marriageandthensome:

I know I have been MIA for the last few days.

Things have been a little rough and I have had some stuff that I needed to sort out in my head.

Throw in work being crazy busy on top of that and well, I don’t have time to post but I have been keeping up with all of you.

xx

I have been MIA for a while. Sorry. I just do not want to write unless I am being honest. And right now, all I have to blog about is ‘not so happy stuff’. I do not want to depress anyone right now. lol.. Why does Marriage have to change anything? Or Does it? Brice and I are trying to get on the same page about a few things and working on our communication : ) …….we have been fighting a bit. We both know that we must sort some things out before we bring a baby into the picture : ) I will also do my best to keep up with blogging during hard times like these. Even if it is just a sentence - thats a start. Hats off to all of you who have maintained writing your blogs for so long. 

Thanks,

Cheese

Wednesday, February 8th, 2012

Sorry it took so long for me to blog. My husband and I have been on a bit of a roller caster the last few days. I am sure when any of us start dating someone new we have all told that ‘White Lie’ that has haunted us today, or just caused a minor fight. The ‘white lie’ thing bothers me as Brice has been caught in a lot of them. Oh how we don’t mean to play games..lol.. But we are human. When I met Brice, he was a crazy adventurous guy that I did anything for. Now that we are a family and thinking of kids, I became a little more serious and he is still being a kid. So, I ‘grew some balls’… and it took a bit for Brice to get used to that. As a fellow blogger said to me once  ‘If I don’t, who will?

Just over the weekend, I talked to Brice seriously about our ‘baby timeline’ As I thought for awhile he may not be taking this seriously. So we talked, and good thing we did. He really was not thinking this baby thing through seriously like us women ‘must’. Brice and I are thinking of trying to conceive around mid year, MAYBE….no rush..lol… Originally we thought early this year like Feb, March, and April. But I think MAYBE around June, July ish..lol.. I do not just want ‘conceiving a child’ to just happen. It is important for me to know that every inch of my body wanted this child. Brice also has family all over the world. He would like to travel more this year, as some may know ‘you can not fly at a certain stage during your pregnancy’. This was an eye opener for Brice big time. Oh, and money! He still wants that truck first! Lol..

Besides some serious conversations and some arguing this past weekend, Brice and I just flipped our current house. We were thinking of looking around for a new home or move back to my hometown to be close to family, but we cannot afford either one of those choices right now (this is very sad to me as we are not close to larger support system, my aunt does live in the same city as us). So, we moved rooms around in our house to make a ‘baby room’ for when the time comes. Most of our rooms need to be painted before I am to get pregnant. Sometimes I kid myself, and say ‘I am easy going’ and ‘what happens will happen’ (because this is the way Brice is), but I am smart enough to know, you need to think seriously about a child. I did not give Brice a choice, if he wants sex…..he must put a condom on..lol.. He was not too happy about that…lol.. But he agreed. I am still happy I went off the pill, as it takes some women a long time to get there body functioning normally.  Prenatal pills as always and still making healthy choices : )

What to do before your expecting? Go away with your husband/lover and just be together! Get a way, travel, laugh, talk more, flip your house, look for a house, jump out of a plane if you still need to cross that off your list! ; )

Thanks for listening – I feel I may be venting about my relationship a lot more in the future.

Talk to ya soon : )

Cheese

(Source: targetvacations.ca)

Heads-up: I am a little graphic in my post today : )

After being incredibly tired for a week now, crazy head aches, feeling aches and pains, nauseous often, being sick the other day, I thought ‘wait, what if these are not signs of coming off the pill?’.

I admit, I was terrified once I thought I could be prego! I thought ‘HOLY SH$%!’ I do not think Brice and I are ready right now. We have to learn to be married. Our relationship has gone through a lot of stressors lately. Getting married was not a very smooth process for us. We are known by friends and family to live life a little too ‘fast paced’. We really need to learn to slow down and enjoy what we have together presently. I admit our communication could be a lot better. I do not expect perfection, but we need to work on basic communication. Although, Brice wants many things and really wants a child, I am not confident that he truly understand how much life will change when I child is in the picture.

I thought ‘I am happy to wait a little longer. The benefit to this, I have more time to get my body back on track – IF we are not PREGO????’.

So, I went to the dollar store and bought 5 pregnancy tests for $1.25 each. My sister Haley and many of my other friends with babies have used these cheaper tests in the past, they have always been accurate for them. I read the package, I opened the package, I stared at the package….lol.. While waiting for the results, 1-3 min, I thought ‘if I am prego – could I have already hurt the baby with any alcohol I have had?’ In three weeks I have been drunk 2 x’s. Brice and I had sex 2 days before my approximate ovulation date (sperm can stay within your body for approx. 5 days), we used the pullout method, and we were in the best position for fertilization (legs up, on my back) for a long time. ; ) I read that it is very possible to still get pregnant with pre-come. I thought the odds are against us that we could even get pregnant, but what if? To be safe, I have to wait 10 min, and then the test is officially over OR the test would show invalid results.

Sure enough…. 10 min went by and the test still read 1 line! I am not prego! I would have to see 2 lines to be prego. I was so relieved : ) What a funny change of events. I am now drinking red wine to calm my nerves..lol… Wow, what a reality check : )

I am also happy to know that what I am experiencing right now, is most likely the cause of going off the pill, after 12 years : )

Talk to ya soon : )

Cheese

Wednesday, February 1st, 2012

This is embarrassing; this morning, after drinking a little coffee (lol) and eating my ritual oatmeal for breakfast, I suddenly felt dizzy and nauseous in a sitting position. I immediately ran to the washroom and threw my head over the toilet. I felt perfectly normal after this 30 sec episode. I asked myself ‘what the heck was that, why did I feel that way?”

 I have been on the pill for 12 years. I have been off the pill for only 3 weeks and I do not feel like myself. Or, do I? Before going on the pill in grade 11, I was experiencing the normal symptoms women went through at that age. I had bad cramps, intense abdominal pain, felt nauseous, headaches and an irregular menstrual cycle. Not to get too off subject: You can say I was emotional/sensitive too, but I was a teenage girl! Who was not emotional or sensitive? I was/am a people pleaser, I was/am always taking friends and family seriously, I thought because ‘I cared that much more’ about others feeling and they way they saw me. Today, I have thicker skin then I did. So, I went on the pill. All was well while on the pill. I switched brands every now and then due to whatever was cheaper, or as per doctor’s suggestion.

It has been just over 3 weeks off the pill. After this mornings little episode, I thought ‘could I be experiencing symptoms for being off the pill?’ I looked this up right away! Brice will grasp at almost any reason that will explain why I may be upset, talkative, tired or any behavior that may require him to pay a little attention to me. Lol.. It can never be that ‘he’ may play a role in how I may feel.  So, this was great for Brice. I throw-up and he is relieved..lol.. Once I started my search, Brice was quick to offer an answer/suggestion ‘Maybe it is symptoms of you being off the pill?’ Any answer that will direct attention or blame away from Brice, is often his contribution/solution to problems we/I/he may be having. But ,I think, in this case he is half right..lol.

I read many articles about ‘what to expect when going off birth control? The pill simply prevents ovulation and helps reduce previous symptoms you may have had before you started to take the pill. Once we stop taking it, within a few days the hormones are out of your system. In general, most women will experience similar symptoms they had before going on the pill, way back when. Common symptoms after going off the pill, that for most women have eventually gone away, are as follows; acne, overly dry or oily skin, sore nipples, spotting, longer cycles (even up to 6 weeks), dizziness/balance issues, tiredness - insomnia, nausea, major bloating, weight gain, abdominal pain (light or major), high body tempters, constipation, migraines, neck tension, mood swings or depression. It seems my research has come to a consensus - ‘Your normal’.  I have experienced half of these symptoms. I will play it out for a bit and let my doctor know.  Heads-up: When you are a teen, you take the pill to stop all these symptoms. What if your symptoms were the cause of something else that is dormant? Or hard to test in women just by knowing the symptoms. Take Endometriosis for example, many women could have this without even knowing it! Endometriosis is not life threatening.  This is merely an example of the medication in birth control that can alleviate the symptoms but not rid a health problem. There are so many great articles to read that will educate you on what happens to your body when off the pill AND when trying to conceive when you have been on the pill for so long. But really, if your experiencing anything that does not feel right, go see your doctor!

Click HERE to read a chat that was interesting to me.

Click HERE to read a reply that was interesting to me, from Certified Fertility Care Practitioner.

To be continued on this subject. I do not want to way out the idea that - maybe any mood swings or symptoms I am having could be due to my marriage. I feel that my relationship with my husband has changed.  I feel a little confused right now. I hope that the thoughts I am having are just due to going off the pill.

Talk to ya soon : )

Cheese

Monday, January 30th, 2012

Hope you all had a great weekend. As the weekend’s approach, I normally make myself a to-do-list. While I was creating this list last Friday, I realized a lot of these tasks I would not be able to do if I were pregnant. Such as; heavy lifting, cleaning up dog pop, avoid fish, avoid the microwave, I can not use my electric blanket, avoid household cleaning products and paint!  I was very proactive in cleaning my house (top to bottom), finishing laundry, cleaned my garage out, shifted many boxes into our shed, sorted all our tools, and went for a long hike with our dog in the woods. I thought, how exciting would it be to really get proactive in my personal life and do all those boring, tedious, dreaded and must do tasks before baby comes. I mean, my back is so sore from cleaning that garage, a well over due project. If baby was in belly, I would not have been able to get it done!

Tasks/Goals I would like to complete before baby comes:

Drink more herbal tea / Get a Message! A real one, by a registered message therapist! Lol. Not my husband. / Clean up the clutter: go through receipts, throw out cloths/old furniture/trinkets and trash. / Clean out under the staires / Finish my sister’s scrapbook! Long overdue! / Plan for a baby room – shift rooms around. Our Office has the best light for a baby room. / Visit friends/family out of town / Get my natural hair color back! – Coloring your hair is not healthy for baby! / Re-evaluate my job/ how will my job and pregnancy/baby work together / Save up a Mommy-to-be Slush Fund / Embrace all the mornings I get to sleep in! / Embrace pre-baby moments! / Find a happy place where I can de-stress or loose myself (like a hobby) / Learn to be less stressed about many things! / Paint a few rooms (baby room, office, our room, guests room) / Do something risky! Go on one last rollercoaster OR hey, jump out of a plane! I would too! / Kick the Tanning Bed! In one week! Lol.. I have a destination wedding to go to in Punta Cana.

Things to do before your expecting, health wise:

Go to the dentist, make sure I am in tiptop shape (no infections/healthy BMI weight), try to kick the caffeine, find a birth doctor as mine does not deliver, always eat healthier!

I have already; stopped birth control, taking multi-vitamins for 4 months, taking prenatal multi-vitamins for 1 month, stopped drinking during the weekdays, drinking socially only on weekends/not during ovulation, working out 3-4 times a week with my husband (or alone..lol..), eating healthy with lots of ‘iron’ filled foods, started talking seriously with Brice about money (including health insurance) and space/rooms, figured out my ovulation schedule.

Some Questions I had:

Why kick caffeine? Apparently there are only some studies that show ‘caffeine’ as affecting a women’s ability to conceive. Caffeine lessens our chances in conceiving. Well, why risk it! I think, quit it! It is really hard though..lol.. I read that cutting back to ‘half decaf’ helps you wean off caffeine.

Why see our dentist right away? Apparently, hormonal shifts during pregnancy can make you more prone to gum disease. No thank you. I thought why not get a check up before. I may be too busy during my pregnancy to go anyways.

Check out Childbirth Connections, for a lot more information on what to do before your expecting.

Talk to ya soon : )

Cheese

(Source: whattoexpect.com)

Friday, January 27th, 2012

Learning My Menstrual Cycle to better Plan My Pregnancy

Most women know a lot about there own cycle, but sometimes not enough for when they start to think about making a baby. I have taken a good look at my menstrual cycle so that I can better understand how my body works and when I need to stop drinking and start having more …….sex! There is a lot more information that I could mention in this post, but I wanted to try and keep today’s post a little shorter.

Number of Days in my period Cycle: 28 Days

Say I get my period on the 11^th – I have my period for 4 days on average (but it really does not matter how long your period lasts)

Best time to drink (if you must): On the 1^st day of your period (sorry your not prego yet) to the 1^st day you are most fertile or have sex. There is normally a 10 day window for most women from 1^st day of period to first day of Fertilization.

Most Fertile: on the 10^th day from the first day of my period.

Most Fertile Duration: 7 Days of sexy time (Guys watch out, you may just get used and abused for 7 days! ; )

Ovulation (create my egg): On the 6^th Day of your fertilization duration

Sperm meets egg: at any time during your fertile 7 Day duration your egg can be greeted/welcomed in by one of his swimmers (sperm).

When do you use a pregnancy test: Whatever day(s) you are intimate (have sex) mark in your calendar. It can take up to/around 2 weeks before an accurate pregnancy test can be taken. A (-) or a (+) symbol OR 1 or 2 lines will appear on a pregnancy test (depending on the pregnancy test you buy). NOTE: You are not safe to ‘drink’ until you find out you are not prego. If you do find out you are pregnant, it is best to get an ultrasound done by your doctor. Also, many complications can happen within the first stages of ‘sperm meets egg’ to 3 months. I have heard from experience and read that it is best to keep your good news to a small set of people, for support, or just your partner. Many women experience a miscarriage, sometimes more. This is perfectly common according to most reads on fertility. And think, if I have a miscarriage, although I will be sad, I will also be grateful that my body knows when there is a problem. Women that miscarriage, are experiencing some sort of problem with the fetus/egg meets sperm stage. The fetus may have an abnormality of some kind. If we were to have that child, we maybe raising a child with special needs.

Pre-Conception and Drinking: If I need to drink, here is how I see it: 10/30 days, that’s not so bad…lol..

I love my P Tracker Light. I have mentioned it in earlier posts.

What is P Tracker Lite: It’s a FREE app. Once downloaded on your iphone – you simply Press a button at the start of your period every month. Period Tracker™ logs your dates and calculates the average of your past 3 months’ menstrual cycles to predict the start date of your next period. You can view your current and future period dates, ovulation and fertile days, your moods and your symptoms in a simple month-view calendar. Great if you need to report anything to your doctor. I just love it! Great too if your planning to go on a trip and want to avoid going when your expecting your period!

Talk to ya soon : ) 

Cheese