Getting Pregnant

A conversation about ovulation predictor kits on Chatter Scene today got me thinking about when we were trying to conceive last year. It seems like such a long time ago, but I remember the roller coaster feelings of excitement and uncertainty like it was yesterday.  Who would have thought that there is more to getting pregnant than having sex!

Our first step was for me to stop taking birth control pills. Not all women realize that once you go off BCPs, it can take a while for your monthly cycle to regulate and for you to get pregnant. I certainly didn't think about this when I first starting taking the pills years ago. And I don't even think that many gynecologists inform their patients of this when writing a prescription. (I mean, how many women actually even know how BCPs work?)

The first month off BCPs, we had no plan of action (excuse the pun) and I didn't get pregnant. The second month, however, I was constantly on The Bump's message boards and started charting my basal body temperature to determine my ovulation date like so many of the women there.

The Bump boards turned me onto a free charting website called Fertility Friend, which was a great help. Based on your temperatures, Fertility Friend estimates your ovulation date and you can plan your "sexy time" around that date.

(Briefly, your BBM is your temperature upon first waking for the day. This temperature rises just after ovulation, so when you see a spike in your waking temperatures, you can assume that you ovulated the day before. You are fertile the days just before and including the day of ovulation. More HERE at Fertility Friend's free charting course.)

I didn't get pregnant charting the second month, so the third month I started using ovulation predictor strips. These strips are used just like pregnancy tests and become positive after you have ovulated, which, along with your temperatures, can give you a better idea of your fertile window.

OPKs can be expensive, so I bought mine discounted from Amazon.com. I got 40 OPKs plus 10 pregnancy tests for around $18 HERE. Amazon also sells discounted pregnancy tests. You can get 25 tests for $7 HERE--much cheaper than even the dollar store tests and they work just as well as the brand names!

Using Fertility Friend and the OPKs the third month, I got pregnant! It turns out that three months of trying to conceive is average following going off BCPs (barring infertility problems) so we felt very lucky to fall within the norm.

So, that in a nutshell is how we got pregnant! Much different and much less romantic than how it is portrayed in movies and books, no? :) But, seriously, I completely reccomend using Fertility Friend
and OPKs if you're TTCing and want a more active plan of attack. Just be warned--you might become addicted to checking your chart and peeing on sticks!!

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A Couple Minutes of Adorable

Andrew is getting cuter and more animated by the second, in my humble opinion! So, I thought I'd take a break from the reviews for a moment to share a video of him in action. Enjoy!

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Product Review: Avent Isis Manual Breast Pump

A cousin of mine lent* me her Medela Pump in Style Advanced double pump and I love it and use it often. But for times when I don't want to travel with the large pump or I want to pump more quietly, I use Avent's Isis Manual Breast Pump. It has a few problems, but overall its a nice little backup pump to have.



My husband picked this pump up for $35 at our local CVS when I was in a lot of pain and thought (wrongly) that my Pump in Style flanges might be too small. At first, when I got the hang of pumping painlessly with the Pump in Style, I was mad that we spent money on another pump. Then I realized there is room in my pumping world for two!

With the Isis, I can pump the same amount of milk and sometimes more than with the electric pump... and in the same amount of time too! Avent attributes this to the design of the soft, removable flange cushion, which features "petals" to massage and encourage a quicker let-down.

The pump is really quiet, so I can pump even with the baby sleeping nearby when I don't feel like pumping in the living room with my husband looking on (oh, the horror of small apartment living). And, its small enough that I can just pop the Isis in my diaper bag when taking a trip. Its also really easy to take apart and clean, which is a huge plus. And the stand, which you see in the picture above, does double duty as the snap-on cover for the flange--cute!

On the negative side, a bit of milk gets trapped between the flange and the flange cover. Its just a bit, but any loss of precious milk makes me upset! Also, I had to work a bit to learn how to get the seal just right. Sometimes there would be no suction and other times the suction was so strong it hurt! The key is to make sure the entire flange is touching your breast and to pump the hand pump gently and just far enough for the suction to be comfortable--you do not need to pump the handle all the way if it causes any pain.

The bottom line: I am pleasantly surprised with my handy dandy manual pump. You would think that hand pumping would be a chore, but I've found it to be a nice convenience at times, especially with such an effective pump as the Avent Isis.

*It is recommended that you do not share breast pumps.

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Product Review: Soothies The First Years Breastflow Baby Bottles

When Andrew was first born and we were struggling getting the hang of breastfeeding, we supplemented with formula and pumped breast milk using Playtex's VentAire bottles. Aside from some leaking if the nipple wasn't sealed fully, the bottles worked well for us--until we began exclusive breastfeeding and Andrew forgot how to drink from a bottle all together!

No matter what and how often I tried, I couldn't get him to latch onto the VentAires again, even though we had the wide bottles that are designed to mimic breastfeeding. It made me nervous to think that I might not be able to leave the baby with a sitter until he started drinking from a sippy cup!

Then my mom saved my life. She gave me a Soothies The First Years Breastflow baby bottle and Andrew is taking to it like a champ! Sure, it takes him a minute to realize that he has to compress the nipple rather than bite it, but he is drinking pumped milk now when necessary--and I'm so happy!


Above: Soothies The First Years Breastlow Starter Set ($18.50 at Amazon.com)

You can see in the pictures below that the Breastflow nipple is a two-part system. The upper part is soft and compresses almost flat like breast tissue does. The bottom (darker blue) part is stiffer and the combination of the two requires the baby to suck and compress, just as he does when breastfeeding.



The nipples come in Stage 1 and Stage 2 slow-flows, to suit your new baby's needs. Just note that when baby is drinking, you will notice milk accumulating in the upper (clear) part of the nipple. This is normal for the nipple design, but you will need to account for the milk left in the nipple when determining how much your baby has eaten.

We haven't experienced any leakage with these bottles and Andrew seems to be happy with them, so I would recommend these for anyone with a bottle-finicky breastfeeder. I'm actually about to order us some more. I just wish I had used Soothies' Breastflow from the very beginning!

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