Hello everyone! I was hoping to share some hope and joy, as I have been reading these stories and they have helped me stay positive along the way. Here are my pregnancy experiences!
Summer-fall of 2013 my husband and I were using a ladycomp fertility computer as a means for natural family planning. We were not ready to conceive and we were in fact trying to use it as birth control. We were following the ladycomp’s prompts of red, yellow or green days of when to or not to make love (I wasn’t tracking any other ovulation signs). After using it for 6 months with fairly normal cycles. I randomly ovulated late and we created our son! My first sign was a missed period. Took a cheap pregnancy test, and it was negative. After 15 dpo of high temps and no period, the ladycomp started flashing telling me I was pregnant. Got excited and tested with another cheap test. Big ol’ negative! Finally at 18dpo the ladycomp was still flashing at me every morning. I did a little googling about false negatives and went into town to buy a first response test. After 2 minutes of squeezing and praying, I opened my eyes and was blown away by seeing my first faint positive!! I actually rubbed my eyes and gazed down at it a second time. Had to wait for my husband to get out of camp to tell him and he was over the moon!
Then half a week later, I had a major bleed and went for an emergency ultra sound and blood work. Based on my period the doctors thought I was 8 weeks along. Based on the findings of the tests, they assumed our son was 4 weeks along. So naturally they sent the crying, bleeding, pregnant woman home alone and told her she must have miscarried at 4 weeks. I was told to go home and rest and let nature take it’s course. This heavy, red, and textured bleed only lasted half a day. A couple days later I kept seeing darker and darker lines on the home HGC tests. I went in for more blood work, and oh hey sorry! The doctors were wrong, we don’t know why you were bleeding but you and your baby are growing, healthy and fine! Yeeash! What a scare. Needless to say, I then started with community midwifery care instead. At 12 weeks, we had another huge bleed, which turned out to be placental abruption. Terrifying. I literally got up from my chair in the emergency room and dumped bright red blood on the floor. They did an internal exam and an ultrasound and didn’t feel the baby was at risk. The abruption was small and healed itself. We then went on to have a full term pregnancy with a natural, home birth. Our son is now 21 months, still nursing and honestly one of the coolest people I know.
Which brings me to my next tale! Our son is an avid boob goblin; so my cycle did not return until he was 19 months old. We nurse on demand, practiced baby led weaning and co-sleep. After his first birthday my husband and I started dreaming of expanding our family. With no period and no ovulation… We had lots of fun practicing ;) but sort of both knew we were not ready to make a baby. I talked with my former doula, who is also a herbalist, about what my options where for getting my cycle back. She suggested Shatavari root. It regulates your cycle, encourages healthy eggs and ovulation AND increases breast milk! Hallelujah! After 3 weeks of taking it in my tea, I ovulated! One week later, I got my first postpartum period. I had three irregular cycles with short, 7 day luteal phases. This 3rd cycle of actively trying and tracking EVERYTHING... I was like f*ck it! I am ready to garden. I detected ovulation, and we made love a couple days in and around it. I didn’t take it easy in the two week wait AT ALL! I went hard planting trees, grubbing trenches, carrying water and giant flag stones. I wonder if all the strenuous exercise helped! Ha! I also did not orgasm at ovulation when we made love. My husband did, I put my legs in the air for 10 minutes, then I orgasmed after, while laying on my back. This cycle I ovulated pretty normally (CD 17) and by CD 26 I got a positive pregnancy test!!! What?! 9dpo?! That is like half as many days post ovulation than with my son! I had no signs or symptoms other than no pms symptoms. I was expecting my period at 7dpo, so I took an internet easy@home pregnancy strip. Came back negative. Then I had a little temp dip on 8dpo. On 9dpo while my son was napping, I thought what the heck, I will try another strip. I went and did some chores and when I picked it back up I was thinking ‘ wouldn’t it be neat if I saw a faint line’ I was frozen with shock! The test line was fainter than the control line but definitely undeniable and easily seen in an instant! I tested again that night and the next morning and the lines are getting darker! I took a first response, still a positive but it is actually more faint than the internet cheapies. I wrote my husband a little card and taped a poppyseed inside (the size of a 4wk unborn baby). It said something like ‘Hi Dad, can’t wait to meet you in December of 2016! Love- your second child” He was so excited! I am 3 weeks and a couple days right now and have contacted the midwife for an appointment! I will attach my chart below. Wheeew!
I hope these experience make you feel hopefully and help fill the two week wait. I know your pain of wanting to be fertile but having to wait for your body to be ready. Please know your family's day will come! Just enjoy the journey of loving your partner and the baby magic will do the rest! <3