Charting - where to begin?, Intro to charting

[juliajaj]

This is the 1st month DH & I are TTC. I stopped nursing DD when she turned 1 (8/9). My 1st cycle started on 8/24 & ended on 8/29. My 2nd cycle started on 9/29. It looked like it was done on 9/25, but it started up again on 9/26 & is starting to taper off. I've heard the first few cycles after pregnancy & nursing aren't typical/regular, so I'm hoping the next cycle will be more predictable.

I'd like to start charting, but don't know where to start. I also bought an opk (Clear Blue Easy), but since my cycle is weird this month, I'm not sure when to give that a try. DH & I were fortunate that we got pregnant without any charting the 1st time around. It would be great if we were that fortunate again, but I thought it would be helpful for us to learn more about my fertility.

I checked out The Art of Natural Family Planning & Taking Charge of Your Fertility from the library, but haven't had a chance to get very far into them. Are there any other books or web sites that you would recommend.

Thank you.

[Mommieto2Girls]

Good luck this month. I am using "Fertility Friend" you can see my chart under my siggy. I have been using it for 2 months now. It's pretty cool.

[Maddie&EthansMom]

I read Taking Charge of Your Fertility and found it really helpful. I also charted and used an OPK. The month I used the OPK is the month I got pg. My cycles are very irregular so I kept a journal of how I felt day to day. That helped me pinpoint Ovulation and know when to use the OPK. I only temped one full month, but charted my Ovulation signs like cervical mucus and cervical position. That is really the key to ovulation.

HTH! and lots of luck and BABY DUST!!

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[Heather]

I used Fertility Friend also. I haven't been charting this month though...I found it to be more stressful to me...so I am giving it up. But, I found FF to be very helpful. Good luck with TTC. Yes, your cycles could take a few months to get back to normal after BF. Mine went right back but I have heard it does mess you up for a few months...

[kit_kats_mom]

I used the TCOYF computer charting software. You can get it from their site. I was preggo within 3 cycles and I have some really crazy cycles.