Approximately 11 million couples in the US are trying to conceive (TTC). On average, a couple only has a 20% chance of becoming pregnant each month during the woman’s fertile time (not the best odds huh?).  In fact, 75% of women report an increase in their frequency of dryness when TTC. Pre~Seed mimics natural body secretions to relieve dryness while providing an optimal environment for your man’s little swimmers. Its moisture is delivered in the same pH , osmolality and viscosity (thickness) as fertile cervical mucus. Pre~Seed does not harm sperm and is less irritating to women than the leading lubricants (see Clinical Studies).

That my friends is why Pre Seed is so great for women who are TTC! I was ready to try pretty much anything while TTC, and when I gave this a try I fully noticed a difference. The good news is that you can now buy Pre Seed at your local stores as well as online. I promise you won’t be sorry you gave this a try.

When the people behind Pre Seed contacted me to do this giveaway, I knew that even though I didn’t need it now, I still wanted to offer it to my dear readers. I know many of you are struggling with TTC, and if there is anything I can do to help, I will. And I believe that Pre Seed will help.

So onto the GIVEAWAY! The giveaway package will consist of one carton of the Pre~Seed Product, and one product brochure. The giveaway will run until Monday September 19th.

How to enter: Remember…each entry needs a separate comment to count.

Mandatory entry…now this will be easy…:

Leave a comment saying “I want to win Pre Seed!” Yup! That’s it!

Extra Entries

1. LIKE After The Alter on Facebook
2. LIKE Pre~Seed on Facebook
3. Follow @afterthealter on Twitter
4. Follow @preseedbaby on Twitter
5. Tweet about this giveaway and come back to leave a link to your tweet! Be sure to @preseedbaby and @afterthealter in your tweet!

Look at all those ways to enter! Good luck!

I was provided with Pre~Seed for the purposes of this review. as always all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Well dear readers I have been keeping a secret from you, and I want to honestly say I am so so so sorry. You have no idea how much I wanted to share every minute of the last four weeks with you, but I hope you can understand why I didn’t. If you haven’t guessed by now I will put you out of your misery. My dear readers I am PREGNANT! That’s right, you read that correctly. I have come one step closer in my journey towards motherhood, and I couldn’t be any happier.

Most of you are aware that I suffered a miscarriage with my first pregnancylast July. It was an awful and horrible experience that no woman deserves to go through. I’d like to say that the experience has made me stronger, but most days I believe that it made me weaker. It broke a lot of my spirit, and the wonderful naivete that should be felt when you are pregnant. It made my hopes and dreams seem so unattainable, and as much as I tried not to, I really believe I put my life on hold. I was living my life just waiting for that miracle to happen for me again.

The good news is that I WAS blessed with a miracle again. On my 7th cycle post miscarriage I FINALLY got my big fat positive (BFP)! (I promise to share that story with you at another time) I always knew that it COULD happen each month, but as each month passed, my confidence that it WOULD happen got less and less. The horrible feeling when AF arrived each month is enough to drive any woman crazy, let alone one that suffered a loss. Each month I was reminded what was NOT in store in my future. Each months my dreams were shattered.

But not this time. This time April brought me good luck and a pee stick that read PREGNANT! Just seeing those words made me feel so many new emotions that I wasn’t sure how to feel them all. Especially since they were all coming at the same time! I was happy, scared, nervous, joyful, panicked and many other adjectives that seem to be fleeing from my brain right now. All I could think was “wow, here we go again!”

I decided to wait to spill the beans on my blog till after our first appointment. I knew that no matter what the outcome was, I would share it with you, but for myself I just needed to have that appointment. It made it more real.  To be honest, sometimes my readers have offered more support than people in real life because they knew exactly what I was feeling. It’s amazing how complete strangers can bring you so much comfort.. That’s why I am so excited to share this news with you now.

There is so much to share and tell and I promise to share it all. Don’t I always? The good, the bad and the ugly right? I just want to give each topic the time it deserves so I can tell it just right. But I will tell you this now. On Monday, at around 12:00 PM, Captain Awesome and I heard the strong little heartbeat of our amazing little miracle. We were in awe of the little flutter that we saw coming from our little bean. The doctor was happy and optimistic, and for now I feel like I can breath a semi sigh of relief. And that my friends feels amazing!

Captain Awesome and I decided a little less than a year ago that we wanted to start a family. With just that one little statement so many other things got set into motion. We had plans. But now, looking back, the words of my doctor now come back to haunt me “when people plan God laughs”. Isn’t that the truth! The problem with plans is that they don’t always work out, and when they don’t work out you are left fumbling for a new plan. But through all the plans, and the ups and the downs, I have to remind myself to just live my life. You’d be surprised how hard that is!

When the summer clothes started to come on the racks last year I told myself “don’t buy any because soon you will be too fat to wear it”. I planned on being the “designated driver” at upcoming weddings because by then I was POSITIVE I’d be pregnant. Then came the miscarriage, and all the plans shattered. After we were free to try again, I was so sure that it would happen quickly. In September I had friends invite us on a vacation in January, and I said to The Captain… I don’t think we can book that trip now. I am hoping to be pregnant by then and I won’t know how I will feel. So we didn’t book the trip. Funny thing is that January came and went. Our friends went on that vacation, and we stayed home.

You may ask why I cared about booking the trip. Well , the answer is simple. It’s a lot of money to travel, and I am worried that if I travel with in my first trimester I could be sick. And therefore the trip is ruined because I am sick and can’t enjoy myself. I know what you are thinking…you could feel fine! And you are right, but it isn’t worth the risk. Therefore we decided we should plan a trip to coordinate with “the right time” and go to relax. But you’d be amazed at how life throws curve balls at you! Each “right time” has occurred when other plans have been set, and therefore we haven’t been able to take that trip. I don’t think people realize how small the window really is. And if you are busy during that window, you lose your chance.

I haven’t really bought new clothes for 4 full seasons now. Each one has come and gone with me thinking I’d be wasting my money. I guess The Captain is happy because it saved us a bunch of money!

My 30th birthday is coming up in June and people ask me what I am doing. But I can’t give them an answer. I’m not going to plan a raging drinking event if I am pregnant. That just wouldn’t fit. I would love to maybe combine my birthday and our 2 year anniversary (both in June), but I have to refer back to my previous statement…I just don’t know how I will feel at that point? What to do?

I realize as I am reading this back I sound a little crazy. Don’t worry I am not. Other than big travel plans I promise I really am living my day to day life to the fullest. But being the planner that I am I am having trouble with the unknown. So here is a reminder to myself and all of you. Don’t wish the year away, and don’t sit around and wait while life passes you by….remember to live.

Thursday I had an appointment with my OB. I needed to have my 6 month check up anyway, and I figured it was a good opportunity to speak with my doctor about my inability to get pregnant, or I should say my frustration with not being pregnant yet. By blogging and being active in the TTC community I have been getting a lot of advice. To be honest, advice is much easier to take from those who have been through what I have, but wanted or not the advice has been coming in. Some people have suggested that maybe it is time to see a Reproductive Endocrinologist (RE), who specializes in infertility. I have been hesitant about taking that route because I still feel like getting pregnant is a natural thing for most people, and although I want it more than anything in the world, I want to give myself time to just allow it to happen. I went into my appointment with an open mind, and was ready with all my questions. I have to admit I was really happy when I started to push the issue about the RE that the OB smiled at me and told me he thinks I’ll be just fine. It was nice to hear.

I had been seeing the same doctor in my OB practice for about 3 years. He was always nice, and supported me through  my miscarriage. But sometimes I just felt like he rushed me, and when I would get home I would be frustrated because I forgot to ask something. So this time, I tried a new doctor (we’ll call him Dr. Patience). A friend of mine had just went to him, and said how nice and patient he was, and I thought that patience is what I needed. Boy was I happy to have met him. He was nice, personable, and best of all he took the time to hear me out and give me feedback. I have found that my OB office looks at pregnancy as a natural thing. He said most of the time the issue isn’t about infertility it’s just about timing, and I agree with him. He told me that since I got pregnant once, he is able to tell that everything is working how it should…that I ovulate, my tubes are open, and The Captain’s swimmers are ready to do their job. He said it may not seem like it now but that’s a good thing. Then he did something that made me smile…He said I know you feel like Marissa Tomei in My Cousin Vinny (here he began stomping his feet) saying “My biological clock is ticking”. But then he went on to remind me that I am still young and healthy, time is on my side, and that I can and will get pregnant. He said that he knows that it may FEEL like I have been doing this for years…but the average is 6 months, and that although some may get pregnant right away that is by no means the norm.

The statistics he gave me were amazing. I wish I could reiterate the numbers, but the percent of people who miscarry is staggering. What is more amazing is the fact that you have the same chance to miscarry a 2nd time as you do the first time. (I try not to think about this one) But with all the information given, I am happy to announce that The Captain and I have decided to continue on our present course. I am the type of person who will take people’s advice, do my own research ( ALOT of research), and then make my own decision. You’d be amazed at what I know about TTC.

My doctor made a great point when I told him about being active in the TTC community. I asked him questions about what worked for others, and about the advice I get from people who tell me stories about a friend of a friend….He reminded me of this…..everyone is different. What works for someone, may not work for someone else. He told me that he can sign me up for every test imaginable, but his opinion is that all the tests will show that everything is in working order. He asked…”do you want that stress?” And the answer was no!

In the end he left me with what he called the Dr. Patience curse…he told me whether I am ready or not I will have a baby in the next 15 months. He said I better not ruin his perfect record, and I told him I’d hold him to that. I left happy and confident in my decision to wait the full year before taking any other action. In the end all you can do is go with your gut right?

I was given, and started using the Fertilaid for Women and the Fertile Cervical Mucus Enhancer at the beginning of this month when I found out that last month was a bust. I have been using prenatal vitamins for over a year, but was looking forward to giving these a try. I was a bit worried about how my body would react to the new vitamins since I have heard that some prenatals can wreak havoc on your body, causing upset stomach and constipation among other things, but I was happy to find that these pills did none of that for me. Both of these pills are to be taken 3 times a day with food. I will admit that I had a bit of trouble remembering to take them 3 times a day. Most of the time I did 2 times…so I hope that’s ok. That I would say is the only negative, but The Captain tells me that the good vitamins need to be taken that often to allow for optimal absorption into the body. The Fertile CM enhancer proved to, in fact increase my CM. I was wondering if I would notice a difference and I totally did, so I was pretty happy about that.

Captain Awesome was given the Fertilaid for Men. He was used to taking a multivitamin, but was happy to give this a try. Sometimes I feel that he feels helpless in this whole process. And I think he was happy to be able to DO SOMETHING that maybe could help. So if anything…the vitamins are keeping him and me healthy!

Now for the fun part! Fairhaven Health has agreed to send 1 lucky winner their choice of these 3 products. That way you can pick the product that you think will help you the most! The contest will start today and run for 2 weeks. Ending on March 9th.

Here’s how you enter: You can do one or all of these entries (I vote for all), but remember that each comment acts as an entry. The winner will be chosen via www.random.org

1. Leave a comment telling me which product you would choose if you won.
2. Publicly become an After The Alter Google Follower and leave me a comment telling me  you did so.
3. Become a fan of After The Alteron Facebook then leave me a comment saying you are.
4. Become a fan of Fertileaidon Facebook and then leave a comment saying that you are.
5. Follow @afterthealter on Twitter! Then leave a comment with your twitter name saying that you follow.
6. Tweet about this giveaway, then leave a comment with the link to the tweet: I just entered the Fertilaid Giveaway @afterthealter you should too! http://bit.ly/9Hi1Ispls. RT
7. Follow @fertilaidamy and leave a comment letting me know that you are!

Now for even more great news! Fairhaven Healthis also offering 10% off to my readers if you use the promo code: newyearsavings (offer valid through the end of March) So even if you don’t win you can still get these products at a very good price.

I say every little bit helps in the TTC game. And getting your body healthy and ready are very important BEFORE getting pregnant. So why not use the products that are designed just for that?

The product in this review
was provided to me free of cost for the purpose of conducting this
review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and are not
influenced by monetary or other means of compensation.

I experienced a bit of a sucker punch today when I looked at the calendar and realized that January is almost over. This means that had I not had a miscarriage this past summer, I would be EXTREMELY close to my due date of February 13th. I can’t believe that it’s been almost 9 months since I conceived. Who knew this is how things would turn out?

I honestly believed that I would be pregnant by the time my original due date came around…I mean I found out that I would miscarry in July. I had no idea that it would be so hard to get pregnant this time around. But it has been hard, and it has been a long time, so that’s why it came as such a shock when I realized the date. I really thought I would have a baby in 2010, but it seems that we are almost running out of time for that dream to come true. As it stands, in a best case scenerio we are looking at October…but November and December could certainly be a reality.

It’s funny…before we began TTC I always said that I didn’t want a Christmas baby. I felt that it wasn’t fair for the child to share his/her birthday anywhere close to such a big holiday in my family….but as we are nearing what could be a Christmas baby, I realize that it doesn’t matter when that child is born. I will love it and make their birthday the most special day EVER! No matter what.

So I am wallowing a bit. But I’m allowed to right? The good news is that my mom is in town, so the two of us will keep busy. It will be comforting to have my mind on other more fun things. Don’t worry readers..I’m ok….if you read Friday’s post you know that I am enjoying life. The punch in the gut just hurt..but my breath will be back shortly.

This is a public service announcement for anyone and everyone that comes across a woman who is TTC. I figure it is my duty to publicly make this announcement, since when conversations on this topic arise in the real world, women are forced to just smile and bare it when someone tries to offer up this horrid advice. But, from experience, and by speaking to others I am here to tell you all, that THE LAST THING any woman wants to hear EVER…let alone when she is TTC …is that all she needs to do is RELAX.

This my friends may be hard to hear, and please if you have ever said this to me, please don’t think I am referring to you alone. Trust me, it is a common bit of advice. But ladies, think it through…have you ever been in an argument with your spouse, only to have him tell you to relax?? How awful is that? And what does it do to you when he says those words? It makes you do anything but RELAX!

Normally, if a friend is talking to you about any TTC struggles or stress she isn’t looking for any sort of advice. Most of the time she just wants to say it out loud, and talk and put it out there. On the boards I follow there are actually many threads that discuss what come back to give when someone tells them “You know I’ve heard that if you just relax it will happen”. You should hear some responses, and I am telling you that you wouldn’t want to be on the end of one of those responses. It will be embarrassing to you for making this person so upset and angry, and embarrassing for them for having lost their cool. So let’s look at this post at me just trying to help you out!

I’ll be honest. I do believe that in some cases just relaxing can have great power, but that is advice I am not looking to get. Even the words “it will happen when it’s supposed to” is a sucker punch to the gut because I am left wondering…why isn’t it supposed to happen now? Personally, I am not sure the better route to take. A: talking about TTC to others and getting the “relax” response, or B: keeping it bottled up inside so that you don’t have to hear about it. I personally choose to go with C: getting it all out through my blog, and that way I don’t run the risk of having someone tell me to relax…if a comment such as that comes across I get to just delete it! oh the joys of running a blog!

I hope I have opened your eyes in some way. I totally get that you are just trying to help, and I totally get that there aren’t many other pieces of advice that you can think to offer. But I am letting you off the hook. No advice is needed when it comes to this topic. All you have to do is listen…and my friend…that is just enough. This has been a Public Service Announcement.

Ok TTC friends…here’s your chance to throw out those responces you have been dying to say to someone who told you to RELAX. Take your shot!

The morning I found out I was NOT pregnant, I actually took a pregnancy test which obviously was a BIG FAT NEGATIVE. You know what happened 5 minutes after I took the test??? Aunt Flow showed her ugly and horrid face. She mocked me, and laughed very loudly. I was defeated. I honestly thought that this month was it. I was looking for signs and I thought that I would find out that I was pregnant and get to tell Captain Awesome on his birthday. I imagined waking him up and giving him the great news as his first birthday present. But it wasn’t in the cards. So I cried….

So what did I do next? I got in the car. I had to take my Tinkerbell to the vet. I wiped away my tears and drove….and during this drive something amazing happened. I started to relax! A wave of peace washed over me. I came to the realization that God decides when it is my time to have a baby. I realized that I just had to let go. I had to let go of the anxiety, and I had to let go of the idea that I can control my destiny. I remembered that I got pregnant the first time by relaxing and enjoying life. I didn’t plan, I didn’t track ovulation, and most of all I didn’t STRESS!

So I am done…I am relinquishing control. I plan to think about ANYTHING other than getting pregnant. I am going to live my life, and que sera sera…what will be will be.