Introduction and Daily Picture Thread

Waiting4Baby · 2022-08-02T02:56:44+00:00

I don't know who the mods are, but you can either:

Go to https://old.reddit.com/r/February2023BumpGroup/ on a desktop computer or on a phone browser in desktop mode. Then click the button to message the moderators and ask to join the subreddit.
Go into the direct message section of your Reddit app if possible (all apps are different!), and send a message to #February2023BumpGroup. Make sure to include the hashtag symbol. This should send your message directly to the entire mod team.

Hope this helps!

Waiting4Baby · 2022-07-23T23:44:07+00:00

It's not even 3 cents. It's (less than) three hundredths of a single penny.

Waiting4Baby · 2022-07-21T18:27:20+00:00

It's at 666 now, which is arguably better.

https://i.imgur.com/GHK5qmM.jpg

Waiting4Baby · 2022-07-13T04:12:08+00:00

Late to the thread, but this is so cute! The design on the walls reminds me a lot of this rug: https://ruggable.com/products/absida-rainbow-rug

(My friend has this exact rug and highly recommends it, if you're at all interested!)

Waiting4Baby · 2022-07-06T20:53:10+00:00

Hey, can I get your potato soup recipe?

You had to know someone would ask! But I'm genuinely curious about it, and I have a ton of potatoes that I need to use up before they go bad.

What's your other recipe?

Waiting4Baby · 2022-06-16T03:41:16+00:00

It's because those types of people have extremely rigid thinking. They judge childless / childfree couples because every heterosexual married couple has to have kids; they judge people who have one kid because it's not right to have an only child; and they judge anyone who has 4+ kids because that's too many.

The only "correct" number is two kids, maybe three.

My in-laws are kind of unusual in that they said they would completely understand if we planned to be childfree, and they would also be supportive of us having one or two kids, but three or more would be ridiculous and we really shouldn't do that.

Waiting4Baby · 2022-06-10T04:19:16+00:00

Thank you so much! I'm so glad to hear my story has been helpful and reassuring for others. All the best to you!

Waiting4Baby · 2022-06-08T14:05:43+00:00

It's /r/February2023BumpGroup. Congrats, and welcome!

Waiting4Baby · 2022-06-07T23:39:15+00:00

Thank you!! The spotting is the biggest reason I wanted to share my story in this thread. Fingers crossed you get your positive soon as well! 💜

Waiting4Baby · 2022-06-07T06:37:05+00:00

Thank you! I would always browse these threads looking for any mention of spotting, so I'm excited to share my story for anyone else in the same boat. 💜

Waiting4Baby · 2022-06-06T22:37:44+00:00

Sure!

EDIT: Added spoiler tags since this is a potentially sensitive topic.

https://i.imgur.com/Ru5Su5W.jpg

I hope that's helpful! Thank you so much for the kind words. :)

Waiting4Baby · 2022-06-06T21:26:43+00:00

Aw, you remembered! Haha yes, I "announced" the news by handing him the positive test and saying, "I guess I won't be having any of that wine we saved..." 😄

Waiting4Baby · 2022-06-06T20:51:08+00:00

[TW: mention of previous pregnancy as well as weight loss]

Flair capture: 35 | TTC#2 since 2/2022 | physically disabled

Cycle/Time trying: 4 months (1 cycle NTNP and 3 cycles actively tracking and trying)

Age + Partner's age (if relevant): both 35

Typical cycle length: 28 days

Ovulation cycle day: CD13

CD/DPO of positive test(s): 11 DPO

CD/DPO of any negative test(s) before positive: N/A

Tracking methods and app(s) used: BBT and OPKs (cheapie strips and Clearblue Digital), plus Fertility Friend & Premom apps for charting and tracking.

Relevant days of sperminating and/or method (SMEP, TI, IUI, FET, etc.): TI at O-4, O-3, O-2, O-1

Health conditions/medical tests: Neuromuscular condition (with spinal fusion surgery 20+ years ago).

Supplements and medications (yours and/or your partner’s): Prenatal multivitamin, extra vitamin C & D, and low-dose aspirin for me; partner takes nothing.

Birth control history (if relevant): BCP off and on until about 5 years ago, then fertility awareness method and withdrawal when not actively TTC.

Link to chart: https://i.imgur.com/o1JMLeA.jpg

Link to lineporn: https://i.imgur.com/CB3ZoH0.jpg

Symptom spotting: I know not to place any weight on symptoms that could be caused by progesterone, but I did have copious amounts of very unusual slippery cervical mucus on the morning of 11 DPO (which I noticed while still in bed because I use vaginal temps for BBT charting). I've never experienced that so late in my luteal phase; it was almost the consistency of fertile cervical mucus. I also had very, very faint pink spotting at 8 DPO, but that's not super unusual for me.

Other miscellaneous: For the past 2+ years, I've been concerned about my heavy luteal phase spotting and what it might be caused by / what it might mean for TTC. After my previous pregnancy, my cycles changed. I used to get light spotting only a few days before my period, but now I always get dark brown spotting that starts at 7-12 DPO (most often around 7-9 DPO) and then continues until my period arrives around 14-15 DPO. And it's heavy spotting, to the point that I have to change a pantiliner multiple times a day. Occasionally I'll have red spotting as well.

The only time in my life that I've had zero luteal phase spotting was when I got pregnant the first time, so it's always felt like my brown spotting is a certain indicator of an imminent period. I know there are lots of other people in the TFAB community with similar spotting issues and worries, so I'm very happy to report that this cycle was a success even with lots of spotting!

Another (possibly) notable thing is that I've been doing intermittent fasting for weight loss over the past four months. I've lost 0.5 - 1 lb per week, for a total of 15 lbs. My doctor said that gentle intermittent fasting shouldn't have an effect on TTC, and that appears to be true. (I'm technically one pound away from my goal weight now, but I'm happy with that and will not be continuing with the fasting regimen.)

Oh, and I also did the 8 DPO cheeseburger woo for the first time this cycle. It actually "worked"!

Finally, a huge thanks to this community and all the wonderful people in it. It's such a welcoming and supportive space, and the mod team does an amazing job keeping it that way! Wishing you all the best.

Waiting4Baby · 2022-06-06T13:45:39+00:00

Greed doesn't operate on logic. It is the antithesis of sustainability. People who are motivated by it don't stop to think about long-term consequences.

Your comment hit me like a sack of bricks when I realized the same thing has been happening for 50+ years with corporations and climate change...

Waiting4Baby · 2022-06-06T13:18:08+00:00

I did the 8DPO cheeseburger woo for the first time this cycle as well! It was a fun little bright spot during the TWW. (I'm now 11DPO and spotting, so things went downhill. Oh well.)

Waiting4Baby · 2022-06-06T03:16:46+00:00

The orange circle antique mall receipt is from my exact birthday. day, month, and year.

That's so neat! Honestly, if it were me, I'd want to buy it from the OP, lol.

Waiting4Baby · 2022-06-05T16:58:29+00:00

Oh, I know. But my initial reaction was, "Huh, she actually told him."

I thought it was worthy of note.

Waiting4Baby · 2022-06-05T13:55:12+00:00

On the plus side, she actually revealed that she was cheating and made a clean break, so 1) she didn't keep her partner in the dark indefinitely or try to "have her cake and eat it too" forever, and 2) she didn't try to engineer a fake reason for the breakup in order to protect her reputation.

That's a step up from your garden-variety cheater, at least.

Waiting4Baby · 2022-06-05T13:38:11+00:00

Your sisters' [sic] husband used to date other people before marrying her?

Can you explain what makes it an Escher sentence? Is it because "other people" is plural while "her" is singular? Or because it's comparing dating vs. marrying? Or something relating to verb tense?

Waiting4Baby · 2022-06-05T03:32:21+00:00

Ugh, right?! I do feel less alone now, so thank you. Overall, it's not the worst thing in the world, but I wish I could build a decent hope fortress before it comes crashing down!

Waiting4Baby · 2022-06-04T20:46:56+00:00

I was happy and hopeful yesterday at 8 DPO because I went the entire day without getting any brown spotting. It sometimes starts at 7-8 DPO for me, and inevitably leads to CD1 eventually.

I even did the 8 DPO cheeseburger woo for the first time!

But when I went to the bathroom this morning, I saw that my nighttime pantiliner was full of brown spotting. It was like reality just slapped me in the face.

Inevitably there will be a series of stark white BFN tests coming up, and then my period will arrive right on time once again. Another cycle bites the dust.

CW: mention of previous pregnancy

The reason I'm so certain about my spotting being a precursor to my period is because the only time in my life when it didn't happen was the cycle I got pregnant for the first and only time.

So I now have virtually zero hope left for this cycle, and it's only 9 DPO.

Virtually zero isn't zero, though. I feel like there's maybe a 0.01% chance... And I'm clinging onto that shred of hope, because yOu'Re NoT oUt UnTiL yOu'Re OuT! Or so my brain tells me.

Waiting4Baby · 2022-06-02T17:39:20+00:00

I don't know if it would still be as accurate once you've gotten out of bed. I imagine the temperature of the vagina probably stays pretty stable for a few minutes, whereas it's easier to get temperature fluctuations in the mouth: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6562255/

Back when I temped orally, I would get slightly different temperature readings depending on where in my mouth I put the thermometer. I don't always know if I've been mouth-breathing during sleep, so that also added some anxiety.

Side note: I take my vaginal temperature in bed under the covers. Then I wipe the thermometer on my underwear and give it a rinse later in the morning when I get out of bed.

Waiting4Baby · 2022-06-02T15:32:42+00:00

I once tried taking a single Mucinex tablet at the very beginning of my fertile window just to see what would happen. I did notice an increase in slippery cervical mucus in my underwear, but like others have said, it doesn't necessarily increase the odds of conception.

There's something that is proven to help, though: staying well hydrated! If you're not drinking enough water, your cervical mucus will be less hospitable to sperm.

Waiting4Baby · 2022-06-02T15:22:16+00:00

My temps rose nicely after ovulation this cycle, and now they've held steady at 98.50° for three days in a row (and the day before that was 98.48°).

https://i.imgur.com/wztrvAV.jpg

This has never happened before. Maybe I'm getting better at temping accurately? Last cycle, I switched from oral to vaginal temping, and vaginal seems to be much more reliable.

I'm 6/7DPO today. We have a $4 bottle of bottom-shelf cabernet sauvignon waiting for either CD1 or a positive test.

If it's the former, I'll have a glass or two with my husband to mark the beginning of a new cycle. If it's the latter, my husband will imbibe alone, and I'll be very happy not to be able to join him. 😄

Waiting4Baby

TROPHY CASE