Unfolding Dreams

Pregnancy can present a few challenges with taking vitamins. You might have been an expert pill taker in the day, but taking your prenatal vitamins might be less desirable now for some of the following reasons: swallowing those horse-size pills (that may or may not get stuck in your throat), the unpleasant smell of a fishy DHA or the increase of nausea if you take them on an empty stomach. I've heard that iron contributes to nausea and vomiting.  So maybe you've seen the prenatal Gummy vitamins and thought I've found the answer to my problems. You're thinking of a sweet gummy, I don't have to swallow. That doesn't make me feel sick. This will do the trick.  Not so fast! They are good but for short-term use.  I will tell you of a possible scenario that can happen when you substitute a gummy prenatal vitamin in place of a regular prenatal for long-term use: anemia, a deficiency in iron. Below is my story of how I discovered this firsthand....

Tips if you're struggling with taking your prenatals: Do... Eat food rich in iron and folate Find brands that are gentle on your stomach (some say on the bottle) Talk with your midwife or obstetrician about what brands they recommend  Don't... Don't use prenatal gummies long term without making sure you are not becoming anemic Don't take your supplements on an empty stomach Don't allow yourself to become hungry Don't allow yourself to become dehydrated Take... Take a prescription for nausea if necessary Take your prenatal at night before bed

~ dedicated to all the moms who have missed their morning temp  due to their kids taking their thermometer ~ Oh thermometer, thermometer where have you gone? My kids took you somewhere far. I  couldn't  find you for my temp this morning. You're not on, under or around my bed. Nor in or under the  couches . Not even in my closet. Those sneaky kids are clever. I should know by now you won't be anywhere obvious. Maybe you will be the steeple of my son's lego castle? Maybe you will be Barbie's latest accessory? Or buried somewhere at the bottom of the toy box. Don't they know mommy needs to do her BBT every morning, if they want a baby brother or sister?

Dear Expecting Mother, Pregnancy can feel never ending sometimes. And there are moments of weakness, when you at times forget why you wanted this so bad. You forget all the nights on your knees you spent praying to be blessed with this child. The eagerness you felt at holding some else's baby and counted the ten fingers and toes while envisioning having your own child. The sadness you felt with each pregnancy announcement followed by a failed cycle where you tried to conceive your own child. The pain at being invited to multiple baby showers, while trying to remind yourself your time will come, as you grinned and bared it while crying on the inside. Yes, in those very human moments, you are aching, vomiting, nauseated, swollen, your skin stretched and sometimes itchy, unable to bend over and tie your shoes. You feel unattractive, it's uncomfortable to travel or sleep. You have to literally go to the bathroom every five minutes or so. You just want that bundle of joy to ...

When your luteal phase is below a 10 (10 is the minimum you need to get pregnant), it makes it harder to become pregnant.  It is also said that a luteal phase less than 12 days might make it more  difficult  to become pregnant.    Given the importance of the luteal phase in the establishment of a normal pregnancy, luteal phase deficiency (LPD) has been described as a condition in which endogenous progesterone is not sufficient to maintain a functional secretory endometrium and allow normal embryo implantation and growth.  The pathophysiology of luteal inadequacy may include several different mechanisms that ultimately affect endometrial development. The ‘‘short luteal phase’’ was initially described as an interval of  <  8 days from the luteinizing hormone (LH) peak to the onset of menstrual flow. The short luteal phase has been associated with low follicular follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels, altered follicular FSH/LH ratio...

Women Who Have It Non Breastfeeding Women & Breastfeeding Women According to Natural Fertility Info, "   Luteal phase defect is estimated to affect 3-4% of women who have ‘unexplained infertility’, up to 63% of women who repeatedly miscarry and 6-10% of women who are fertile" (Rodriguez).   If you are a breastfeeding mom,  t his is very common among breastfeeding women that their first few cycles are not full fertility accompanied by a short luteal phase, so they do not become pregnant. Breastfeeding Women I must also add  some  women do catch the first egg while breastfeeding and / or have fertile and regular postpartum cycles right away. A woman who catches the first egg released before her postpartum menstrual can start does not know if her luteal phase is long enough (unless she is charting, knows she ovulates for certain and has a chemical pregnancy- which might indicate that her luteal phase is too short. Same can be true if she i...

How do you know what your luteal phase is? Your luteal phase is the day after you ovulate, to the last day of your cycle (the day before your new cycle starts is the last day of a cycle). Imagine your cycle were exactly 28 days long and you ovulated on cycle day 14. I would count from cycle day 15-28, which gives me 14 days. So my luteal phase would be 14 days. That would mean every 14 days I would have a period if I did not become pregnant, if I ovulated each time on cycle day 14 in a 28 day cycle. However, it is not uncommon for some women to  fluctuate in what cycle days they ovulate, such as they could ovulate between cycle day 14-16, but still have a luteal phase that is 14 days. So if they ovulated on cycle day 15 on one cycle, they would most likely have a 29 day cycle for their luteal phase to still be 14 days. It can sometimes happen where a woman's luteal phase fluctuates, so one cycle it might be 14 and another 13, but I have read they usually stay the same, so...

Symptoms of having a short luteal phase: More frequent periods Miscarriages Difficulty getting pregnant Spotting in between periods Short menstrual cycles Low progesterone Disrupted basal body temperature after ovulation Odd symptoms during luteal phase, such as low back pain, bleeding and loose stools Bibliography C.H. C.M.T, Rodriguez , Heithr . "Luteal Phase Defect: Natural Treatment Options." Natural Fertility Infocom. The Natural Fertility Company, n.d. Web. 22 May 2015.  <http://natural-fertility-info.com/luteal-phase-defect.html> .

General Information Luteal phases are sometimes  referred  as LP for short.  According to Web MD.com, "The two week period of a Luteal Phase is known as the premenstrual period. It starts on ovulation day, the day the egg is released from the egg follicle on the ovary. It can happen anytime from cycle day 7-22 of a normal menstrual  cycle" (Normal Menstrual Cycle).  Having a short luteal phase means your luteal phase is below a 10, so anything from 1-9 is considered short. The m inimum you need to become pregnant is 10. However, some fertility  literature  agrees that women who have a luteal phase under 12 may have a harder time becoming pregnant. According to Natural Fertility Info.com, " Most experts agree that a luteal phase less than 12 days does not give the uterus sufficient time to establish a nourishing lining for a growing fetus and therefore will cause a miscarriage if fertilization has oc...

* The Fabulous Baby brand from Perfectly Posh was discontinued Feb 2014 This made a milk colored creamy mixture,  to see a photo of this particular mixture click here:   Cloth Wipes / Solution Containers Perfectly Posh Naturally  Fabulous Baby Wash  &  Fabulous Baby Lotion  *

One of the moms from my message boards said before marking your fertility chart with cervical mucus, take the time to observe it, see if it is continually after checking a couple of times. She avoided marking her chart based on tiny pieces of cervical mucus in the morning from one check. I think that advice sound reasonable. No harm in making sure that you are sure before adding it to your chart since the goal is to have your chart as accurate as you can possibly make it when determining fertility and ovulation.

Cervical Mucus Color Many women find that their cervical fluid during their cycle is clear, pink or brown tinged. Blood in Cervical Mucus? This can happen for the following reasons (not a reason to panic):  Implantation of a fertilized egg (does not happen to every woman).  This bleeding occurs when the egg implants itself into the uterine line and last up to 2 days. A light spotting on or around ovulation maybe an early sign that you're expecting. For a pink tint cervical fluid, shedding of old blood from your menstrual cycle.  As you finish your cycle, a small amount of blood was trapped in your cervix. When you begin ovulating, this blood will mix with your cervical fluid. Trauma to your cervix (not as bad as it sounds).  Trauma  as a result from intercourse or scratching your cervix with your nails when checking your cervical mucus. Bibliography http://www.readytogroove.com/the-cycle/chapter-6-hormone-changes-and-fertility-signals...

Yes. There are several different kinds of cervical mucus that changes throughout your cycle. They are called dry, sticky, creamy, watery, and egg white. The names may differ when using different fertility charts / programs.

A midwife told me that without fertile cervical mucus you can not become pregnant. And if you don't know what kind of cervical mucus / fluid is coming from your body, how will you know you're not producing any or maybe producing too little? Cervical fluid allows sperm to survive in the woman's body (now we can see why its important to have cervical mucus / fluid). This allows a fertile window for about 6 days, although it says the precise length for each woman varies. That fertile window is the only time in a woman's cycle she is able to become pregnant (now we can see why timing is important to the process too).  Bibliography http://www.readytogroove.com/the-cycle/chapter-6-hormone-changes-and-fertility-signals/

A PA from my OBGYN office told me that in my OBGYN office which specializes in infertility besides gynecology and obstetrics care said they put less value in BBT (basal body temperature) and more value into ovulation tests known as OPKs (ovulation prediction kits) and knowing your cervical mucus. 

Vitamin B6 can take up to 3 months to take full effect. 

I've tried a few different things, but what I like for storage and looks is a basket to store rolled up burp cloths. In my photos below, you see them standing up in a wicker basket and my more current storage soluton, a chrome wire basket with the burp cloths laying down and rolled.   I have mine stored near my nursing chair. Easy reach if my baby should spit up and I need one or I need to change the one I am using.

I also took Vitamin B6 while taking my pre-natal vitamins. Prenatal vitamins also contain Vitamin B6, so I was getting extra Vitamin B6 by taking the supplement too.  To give you an idea of how much, a basic Up and Up Target Brand Pre-natal vitamin has 2.6 mg of Vitamin B6, so I was taking 52.6 mg of B6.

I took the Vitamin B6 for 6 out of my 9 postpartum periods. We also tried conceiving 6 cycles out of 9 postpartum periods, there were 3 cycles we did not try to conceive. I believe the B6 eventually helped increase my short luteal phase from a 9 to a 10. After my luteal phase became a 10 (8th postpartum period), I got pregnant the next cycle. However, I think the B6 helped in combination with my toddler nursing less (she was not weaned in order to get pregnant) and sleeping longer throughout the night (she was not sleeping through the night).  The cycle I got pregnant, I took Vitamin B6 every day once a day until I got a positive pregnancy test. On my previous cycles, I was not consistently taking the Vitamin B6 every day, because I was worried about it possibly decreasing my milk supply. So more often than I was taking it anywhere from once a week to taking one every few days.

I've always liked the idea of having a place for changing table toys that were set aside specifically for distracting wiggly babies and squirming toddlers.  My idea is if you have a dresser near your changing table, use a desktop diaper organizer to store your diapering items and on top of it where you have the option to put a disposable wipes container or wipe warmer, instead place a small size wicker basket with your changing table toys.  For my basket, I've only used soft toys. I also have my reusable wipes in the two openings versus using them for diapers. Making it okay, that the top part of my diaper organizer is not being used for a disposable wipe container or wipe warmer. If you really wanted to store your diapers in the opening but wanted a place for your wipes, you could place the wipe container in front of the desktop organizer. 

A fellow mommy from my online group posted this information below: How Long You Should Take Vitamin B6 It was said in TCOYF (Taking Charge of Your Fertility Book) that B6 is also useful for cervical mucus/fluid and  that it is recommended to take it throughout the cycle.  If the cycle you are trying results in pregnancy, continue taking it until your placenta takes over progesterone after the 1st trimester.     Warning Signs if You Stop If you need to stop, wean off slowly and beware of any spotting. You  do need to be careful about stopping.

Brand I Used: In 2012, I purchased my Vitamin B6 over the counter from a local store.  The brand I used was Spring Valley - Vitamin B6 50 mg. Some stores you can purchase Spring Valley brand from are Wal-Mart or Amazon.com.  What if my prenatal and B-complex have a low amount of B6? You may be considering taking a prenatal with a B6 supplement or a B-complex supplement by itself and / or with a B6 supplement because you noticed the amounts on your bottle are so low they would not add up close to 50-100 mg. Not All Prenatal vitamins and B-complex have the same amount of B6. It's important to research what each one has when making a choice. Here is a prenatal list from 2014-2016. (Information may vary depending on your location). Standard Prenatal Vitamins Target / Up & Up: 2.6 mg of Vitamin B6 Nature Made Multi Prenatal: 2.6 mg of Vitamin B6 Similac Prenatal Optigro: 2.6 mg of Vitamin B6 Spring Valley Prenatal: 2.6 of Vitamin B6 1 A Day Women's P...

Taking Vitamin B6 During  Menstrual  Cycle I found this information on a message board posted by a well-informed mommy. All of the information from her has headed in pink.  It's most important during the first part of your cycle up to ovulation to take Vitamin B6 because it helps establish what becomes the corpus leuteum which is what produces progesterone until the placenta is big enough during pregnancy. I f you keep taking it after ovulation (and there's no reason not to) it can help with morning sickness)  Safety of Vitamin B6 While Breastfeeding A mommy from one of my message boards discussed with her lactation consultant about supplement safety while breastfeeding. All of the information from the lactation consultant will have an orange heading. Her lactation consultant had spoken to doctors as well as done her own research and informed her that Vitamin B6 and Vitex are safe to take while breastfeeding. Her findings included that Vitamin B6 is safe to tak...

I found out about Vitamin B6 and short luteal phases online. Before I started taking Vitamin B6 I called the nurses at my OBGYN office to see if Vitamin B6 was safe to take while breastfeeding, as well as a pharmacist. Both said Vitamin B6 was safe for me to take while breastfeeding and what the body didn't need, it would get rid of. 

 Here is what my cycles looked like with and without taking Vitamin B6: Month Postpartum Period Cycle # Length of Days Luteal Phase # Ovulation Day B6 Vitamins April 2012 Period 1 Cycle 1 36 Days 8 Cycle day 28 No May 2012 Period 2 Cycle 2 32 Days 8 Cycle day 24 No June 2012 Period 3 Cycle 3 28 Days 9 Cycle day 19 No July 2012 Period 4 Cycle 4 30 Days 9 Cycle day 21 Yes Aug 2012 Period 5 Cycle 5 28 Days 9  Cycle day 19 Yes Sept 2012 Period 6 break 31 Days 9 Cycle day 22 Yes Oct 2012 Period 7 break 29 Days No Ovulation No ovulation Yes Nov 2012 Period 8  break 32 Days 10 Cycle day 22 Yes Dec 2012 Period 9 Cycle 6 Pregnant! 12 DPO/ HPT + on cycle day 28 Cycle day 16 Yes

When I was trying to get pregnant with my second child while breastfeeding my first, I discovered that breastfeeding had given me a luteal phase deficiency. What is a short luteal phase deficiency? A short luteal phase deficiency is when your luteal phase number is below 10. You need to have a luteal phase of 10 or more to get pregnant. How does a short luteal phase deficiency affect pregnancy? If you happen to get pregnant with a luteal phase below a 10, you have an increased chance of miscarriage or chemical pregnancy because the egg does not have the time to implant properly. (There could be exceptions to this, because there are some women who get pregnant with a subsequent child before they even have a postpartum period. The only downside is you do not know if the Luteal Phase was over or under or exactly 10 when the pregnancy occurred).  Your luteal phase number is determined by the day after you O to the last day of ...