And baby makes...six?!

Yes, it's official!! Another Hagen baby is on the way! Since this is the first Hagen baby since opening St. Croix Birth & Parenting, it seemed a suitably monumentous occasion to launch this blog. But without further ado, the story...

Doc says I ovulated twice. I disagree, since the two temp shifts happened TWO WEEKS APART. Anyhow, my chart was suitably confusing that I, the NFP teacher, decided to get a professional opinion and took it in to the doc. First temp shift was preceded by a week of ovulation pain (oh, joy) a Peak Day, and the first temp shift since K-A was born...at the end of 2005. (I should mention that I am breastfeeding her and so ovulation's been delayed.)

I should explain that Chris & I are pretty open to new babies. We've gotten pregnant now three times in a row without a period in between (last one was in 2002). So I was kind of expecting that I'd get pregnant again this first ovulation too. Yep.

When I saw my temp shift, I started taking some progesterone cream on the third day of high temps. I have had low progesterone in the past and this can help to prevent a miscarriage. Only this was cream from--well--2000 A. D. So, I wasn't sure how effective it would be. When my temp dropped again, I figured it in fact had expired and discontinued use. Within a few days, (and two negative pregnancy tests later) temp shifted again, and CM _started_ again. This time, I didn't bother with the cream and my second Peak Day happened about five days after the shift. Needless to say, this was our tenth anniversary, and I guess our gondola cruise was pretty romantic...

Well, five days later, on Peak Day, I was pretty confused. TWO shifts? TWO Peak Days? Am I pregnant or what?! So off I go to the Doc. Clinic test is negative; doc tells me to retake in five days. I love this, he said, "If it's positive, you're pregnant; and if it's negative...well, you're not!"

(For you charting junkies, a couple of days later I had a one-day dip in temp, an implantation dip!)

So I forced myself to wait (not my strong suit) and retake the test. Sure enough, on Monday morning, two lines!!!! One of them was so light that Chris was in denial for an entire day. ("If you need a microscope to see it, is it really there?!") Well, sure enough, sixteen days after shift #2, I was already big enough that a friend asked if there was some explanation for my mushy brain.

I'm showing big time and it's only twenty days since my shift!!! Could we have twins after all? Or am I just a bit "stretched" from my last three full-term pregnancies?

I am happy about this new little one. Despite how all the charting and testing may appear, we weren't trying to avoid getting pregnant. I am also somewhat nervous, having a history of two miscarriages early in our marriage. This time, with my midwife's approval, I'm trying to use herbs to keep my hormone levels up. So, I'll let you all know how it goes!!

Oh, so if not two ovulations, what happened? I studied my charts in detail (believe me) and I noticed that I have a tendency to have a temp shift well before Peak Day. I think the progesterone cream actually delayed ovulation, instead of maintaining the luteal phase as I intended. Another reason for not interfering if not necessary! But I figure God must have really wanted THIS little baby to be conceived, our special little anniversary present!