Pregnancy Life: First Trimester

After getting ready to try for so long, then putting my preparations into high gear and trying to conceive earlier than planned, and then trying to conceive for 10 months, I am finally pregnant and nearing the end of the first trimester!  Hopefully I will go back and have time to share more about my TTC experience at a later date, but at this point I want to focus in on my experiences of pregnancy and share what's been happening.  

Here's a quick overview of weeks 1-12 (I know gestational counting is a bit confusing, but I am counting day 0 as the first day of my last menstrual period because that's what doctor's do.  Later I'll just start saying what week I'm in - so 12 weeks will mean that I have fully finished 12 weeks gestation and am sometime between 12 and 13 weeks):

• 0-1 weeks pregnant - Finally completed the requirements for my PhD!!!  Wouldn't it be crazy if this was the month DH and I were successful at TTC?  I wonder when I'll ovulate this month...

• 1-2 weeks pregnant - What an unexpected surprise - I ovulated on time (early even)!  I guess I'll be thankful to Thanksgiving for speeding up my cycle.

• 2-3 weeks pregnant - I literally JUST finished my degree (seriously, I don't even have the diploma to prove it), do I really need to start working full time already?

• 3-4 weeks pregnant - No way?!  Positive pregnancy test at 8dpo?  I can't believe it!  Hoping the third time is the charm.  It's been 3 months since my last chemical pregnancy.  Thanks to a standing appointment at my doctor's office, I get a positive blood test at 10dpo (HCG = 40).  Progesterone looking good too (hopefully the supplements will help).

• 4-5 weeks pregnant - Still not feeling very pregnant, but the tests are actually getting darker this time and no sign of dropping temperatures.  Follow-up HCG test at 16dpo = almost 800. 

• 5-6 weeks pregnant - Christmas time!  Have a confirmatory OB appointment this week - pelvic exam looks fine, HCG up to almost 10,000, progesterone levels still holding.  Disappointing, though, because I was told I'd get my dating ultrasound at this appointment.  Oh well, I'll have it soon and we should be able to see more (maybe even the heartbeat!).  Glad I can spend the time with loved ones and still feel good eating whatever I want.  Sadly, nausea starts to kick in at the very end of this week. 

• 6-7 weeks pregnant - So nauseated, ugh, and getting worse!  Everything sounds gross to eat, but if I don't eat I feel worse.  Smells are overpowering.  DH, mom, and lil sis all come with me to my dating ultrasound at the end of this week (I keep a barf bag with me during, just in case).  There we can clearly see one little bean with a tiny heartbeat!  Baby is supposed to be the size of a cranberry now.  His or heart is beating away at 126 bpm, measuring about half a centimeter crown to rump.  Ultrasound dating puts me at 6 weeks, 3 days.  At the end of this week, I break down and ask for a prescription for nausea medicine (so far still no vomiting, despite some close calls).  Doctor's office prescribes Zofran.  There are, of course, shenanigans with insurance that delay me getting my medicine.  Even then I can only get 12 pills!  Sunday morning, I take the smallest possible dose (cutting one 4mg pill in half) and head off to church.  The nausea relief seems to last full on for 2-3 hours, then I feel a bit yucky.  But overall the day is much better than the previous.

• 7-8 weeks pregnant - I continue with a daily dose of 2mg of Zofran, which seems to definitely take the edge off of my nausea.  Some days it's still fairly unpleasant in the evening, and I still hide out in bed as much as possible (reclining and staying away from the smells of the main house seems to settle my stomach).  By this point, DH is doing all the household chores and shopping (sorry, honey!).  Our dog barely sees my face and misses his usual pets and attention.  I am very grateful this week that I'm not doing this on my own.  At the end of the week, I have a sudden reprieve from nausea and actually feel well on Sunday when I go with Lil Sis to the first practice of the adult choir I'm joining with her.  Sadly, the nausea is replaced by very intense constipation (not that things have been moving that well the past 2-3 weeks either).  Sunday evening is occupied with a trip to get some emergency stool softener (Colace) and then several unpleasant sessions on the potty.  By bedtime, the toilet is clogged and I feel a bit better, although I still sense a backlog.  Oh, the indignities of pregnancy.  The next day will require DH to shop for a better plunger :(

• 8-9 weeks pregnant - Things on the nausea and digestion front are mostly unchanged.  I keep up with my Zofran and Colace regimen and some days are better than others.  I thank my lucky stars that working from home is an option for me a couple days a week.  If I had to put on real clothes and sit at my desk every day of the week, I don't think I'd make it.  Toward the end of this week, I receive a surprise gift in the mail - a fetal heart doppler!  Naturally, I set to work right away trying to find the baby's heartbeat and at 8w3d I am able to find it after several minutes of searching.  What a joy and relief <3  It is too faint to pick up the exact rate, but I estimate that baby's heart is now beating about 160bpm.  The nausea has been a comforting sign, but it's so nice to have some additional evidence that everything is okay with the little one.  Given the unknowns about doppler safety (although they are most likely perfectly safe), DH and I decide to limit use of our home doppler to once a week for no more than 5 minutes.  Baby is now supposed to be the size of a raspberry.  

• 9-10 weeks pregnant - Nausea continues, but otherwise nothing interesting going on this week.  For a few days I think maybe the nausea is ebbing, but then toward the end of the week it hits again full force and I end up doubling my Zofran dose (2mg twice a day instead of once).  DH and I begin to evaluate the room that will become the nursery and actually clean it up a bit. 

• 10-11 weeks pregnant - I have my first real prenatal appointment this week.  Other than thinking I might throw up in the waiting room (still no actual vomiting to this point, fingers crossed), the visit goes well.  The midwife takes a good 20 minutes to answer all my questions and uses the office fetal doppler.  She finds the heartbeat quickly and measures it at 170bpm.  Still signs of just one baby.  So far I haven't gained any weight (but seems I've about regained any I lost earlier).  Hoping to continue healthy gain throughout pregnancy.  Also, blood tests reveal no concern about anemia, which is a relief.  Looks like I can continue my gummy vitamins until I feel better (which I really hope will be soon). 

• 11-12 weeks pregnant - Nausea is still going strong, but constipation is much improved by this point.  I am able to eat a variety of things now, many of which resemble healthy choices (except the Girl Scout Cookies that just came available this week!).  Still some aversions, of course, with meat being a big one (luckily I can still get my protein in by hiding it in sauces).  I don't think I'm showing yet, but I keep thinking maybe my belly is pooching a bit more than normal.  But maybe it's just my imagination.  Either way, I'm glad it's winter and I'm relying on loose pants and big sweaters to get me through.  I plan to start taking bump pictures next week so I can have a basis for comparison week to week.  Evidently baby is now the size of a lime and looks a lot like a full-sized baby. 

Please share your first trimester experiences in the comments below.  What symptoms did you have and when?  What were your must-have maternity items?  

Fertility Forums Dictionary and Usage Guide

If you have ever visited an online discussion board for women trying to get pregnant, you will see that there are apparently an incredible number of individuals spending an impossible amount of time scrutinizing every bodily symptom and agonizing over a variety of signs and omens.  Because much of the trying to conceive process involves waiting and watching, and it can be somewhat lonely especially if the people in your life don’t know what you are up to in your private time, an online community has built up around this whole experience and there are many places you can go to discuss at length any aspect of fertility, conception, and pregnancy (for example, Fertility Friend, Baby and Bump, and JustMommies among many others more specific and more general).  Although so far I have only started to explore the world of trying to conceive, there also seem to be similar communities for women who are expecting and parents with infants too. 

But if you are just exploring this online community for the first time, you might find yourself completely overwhelmed by the odd terminology and unintelligible acronyms used by this society.  Although I am a bit of a newbie to this whole world myself, I have been a lurker for a while and have picked up on most of the commonly-used jargon.  But it took a lot of searching and context clues before I could read even the most straightforward posts at first.  To help you get past that initial learning curve, below you will find a guide to the basic terms you need to know to successfully read through a post on these discussion boards/forums (as well as an introduction to some of the general online jargon you might need to know). 

Status:

• TTC = trying to conceive.  This is the process of actively attempting to achieve conception.  It usually involves more than just giving up using contraceptives and is an active process (as opposed to NTNP, see below).
• NTNP = not trying not preventing.  As opposed to TTC, this is a passive way of achieving pregnancy.  Individuals in this category have ditched contraceptives but aren’t doing anything special to try to get pregnant.  These are the people to whom the oft-quoted statistic “it can take a fertile couple up to a year to get pregnant” applies. 
• WTT = waiting to try.  These folks are planning to have kids and often have a specific date in mind to start trying to get pregnant, but for one reason or another are currently putting conception attempts on hold.  Reasons range from financial concerns to waiting for a current child to reach a certain age to waiting for a reluctant spouse to feel ready.

Sex:

• BD = baby dance.  Having sex with the hope of conceiving (see also BMS).
• DTD = do(ing) the deed.  Having sex more generally.  On fertility forums, this usually means having sex with the hope of conception but could also refer to sex when pregnancy is not at all expected/intended.
• BMS = baby making sex.  Sex intended to result in pregnancy.

Fertility Monitoring:

• O = ovulation (see also OV).  When the dominant follicle ruptures and releases an egg from one of a woman's ovaries and begins to travel down the fallopian tube.  Once ovulation occurs, the egg will only live for 12-24 hours and conception must occur during this time frame (but note that sperm from acts of intercourse that occurred up to several days before ovulation can still be alive in a woman's body and waiting to fertilize the egg once it is released).
• OV = ovulation.  Can also be used as a verb (e.g., "I OVed on CD 12).
• CD = cycle day.  The day in a given menstrual cycle, counting up from the first day of a menstrual period (which is counted as CD 1).  
• DPO = days past ovulation.  The number of days it has been in the current menstrual cycle since ovulation occurred.  This number is typically an estimate, since neither OPKs nor BBT charting can perfectly identify the day of ovulation (although a temperature shift is thought to be a fairly reliable indicator that ovulation occurred the day before). 
• Fertile window = the several days during which a woman is most likely to conceive if sperm are introduced into her body.  There is debate about the length of this window, but it certainly includes the few days before ovulation and the day of ovulation.  
• BBT = basal body temperature. Technically, this is a person's lowest body temperature at rest, although for the purposes of fertility monitoring it is really an approximation of BBT as measured after a solid block of sleep usually at the same time each morning.  For women, this temperature fluctuates depending on the presence of certain hormones in the body.  During menstruation, a woman's hormones all reach their lowest point and body temperature drops.  Just following ovulation, a woman's progesterone levels increase dramatically causing a spike in BBT that persists throughout the second half of her menstrual cycle until the next menstrual period (see also charting).   
• Charting = The practice of monitoring BBT throughout the menstrual cycle to detect ovulation and identify the fertile window.  Keeping a personal chart over the course of several months allows a woman to determine the cycle days on which she is typically fertile and can also help to identify any problems with ovulation.  Perhaps its most useful feature for women who are TTC, however, is to confirm that ovulation has occurred (following a sustained temperature shift) which indicates that additional baby making sex is no longer needed during the present cycle. 
• OPK = ovulation predictor kit.  A type of test that is intended to help women identify when they are about to ovulate.  The type most commonly referred to on discussion boards is urine-based test strips that detect high levels of luteinizing hormone, although the term may also refer on occasion to a fertility microscope (which detect a high concentration of estrogen in saliva or cervical fluid).  There are a variety of brands of these test kits, ranging in cost, and most are meant to be used for several days in a row (once or more times per day) during the estimated most fertile time of a woman's cycle.  For the urine-based tests, a woman can expect to ovulate within 12-36 hours from the time that the test becomes positive (although in some cases the LH surge may be detected but ovulation does not follow, or occurs after a second surge some days later).  A positive test is most commonly indicated by a test line that becomes as dark as the control line after exposure to the woman's urine, although some tests indicate a positive result in other ways (e.g., smiley face).  For fertility microscopes, a positive test (indicated by a ferning pattern observed in the dried saliva or cervical fluid) indicates an increased level of estrogen in the body which is a symptom of approaching ovulation.  However, there is more variance on this type of test between the time of the positive result and the time of ovulation.  Some women can see a positive test up to 5-6 days before ovulation while others never see a positive result.  Use over repeated cycles may be required for a woman to accurately predict the relationship between a positive result and her ovulation using a fertility microscope.
• LH surge = luteinizing hormone surge.  A rapid increase in the hormone that triggers ovulation, which is itself first initiated by a substantial increase in levels of estrogen.  Most OPKs are designed to help detect this surge, which may last between 4 and 48 hours.  Women with a very brief LH surge may have a difficult time detecting the LH surge using OPKs.
• POAS = pee on a stick.  The act of taking a urine-based fertility or pregnancy test.  The same term applies even if the specific test involves dipping a strip in urine rather than peeing directly on it.  The acronym is versatile and can be used to indicate any verb tense (e.g. "I POAS last week and got a BFN" or "You should definitely POAS first thing tomorrow!").  See also, POAS addict.
• POAS addict = someone who is obsessed with taking urine-based tests.  Rather than being frustrated by a string of negative or ambiguous test results, this type of person loves the additional data provided by each OPK or pregnancy test.  A POAS addict will often take multiple inexpensive tests in a single day, and will almost certainly start testing for pregnancy well before a positive result is likely.  The term is typically only used self-referentially (e.g., "Since I started using OPKs, I've become a total POAS addict"), as the neurotic tendencies implied by the term could potentially be offensive if used to describe another person.
• AF = aunt flow.  Monthly menstrual period or, in some cases, the withdrawal bleed that occurs during the placebo week while taking hormonal contraceptives.  Women who are TTC dread the appearance of AF and spend a considerable amount of time analyzing potential symptoms of its approach, including temperature changes, PMS symptoms, and cramps (although many premenstrual symptoms can also be early pregnancy symptoms). 
• ICs = internet cheapies (e.g., Wondfo).  OPKs or pregnancy tests that can only be purchased online and are typically quite inexpensive compared to store-bought tests.  This type of test is usually purchased in large quantities (25-100 per pack) and are much more utilitarian-looking than the more heavily-marketed tests.  Although they do not offer any smiley faces to indicate a positive result and may be more error-prone, these tests are typically quite accurate and are also economical.  Additionally, their small size (usually just a few inches long and a quarter inch wide or less) and plain design make them much more discrete than the familiar test brands.  They are especially preferred by POAS addicts. 
• PCOS = polycistic ovary syndrome.  A medical problem affecting as many as 10% of women that causes ovarian cysts, infrequent ovulation, and irregular menstrual periods.  Women with PCOS may find it much more difficult to conceive because they ovulate less frequently and at less predictable intervals.  There seems to be a large community of PCOS sufferers on the fertility message boards who provide mutual support and encouragement. 

Pregnancy:

• TWW = two week wait.  The two weeks after ovulation before a pregnancy test is expected to be positive if conception did occur.  Women appear to spend the most time on fertility forums during this portion of their cycle (presumably before that they were occupied with BDing at every opportunity).  Popular activities during the TWW include debating the probability of conception this month and asking the community to scrutinize possible pregnancy symptoms, BBT charts, and various test results.  The consensus is that this is the most agonize part of the TTC process.  Although the term refers to a two week time span, many women on fertility discussion boards don't actually wait two weeks before testing.  Some test as early as 6 days after ovulation and are usually disappointed, while others wait until 10 DPO (the first date on which many early detection tests are somewhat successful at detecting pregnancy). 
• HPT = home pregnancy test.  Any kind of test that can be used at home by a woman to determine pregnancy, including familiar brands such as Clear Blue as well as internet cheapies.  These tests function like urine-based OPKs, but instead detect the presence of a hormone called hCG.  Because hCG is only present in the body in tiny amounts in a non-pregnant woman, any visible test line indicates pregnancy on an HPT (unlike OPKs which require a test line that it is as dark as the control line to be considered a positive result).  Although not designed for this purpose, some women also use urine-based OPK tests to detect pregnancy, because evidently hCG and LH are chemically quite similar.  Note that the relationship does not go the other way, however--pregnancy tests cannot be used to detect the LH surge.
• BFP = big fat positive (see also, BFN below).  A positive pregnancy test result (whether by HPT or blood test conducted by a medical professional). 
• BFN = big fat negative.  A negative pregnancy test result--an outcome most feared by women who are TTC.
• Squinter = a positive pregnancy test result that is so faint it can only be seen by squinting or holding the test in a certain light or at a specific angle.  Often what is hoped to be a squinter is later revealed to be an evap line instead (see below).  Positive pregnancy test results that happen very early in terms of days after ovulation are often this type of result (followed by a stronger positive some time later that confirms it was not an evap instead). 
• Evap (line) = a visible test line on a pregnancy test that does not indicate pregnancy and happens when the test line becomes more visible or colors slightly as the liquid evaporates.  An evap line is more likely to appear on a test that is scrutinized after the time span the test instructions allow (e.g., the instructions say to read the results after 5 minutes, but the evap line is only visible after 20 minutes).  Unfortunately, both a squinter and an evap line can appear after the allowable test time.
• Chemical pregnancy = a pregnancy that results in a positive pregnancy test but is miscarried very early, usually around the time of the next expected menstrual period.  Accurate early pregnancy tests have only recently made it possible for chemical pregnancies to be detected.  In the past, almost all chemical pregnancies occurred without a woman's knowledge.  Although they are not unusual, recurrent chemical pregnancies could indicate a medical problem such as a hormonal imbalance, nutrient deficiency, or luteal phase defect. 
• Angel baby = most commonly, an embryo that was miscarried very shortly after implantation.  Presumably the term has a religious origin, referring to a soul that was brought into being and then immediately called up to heaven.  This is a term for the fertilized ovum that results from a chemical pregnancy (see above).

General:

• OP = original poster.  The person who initiated a discussion topic on the message board.  Used as a way to refer to the person who posted the question or topic without knowing his or her name. 
• PP = previous poster.  A person who posted on the message board before the current poster (often the person who posted most recently).  
• DH = dear husband.  Refers to the writer's husband.  This is general message board jargon.  The term (and others like it, see DD and DS below) allows posters to use an anonymous placeholder instead of the individual's name while also indicating that person's relationship to the poster.  Some prefer to use initials or nicknames instead of the generic DH.    
• DD = dear daughter.  See DH above.  Can also be modified to refer to multiple daughters.  In this case, DD1 would refer to the first born daughter, DD2 to the second, etc.
• DS = dear son.  See DH and DD above.

Miscellaneous:

• OCs = oral contraceptives.  Methods of pregnancy prevention that involve taking hormone pills by mouth (e.g., The Pill).  Many women on fertility forums have recently stopped using OCs and are now trying to get pregnant. 
• Baby dust = a blessing and a common valediction or signoff.  Baby dust is the presumed mystical substance that is present in the atmosphere when a woman is able to conceive (conceptually similar to Tinkerbell's pixie dust, which grants magical abilities).  Often accompanied by the adjective "sticky", which indicates that the baby dust in question is particularly potent (e.g. "Wishing you all lots of sticky baby dust this month!").  The term can be applied prior to conception attempts (that is, before ovulation in a given month) or after during the two week wait or just prior to taking a pregnancy test (apparently baby dust's magical properties allow it to defy the natural conception timeline).  Wishing someone baby dust is the fertility forum equivalent of saying "Good luck".  The writer may also wish baby dust upon herself, as long as others are included in the blessing as well. 

There are so many terms out there and they vary from board to board so no one person can know them all.  What popular fertility forum slang am I missing?  Do you have any corrections or updates? Please share a comment below and I will add to my list as needed.   

P.S., This is what I'm doing during my first TWW.  Wishing sticky baby dust to all who read this post (but if you don't want it, feel free to send it someone else's way)!

Countdown to TTC: Week 44

Planning with Pinterest!

  

The past couple of weeks have been extremely busy for me, so this past week I decided to tackle a goal that was more fun than challenging.  I started a secret Pinterest board to keep track of all of my baby-related findings.  In addition to my public Pinterest account, I wanted a page where I could keep track of my personal baby research, like links to pages of nurse midwives in my area, hospitals where I could give birth, or play groups in cities I might live in when I have little ones.  I decided to keep it private because (1) my level of obsession with this topic is a bit embarrassing given that I'm not even TTC yet, and (2) I once posted a few baby-related pins in a row on my public page and was instantly being interrogated by my social network.  As much as I enjoy sharing this weekly journey with you, I don't want my family and friends to be confused about my status. 

Secret or not, I love spending my free time researching these kinds of topics and imagining what the future might hold, but often I forget what I discovered as soon as I close all the tabs on my web browser and then I end up looking the same things up all over again (or, even worse, forgetting about a gem that I found).  But surely that is the purpose of a site like Pinterest?  Even though I keep lots of tabs open on my computer, I can never have every page I am interested in easily accessible until the time when I need it.  Invariably the moment I give up and close that recipe I had open for two weeks is the time I finally have a chance to try it.  And planning for a pregnancy that's at least 10 months in the future, I really need to be able to store up the information I find for a later date.  I have also created a Word document to track some information, like my thoughts and ideas, and a folder where I can store published research articles about topics like childbirth, since unfortunately those types of materials rarely have any pictures and as a result Pinterest won't even let me store them.  

Ultimately, this week's goal wasn't so much of a challenge as an opportunity to acknowledge that TTC is really approaching.  It's important to get my mind and body in a good place, but I also need to keep the end goal in mind and maintain my motivation to make positive changes in my life.  The day DH and I decided to start trying is now less than 300 days away!  Until then, I want to continue to enjoy this time of anticipation and preparation.  Different people have their own ways of savoring the moment, but for me one of the keys is getting to imagine and mull over every detail, even if it's just a private activity on my secret Pinterest board.   

What about you?  What's your favorite way to stay motivated to get healthy and prepared, or just to keep up your excitement for a pregnancy or baby that's still a long way away?  Do you keep a secret Pinterest board or is your baby mania out there for all to see?  

For more in this countdown series, see last week's challenge about Proper Posture. 

Countdown to TTC: Week 51

Hydrate Like a Pregnant Lady

Last week I prepared for conception (now in the not-so-distant future) by getting ready spiritually.  While I am continuing to read and pray, I also wanted to start doing something to get my body ready for the process.  I'm always hearing that the most physically demanding thing most women ever do is go through pregnancy and childbirth, and I definitely wouldn't say I'm in the best shape for such a marathon right now.  I have been on a journey for some time to eat healthier and get fit, but the actual weight loss and muscle gain associated with those changes have been minimal.  Now that I have a target date and a specific fitness challenge to prepare for, I am hoping to make some slow but positive change in the next 51 weeks.  When I go to the doctor for a preconception checkup, I want to be able to report that I've been doing everything I can to prepare for a healthy pregnancy.  

However, overhauling my life all at once seems like a stressful way to approach the situation.  I am starting early, so why not take things a step at a time, starting with something easy?  

The first "easy" task that came to mind was hydration.  It's simple, it's easily measurable, and it's important.  Plus, fluid intake needs increase significantly during pregnancy and low amniotic fluid is a common reason for term inductions.  I recently saw several episodes of A Baby Story and Baby's First Day on TLC in which women were induced at term for low amniotic fluid--a situation I'd like to avoid.  Admittedly, these inductions may not be necessary (see this great article on Science & Sensibility on the topic for more info), but it's also possible to reduce the risk of getting a diagnosis of low amniotic fluid in the first place by staying well-hydrated.  But apparently staying well-hydrated at term means drinking 2.5 liters (that's nearly 11 cups) of water per day!  So getting used to drinking plenty of water before getting pregnant seemed like a good idea.

Following that thought process, I set a goal for this week of drinking 8 glasses (64 oz) of water a day.  I am already a SparkPeople member, so tracking my water intake is as simple as clicking on an arrow each time I finish another cup.  Unfortunately, it turns out actually drinking that much water isn't as easy as I thought it would be.

I'm currently only on day 3 of this challenge, and so far I haven't met my goal.  Turns out I like to drink 5-6 glasses a day and anything more than that feels unpleasant.  It's not my ideal to have to pee every 30 minutes for half of the evening either (because I am trying to make up for not drinking during the day).  I'm sure I used to drink a lot more without issue at one time, but I have gotten into bad habits in the years since I went off to college and no longer had a ready supply of cool, filtered water and ice.  But I think by the end of the week I'll have achieved my 8 glasses a day and figured out some strategies to make it less challenging.  And I guess eventually one's body must become used to the better hydration and keep some of it in longer!  Here's what I've tried so far:

1. Buy a water bottle that keeps liquid cold for a long time and doesn't sweat.  I decided to go with the Trudeau Cool Off 24-Ounce Hydration Bottle because it is fairly affordable, has air insulation that prevents sweating, includes a straw so it doesn't spill all over you when you drink out of it but can still be closed, and comes in a cute pink color.  I drink a lot more using this than I do with smaller bottles, even though it is a bit large for carrying around.  And the fact that the water stays cold really helps. 
2. Figure out a good way to track your intake.  You think you will know how much you are drinking, but I found that method leads to extreme overestimation on my part.  The water bottle I got holds exactly 3 cups of liquid, so that way I know if I drink all of it and fill it 3 times during the day, I have exceeded my goal.  I also recommend using a ticker or counter throughout the day so you don't start fudging the numbers come evening.  As I said earlier, I like the one on the SparkPeople nutrition tracker.
3. Distribute your consumption throughout the day!  This is my main problem--I think I am drinking at work but I get distracted and then realize I have only had one cup of water in 5 hours.  If you are then determined to make up for it the rest of the day, you will find yourself in the same bladder-busting situation I did.  

What about you?  Do you have any suggestions on how to drink more water?  Any pregnancy stories about hydration?   What do you think I should do in the next 50 weeks to prepare for conception?

Countdown to TTC: 52 Weeks of Preparation

Week 52:  Pray Like a Mom

I am still planning to post the remainder of my Countdown to TTC Checklists, but a more pressing issue has inspired me to start writing another series.  DH and I are finally ready to start trying to conceive...one year from now!  Although we've always wanted a family and just celebrated our 3-year wedding anniversary, the timing just hasn't been right.  We are both graduate students on an uncertain completion timeline.  But it looks almost definite that DH will be finished within the next 2 years (maybe in only a year) and I am confident I can wrap up by then as well if I have a sufficient incentive (like a massive baby belly and a fierce desire to stay home with my newborn). That means a TTC start date one year from now would allow us to get pregnant no sooner than both of us should be wrapping up our studies--and because of the academic job market we would already know about DH's job by then too.  On the other hand, we are well aware that things don't always work out like we plan and we want to trust God for His timing, so we are approaching this decision prayerfully.

By now it is probably clear that I like to approach challenges with organization and thoughtful preparation, and this one is no different.  I downloaded my countdown clock which is ticking away in the corner of my computer right now (check out TimeLeft if you want to start your own -- the first countdown is free)  and now I am ready to start preparing for whatever God and my body have in store.

At first I struggled with what to do my first week, since it would set the tone for the rest of the year.  Should I do something easy, to smooth the way and make me feel capable of seeing through the other 51 weeks?  Should I go with something health-related since one of my biggest goals is preparing for a healthy pregnancy with minimal complications?  Then I realized that of course the first thing I should do, really any time I am preparing for such a big life change, is pray!  I want these habits I take on each week to extend throughout TTC and pregnancy, and being prayerful and connected with God should be first and foremost among those.  Everything about becoming a parent can be scary and stressful, but if I am getting my strength from my Creator, the one who formed me in the womb, I know I will have peace and assurance throughout the process.

So, this week I combed the Old and New Testaments for verses about conception, birth, parenthood, children, and God's sovereignty over them all.  I am planning to read at least one verse every day for the next year and meditate on it, as well as praying for God's guidance.  Below are some of the verses I found that most spoke to me: 

God, the Creator:  As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother's womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.  --Ecclesiastes 11:5 

God's Timing:  Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust Him, and He will help you. Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for Him to act.  --Psalms 37:5,7 

Infertility:   He settles the barren woman in her home as a happy mother of children. Praise the Lord.  --Psalms 113:9 

Preconception Health:  And the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, “Behold, you are barren and have not borne children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. Therefore be careful and drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, for behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. No razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines.”  --Judges 13: 3-7 

In the Womb:  For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.  --Psalms 139:13-16 

Childbirth:  A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; But as soon as she has given birth, she no longer remembers the anguish, For joy that a child has been born into the world.  --John 16:21 

Parental Instruction: Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.  --Deuteronomy 11:18-19

 
What about you?  Do you have any favorite inspirational words for prospective mommies and daddies?  What are you or did you do as you counted down to trying to conceive?  What do you think I should do in the next 51 weeks?