My life has become so full, and although many days are rough, I’ve also had these beautiful glimmers of light because of the way H looks at me or the way he comes in for snuggles when he trips over himself. My heart is bursting at the seams most afternoons when we nurse and rock to sleep as his little arms relax and he succumbs to the milk drunk slumbers. I crave a house full of giggles and the sound of multiple pitter patters of little feet. I want Sunday mornings made of little bodies wiggling and lazying about in our queen bed.
I have 500 questions and pros / cons lists running through my head constantly. Is there ever really a perfect time? Probably not! I’m sure it’ll happen when it’s supposed to, but my longing for another baby, another perfect little person is strong right now, and it’s hard to remind myself to be patient and enjoy the life we have right now with one crazy little dude.
Regardless of whether I’m ready or not, it’s important for me to learn more about my body to prep for conception. Whether you’re trying to conceive (TTC), not trying not preventing (NTNP), or natural family planning (NFP), knowing when you ovulate will help you and your partner know when the best time is to have or avoid having sex!
Because I’m still breastfeeding round the clock thanks to wonder weeks and teething, my hormones are still crazy out of whack and I don’t always get the 4 hour stretch of sleep I need in order to get my basal body temperature (BBT) to figure out my cycle days via temping, so I jumped at the chance to try these Easy@Home 10 Ovulation (LH) Tests Plus 2 early Pregnancy (HCG) tests – Midstream Test sticks out.
This kit is super easy and foolproof – no wonder its ranked #2 for Health Tests + Fertility Charting (and #7 for Fertility Tests) on Amazon! Inside, you’ll receive 10 ovulation tests (pink packages) and 2 pregnancy tests (purple packaging) so you can start tracking your most fertile windows.
The biggest piece of advice a great mommy friend once gave me was to always pee in a cup when testing for ovulation or pregnancy, and to always use first morning urine (FMU) for your best results. This way, if you’ve gotten a ‘squinter’, or you get a faulty or invalid test, you can retest with your same FMU rather than having to wait until the next morning to start all over again.
The directions may say to dip the test in urine for 3 seconds, but the company emailed me with the recommendation that I should extend the time to 10 seconds for best results, so that’s what I did. After dipping, I set the timer on my phone for 4 minutes and tried to occupy a crazy toddler while the test ‘set’. Reading the results was a little confusing for me, so I emailed the company a few questions and I got a personal response back within the same day (color me impressed). In the pamphlet it says that if your test line isn’t darker than the control line, then you aren’t ovulating, however, that wasn’t the case exactly. As I got closer to ovulating, I noticed my test line became darker, especially around my peak day(s). Easy@Home Ovulation tests use a FDA approved 25 ml/ul for detecting luteinizing hormone (LH). This is a standard average and as you reach peak LH levels needed to help predict optimal environment for ovulation to occur, the test line will show as dark or darker than the control line. Conversely, as the test line gets lighter, you are getting further away from your peak fertile days, so if you’re NFP to prevent pregnancy, you’re most likely in the clear, or if you’re TTC, then you’ll want to make sure to shoot for the days where your test lines are darker.
There is a 100% money back guarantee, and they have several different packages ranging from 20 tests to 1000, and you can select just LH for ovulation tracking, or LH + HCG for ovulation and pregnancy!
These Easy@Home tests are quick, easy to use, accurate (99%) and affordable (seriously, these will save you so much over the drug store brands) and I would definitely recommend them to anyone trying (or not trying!) to conceive!
I flip flop on this topic like CRAZY!!! I love squishy babies. I want my kids to have a close relationship. But I also want to try and be fair to sweet little Boomer. He is amazing and I enjoy our time so I don't want to be in a hurry to cut it short or rush changing the way we do things to accommodate another little one (cosleeping for naps and night doesn't really comply with having a newborn!).
(Got cut off…) But at the same time I really feel the pull of pregnancy, which I very much enjoyed, and a new baby. If you find the perfect time let a momma know!!!!
We've always wanted a handful of children close in age…we have 3 boys born in 3 consecutive years and a rainbow baby on the way. Often we've been told "just wait a while, and enjoy the one(s) you have." It's always well meaning… But let me tell you that adding to our family (no matter how difficult the pregnancy or how many other children need attention), we have NEVER not "enjoyed" every one of our children!! It's not like somehow adding a child takes away the love and attention you have for the other(s)…in a miraculous way, the love you have grows! Plus siblings have a bond and love of their own! Have our children had to learn patience? Yes, sometimes a baby needs to be fed first. Do our children share? Yes, because mommy only has one lap, but everyone can snuggle on it together. Do they feel cheated out of being the only one for a longer part of their life? No, because the love of our growing family is the only thing they've known…and their comfort comes from being together. There is no perfect timing…there is no perfect financial position…there is also no pressure to abandon your favorite moments and experiences with your previous child after a new little one comes. I'm confident you'll know when the time is right! And yes, NFP is such a benefit in the process! 🙂