My husband and I have will just be starting four months of trying to have child #2. Before this I never really knew "period math." This post may seem too personal but what is a blog if not personal? I first started menstrating at age 8, yes that is no joke, and to me, there was no reason to count. I only marked the start and end of each period so I could know how long I would have to worry about pads and tampons, and that was good enough for me.
With Evelyn, we tried one time and it worked but this time it's not as easy. I didn't realize how much work some people have to put in to getting pregnant. So I have been trying to map out my ovulation time but I found that I have a very long cycle. I knew it was long but with my cycle being an average of 36 days, and it being irregular, makes it hard to know exactly when I will ovulate. I really didn't realize how blessed we were last time.
The Way Period Math Works:
Day 1 is the first day you start bleeding. You continue that count until the day before you start to bleed again. Example: You begin to bleed on July 1st. July 1st is Day 1 of your menstration. You finish bleeding July 5th, Day 5. The next time you start to bleed, if your menstral cycle is average, you should start to bleed again on July 29th. Ovulation is about half way from start to finish, on Day 14 if you have the average womans cycle, 28 days and it is regular, meaning every cycle is exactly or with in a day of being 28 days long. The actual ovulation process lasts a max of 24 hours. That leaves a very small window to concieve. Luckily, sperm can live for 3-5 days waiting for the egg to drop. Having sex every day can lower sperm count in each ejaculation. Doing it spearingly can do the same thing. I am not an expert in any of this, but from the research I have done online for the past three months, researching almost everyday, I would say, the best thing to do to concieve, is to have sex every three days and be sure that you have sex the day before, the day of and the day after you calcutated your ovulation in case you are off on your numbers. The absolutly easiest way to make sure you know when you are ovulating is to use ovulation detection. You can get them at any drugstore and places like Target and Wal-Mart. It gets expensive if you still aren't getting pregnant for months, but if you have been trying and you're unsure about your ovulation period...I would say spend the money, it may work that first time you use them.
My example is based on the cycle of the average, young, healthy woman. It is very important to mark on a calender the days you start to bleed. If you are not trying to concieve it is still a very important thing to do. A change in your menstral cycle could be the sign of different medical conditions that you could not be aware of or that are beginning to arise. It will take several months to really know the average days of your menstral cycle and if you are young, in your teens, it will change with time giving you another reason to keep track of your cycle. As well as if you are in your 50s reaching menopause age, the cycle will lengthen and eventually end entirely. Some women are very regular and are the same every cycle. Some women, like me, are very irregular. My cycle,this year has ranged from 30 days to 41 days. That makes it very hard in my situation as we try to have another baby. I knew that my cycle was long because I started about the same time each month growing up. When I hit about age 18, my cycle got a bit shorter. I have gained a lot of weight in the past five years, and now my cycle is very irregular because of it.
Usual factors that can cause irregularity in a womans menstral cycle:
-excessive weight gain or loss
-being overweight or underweight
-hormonal changes, example: hitting milestone years, 18, 25, 30 etc.
-stress
-sudden lifestyle change; becoming sexually active can throw your period off at the start or change it permenatly, starting an intense exercise program especially if you don't normally exercise or even just suddenly starting to exercise can change your cycle
If You are Trying to Concieve
When trying to concieve you need to treat yourself as if you are already pregnant.
1) Keep yourself as stress free as you can. I know that can be difficult having a family, home and all that implies but learning breathing exercises can help enough to ready your body for a baby
2) Take your pre-natal vitamin with DHA in it or supplement with a DHA pill
3) Do low impact exercise such as yoga or walking, keeping heathly helps keep away stress also
4) Eating healthy
5) Getting plenty of sleep
6) Don't carry very heavy things. The fetus is very sensitive and putting too much strain on you body can cause damage.
7) Do not at-home-test until you have a missed period. I say this because I get very excited and in doing so I waste home pregnancy tests and it started to get expensive because I get too excited about baby #2
Preparation is key to having a child. If you prepare your body, your baby will have a safe environment to grow. If you prepare the nursery, your baby will have a safe place that is their own or one they share with a sibling to grow in. If you prepare yourself to teach your child about what is right and what is wrong they will have a strong will to be able to grow in this world that we live in. Preparation is key.
What I need to Do to Prepare for Baby #2
1) cut majority of fatty foods
2) get Evelyn on regular sleeping schedule
3) get myself on a regular sleeping schedule
4) remember to take prenatal pill
5) have patience, remember that the best things in life are worth waiting a lifetime for!
Remember, the best things in life
are worth waiting a lifetime for.
are worth waiting a lifetime for.
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