Thursday 31 July 2008

The 2WW Pic n' Mix

So here it is, my latest pic n' mix I feel is suitable for my 2WW.



The first is a Nettle tea. It is rich in iron and calcium and is an essential source of folic acid that is essential in early pregnancy. My iron levels were low when I concieved my son, so I want to make sure I get a good healthy start with this pregnancy! ( I know I do not know if I am pregnancy yet, but I am not taking any chances just in case! hehe) I let this soak all day in a cup and drink it before I go to bed.
The second is Red Raspberry Leaf (RRL) tea. This helps to keep your uterus toned and healthy. It is also high in iron. I am having it as a tea, a cup every few days as it will be lower potency than the capsules I was taking.
The third is a multi-omega. It is a 'vegan' suitable omega pill made from buckthorn oil that is high in omega 3,6,9, and 7! Omegas are great for a growing baby in utero. They help to build up the brain, form the retinas, and devlop the nervous system! Much needed for any little healthy baby einstein :p hehe I take three a day.
The fourth is my prenatal pill. A multi-vitamin and mineral suitable for pregnancy and breastfeeding. No 'real' reason why I have chosen the Sanatogen brand, but it is the same 'pronatal' pills I took when I was pregnant with my son. I take one a day every morning.
The fifth is Chlorophyll! Chinese Chlorella to be exact. This is also great for upping those iron levels! (I take three a day of 500mg) Most chlorophyll suppliments you can buy are derived from alfalfa. I will be trying different types of chlorophyll suppliments as my pregnancy goes on - so stay tuned! hehe
The sixth is my regular Vitamin E tablet - one a day. Great for my skin, babies skin and just a great all around vitamin suitable for mostly anyone! :)

You may notice that I am no longer taking the Evening Primrose Oil (EPO). This is because, whilst EPO is great for your fertility, it causes cramping of the uterus. This cramping could prevent implanting of the egg (which happens 7-10 days after you ovulate - if it has been fertelised! ;))...which of course is not desired! I may or may not take up the EPO further along in my pregnancy (as it is also great for softening your cervix making labouring easier, smoother, and slightly more effective I guess!) - I am yet uncertain how this would affect my uterin scar tissue. Avoiding a uterin rupture (UR) is top on my list when it comes to my HBAC!

My 2WW!

It is here it is here! - My official first two week wait (2WW!)! My temp spiked this morning meaning that I have indeed ovulated. I have decided, if all goes to plan, that I will test on the 15th of August. That is when my period 'should' be due - hopefully it will stay away! - I want my BFP!
This morning I felt like 'omg - what have we done?!' ...but now that the evening is here I am feeling really excited an anxious about it!...Which is a good sign because it's usually the other way around, that is...towards the evening I start to doubt myself about things. I am not doubting this at all now. I can't wait to add another member to our family! :D

2WW!

Tuesday 29 July 2008

Due to O' any day now!


We are DTD like crazy! - Thats 'doing the deed' *wink wink...hehe... I am due to ovulate any day now. Here are our fingers crossed for an egg that gets well fertelised and sticks like it has never stuck before...bring on my BFP!
DH just got home with my next batch of pic n' mix which I will start right after I O' in hopes that I am not jumping too fast and that is the start of my first trimester!

Thursday 17 July 2008

My current thoughts and feelings

Today was the last day of my period. I am having a lot of thoughts and feelings about concieving and bringing another little life into the world...as I guess anyone in my position would!
Sometimes I feel excited and in love at the prospect. In love is the best way to describe it. I feel in love with my family and more in love with my son than ever. It's strange to think that bringing a life into the world, whom I will love with all of my heart, causes me to love my son even more - to fall in love with him all over again. A year ago, I used to worry about loving more than one child. I used to wonder how I could do that and if I would have enough love for more than one. I know this is a normal thought and worry when talking about this with other parents who have more than one child. I see now that this is more than possible though. I feel now that your love just grows as your family grows and it just gets stronger everyday. I have no worries or doubts at all about loving another child. I feel I will have more than enough love to go around!
But then sometimes, usually by the end of the day, I get scared and sad. I think I feel a sort of loss. This sadness I think is because there will be a loss - but not a bad one, so to speak. It will sort of be like ending a book. My son and I will be ending a chapter in our lives, but we will be starting a new one. So it's not the end...I guess it's just another begining...which is what is sort of scary as well. But if we don't take chances, then I guess we will never know what the ending for us will be like when we get there and we could end up spending the rest of our lives wondering and just being afraid.
I know deep down we are ready. Ready as we will ever be. From here on out we are open to the possibility. I knew I was ready when the thought of an 'accident' did not 'freak' me out anymore. Creating another child, creating a sibling for my son has been well worth the wait and if it takes longer than planned, it will still be worth it. I am just glad that I have waited. It won't be a terribly large age gap - but I think it will be just perfect for our family. Not too large and yet not too small.
Today my son was playing with a baby doll at Cafe Club (we go to every Thursday - a two hour playgroup with lunch for both of us for only £2!) - he was putting it in the toy baby bath and washing it. It was lovely to watch. I don't know how many times I got choked up today...too many to count.

My love is still growing.

Friday 11 July 2008

AF has arrived!

This is the first day of my last period before actively TTC!!! I am so excited. In just a few weeks we can really start DTD in hopes to catch that next eggy of mine. I predict I will ovulate around the second of August though at the moment, FF has that prediction a bit different. You can see my current chart here.
Hopefully this will be my last period for the rest of the year!
And because hopefully I can start taking month by month pictures of my ever growing belly - here are my last belly pictures before TTC!

Wednesday 9 July 2008

Pre-Preg/TTC Pic n' Mix

To help prepare my body and health for pregnancy I am taking a few things.



The first is a herbal drink for detoxing the body. It consists of Nettle, hibiscus and dandelion root. I leave it to sit during the day so its a nice strong tea which I drink before bedtime.
The second is a prenatal multivitamin and mineral. It is recommended that you take this up to three months before actively TTC, especially as it has the extra folic acid in it a pregnant woman would need.
The third is EPO. I have already explained what this is for in a previous post - but here it is again in case you missed it. I take this once a day as it is high strength - as you can tell by its size! hehe
The fourth is RRL. Same as above. I take this three to four times a day.
And the fifth is vitamin E. This is for my skin more than anything, but it certainly would not hurt to take it in pregnancy! Sometimes I also take a vitamin B5 (not pictured) for my skin as well as it can get rather oily which is what causes my breakouts and blackheads so the B5 really helps with preventing those nasties.

I will be changing up my 'Pic n' Mix' throughout pregnancy so keep an eye on those titled threads! hehe

Monday 7 July 2008

My Fertility Chart

This is my fertilty chart that I have been keeping on 'Fertility Friend'. It is usually pretty accurate as I have quite regular cycles. My cycles seem to be about 35 days long - where I tend to ovulate on day 24. I have been taking EPO though (evening primrose oil) for the last few cycles and I have noticed that I am more fertile for longer (before I ovulate) and I think my LP (luteal phase - DPO/Days past ovulation) is getting longer. Which is all in good favour for concieving of course!
I am due to start my period for tomorrow, but I think it is a few days off - its all adjusting of course as it really does take it day by day. We shall see!... The start of my period is the start of my next cycle and that is the cycle we will start to TTC - I can not wait...it is so near!

Sunday 6 July 2008

Meet your Brother


This is Duncan - Your Brother. He was born the 19th September 2005 at 15:55 by C-Section weighing 10lbs 4.5oz at 57cm long! Hes a sensitive, cheeky, fun loving little boy with such a big heart. Hopefully he will welcome you to the family with loving arms when that time comes. I love him to bits - I hope you will too!

Painting

Because you should not really paint whilst you are pregnant, I decided to get it out of the way now. Most woman experience 'nesting' when they are in their late stages of pregnancy but I experience it anytime I think about having a baby - a second child.
I will be keeping a written diary of our journey through TTC and Pregnancy as well as posting on this blog. I have one entry in my diary so far - so this blog entry is just a catch-up entry: ~20th June 2008 ~
Today is Friday. I decided to start a 'Pregnancy Diary'. This is because today I started painting our bedroom - a lovely soft green colou by 'Dulux' called 'Soft Apple' (in matt of course). So I will be writing this diary to you - our future second child who will one day be a part of this family and when you are, you will have me - your mummy and your Daddy as well, and most important of all - your brother Duncan who was born a few years ago on the 19th September 2005. I am looking foward to our journey together!

A Sibling for you!

We have decided to add another member to our family - completing the Harrison family. Our family currently consists of Me - Wife to David - Father to our son Duncan who will one day be the Brother to you, his future Sibling.
Deciding to add another member to our family was easy - I knew since my son was only a few months old that he would not be an only child. But deciding when to add another member to our family was not easy. You see, when you already have one child, you need to consider them into the equation before deciding to add another.
We have decided to start trying for another child the next time I ovulate - accord to Fertility Friend (which I use to help me track my fertility), I am expecting the little eggy on the 31st of July. If I fall pregnant right away, that will be nearly a four year age gap - perfect for our family I feel, as it is not too big and not too small. Not long to go now! Could it be you?

Welcome to our blog - A first post

Welcome to our new blog. You can visit our family blog here - the everyday happenings and pith of Harrison life.
But this blog will be more specifically about our journey through TTC, pregnancy and birth - about completing our family whilst we welcome a new member into it, providing for our son Duncan (19/09/05) a sibling.
Welcome to the journey!