Thursday, December 1, 2011

Secret Post #4: Now We Have to "Try"

NOTE: This post is part of a series that I wrote in secret during the months before I announced my pregnancy. The series chronicles my pregnancy journey: from weaning off my RA meds, to trying to conceive, to searching for helpful advice and information, to discovering I was pregnant, to the ups and downs of my first trimester. You can read all the posts in this series here.

This Post Written June 20, 2011

TMI Warning: This post contains details about sex and trying to get pregnant that you may consider to be too much information. Don't say I didn't warn you!

Our wedding turned out to be amazing, despite the rain, and I actually ended up feeling great! And we had a phenomenal time on our honeymoon - what an adventure! 

However, sadly our master plan to get pregnant without trying while we were on our honeymoon didn't end up working out. So now we have to "try" to get pregnant - and sooner would be better than later to reduce the amount of time that I have to be off my meds, which will also reduce the chances of joint damage in the future.

I have to admit that I'm a little nervous about "trying." Sex can be difficult enough when you have RA, and the thought of doing it a lot is a bit overwhelming (ok, make that a lot overwhelming), especially because I am not sure how I will be feeling. Also, I'm honestly still nervous that I can't trust my body to "do the right thing" and get pregnant at all, especially since it has done so many other things out of my control over the past three years.

But we're keeping our hopes up.

9 comments:

Heather said...

This is where I am worried - I'm still on meds (I've only been at this whole RA thing for about a year - I can't even think of going off everything) so I'm worried that we will be trying to get pregnant for a lot longer than most.

And the sex thing...wtf. Who on earth wants to have sex when they are achy!

BTW - I am loving these secret posts; they make me feel so much better about my journey :-)

~Mariah~ said...

HEATHER: Yeah, this was for sure an uncertain time for us. However, to be fair, I didn't go off EVERYTHING. With the advice of my rheumatologist, I actually ended up staying on Enbrel until I had a positive pregnancy test (though, disclaimer: I think which meds to take/not take when trying to conceive is a very personal decision that should be made with your spouse and doctor)

Unfortunately for me my RA wasn't nearly as well controlled on Enbrel alone, but it was for sure better than nothing! Also, blissfully, you can still take plenty of painkillers or have a glass of wine before you a pregnant - which can help a lot with "getting in the mood" too! ~;o) I've got a post coming up with other ideas too - stay tuned! ~;o)

~Mariah~ said...

HEATHER: P.S. Also, by staying positive and focusing our efforts (I also have a post coming up about tracking your ovulation) it ended up only taking us 4 months to get pregnant - for which we are extremely grateful!!

A said...

I love these posts. You're amazing!

~Mariah~ said...

A: ~;o)

Helen said...

Mariah, I'm loving these posts!

I've always known getting pregnant will take lots of planning, so it is wonderful to see another woman with RA actually doing it, even though I know there has been a lot of difficult decision-making, and lots of not feeling so great. You are so inspiring. :)

(And now I have to get back to the massive law paper I'm writing that is due tomorrow. 5 pages to go and I just... want... to go... to bed. Too bad I'm not feeling so inspired about that!)

~Mariah~ said...

HELEN: I'm super glad to have the chance to let other women considering pregnancy with RA know that they are not alone. ~;o) Good luck with your law paper!! You know I've been there too! YOU CAN DO IT!!

Heather said...

Good to know it only took 4 months! We're waiting to see for our fourth try, but I don't think it was a very good effort (Ha!) but we'll see.

I'm looking forward to reading more!

~Mariah~ said...

HEATHER: Hang in there! And be good to yourself and try to stay positive. I know that isn't always easy, but I do think it helps. ~;o)