Tuesday, December 1, 2009

She Says... Google Away

One thing I Googled incessantly (oh, who are we kidding, what didn’t I Google incessantly?!) over the last 9 months of trying to concieve is the earliest pregnancy symptoms and when they show up. Obviously this is a futile search, because every woman’s body is completely different, but somehow it put my mind at ease to read about what other people felt, and imagine that I might be feeling that too. Hey, it never hurts to keep hope alive, right? So here is a list of the earliest pregnancy symptoms I experienced and about when I experienced them (in no particular order):

  • Excessive thirst. Right around ovulation time I remember feeling constantly parched. And it never really let up since then. I’ve started downing TWO big Nalgene bottles of water every day at work, where I used to just drink one. And now I’m drinking another few glasses at night and taking one to set on my nightstand if I wake up thirsty in the middle of the night. Wow. I’ve never needed this much water before.
  • Tender ta-tas. I really thought I’d get out of this common pregnancy symptom since I’ve never really had breast pain (waaaay back when I used to get my period, that is). Not to mention the fact that my boobs are relatively… ermmm… small, so I didn’t really think there was much there to cause pain. But boy, was I wrong. My nipples started to feel tingly around 10 days past ovulation (dpo). Not painful, just sort of weird and sensitive. By 14dpo, that tingliness had given way to soreness and itchiness. Like they were bruised and I have bug bites. Since then it’s been a little uncomfortable to sleep since they are so sensitive.
  • Nagging, tense feeling in lower abdomen. This probably started around 11 dpo. It was not exactly a cramping feeling like I used to get with my period (although I didn’t really get bad cramps from my period, at least I have that to thank you for, birth control!), but more of a tugging or localized soreness. Now that I know that I’m pregnant, I know that is my uterus stretching (yes, already, isn’t that amazing?!). I guess prior to getting the positive pregnancy test, one can never be sure if their cramps are period-related or pregnancy-related, but this time I got lucky! I still feel this every once in awhile; it’s one of the only ways I can detect that I’m still pregnant!
  • Insomnia. Yep, some women get fatigued, and others just CAN’T sleep at all. Guess which camp I fell into? I’m generally a very good sleeper. I go to bed early, sleep all the way through the night, and can usually fall right back to sleep if I have to get up to pee or if I’m woken up for some reason. But starting about 9 or 10 dpo, I would wake up every morning at around 3:30am and could not go back to sleep. Not if my life depended on it. Now, I’m not sure if this was a result of being subconsciously anxious about the upcoming pregnancy test, but either way, it was pregnancy-related! The last few nights I have been able to sleep until about 5:30am, so it’s getting better.
  • Increased body temperature. As anyone who charts their temperature knows, your body temperature raises after ovulation, and usually dips back down once you start your period. I had been charting my temps for about 5 months before this past cycle, and in all that time I’ve never seen a distinct rise. I had crazy little peaks and valleys all the time — no rhyme or reason to the erratic pattern. But then this cycle my temp rose steadily following ovulation, higher than ever before. And it kept rising. And it stayed high. And it still hasn’t gone down! So for all you PCOSers like myself who see no method to the madness of your cycles… have faith! If/when you actually ovulate, you WILL see a distinct change. And it’s pretty amazing.
  • Fullness/bloating. This, unfortunately, is a symptom that I have had since I ovulated (for the first time… maybe ever) back in mid-November. When I ovulated, my stomach was totally bloated from the two big ass follicles I pushed through my fallopian tubes. If you were reading back then, you probably remember there were a few days when I had a bit of pain and I even had to unbutton my pants while sitting at my computer in my cubicle. But it didn’t really go away after that… the full feeling continued. Around 8-9 dpo I would feel stuffed after I ate even a few bites of food (which is VERY unlike me :) ). By 14 dpo my stomach was puffed out like I was already pregnant! I feel like I’m “showing” already, even though the baby is no bigger than a poppyseed. Yesterday at the gym, Benjamin said to me, “You’re sticking out your stomach like you’re pregnant.” And I said, “I’m NOT sticking out my stomach. But thanks a lot”. Ha! Bloating sucks. But I must say, I’m pretty psyched about the pseudo baby bump I’ve got going on now that I know it’s “real”!
  • Heightened sense of smell. I read in “What to Expect” that this is nature’s way of making you avoid foods that might be harmful to the developing baby, as most women experience super smells that are offensive or gag-inducing. I think my sniffer has been in overdrive for all smells, though, because I was in sensory heaven cooking all day for Thanksgiving, and I keep smelling freshly baked cookies or cake at random times (that no one else can smell). It’s not so bad to smell cake all the time! But from what I’ve heard, this side-effect can quickly turn against me if/when morning sickness kicks in and all I can smell is gross things.
  • Constipation. Oh, the lovelist topic. Not much to say here, except that I generally have this issue, so it took me awhile to realize this as a symptom of pregnancy. Although I didn’t think it was humanly possible, IT HAS GOTTEN SO MUCH WORSE. ‘Nuff said. Friends and family, aren’t you so glad you know about the blog now?

So, I hope that helps someone out there! Tomorrow I am officially 5 weeks, so most of the heavy duty symptoms (ahem, morning sickness, ahem) haven’t kicked in yet. “What to Expect” tells me I can expect that around week 6 or 7. Something to look forward to, no?

[Via http://thisplaceisnowahome.wordpress.com]

Thursday, November 12, 2009

She Says... OUCH!

All day yesterday I felt cramping and fullness in my lower, left abdomen… you know, right about where my left ovary might be. I was shocked to realize I can actually feel those two big follicles! While Benjamin and I were, ermm, following the doctor’s orders, I could feel the spot aching and it kind of felt like it was being poked and prodded. Not terrible pain, just enough to annoy me and distract me from the task at hand (sorry, honey!). 

Then, this morning at 5am I was woken up by more pain. It felt like I had a really uncomfortable gas bubble or something… but it wasn’t in my stomach, it was definitely off to the left side and more internal than normal gas pain. Still not terrible pain, but enough to wake me up. I could barely get back to sleep, I was so excited that I might actually be feeling ovulation! The only thing that makes me nervous is that I felt something similar last month (remember? I described it as mittelschmerz), and then I didn’t really ovulate. But I’m trying to remember to TRUST THE DOCTORS and believe that ovulation is really taking place this time.

Since I was up, and it was only an hour before I normally wake up and take my basal body temperature, I thought I’d take it, just to see. The day before I had been at 97.7. This morning at 5am it was 98.3! For realsies, I think this means I ovulated. Let’s HOPE that number stays nice and high, and continues to climb over the next two weeks!

So now I’m at work, and the pain has mostly subsided. I still feel the “gas bubble” feeling, especially after I pee. And it is sore when I get up out of my desk chair. In an effort to keep those little follicles happy, I’m going to skip the gym today and give the dog a nice walk instead.

Have you ever felt your growing follicles or ovulation? Is there anything else I can do to make SURE I ovulated?

Thursday, October 22, 2009

moments

The more time goes by I am reminded of how it seems over time my life has become somewhat of a series of moments.

Moments that have defined and shaped my life over time. My frist defining moment was when I was 16. I found out my father died from  Alzheimer’s. It’s not something a 16-year-old is usually prepared for. I skipped school that day with my friend Travis and my Mom and Brother found me at home with him.

I remember the first time I looked in a mirror and didn’t recognize myself. I had discovered my life of drugs and everything else had turned me into something I wasn’t. It had taken away my life and changed me forever. I knew then I had to get sober it was just a matter of how and when.

The first time I looked over at Brooke and realized she was it for me, changed me forever. We were at the restaurant we worked at in the “window”. I looked over at her in the middle of a rush and saw that she was the one I was in love with and I was going to build a life with her.

All these moments have either been defined by a series of choices or by just life happening. I grew up faster than most my friends. I lived my life recklessly and brought myself back together. It has all brought me here in this moment where I’m waiting for life to make a decision on whether Brooke gets pregnant or not. For days we tested on this little plastic thing that she pees on to tell us if she was ovulating. Suddenly, that strip turns blue and everything could possibly change for the rest of our lives. The look on her face was priceless. She woke me at 3:30am before she went to work. Her eyes were lit up and it was no surprise that the damn line showed up.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

From Belly Fat to Belly Flat

It’s a common problem when you hit 30 that despite your best efforts you just can’t seem to lose the extra weight around your middle.  Medical research proves you’re not alone – the average person gains one to two pounds a year after the age of 30, usually around the stomach area. 

Hormone imbalance spejcialst, Dr C W Randolph’s book ‘From Belly Fat to Belly Flat’  explains the real reason behind this problem which has less to do with calories and everything to do with a little-known medical problem known as ‘oestrogen dominance’. 

Readers of my blogs will know that I’m an advocate of natural progesterone – an essential hormone for both men and women – fostering a calming effect on the body; maintaining libido; serving as a natural antidepressant; promoting regular sleep patterns; stimulating bone building and opposing oestrogen’s predisposition to promote cell growth, thereby providing protection from uterine, breast and ovarian cancer.

If you want to know more about progesterone and, particularly, its effect on weight gain and how to lose that belly flab then check out Dr Radolph’s book: ‘From Belly Fat to Belly Flab’ by Dr C W Randolph and Genie James

Saturday, September 26, 2009

For Saturn-day, but I lost count how many I've done

a.Destiny Arts Center. This is a wonderful program of dance and martial arts, with an emphasis on community building, peace and conflict resolution, that my family has been lucky enough to be a part of since Elcy was in first grade and Tilly was in pre-school. Yesterday, Tilly auditioned for the DAC Performance Company, and today we got the call that she was accepted into Company. I am so very grateful to Destiny and to Sarah Crowell, in particular, for her enduring enthusiasm.
b. Om. They put on a great show last night. I’ve been chillin’ and groovin’ to their CD all day today. There was a point during the show when I had my earplugs in and my eyes closed, and rather than listening to the music, I decided just to feel the vibrations. Which ones made my pant legs tickle my calves, which ones made my solar plexus feel like it was part of a marimba, which ones mad me feel like I was going to ovulate, right there.
c. I got to see Matt Pike last night–I haven’t really seen him since I stopped drinking, as he’s a bartender at Eli’s Mile High Club. I heart Matt. He’s a very nice guy. He looked great last night. He said he’s been working out and swimming, and he has a new girl and she seems very nice. He used to be in a band, Sleep, with the guys from Om. His curernt band, High on Fire, is going on tour with Dethklok this fall, and I won’t see him again for a while. It makes me a little sad for me, but happy for him. I’m grateful that I’ve gotten to be friends with him.
d. It’s Friday and I don’t have to clean anyone else’s house till Monday.
e. Alba, for her random text about Home Depot today. Damn, that was funny and wise at the same time!!!
f. Despite the regular ol’ nagging fears about money and what people think of me, I have to confess that I’ve been feeling pretty damned happy lately. That’s a good thing.
g. The tamboura.
h. Cordless power drill.
i. My reading glasses. I just put them on, and it’s hella easier to read the computer screen. Duh.
j. The Wiz at the Piedmont Theatre tonight.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

He Says... Missed Opportunities?

I am a little stressed out right now.  Today I have to go to NYC for 3 days for a job.  And despite the fact that we have done everything we can with 6 consecutive days of “trying to conceive” and the fact that her ovulation predictor kit seemed to indicate that we are doing things at the right time, what if we are off by a day or two?  And I am not here!?!

I mean, there is really nothing I can do.  I suggested (jokingly), leaving a “specimen” for Kate (gross…I know).  So let’s say the Clomid worked but we do miss this opportunity because I am traveling.  That would suck!  And it just makes me nervous because I have a fairly irregular work schedule and usually have to travel for a couple days every few weeks.  And since we can’t really anticipate the best time for baby making yet, how do we deal with my schedule and the (more important) task at hand?  Unfortunately it is not practical to lose out on jobs that do require travel for the next few months, and Kate has her own work so she can’t come with me (usually).

That is my rant.  I am leaving this evening and we’ll “try” again before I go and keep our fingers crossed that things are timed perfectly.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

I heart the Red Sox

Yesterday wasn’t a complete loss. DH came home from work with Red Sox tickets! We missed seeing them when they played in June (my boss took all the tickets), and in August (we were in NM for my mother-in-law’s funeral), so I was pretty excited that we got to see them.

DH’s parents were from Rhode Island and Massachusetts, and he grew up in Maine, so with all that New England blood he’s been a Red Sox fan since birth. I married into it . I’ve always been a fan of baseball, since I loved playing softball in school, but never really had a favorite major league team. Louisiana didn’t exactly have a baseball team, and for some reason Louisianians don’t like cheering for Texas sport teams…

In 2002, after Hubby came back from Afghanistan, he drove from where he was stationed in Georgia to Louisiana. He spent a week with me and my family, then we drove out to New Mexico to his parent’s house. We weren’t married at this point, and I hadn’t met his parents yet. We spent two weeks with them, and watched a Red Sox game every night. My MIL had just restarted chemo at that point after a 6 year remission, so she was too tired to do much, but she enjoyed explaining the finer points of baseball to me and introducing me to all of the players. I had a blast.

Since our company has season tickets to the Orioles games, we’ve managed to see the Red Sox at least once or twice a season for the last 3 years. DH even saw Manny hit his 500th home run at Camden yards. Every time we saw them play, DH would sneak out during the seventh inning stretch to call his mom and tell her where we were. It was strange last night, as we watched the Red Sox take a 6 run lead in the eighth, not to have anyone to text the news to.

I always notice how many newborns there are at the baseball games. I’m talking brand-spanking-new, like probably shouldn’t be out at 10 pm in chilly 60 degree windy weather kind of newborns. DH was actually the one that pointed it out to me last night – “Isn’t that baby a bit young to be in a huge crowd of people late at night?” There were several people with little tiny babies in onesies – no socks, no hat. I was chilly in my jeans and sweatshirt, so I felt a little bit of anger at the parents. And had the typical infertile thought that I would be a much better parent. I wouldn’t bring my little one out with thousands of other people when their immune system isn’t fully developed yet. I would make sure they were warm, since infants don’t have the ability to regulate their own body temperature. See, I may be infertile, but I know something about babies.

Sigh.

It always comes back to infertility. My life consists now of things to take my mind off of work and infertility.

Today is cd14 and I had a huge dip in temp today. I’ve had some fertile mucus the last two days, so I think this might be a dip before ovulation. I had some ovary pain yesterday and the day before, so it might be today. We’ll see.

Thanks for all of your comments over the last couple days. After such a horrible week, reading your kind words means so much. Thanks for all the support and understanding!

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

An Ovulation Experiment

I read a very interesting article regarding ovulation and a women’s libido.  I learnt that during ovulation a woman’s sexual drive increases signifacantly.  Call me crazy, but I’ve never really paid the subject much mind. After all, we are animals – predators if you will – and we are first and foremost on this planet  to procreate. To find a mate and populate.  So, wouldn’t it make sense that the 12-24 hours during a woman’s cycle that she is the most fertile (ie when she is ovulating) that nature might turn up her sexual dial somewhat? Oh Mother Nature and your sneaky ways!

So what about those nights when we feel an overwhelming desire to wear the push-up bra and high heels? To darken our lips, wear our hair mane-like, tauntingly skimming our eyes.  When its somehow a little easier to purr and paw in the direction of an attractive male?  Or when our sexual desire gets the better of us and we fuck complete strangers in restaurant bathrooms or on planes and trains… oh, you know I’ve done this. But damn it, was I ovulating?

They say statistically a significant amount of one night stands end in pregnancy; and that married women are much more likely to cheat on their husbands when they are ovulating. Wow. Again, guilty on both accounts, and I only know this because I got a two for one deal, if you know what I mean. Ouch.

And as for how our ovulation effects the men around us I found the following: In work conducted by Martie Haselton, an associate professor of psychology at UCLA, women report that when they’re ovulating, their partners are more loving and attentive and, significantly, more jealous of other men. “The men are picking up on something in their partner’s behavior that tells them to do more mate-guarding,” Haselton says.

And…

A study published last October in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior showed that strippers who are ovulating average $70 in tips per hour; those who are menstruating make $35; those who are not ovulating or menstruating make $50.

So, let’s do an experiment. Here are a few guide lines.

1) If you are on the pill this will not work as contraceptives feed us a supply of hormones which trick the body into thinking it is pregnant – consequently we do not ovulate.

2) I am going to give you an estimated ovulation calculation. It will be more accurate if you have a regular 28 day cycle. (Or better still if you have one of those at home ovulation kits).

3) We are going to chart our cycle this month, and follow our sexual desires and activities before, during and after our ovulations.

WHAT IS AND HOW TO CALCULATE OVULATION:

Ovulation: The release of the ripe egg from the ovary. The egg is released when the cavity surrounding it (the follicle) breaks open in response to a hormonal signal. Ovulation occurs around fourteen or fifteen days from the first day of the woman’s last menstrual cycle. When ovulation occurs, the ovum moves into the fallopian tube and becomes available for fertilization. Ovulation typically lasts from 12 to 24 hours.

Vaginal discharge during ovulation resembles slippery egg-whites, ideal for the purposes of conception. It is during this time that the vaginal walls are generally well-lubricated, sexual intercourse is easiest, and the acidic discharge best assists the egg’s path from the ovaries to the fallopian tubes. Immediately after ovulation, the discharge changes in consistency, becoming less viscous and less frequent, with a cloudy or whitish color and snotty-looking appearance.

Mark your calendar with the first day of your last period.  Count 14 days from that day and mark it.  Now, lets sit back and watch what happens.

My last period was 7th September.  My ovulation will therefore be around September 2oth.  A Sunday, a fine day for some sexual fancies.  So this coming weekend holds a glimmer of hope for a fun story.  No doubt I’ll start to feel the increase in my purr abilities a few days before (say Friday)… hmmmm, the world is my oyster.

PLEASE PLAY ALONG, I’D LOVE TO HEAR SOME FEEDBACK… IT’LL BE FUN!

Friday, September 11, 2009

How Am I Different

Warning to the guys: A very girly, feminine post ahead. Okay, quite frankly, I talk about menstruation cycles and getting pregnant. That’s what I thought. Catch you on the next post.

I promised myself that once I got pregnant, I wouldn’t be one of those annoying women who told the world. How interesting because I’m currently TTC (trying to conceive) and I can’t seem to keep a lid on it to certain people. Now, I’m writing a public blog post about it. Hello, world!

I have all sorts of feelings about TTC. Talking to someone about it is kind of weird because when you say you’re actively TTC, it’s basically blurting out that you’re having sex. I mean, we all know how it’s done; it’s just weird to think about it. Maybe I’m a prude. Okay, no, I am. Regardless, I don’t think anyone wants to hear about my sex life so I try to keep a lid on that aspect for most people. But announcing a pregnancy means that, uh, yeah, you DID have sex! (Unless you’re the virgin Mary carrying Jesus.) But I digress.

Of all things though, I am not sure that I’m called/meant to be a mother. I’m an only child with limited babysitting experience (mostly with my husband, rarely alone), and for the longest, I was the youngest child on both sides of my close, extended family. I have an awful confession to make:

I don’t think newborns are cute.

In fact, I think they’re ugly. I mean, the cuteness aspect (for me) lies in how tiny and helpless they are but are they adorable to look at? Not necessarily. And they’re kind of boring. All they do is eat, sleep, cry, and poop. I know that’s a temporary stage but some mothers love the baby stage. I’m also deathly afraid to hold one. I specifically refrain from holding newborns because I’m afraid I’ll crush them. And hell no, I won’t be responsible for smushing the soft spot of some kid that’s not mine. I’ll stick my finger in their tiny hands but don’t ask me to hold him/her–I WON’T DO IT. Experienced moms say I’ll get over this fear with my own kid. I sure hope so. Although I have the funny feeling, I’ll let everyone else in the delivery room hold the kid before me. I’ll probably cry hysterically over holding a newborn baby than during labor.

I’m more of a toddler girl. That’s when they have personality. They smile, giggle, gurgle, make funny faces, say funny things, and do funny things. If I could pop out a 2-year old, I think I’d do that. We’d have fun together. (I hope.)

But if I want to have my own child, I have to get pregnant before I can worry about not holding my newborn. And the getting pregnant part is the problem. Not the activity itself, mind you. The praying, hoping, and waiting afterward.

I’m relatively new to this. There are women who have been doing this for months and years and have it down to an art. I don’t intend on making this an art. In fact, I don’t like this praying, hoping, waiting thing AT ALL.

When I wasn’t trying, I lived my life. I got my period, went ick (menstruating has never ceased to gross me out even after 16 years), got my Mittelschmerz to let me know I was ovulating, moaned and groaned in pain for a few hours or maybe a day in the middle of my cycle, and moved on only to repeat it all over again every 26-28 days. Never thought much of it. Some women complain about irregular cycles. I’m fortunate to have never had that problem since I started menstruating regularly at age 11. Always 26-28 days and rarely ever a day late.

Now that I’m TTC, I’m living my life in 26-28-day cycles. And I hate it.

I took a Facebook quiz a few weeks ago and although most of them are stupid, a question on this one had me stop and think for a moment: “What bothers you the most?” There were five different choices but the two that stuck out the most to me were “not knowing” and “not understanding.” At the time, I picked “not understanding” since it was around the time of my dad’s birthday and I struggle with not understanding why he died the week before I flew home from college. Now that I’m actively TTC, I realize “not knowing” is more bothersome to me.

Every little problem makes me wonder, “Is this a pregnancy symptom or is this normal?” The nausea. The frequent urination. The localized abdominal cramping. I’m convinced I’ve brought psychosomatic symptoms upon myself because I’m so paranoid. Two negative pregnancy tests don’t lie. Twenty-eight days can never go by fast enough. Fourteen days can never come soon enough. I wasn’t living a menstruation cycle before I was TTC; I was living a life.

I’m thinking of going back to not having kids. If it happens by accident, then great (although that’s unlikely) but all this waiting and worrying is taking away from a life that I want to be living. And spending an hour crying over not knowing whether I’m pregnant or not is just not worth it. God bless the women who can spend months doing this; I just can’t.

[Via http://thisjourneyismyown.wordpress.com]

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

The time is right

I often marvel at new technologies.  I remember being absolutely fascinated by the introduction of digital media in the form of Compact Discs and, in the early days of computing, I can actually remember using my portable cassette tape player to save computer data.  This evolved into floppy discs, named after the wishy-washy 5 and  a quarter inch magnetic discs.  These then became their smaller 3 and a half inch cousins. These initially stored 512 kilobytes of data, but when made double sided, could then store a massive 1.44 megabytes! (about a quarter of the size of a chart MP3 track).  How things have moved on since!  After only 15 or 16 years, I now carry around my little ‘dongle’, no bigger than my front door key, on which I could store the equivalent of five and a half thousand of those  floppy disks.  Amazing eh!

Where’s this all leading, I hear you ask!  Well, staying on the topic of technology, we have just become aware of a piece of technology that will be very close to many of our readers’ hearts, especially those who have been trying to have a baby for a long time.  Mums and Dads who have been trying for a family have had to try traditional temperature measurements to best estimate their time of ovulation and to therefore increase their chances of becoming pregnant.

All very hit and miss I would say.  The new gizmo uses data sensing and storage techniques to record and predict the woman’s temperature for much longer periods in order to more accurately record temperature trends and therefore get a much more accurate prediction of her fertile time.  Have a look at this:

Rough indications of fertile days can be found by using tools such as our own Ovulation Calendar, but if you want the Real McCoy, then the new DuoFertility system will blow your mind!  This is something that doesn’t impose on or interfere with a waoman’s normal routine, yey gives her as accurate a picture of her own fertility patterns as she could ever hope to get.  Amazing!

They’re not cheap, but knowing how much some parents are willing to spend in their quest to have a child, I predict that this little device will revolutionise family planning.

If you’re a couple who have been trying for a baby for a while, this could be exactly what you’re looking for.  Why not have a look at the DuoFertility site for yourself and see what you think?

N.

[Via http://thebabywebsite.wordpress.com]

Monday, September 7, 2009

How To Conceive A Baby Boy

This is one very popular topic and one that I have studied for many years. Yes, I have personally tried it and as I write this article, I can’t help but smile proudly as  I glance over my laptop and see my son, jumping up and down and twirling around doing his aeroplane dance.  As with all medical treatment or advice, there are no guarantees but these tips I am about to explain do have some some scientific basis. I will try to explain the theory behind it and hopefully by the time you finish reading  this article you will have a bright, hopeful smile , one which I’ve seen many times on the faces of my patients as they walk out of my consultation room. Whether it works or not, it is a different matter. At the very least, they go home with a smile on their face and a sense of hope in their hearts. And it’s moments like this that I cherish and treasure the most as a general practitioner.

What determines the sex of the baby is the sperm that succeeds in fertilizing the egg/ovum. The egg contains an X chromosome from the mother and the sperm may contain either an X chromosome or a Y chromosome from the father. If an X sperm reaches the egg first and fertilizes it, then we will get a girl. If a Y sperm wins the race instead and reaches the egg first and fertilizes it, then we get a boy. In order to conceive a boy, we have to make sure that we fix the race so that the Y sperm will have a higher chance of winning.

As compared to the X sperm, the Y sperm is smaller, lighter and swims a lot faster, however it doesn’t last as long especially in acidic and harsh conditions. Meanwhile the X sperm is not only larger and heavier, it swims a lot slower but it can last longer especially in an acidic environment.

Because the Y sperm swims really fast, we can use this to our advantage. We should time the intercourse on the day of ovulation and refrain from having it 2-4 days prior to ovulation. If intercourse is done on the day of ovulation, then when the sperm is finally released into the vagina, the Y sperm will swim faster and will be the first to reach the egg that’s already ready and waiting to be fertilized. Instead, if we were to have intercourse 2-4 days before ovulation, then the X sperm which moves really slow will reach the egg, whereas the Y sperm would have died off much earlier.

The depth of penetration is another factor that we need to consider. The deeper the penetration, the nearer the sperm is deposited to the cervical opening, the shorter the distance, the higher the chances of the Y sperm winning the race. A shallow penetration will however favour the slow swimming, yet resilient X sperm.

The Y sperm doesn’t last long in an acidic environment and thrives in a more alkaline environment. One way to increase alkalinity is by vaginal douching. Douching with an alkaline fluid such as a mixture of water and bicarbonate of soda 30 minutes before intercourse will therefore increase our chances of conceiving a boy.

Consuming a more alkaline diet is also recommended, this includes vegetables such as alfalfa, spirulina, brocolli, spinach, cabbage, celery, cucumber, cauliflower, eggplant, garlic, onion, salad, mushroom, sweet potato, pumpkin and tomato. It also includes fruits such as apple, pear, banana, dates, raisins, dried fig, watermelon, honeydew, fresh coconut, strawberry, almond, chestnut and citrus fruits. Curry powder, cinnamon, ginger, sea salt, herbs, mineral water, fruit and vegetable juice are also alkaline. Even though the citrus fruits may taste sour but they have an alkalinizing effect on the body.

Acidic foods should be consumed less, this includes oat, corn, rice, spaghetti, macaroni, olive, plum, prune, beans such as soy, lentils, red beans, dairy products such as butter, cheese, ice-cream, peanut butter, cashew nut, walnut, red meat, sardines, coffee and carbonated drinks like coca-cola. You don’t have to consume food from just the alkaline group, just make sure that you consume more alkaline food than you do the acidic ones. On a final note, I wish you all the best, good luck and have lots of fun trying.

[Via http://drroslin.wordpress.com]