Part 1
Part 2

The day after I got my first BFP, I was in my friend L’s wedding. Since I was pretty sure I was pregnant, I didn’t drink at the rehearsal dinner or wedding reception. It was great to be able to think about being pregnant without feeling like I was imagining it.

The next night, we celebrated our second wedding anniversary (we celebrated one night early), and went out for a really fancy dinner. I will never forget that night! We were so excited and happy.

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On Tuesday, I left work and had a little bit of time before I had to be at my new school for a meeting, so I stopped by Babies ‘r Us to just walk around and look. It was fun to think about registering, having a baby shower and decorating a nursery, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

However, the high didn’t last long. On Wednesday, I woke up to pretty bad cramps. I remember laying in bed thinking that I was probably about to get my period. I tried to visualize the embryo sticking as I laid there, and I waited a long time to get out of bed because I just knew what was coming.

During those five short days that we thought we were pregnant, Mr. TTT and I had discussed that if we lost the baby due to a miscarriage, we would still be happy(ish) because we’d know that we could make a baby. Plus, there are things that can help with the sticking part and when we got pregnant again, we would do whatever we could to help it stick. So when I did get my period that morning, I was sad, but no more sad than I had been before we ever got pregnant.

My husband and I both stayed home from work that day, and I cried for maybe an hour. We went out to breakfast and played with our dogs outside and comforted each other. It wasn’t a great day, but we made it through together and came out stronger on the other side.

After getting some blood work done and talking to my doctor, who confirmed the miscarriage, he advised us to wait one month before trying Clomid again. I was anxious to get right back on the baby-making track, but understood that my body needed time to normalize. He prescribed me the Clomid after my break cycle, just before my insurance changed over and I selected a new doctor who I liked way better. This time, Clomid was much easier. The bloating and cramping wasn’t nearly as bad as it was the first time.

At the end of the cycle, we got another BFP! But this time, there were no pictures or high fives. We were very cautious and guarded because we didn’t want to be disappointed if it went away again. Fortunately, it stuck and, as you know, I’m now in my third trimester!

We were very lucky and appreciative that Clomid worked for us, because it doesn’t work for so many women. I did not use ovulation predictor kits while I was on Clomid. After the first round, before I got that first BFP, the doctor did a blood test to check my hormone levels to see if they were consistent with normal ovulation, which they were. I was able to stay on the lowest dose for the second round because my levels were good, and I didn’t need more medication to help me ovulate normally, like many women do.

My doctor told us that having more sex wasn’t going to help our chances, and that we should stick to a pretty strict every other day schedule (starting on day 10, I believe), which we did. He also said that I should drink a small glass of wine before sex, but my husband shouldn’t drink at all. He said that not only would the wine help my mind relax so I could enjoy the moment, but it also helps certain muscles down there relax so the swimmers had the best possible chance of making it to their final destination. Another thing I did, which was just based on things I had read, was after sex I stayed laying down and brought my knees up almost to my chest and waited for 15 minutes or so. Who knows if any of those things made a difference (for the record, we were on vacation when we conceived the second time and my husband had wine that night), but I wanted to try whatever I could to increase my chances.

Trying to conceive was quite a journey (it took us 14 months to conceive), but I like to think that things happen for a reason and everything has worked out for the best.

Have you ever done anything to increase your chances of getting pregnant?