 5 days prior and including the anticipated date of the big O and you'll notice a difference.
Things to keep in mind when trying this. Use the plain formula or you may find you get the opposite result. Antihistimine medication can actually dry up CM, and some other active ingredients may cause birth defects. Also be sure to drink extra fluids during this time. Caplets might also help since liquid cough medicine tastes pretty nasty.
I'll update my findings!
Monday, August 31, 2009
Saturday, August 22, 2009
BFN
AF arrived, so no BFP this month. I'm a little down, only because after experiencing so many symptoms I was sure that I was. Although I am not experiencing near the depression I had last month. I'll get through it but I think that I'll skip on the BBT charting the next few days.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
TTC Anxiety
I wrote a bit ago how frustrating the TWW could be when TTC. It seems to drag on for a long time. I just entered into the period of time where I could POAS with an early HPT test, however every day that passes decreases the chance of getting a false negative (sometimes the pregnancy hormone isn't detectable early, or doesn't make it to the urine).
I've been experiencing some queasiness, some days are good and some are bad but I do experience this feeling every day now. I had a bit of a neurotic scare yesterday because my temperature dropped .3 of a degree and I was feeling fantastic physically. I was not feeling well emotionally though because I had almost convinced myself that I wasn't pregnant. I didn't feel at all bad until around the time I headed home. I spent a whole day worrying for nothing because my temperature went back up and today I'm feeling pretty ill.
So why, if I am experiencing these symptoms and torturing myself with not having a yes or no, don't I take a HPT?? Well that's a perfectly good question with probably not such a good answer from an emotional woman. After the reaction from yesterday, I think at this point I don't know that I could take the heartache of another BFN. I know it's not been that long since we agreed to start a family but I think I've gotten carried away these past few weeks day dreaming about a baby bump and how we're going to tell everyone.
So, when will I actually break down and POAS? I'm not sure. It could be tomorrow morning (higher concentration of hormone that way), or I might wait until AF decides not to show. If I continue to feel worse as the days go, it'll definitely be sooner than later. I can handle feeling bad, but only if it is for a good reason.
I've been experiencing some queasiness, some days are good and some are bad but I do experience this feeling every day now. I had a bit of a neurotic scare yesterday because my temperature dropped .3 of a degree and I was feeling fantastic physically. I was not feeling well emotionally though because I had almost convinced myself that I wasn't pregnant. I didn't feel at all bad until around the time I headed home. I spent a whole day worrying for nothing because my temperature went back up and today I'm feeling pretty ill.
So why, if I am experiencing these symptoms and torturing myself with not having a yes or no, don't I take a HPT?? Well that's a perfectly good question with probably not such a good answer from an emotional woman. After the reaction from yesterday, I think at this point I don't know that I could take the heartache of another BFN. I know it's not been that long since we agreed to start a family but I think I've gotten carried away these past few weeks day dreaming about a baby bump and how we're going to tell everyone.
So, when will I actually break down and POAS? I'm not sure. It could be tomorrow morning (higher concentration of hormone that way), or I might wait until AF decides not to show. If I continue to feel worse as the days go, it'll definitely be sooner than later. I can handle feeling bad, but only if it is for a good reason.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Mother's Rings
Mother's rings are also referred to as family birthstone rings. They contain gemstones or names representing each child, and sometimes also the parents. I remember my mom's ring growing up, it was quite a mixture of colors. Purple, purple, light blue, purple purple, lime, and pale blue, in that order. She wore it every day and I thought it was the ugliest thing (sorry mom) but I appreciated what it represents, a commitment to the family.
I happened to run by a picture of these rings. I think these stackable eternity rings are very stylish and easy to add to a collection, say if you're family grows. It's the modern mother's ring. I'd love to wear something like this on a daily basis.
I happened to run by a picture of these rings. I think these stackable eternity rings are very stylish and easy to add to a collection, say if you're family grows. It's the modern mother's ring. I'd love to wear something like this on a daily basis.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Symptoms...PMS or Pregnancy?
The problem with early pregnancy symptoms is that most of them are the same for any other stomach ailment or PMS. I have a few PMS symptoms that I experience every cyle, primarily depressed feelings or sadness for a day or two, mood swings, and craving for chocolate. They always occur almost exactly 1 week before, on the dot.
However a few things have been occurring which are a bit unusual for PMS.
1. Cat has been clingy. He's normally a cuddle kitty but he's found a new favorite spot, my stomach. He usually clings to me in the morning, and DH in the evening, but he's all but ignoring DH now. He sleeps with me, cuddles with me on the couch, and watches me drive away. I know animals can sense things before we can, so maybe I should take these changes into consideration.
2. Increased appetite. Not only am I eating more, but I am eating faster too. About 30 minutes before my normally scheduled meals, I'll get really hungry. It doesn't grow, it just hits me that I feel starving. I also get hungry on my way home even though I have an afternoon snack at work. I've also had cravings, the latest being butter cookies.
3. Temperature increase. I have noticed that I have what is called a triphasic pattern on my BBT chart. I have a third increase in temperatures. They are holding steady, which differs from the last cycle
4. Upset stomach. This might be related to allergies, but I am not sure. I noticed that my stomach is more sensitive lately. When I get up in the morning my stomach does not feel well. Its not what I would consider nausea, but it is an unusual feeling. I also feel this way before I eat.
5. Weird smells/tastes. I have noticed that some things smell differently, or I have weird tastes in my mouth. On the way home from lunch I was commenting to a friend that my stomach was upset and I was going to take some tums. Then I had a weird taste in my mouth similar to the tums aftertaste. Then when I did have a tums it made me feel really sick. I managed to swallow it down but I've never had that problem before. The same thing happened with dinner. I've made it before but this time I thought it smelled disgusting while DH thought it smelled good.
6. Fatigue. I have pretty bad fatigue lately. I try not to take naps because they take too long and then they mess with my sleep schedule so I'll go to bed at 2 or 3am and be up a few hours later for work. When I do take naps they are almost always 2 hours exactly. The past 2 I have taken have been closer to 4, and that is with a full night's sleep and they haven't been disturbing my bedtime.
I will mention that I've noticed several signs of depression or other medical conditions prior to even possibly being pregnant this cycle, and made an appointment with my doctor to discuss them. These symptoms I've listed above have either popped up in the past week or have gotten worse while my mood has actually lightened considerably. However I am also not blind to think that these could also play into depression.
Because of school starting and an increase in appointments for immunizations and physicals my appointment had to be scheduled a week out. The appointment was early this week and I was ordered to have some blood work done to rule out anemia, thyroid, and blood sugar issues. All came back normal and my doctor is diagnosing me with depression and wrote me a prescription with strict rules not to take it if I am pregnant.
Many people consider it too early to even have pregnancy related symptoms, as much of the medical information out there says the symptoms should not manifest until 4 or 6 weeks of pregnancy. So, who knows if they are really pregnancy related, or psychosomatic, or PMS, or what. We'll find out in the next few weeks!
However a few things have been occurring which are a bit unusual for PMS.
1. Cat has been clingy. He's normally a cuddle kitty but he's found a new favorite spot, my stomach. He usually clings to me in the morning, and DH in the evening, but he's all but ignoring DH now. He sleeps with me, cuddles with me on the couch, and watches me drive away. I know animals can sense things before we can, so maybe I should take these changes into consideration.
2. Increased appetite. Not only am I eating more, but I am eating faster too. About 30 minutes before my normally scheduled meals, I'll get really hungry. It doesn't grow, it just hits me that I feel starving. I also get hungry on my way home even though I have an afternoon snack at work. I've also had cravings, the latest being butter cookies.
3. Temperature increase. I have noticed that I have what is called a triphasic pattern on my BBT chart. I have a third increase in temperatures. They are holding steady, which differs from the last cycle
4. Upset stomach. This might be related to allergies, but I am not sure. I noticed that my stomach is more sensitive lately. When I get up in the morning my stomach does not feel well. Its not what I would consider nausea, but it is an unusual feeling. I also feel this way before I eat.
5. Weird smells/tastes. I have noticed that some things smell differently, or I have weird tastes in my mouth. On the way home from lunch I was commenting to a friend that my stomach was upset and I was going to take some tums. Then I had a weird taste in my mouth similar to the tums aftertaste. Then when I did have a tums it made me feel really sick. I managed to swallow it down but I've never had that problem before. The same thing happened with dinner. I've made it before but this time I thought it smelled disgusting while DH thought it smelled good.
6. Fatigue. I have pretty bad fatigue lately. I try not to take naps because they take too long and then they mess with my sleep schedule so I'll go to bed at 2 or 3am and be up a few hours later for work. When I do take naps they are almost always 2 hours exactly. The past 2 I have taken have been closer to 4, and that is with a full night's sleep and they haven't been disturbing my bedtime.
I will mention that I've noticed several signs of depression or other medical conditions prior to even possibly being pregnant this cycle, and made an appointment with my doctor to discuss them. These symptoms I've listed above have either popped up in the past week or have gotten worse while my mood has actually lightened considerably. However I am also not blind to think that these could also play into depression.
Because of school starting and an increase in appointments for immunizations and physicals my appointment had to be scheduled a week out. The appointment was early this week and I was ordered to have some blood work done to rule out anemia, thyroid, and blood sugar issues. All came back normal and my doctor is diagnosing me with depression and wrote me a prescription with strict rules not to take it if I am pregnant.
Many people consider it too early to even have pregnancy related symptoms, as much of the medical information out there says the symptoms should not manifest until 4 or 6 weeks of pregnancy. So, who knows if they are really pregnancy related, or psychosomatic, or PMS, or what. We'll find out in the next few weeks!
Monday, August 10, 2009
The Dreaded TWW (Two Week Wait)
Ah, the dreaded TWW...the anxious period of time for a TTCer between Ovulation and Pee On A Stick (POAS) time. This feeling falls somewhere between a 4 year old awaiting the arrival of Santa and the time between 4:45 and 5pm before punching out for a long weekend.
The first two weeks are easy...well they tend to pass quickly enough unless one has elusive ovulation. I experienced this again, it was 4 days late. I experienced this in June because of travelling, this time it was stress related.
During the last two weeks it's the time a woman scrutinizes over every psuedo-pregnancy symptom and temperature increase if she's FAM charting. So how does one pass the time without appearing neurotic? It doesn't help that on a near daily basis DH has been asking if it's time to POAS, but for me I've been quietly thinking up ways to share news of a BFP. Even then, it's a good idea to try and get your mind off of just how slowly the days are passing.
Now would be a good time to pick up a book you've been putting off reading, or learning about a new hobby or craft. I've been doing some quilling. Exciting work, yes I know, but I have a special place in my heart for paper crafts. If it all works out well, I'll have a bunch of quilled snowflake ornaments in time for Christmas!
The first two weeks are easy...well they tend to pass quickly enough unless one has elusive ovulation. I experienced this again, it was 4 days late. I experienced this in June because of travelling, this time it was stress related.
During the last two weeks it's the time a woman scrutinizes over every psuedo-pregnancy symptom and temperature increase if she's FAM charting. So how does one pass the time without appearing neurotic? It doesn't help that on a near daily basis DH has been asking if it's time to POAS, but for me I've been quietly thinking up ways to share news of a BFP. Even then, it's a good idea to try and get your mind off of just how slowly the days are passing.
Now would be a good time to pick up a book you've been putting off reading, or learning about a new hobby or craft. I've been doing some quilling. Exciting work, yes I know, but I have a special place in my heart for paper crafts. If it all works out well, I'll have a bunch of quilled snowflake ornaments in time for Christmas!
Friday, August 7, 2009
Fortune Cookie
Fortune Cookie from lunch says: BUSINESS AND HEALTH MATTERS AROUND YOU WILL BLOSSOM.
I wonder if it is prophetic...
I wonder if it is prophetic...
FAMtastic!
FAM stands for Fertility Awareness Method. It is a natural way to prevent or induce conception. Many confuse it with the Rhythm Method, which any Catholic family would know is better for causing pregnancy than preventing it.
Rhythm Method works by taking the average days in a woman's cycle to produce a period of time in which the woman is most fertile. This method is not so accurate when it comes to a woman with irregular cycles, like me. My cycles are not that irregular, but I have been known to miss a month or be late by a few weeks several times a year.
FAM works by charting several indicators of fertility including BBT (Basal Body Temperature), Cervical Mucus (or also referred to as cervical fluid), and Cervix Position. This method helps a woman understand when ovulation has occurred, and by comparing previous months, helps them be better able to predict when ovulation will occur. The book, Taking Charge of Your Fertility is a great resource to getting into the world of FAM charting.
I started charting BBT the first month after we started TTC partially because of the delay that travelling caused. Every day I found it interesting to track what happened to my temperatures. I take my temp every day before getting up and it takes about 30 seconds. Easy. In fact it's helped me pinpoint that my luteal phase (or the later half of a woman's cycle) is longer than the average 14 days.
Rhythm Method works by taking the average days in a woman's cycle to produce a period of time in which the woman is most fertile. This method is not so accurate when it comes to a woman with irregular cycles, like me. My cycles are not that irregular, but I have been known to miss a month or be late by a few weeks several times a year.
FAM works by charting several indicators of fertility including BBT (Basal Body Temperature), Cervical Mucus (or also referred to as cervical fluid), and Cervix Position. This method helps a woman understand when ovulation has occurred, and by comparing previous months, helps them be better able to predict when ovulation will occur. The book, Taking Charge of Your Fertility is a great resource to getting into the world of FAM charting.
I started charting BBT the first month after we started TTC partially because of the delay that travelling caused. Every day I found it interesting to track what happened to my temperatures. I take my temp every day before getting up and it takes about 30 seconds. Easy. In fact it's helped me pinpoint that my luteal phase (or the later half of a woman's cycle) is longer than the average 14 days.
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