8 Things I didn’t know before I started TTC

After working for a OBGYN for years, I really thought I knew everything there was to know about getting pregnant. Wow, I was completely wrong. Sure, I knew about all the technicalities and how it was done but there is nothing that can prepare you for when it doesn’t happen, worst case scenario, or the emotional aspect.  I’m sure there is still more I don’t know and now with IVF looming in my future, I’m about to become even more educated.  Here is what I’ve learned so far on this journey called TTC.

You Should Be Having Sex Before You Ovulate.

I picked this one up kind quick but I really never knew.  Most of the time, if you have sex after you ovulate you won’t get pregnant.  Sperm can live in the Uterus for days and that’s what you want.  You want sperm waiting and ready to fertilize that egg.  I guess I always thought you should have sex the day you ovulate and that’s it.  Being in your fertile window makes so much sense now.

You only have a 15-percent chance of conceiving each month.

What?!?!?! Are you serious?  I know this is a scientific fact but how do you explain all those women who get pregnant the first month they try?  Luck I suppose.  That’s an extremely low number and it goes down even more the older we get.  Mind blown.

The Pill could actually help you get pregnant.

Ironic isn’t it?  I’m currently on birth control right now.  As much as I hate it because it makes me sick, taking birth control for a short period can help you conceive because it make the uterine lining thicken and resets you body clock.

You will start to see sex as a science experiment.

Long gone are they days of just being spontaneous.  Now, you must track your cycle, have a plan, make sure you have everything you need before you start, lay in this position, don’t get up for a few hours, we should do it here and there. It can really make your head spin and not in the dizzy, lovely way.

You being unable to get pregnant with make everyone arround you more fertile.

So this statement isn’t really true but geez it does seem that way.  I’m sure part of it is we are just getting older and it’s time for a family.  When we were in s San Antonio, only one set of my friends there had kids.  Now, everyone around us here has children and even my SA friend have kids now.  Some with two or three even.

You getting pregnant doesn’t always equal a baby.

I always knew miscarriage was a possibility.  I think every women does.  I just didn’t believe it would happen to me.  I think that’s where I went wrong. I was so sure that it was meant to be that when the dr. couldn’t find a heart beat I didn’t believe it until I had to accept it.

That miscarriage is so common.

Almost all women hide the fact that they had miscarried at some point in their life.  Which is why most women don’t know how very often it happens.  When I got pregnant, I told very few people and was going to wait the standard 12 weeks before announcing it.  I could have stayed silent and no one would have been the wiser but I couldn’t.  I was hurting and I couldn’t hide my pain.  I’m glad I didn’t decide to crawl in a hole and hide because the out pouring of love I received and other friend telling me their stories helped me so much.  I’m glad to see more and more of my friends announcing their pregnancy before the traditional 12 week mark.

That I wouldn’t want to hold or see someone’s baby because it just hurts way too much.

This has only happen to me twice so far and it’s because we all got pregnant at the same time. Truly, weeks apart. Thankfully, I was that 1 out of 3 and they both went on to have beautiful, healthy babies.  It took me a few weeks to grieve, accept, and move on and now I love holding their babies.

What are some things you have learned about TTC that I didn’t list?