The other day, this happened, so Mom offered to send me the magazine that contained the picture. When I picked up the mail the other day, I was super excited to open the package, but when I opened it, I promptly started crying. Good Lord, I’m a sap.
You know what made me cry? A calendar.
…but not just any calendar – the calendar my Mom wrote on when they were TTC their first baby – ME!
You see, Mom had educated herself about FAM.
She didn’t have any concerns about IF – she just wanted to learn more about her body.
She checked her CM and took her temp and knew more about her cycles than most docs at the time (or, it seems, most docs today!).
In fact, once they decided to start a family, Mom & Dad successfully planned and prevented pregnancies for years without the use of hormonal birth control.
If you look closely at the calendar above, you can see that she took her last b.c. pill on January 24, 1981. I was conceived on May 17th (syttende mai – similar to the 4th of July for Norwegians, and since I’m 100% Norwegian, a pretty cool date to be conceived on!).
Obviously, she luckily didn’t have fertility issues, but the knowledge she armed herself with 30 years ago helped me diagnose 28 years later what was wrong with me...and how I could arm myself with knowledge about my cycles to show my OB that I was indeed not ovulating. That allowed us to start IF treatments after only six months of TTC, and I firmly believe that my FAM knowledge has changed the way I’ll treat my fertility for the rest of my life.
At any rate, it’s pretty surreal to see notes your Mom made about her last birth control pill, the dates of her periods, the day she ovulated, and the day they first heard my heartbeat (July 23, 1981)*.
I mean, WOW, right?!
*As a random sidenote, the first time I heard RockStar’s heartbeat was July 14, 2011… almost exactly 30 years later. So cool. 🙂
**Something else that was so interesting to me is that my Mom also had long cycles (at least the two she had between going off of b.c. and conceiving me) of 41d and 48d. She conceived me on CD20 of her 3rd cycle post b.c.
**Something else that was so interesting to me is that my Mom also had long cycles (at least the two she had between going off of b.c. and conceiving me) of 41d and 48d. She conceived me on CD20 of her 3rd cycle post b.c.
Everything about this post is amazing. Amazing doesn't even seem like a fitting enough word 🙂
WOW, what an amazing thing to see. I can see how this made you emotional.
I'm blown away! How amazing that your mom kept these things so that you could see this! I love it!
OH my gosh! This is super cool! Gave me goosebumps 🙂
This is seriously awesome! And the fact that your mom saved it is so sweet 🙂
This is the coolest thing ever- and it made me choke up…oh how I miss my mom.
I love your mom! That she tracked that, and kept it, AND passed it on to you. So cool!
Wow that is pretty cool to have that calendar! And the fact that she could find it is pretty impressive. 🙂
That really is cool! I hope that if we ever have a baby girl I can help her understand about fertility issues and knowing her body! It's helped me tremendously and I wish I would have known sooner. Would have saved a boatload on car insurance … no, that's not right. A boatload on BCPs. 🙂
I am glad you found the calendar so fun. Pretty sure I did not keep them for your siblings. 🙂 Your baby scrapbook has more stuff in it than theirs, too. lol. I only wish I had shared what I knew earlier in your life and thereby perhaps spared you some months of sadness. I know that I meant to, somehow I just didn't get it done. There goes my Mother-Of-The-Year award. NOW, however, your sisters all know about this stuff, well in advance of their own TTC time, so once again you are blazing a path forward. :-)xxlove you, JJ!Mom
What a great post! You were an adorable baby. So many coincidences with the calendar & dates! What a special discovery! You're mom's a smart woman. I wish I had been in touch with my cycles looong before I found out I was IF. I hope to teach my daughters one day.
That is so awesome and so cool! If this doesn't prove this child is so meant to be yours, I don't know what does.
This is the most amazing thing. You'll have to remember little thinkgs like this to hand down to your little one. BTA – I can't even find my mail from last week that I need…good for her for holding on to this. 🙂
Ahhh, this is so amazing. Makes me cry too-how serendipitous, 30 years later 🙂 Jeg elsker Norge og Syttende Mai!! Too cool that that's your conception date, I'm a little jealous! hahah…and of the fact since I was the fourth there is probably way less cool stuff in MY baby books 😉 haha JK MAMA!!!SO HAPPY SO SO HAPPY!!!!!!!!! CAN'T WAIT TO MEET MY NIECE IN DECEMBER, and if she's anything like her Mama, I know she'll be right on time, if not early 🙂
Oh wow! That is so cool…What a cute baby picture too! You are so gorgeous! What a beautiful baby you guys will have!