Beginners guide to TTC

Having made the decision, if you're like me, you're probably thinking...where do I start?

Basic ingredients:

• A loving partner
• Lots of sex (preferably good quality sex)
• A good helping of patience (this recipe may take a while to cook)
• Healthy body
• Healthy lifestyle
• Sensible support network (note: frenemies do not count!)

A Loving Partner:

The Bear (my OH) can wind me up something chronic! But he's also my best friend and a good guy. We think alike so that makes life easy. This journey can test a relationship, so be sure to have someone who's a team player on your side.


Lots of sex
Nuff said!


Patience
If you've spent most of your adult life avoiding pregnancy, it can be a shock to realise how long it takes. Expect to try for up to a year if you're under 35 and six months if you're over 35. If you're not pregnant within that timeframe, time to chat with your GP.

NHS Choices - Fertility info



Healthy Body & Lifestyle
Lots of common sense really. if you smoke - now's the time to stop, it'll only be harder once pregnant. if OH smokes, quitting will improve his sperm.
Couch potato? Start introducing some movement into your life.
Coffee addict - cut down to one per day , decaff or stop.
Junk food addict - enjoy your treats but introduce a variety of fresh foods where you can.
Supplements can also help - make sure they're specific to pregnancy or conception.

Support network

Shameless plug: Babycentre.co.uk is a great resource, with information, tips, articles, and a very active on-line network for every stage from TTC to parenting.
Tip - choose a username you are happy to be seen publicly and will last throughout your journey, as you can't amend it. i.e. trying for number 1 will look silly once you've 3 year old twins!

I have chosen not to tell friends and family, as it's too much pressure. Once we got pregnant I'll announce it!

So, that's the basic stuff....time to start baby making!

Mechanical?!

I should be sleeping.... Well, I should be doing many things. At least that's what I've told myself. Like all 'good girls' I've got my list of 'shoulds....'

 Top of the list at the moment is 'I should be able to make a baby with relative ease....' Daft. And painful.

 It's our first month TTC and if I'm honest I secretly hoped for a BFP, but rationalised the odds were unlikely.

 One day late, the mother of all headaches, a bloated gut, much boob prodding, a bout of the trots followed by constipation, daily Pregnacare tablets, several -ive HPTs, many hours spent squinting at said HPTs, ordering a dozen HPTs off eBay and a bit of research into soy isoflavens (why does it sound like a vegan sports drink?)......

and nada. zip. zilch.

So as any anally retentive woman like me would do...I got myself a plan...of sorts. it basically involves using pre seed and trying the SMEP.

Spoke with Mr and he was up for the SMEP. His response was "Oh, sounds good so we basically have lots of sex then ?" Then he got all gropey as they tend to do.

Where I went wrong was getting all angsty about it and going into detail about the SMEP....Information overload.

Mr looked a bit put out....

"Hmmm" he goes. Yep that's right "hmmmm" which is never a good thing coming out of my Mr's gob, as it means he;s been caught and is thinking up a story like a naughty school boy or is unahppy.

Me: "What's 'hmmm' for?" eyebrows raised as though to say ' I DARE you to annoy me right now....go on"

Never one to turn down a non verbal dare Mr says

"Well we don't want it to get too mechanical now do we"

Too mechanical.

Too mechanical!

Great. 

'So you're worried that sex with me will be like having sex with Metal Mickey or a combine harvester? Cheers hon(!)' 

We're only four weeks into this malarky....what if we're still trying a year down the line...will he be bored of sex with me?! Hearing him use the word mechanical to describe (albeit future) sex with me was more than a little heartbreaking....

The funny thing is I can't even put him on rations....grrr! 

Ah well..... maybe I need to add another 'should' to the list....

I should chill out......

Fingers crossed!