Unfolding Dreams

~ Out of 20 moms ~ Of the 20, 1 became pregnant while breastfeeding but weaned to sustain a pregnancy, 9 became pregnant while breastfeeding and 10 weaned and became pregnant after weaning. I do not address how long after weaning in this chart. ~ Out of 28 moms ~ I've added 8 more moms to the chart. What you'll find interesting is out of 28 moms, 2 became pregnant while breastfeeding and weaned to sustain pregnancy,  13 moms became pregnant while breastfeeding and 13 moms weaned and became pregnant sometime after they weaned. ~ Out of 30 moms ~  Out of 30 moms, 2 became pregnant while breastfeeding and weaned to sustain a pregnancy, 15 moms became pregnant while breastfeeding and 13 moms weaned and became pregnant sometime after weaning. ~ Out of 35 moms ~  Out of 35 moms, 2 became pregnant while breastfeeding and weaned to sustain a pregnancy, 18 moms became pregnant while breastfeeding and 15 moms weaned and became pregnant som...

Some women have reported taking vitamin b6 made their cycles longer, delayed ovulation or caused anovulation. Of these claims, I do not know how many were taking Vitamin B6 in conjunction with B12 or a b-complex of B vitamins to help balance out the Vitamin B6.  The only real way one can know that it won't work for them is of course if they tried it the way it supposes to be taken and found it was more harmful than helpful and have tried it for the recommended time period without success. It also seems some women have found success even without using the B12 or B-complex, perhaps because they were taking a smaller amount of B6 and / or also taking prenatal vitamins that had enough B vitamins that balanced the small amount taken. It's hard to say why it works well for some women and not others. Some people just respond to stuff differently, all our bodies are different and what works for one, may not work another. If for some reason trying Vitamin B6 and B-Complex do ...

Some different symptoms a woman can have in early pregnancy, sometimes as early as 4-6 weeks pregnant, and for others this my occur when they are farther along or not at all (r emember no symptoms, doesn't always mean miscarriage) :  Nausea Vomitting Constipation Gas Headaches Dizziness Uncomfortable Sleep Excessive Saliva  Acid Reflux Some different ways you can prepare for these discomforts. Gas Stock up on a bottle or two of gas medicine. Avoid gas producing foods Nausea Sea Wrist Band Hard Candy Vitamin B6 Taking your prenatal vitamins at night before you go to sleep Munch on crackers, keep them at your bedside Don't let yourself get hungry Dizziness Don't get up too quickly Constipation-GI Issues You are more likely to get constipation if you are:   (1) prone to it,  (2) have IBS, and  (3) are less active Excercise Take Fiber Drink water to avoid dehydration. Avoid drinks, such as cola, alcohol,...

The chart from when I conceived my 2nd child My fertility Friend chart on Fertility Awareness Setting It show no indication of ovulation, but has elevated temps My fertility friend chart on the advance setting that indicates ovulation Funny thing is my positive ovulation tests are after I ovulated We were intimate 2 days before I ovulated and after

You maybe wondering if the pregnancy test brand you are using is giving you a real positive test, or some sort of evap or indented line. Chances are if you see a faint pink line within the appropriate time of the test, usually 1-10 mins, this maybe the start of something.  Often times if using test strips or you get a test with a faint barely visible line, you may be considering using a more sensitive test brand to see a larger / and or clear test line. Here is what I discovered when I was testing with different brands after I got my positive pregnancy test. I realize depending on the brand you are using, some will have the test line lighter than the control or darker than the control. I remember testing one day and being a little bothered that my test line at around 5 weeks pregnant wasn't darker than the control yet.  However, don't freak out if you use a different brand and its lighter or darker  test line, it could just be the bra...

The author of What To Expect series, Heidi Murkoff, says in her book What To Expect Before You’re Expecting , “Some studies have linked downing too much caffeine with lowered fertility and an increased risk of miscarriage” (Murkoff). "The March of Dimes advises pregnant women or those trying to become pregnant to drink no more than 200 mg of caffeine a day (that's a 12-ounce cup of coffee). Going without your caffeine fix is good when you're pregnant since research shows that in high doses, it can increase the risk of miscarriage. One study discovered that pregnant women who consumed two or more cups of coffee (or a caffeine-rich equivalent) were twice as likely to miscarry as those who gave up caffeine" (Amato). Amelia Hirota from the Fertility Acupuncturist ( www.the-fertility-accpuncturist.com ) said, “ It's extremely important for both men and women to avoid all alcohol and caffeine products when trying to conceive. I find that just eliminating coffee...

🥬 Iron & Vitamin C I often hear, fill your iron reserve before you get pregnant.  Amy Paturel, author of the article,  Fertility Diet: What to Eat to Conceive  writes, " Especially if you have heavy periods. Menstruating every month depletes iron. Menstruation is a good time to eat foods rich in iron, meat, beans, fish, and leafy green vegetables.  Also eat foods rich in Vitamin C, because vitamin C helps absorb iron" (Patrel). Sources 1.  Paturel, M.S., M.P.H., Amy. "Fertility Diet: What to Eat to Conceive." Parenting , https://www.parenting.com/pregnancy/planning/what-eat-conceive/ . Accessed 2 Jun. 2023. Last Edited: June 2, 2023

I recommend avoiding extremes, but adding some of the suggestions to your normal diet and routine to have a healthier lifestyle. Regardless if pregnancy is achieved, a healthy diet and exercise will benefit all aspects of your life and health, not just your fertility. Remember, you don't need to do everything on this list to become pregnant, we all know of somebody who wasn't doing half this stuff and gets a surprise pregnancy. Or you know someone or maybe it is you, that does everything by the book, eat right,  exercise , great lifestyle habits, healthy, and still does not get pregnant or still gets a major disease or illness, while we know someone who packs their body with junk and never seems to suffer any  consequence for it . This is my disclaimer, I am not saying doing all of this will  guarantee  you become pregnant, but it might increase your odds depending on your other factors. 

🥑 Reasons to Eat Avocados  According to the author, Irina Gonzalez of the Glamour article, 19 Foods that May Increase Fertility for the Ultimate Fertility Diet , "Avocados are a fantastic source of vitamin E and high in potassium, folate, and vitamin K, which helps your body properly absorb other vitamins. Avocados may also be beneficial in improving the lining of the uterus" (Gonzalez).  As for how much avocado to eat, half of one or one is the recommended amount a day (Lingo). Sources 1.  Gonzalez, Irina. "19 Foods That May Increase Fertility for the Ultimate Fertility Diet."   Glamour , 2020, https://www.glamour.com/story/foods-that-increase-fertility . Accessed 2 Jun. 2023. 2. M.S., RDN,  Lingo, Devinee.  Dotdash Meredith. (2023, January 22). What happens to your body when you eat avocado every day . EatingWell. https://www.eatingwell.com/article/8026117/avocados-benefits/ Last Edited: January 5, 2024

According to Pregnancy Day by Day, women in their early 20's are the most fertile. As a woman ages her fertility declines, usually in late 30s and 40s. Also they mention a study done somewhere in France that says men over 35 take a longer time to get their partners pregnant. Bibliography MD, Amato, Paula, and Maggie Blott, MB, MS, eds.  Pregnancy Day By Day . 1st ed. New York: DK, 2009. Print.

Some interesting stats / information that I thought maybe encouraging and / or helpful to know.   According to Pregnancy Day By Day: 20% of couples become pregnant the first month they try. 16% take over a year. Irregular ovulation and periods are the cause of 30-40% of fertility issues. " Many factors determine how fertile a woman is, such as her age, whether her cervical fluid is wet enough to sustain sperm, or whether her Fallopian tubes are open, but the most important factor is whether she ovulates regularly." Bibliography MD, Amato, Paula, and Maggie Blott, MB, MS, eds.  Pregnancy Day By Day . 1st ed. New York: DK, 2009. Print. For more articles on how long it can take to become pregnant, click the links below: Baby Center: How Long It Takes To Get Pregnant The Bump: How Long Does It Really Takes To Get Pregnant

According to Pregnancy Day By Day, family history is an important part of fraternal twins, especially on the maternal side. The woman may carry a gene that allows her to release more than one egg at a time when she ovulates. Interestingly enough the paternal side maybe important too, if the genes are passed through fathers to their daughters. Bibliography MD, Amato, Paula, and Maggie Blott, MB, MS, eds. Pregnancy Day By Day . 1st ed. New York: DK, 2009. Print.

Finding Out At The Birth I am a planner. Everyone who knows me, knows I am a planner. I plan everything in advance as best as I can. So to wait until the birth to find out the sex is out of character, to say the least because you can't have everything planned for that paticular sex. But planning to wait sounds a little more like me. (Stay tuned for more updates). Buy For Both Genders Since we have one of each gender and are already set on baby clothes ( I saved all my baby clothes from my previous two. I've even been given gently used baby and kid clothes from family members and friends a few times), I decided to do some "fun" shopping for each gender. With my past two pregnancies, I would buy gender neutral until we found out the gender. So this was a little different to walk in and buy for both genders, having no idea which outfits I would be using. Wash for Both Genders I also decided to wash all the newborn boy and girl clothes I had....

 Click to enlarge the photo. I have learned a couple of things from this, estimate due dates are just that for a reason. Going based on your period is not always correct, especially if you have irregular cycles from breastfeeding. Sometimes even fertility charts can be wrong. Pregnancy 1   My last menstrual cycle suggests I ovulated around cycle day 15 (January 14). I didn't know about charting when trying for my first baby. I used my 6-week ultrasound to date back to when I most likely ovulated and that was most likely cycle day 22 (January 21).  Pregnancy 2 I learned about charting when trying to conceive my second baby. According to my last menstrual period,  I would ovulate on cycle day 15 (December 18) with an estimated due date of Sept 10. According to my fertility friend chart on fertility awareness setting, I ovulated cycle day 16 (December 19) and my estimated due date would be Sept 11. My obstetrician kept my estimated due date based on ...