This isn’t my first baby-making rodeo, but I sure do have a lot of thoughts about it. Frequently I question how much of our journey I should be sharing, yet, I overshare in many areas of my life. So why not let others get a glimpse at my thoughts and feelings about trying to get pregnant? Here’s a look at the top ten things that have gone through my head a few times since we started trying for Baby No. 3:
1. Should we have due-date blackout dates? Instead of preventing travel, it’d prevent getting busy without proper precautions in order to keep the kids’ birthdays from overlapping too much. We’ve tossed this idea around, but haven’t put it into effect.
2. We need to do it tonight—how am I going to stay awake? Sometimes we have good intentions before crawling into bed, but then one or both of us falls asleep too fast. Thank goodness my husband thought to set an alarm for the middle of the night just for such an occasion.
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3. I love how my husband looks forward to “green week.” I really do, because I look forward to more frequent baby-making sessions during my fertile week too!
4. Does having sex at 2 a.m. count as in the evening or in the morning? Some say that the time of day can affect fertility and whether or not you’ll have a boy or girl. My app even lets me specify if we did the deed in the morning or night. I usually count it as “evening” even though it technically is not. As long as I’m consistent, right?
5. Is it too early to start making a list of baby names? It feels like it is, but I can’t help but make special note of a few favorites.
6. I’m glad I have a friend I can easily chat about all things baby-making with, even cervical mucus. Every woman benefits from having supportive people in their life. I didn’t really have anyone to confide in (besides my husband and my parents) when we struggled to conceive our first. It’s nice having a good friend I can talk with throughout this journey.
7. How exactly does my fertility necklace work? Should I wear it while I have sex or just during the day? I try to wear it everyday and am often fiddling with it, but I can’t help but wonder sometimes if there’s more to it.
8. Everything is just wrong. The timing. My sanity. My body signals. My data. What am I doing? Mom guilt and second-guessing myself can get rough when emotions are running high. The thoughts are jumbled and not always rational, but always emotionally charged.
9. Do I need a new thermometer or “fertility enhancing” supplements? Thoughts related to how to “fix” myself occur the most after a negative pregnancy test. It’s hard to trust in my body when I feel like I have little to no control over what it’s doing.
10. Yay, another pregnancy announcement! *Sob* Complex feelings of happiness mixed with sadness surface now and again when I see pregnancy announcements on social media. I’m always happy for them, just wishing and wondering when I’ll have my own announcement to share.
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An honorary mention must go to the thoughts that go through my head when RSVPing to an event. There have been a couple "moms' night out" events that I was unsure of committing to because I could be pregnant then, but wouldn’t know before attending. Although they involved wine, I decided I can’t put my life on hold just because I’m trying to conceive. I can go and pass on the booze rather than regret not attending.
What thoughts run through your head when trying to get pregnant?
Image via Flickr/Cedric Lange
