[NaturalMama]

I'm feeling really impatient. I've been charting and taking the vitex has certainly restored my fertility. This passed cycle was a complete cycle of 32 days, the one before was 21 days and am now on the 4th day of my third cycle and feeling ready to conceive and I imagine I will. My cycles are finally established, my basal temps are good and higher than before (they were far too low), my cervical fluid is abundant and not just the creamy I used to get but egg-white which has been new to me since the vitex, and I really would like to conceive. But my dh spoke to me today and feels that we should avoid until November or December. He says he feels very strongly about it, mainly so that I can gain my health and be ready physically for another pregnancy, child and nursing. He says though that really it's just he has a strong feeling about it. I prayed about it and feel that I should follow him and that he is following the Spirit of the Lord in this. I know I need to follow my husband and I feel that he is following the Lord. But I'd like to be pregnant, it's so hard to wait, I've been so excited with the blessing of my fertility. I don't quite understand but it's probably better that I don't find out, kwim? Just need some reassurance. Can I still be on the TTC forum or should I wait until November?

[Gentile]

you can still be here. :) I'm not actively ttc, but waiting on God...and like, really want it now! tell me about vitex plz?

[BloodontheWings]

Be patient. That is hard to for me to say. But my hindsight always tells me that it was better to follow my husband in his leading.

Gen, I went on a low carb diet and started taking Vitex in February. I think the 2 combined really helped me. I was fixen to start charting to see if I was ovulating when I missed my period. I thought at first my cycles were still wacky from the miscarriage and needed to adjust. It took being a full week late before the thought dawned on me that I might be expecting.

I highly recommend the vitex. Make sure you are taking between 600 to 1200 mg a day. I was taking 1200 mg a day.

[mamaperk]

You highly recommend it for all women who are trying to conceive, or women who may need a little progesterone boost?

[Sombra]

Sherry, don't ever START taking vitex after conception. - the change in hormones could cause a miscarriage.

And vitex is not to be taken for the duration of the pregnancy.. but I did take it until week 9 until I was certain the placenta had taken over hormone production.

You know, I was talking to hubby last night, and every time I got pregnant, I had a hard time proving it, because a pg test - even a blood test - before about 2-3 days after a missed cycle would not give a positive result. -So I've come to realize I've always been low in progesterone, and age has just made it more-so.

I don't think estrogen dominance is a good thing - just think of what havoc it wreaks during menopause... I guess it would depend on the woman if she felt she needed more progesterone.

Joyce, let your hubby lead.. you can never go wrong Obeying God's word. For your own lack of peace about hubby's decision, the best thing to do is take it to the Lord.. Walk and pray,... walk and pray.. and let God reveal to you why hubby has this strong feeling to wait, so that you too will be at peace with waiting until Nov - Dec. Think about next spring and summer - what have you got planned? Why would an August - September baby be more of a blessing than a a February baby? What's going on with his career? or your family situation? or prospects of moving? or finances?.. ask God to reveal all this to you.

[mamaperk]

Sombra, on May 18 2008, 11:57 AM, said:

Sherry, don't ever START taking vitex after conception. - the change in hormones could cause a miscarriage.

OH NO! Not for me ... I was just curious if she was recommending it for anyone trying to conceive, or only those who seem to are estrogen dominant or needing longer luteal phases.
Phew! Nah ... not taking any herbs but my pregnancy tea. ;)
But thanks for thinking to warn me on that, Sombra.

[BloodontheWings]

mamaperk, on May 18 2008, 09:10 AM, said:

You highly recommend it for all women who are trying to conceive, or women who may need a little progesterone boost?

I highly recommend it for women who need a progesterone boost. The OP said she was taking it with good success. That was my way of agreeing with her and encouraging her that it worked for me too. :)

[Gentile]

and what are the symptoms of low progesterone? i'll be looking it up in a bit....when i find my glasses. LOL

[mamaperk]

Gen, if you are charting you may find lower than normal basal temperatures ... as a result your thyroid may be slower to function causing you to be sleepy, overweight, and other signs of hypothyroidism ... If you don't have enough progesterone in your system, you may have shorter luteal phases in your cycles which could prohibit conception ... or worse, even cause miscarriage because your body needs plenty of progesterone to grow that tiny babe.

[Gentile]

so slow thyroid and low progesterone could be related? because i looked up the symptoms, and i have lots of them! lOl

[mamaperk]

Yes, they can be related ... I used to chart my cycles ( mostly between Dylan and Aiden pregnancies) and my temps were lower than normal which suggested a thyroid issue ... I was told that you could have some slight issues that don't even show up in the typical blood work run by docs. ( i never got any of those tests ) ... so my lower temps and other symptoms (chills, rarely if ever able to sweat, shortish cycles and luteal phase, etc) indicated some issues ... I used Natural Progesterone cream and conceived Aiden a few months later although that wasn't my intention. LOL! I had read a bit about VITEX back then but never tried it.

[o0o0i0o]

I'd say follow your Dh's lead, but the Lord knows best and you could get a suprise before then ;) .

[NaturalMama]

Thanks for letting me still be here!

Thank you the reassurance, I definately need it. I was so looking forward to my fertility retunring and being pregnant and having another babe, Spencer is already 2 years old. But, yes, I feel that dh is following the Spirit and not his own fears. I'm just disappointed and impatient. Atleast, it's only several months and not years.

Sombra, now that you mention those questions, it helped me think. Having a August/September baby instead of February might be good. It follows the dream I had about when I'd have the next child (not long after my oldest turns 8, she turns 7 next month). You ladies are right, there must be wisdom in this, I'm just impatient.

I highly recommend the vitex! It has been a huge blessing for me. My thyroid levels via blood test always came out normal, but my temps were way too low, and I had a few other symptoms like the cold hands/feet, always tired and weight issues, although for me it was the inability to gain and keep a healthy weight. I have since gained 10 lbs I desperately needed.

[mamaperk]

I didn't realize the reverse w/ weight issues could be affected ... I knew that the sluggish thyroid caused those other symptoms (cause I had those) but w/ weight issues, I thought inability to gain was a hyperthyroid issue. That's very interesting. I'm so happy that Vitex is working for you. :)

[NaturalMama]

Well, it seems we know at least the main reason the Lord inspired my husband to wait a little season before conceiving. I know waiting 6 months doesn't seem that long, but I'd like to have been pregnant already and to me it feels like a long time, and it doesn't help that there seems to be babies and pregnant women everywhere.

I had this very strong impression to immediately call my youngest brother and offer to let him stay with us. The Lord blessed us with a beautiful home recently and after a few weeks I got this very strong impression. So, I called his cell number which was out of service, managed to get a hold of my little sister and got the number of the friend he was staying at and was able to get a hold of him. Find out that he had been kicked out of our parents' home a few months earlier due to them having found drugs in his room, got into a lot trouble with the law and was going to be sentenced in 2 days. I had no idea what was going on, he had been keeping himself sparse and always said very little except things were good. So, after telling my dh about this and after prayer, I went into court and offered to take him in for the purpose of helping him change his life. They decided to postpone his sentencing, meanwhile doin psycoloical assessments. They miraculously consented to a probation at my home on certain conditions. He's been here a month and a half. I received a copy of the probationary officers assesment and recommendation to the court, and it overwhelmed me. There were thins in there I didn't know. The officer concluded that he has no remorse or sense of what he did was wrong, cannot hold down a job nor finish highschool and has been on the streets, that he has learning problems, violence issues, emotional and psycholoical issues, as well as several addictions to which he had been hospitalized for twice. He said that he was a high-risk re-offender and his recommendation was that he remain "in custody" (ie. youth jail) until 18 and have a re-assessment. He just turned 17. He has 7 offenses, 2 of which were planned break and enters and the others involving drugs, gangs and violence. Having him here in my home around my children in something I doubt I would have agreed to had I known these thins and if it weren't for God's obvious leading that we take him in and help him move his life in the right direction. I know that part of this is due to past parental neglect and a lack of love and direction. I suppose bein here in our home full of love and the Sprit of the Lord may inspire him and bless him. It's just been a huge sacrifice and a major undertaking. He does have many issues. Since he's been here he stopped smokin and doing drus and drinking. I found out he likes woodworking, so we're homeschooling him to finish schooling he'll do indepndent study in the fall, we've made the goal of getting into a pre-carpentry course at the college and start on getting his drivers lisence so he can then apply for a carpentry appretenceship, to which I helped him get a job to save up for it. I'm helping him manage his money as well, or else he would end up spending it all. He's given up his friends, and just joined a boxing club to help him with his aggression issues. I have required that he come to church and live moral standards and participate in our youth group while he's here. Although I cannot force a personal conviction, I feel it necessary that he be given opportunities to feel the Spirit of the Lord and be reminded of God, and hopefully one day he'll choose to come to Christ and really chane his life, so far he enjoys going and attends every activity possible by choice, but I feel it is more for the social aspect, but atleast he's now minlin with the right kind of people. He's agreed to all of this and says he wants to change his life, but all of this is happening because I'm making sure it's happening. He still won't admit that he's done anythin wrong and has many excuses to justify himself. He says things I don't like my kids hearing, I don't let it go however, I cannot have my kids think I agree due to being silent. He has a girlfriend as well. I fear that his bad attitude and example will be a bad influence on my children. Yet I hope that they see the example of us helpin him, and the example of unconditional love as Christ taught. I feel overwhelmed and discouraged at times with this task, but I know that our sacrifice is small compared to how it might benefit his life. I also worry that in the end he miht just o back to his old ways and be worse off. At the same time I have an older sister who wants to take him and is angry that he's here, saying I'm just brainwashing him.

Anyway, so with all of this, I couldn't imagine being pregnant and having a baby with him here dealin with all of these issues, without neglecting my own children. It's been so hard and I'm goin on little sleep so I can do this and take care of my children and our home. The Lord has really been blessin us though and I know we're doing the right thing. So, I see the Lord's wisdom now in having us conceive at the end of the year and have a fall baby. My brother turns 18 in May, hopefully by then he'll have his life in order, startin an apprenticeship. We'll then help him find a room to rent from someone at Church who knows him.

Thanks for listening.

This post has been edited by NaturalMama: 11 July 2008 - 08:38 AM