I don’t know anything about the Marquette method (I’m a sympto-thermal gal myself), but it is totally normal to have low fertility for 6-18 months ish after having a baby if you are practicing ecological breastfeeding. Sleeping through the night and even pacifier use CAN cause fertility to return early for some people who are exclusively breastfeeding though so definitely keep an eye on it. I hope that was at all helpful since I don’t know about Marquette, lol. Do Marquette “low” and “high” readings relate to low and high fertility or low and high temps or something else?
Congrats on the new baby!

I’ve been in your shoes, but for me it started with baby #2.  I’m small boned anyway and have had to announce pregnancies at 8 weeks because I’m showing already.  I have four children and have gained sixty pounds with each (and gained it early and fast!).  I’ve gotten all the comments!

In the early stages, I usually try to be nice and politely tell people that we aren’t ready to make an official announcement just yet, so if they could keep it quiet, we’d appreciate it.  Beyond that, I guess I don’t have any real good advice—I too have had trouble not making any snarky comments.  I don’t know why people feel entitled to say some of the things they do…

Good luck and hang in there.

Ouch!  I’m so sorry about the rude comments.  I learned once, to my embarrassment, to never ask a woman if she’s pregnant.  I sympathize with the early showing, it just seems to happen after a few children.  I had to attend a formal event last month at about 10-11 weeks along and forced myself to wear something similar to Spanx…even with that, I looked a bit round.  Nobody said anything, but I’m sure they were thinking that the holiday pounds were starting to pile on.  I know you feel like being snarky, but I think people are just so HAPPY when they see a pregnant woman that they can’t help themselves.  Praying for a healthy baby and the grace to respond with charity.

I totally sympathise with you! I’m currently pregnant with #5 and I don’t think I ever stopped showing from #3! I agree with Been There where you should just say that you’re not wanting to announce just yet and for the other person to keep it quiet. If people (you don’t know from Adam) ask “are you sure it’s just one?” or something similar, I would just say, “why would you say/ask that?” It’s not mean, but it’s not super duper nice either and it gets the other person to think about what they say.

What would you like them to say?  Or would you rather they did not acknowledge your pregnancy until you said something?

At one time or another every pregnant women gets tired of the questions.  What are you having?  When are you do?  What will you name the baby?  How are you feeling? I don’t make comments like you stated above but as a pregnant woman I did not find them offensive or rude.  I think people are curious and wanting to engage in conversation about something that is exciting.  I once made the mistake of congratulating someone on a “pregnancy” that had just gained weight and I will never do it again.  Even when it has been hugely obvious I do not say a word until they tell me.

With pregnancy comes all kinds of attention and questions.  I’m curious to know what questions you welcome and which ones you all can’t stand.

Thank you for the sound advice.  I like the “Why would you say that?”  It’s much better than, “No, not twins.  I am just constipated” which is what goes through my head every time someone says twins.  I wish everyone was happy when they were asking (most of them probably are!), but ever since my cousins had an over-under at Christmas dinner on how far along I was (and yes, I got referred to as a Catholic “breeder”), I’ve been cranky.  Please pray for me   Hopefully in a few weeks I can just smile and glow, and say “Yes, the baby is very healthy!”

Congrats on your pregnancy, Michelle!

Hi Beth,
Good questions!  I would prefer that no one say anything until I’ve told them.  I just can’t bear the thought of having to untell that many people if something bad were to happen, and given my medical history it’s a real concern.  Again, I’d love to think that people were happy about the pregnancy (we certainly are!), but I’ve been getting negative comments and raised eyebrows about the whole thing from family members.  And when you’re 8 weeks and people think you’re six months along, it’s not fun. 

So I would have to say no comments about size of baby/mom; no asking if someone is pregnant; no telling them they’d better schedule a C-section because they are so huge they’ll never have a natural delivery (I got that one constantly at the end of my last pregnancy - and yes, natural delivery of a healthy 9 pound baby), no saying “due any day now?”, no asking if “Are you just getting fat or are you pregnant?” and no guessing the sex of the baby based on how the mama is carrying.  I hate it when old women look at my butt and guess boy or girl.  Oh and no comments about breeding, sex, the fact that my kids are close together, etc. 

Comments about radiance, glowing, “all baby”, etc. are kindly appreciated.

I’m sorry that people have been so rude to you! It really is none of their business if you are expecting or not.  At least that’s what I tell myself! I started showing early on as well, I have an umbilical hernia that hasn’t healed since my first born (5 pregnancies ago), and with this last one, it started poking out at 12 weeks. I also have a history of miscarrages and really didn’t want to start telling people until we were further along, but it was hard to hide the darn belly button : )  Praying that you have a safe and healthy pregnancy.

I don’t have much but sympathy. I start showing early too. I got so mad when I was pregnant with my now 1 year old (second child) when someone had the audacity to email my husband to ask if I was pregnant when I was about 9 weeks along. I suspect he was just trying to drum up business for his wife’s Bradley classes or be a really nice pro-life guy, but, geez, how rude!

I feel for you even though I am on the other side of the coin. I’m pregnant with #10, due in April and just starting to show. I am tall, well padded already and have a ‘roomy pelvis’. Babe has plenty of room without going out and I never get a nice round basketball belly even at term. While people are commenting on your growing I get comments on my lack of growing, people staring trying to figure out if I am/still am pregnant, all but saying “I just thought you were getting fatter.” As for what hurts/offends/annoys…this mom is happy to talk about the pregnancy and the baby. Ask me when I am due, ask me if we know what it is, where Ill have the baby, how am I feeling…do NOT make comments about my body, my weight, my belly or anything else you wouldn’t say to a non pregnant woman. Would you ask any other woman how much weight she has gained or how large her belly is? Then don’t ask a pregnant woman.

Congratulations, “Other Side!” 

Prayers for a healthy delivery!  No fun to hear the comments either way, you are right!  I have gotten the “when are you due?” question several times post-partum, which has always prompted a hormone-induced meltdown, lol

Sounds like you really had to deal with alot of negativity.  Most of the time I found people being kind and just genuinely curious or silly.  I understand about not wanting to tell people—I’m strict with my rule of no asking of thing until they tell me.  I hope things get better for you or you can just let all the comments go over your back.

Yes, start over.  It means being more conservative at first (Day 6 is the end of Phase 1), but your body often changes and what was true before may not be true any longer.

Please start over.  We didn’t and I think that’s how I ended up expecting #3

You might want to consider learning Creighton and/or using a Clearblue Easy Fertility Monitor.  http://www.amazon.com/Clearblue-Easy-Fertility-Monitor-Packaging/dp/B0000532QB/ref=sr_1_2?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1309563090&sr=1-2

My Temps were not consistent based on changing sleep patterns and so I was really confused PP.  Creighton helped me know my mucas better than ST and the fertility monitor was helpful in my case because I had a crazy pattern.  The monitor should last for years after the initial investment.  You use about 10 strips per cycle so a box of strips is for about 2-3 cycles.  Some people think this is pricy but after you buy the monitor even a year of strips is under $150 (assuming it is that much because she need more strips like me) and honestly 150 for helping confirm your cycle is a drop in the bucket for the clarity it provides.

Kate, using a calendar, especially within 6 months of giving birth, is not going to help you much at all.  I’m not sure what methods you use, but I think most would suggest abstaining beginning on day 6 or 7 of your cycle and continuing until well after your peak mucus.  I have gotten pregnant on day 8 or 9 of my cycle…I have also gotten pregnant on the 4th and 5th days post mucus peak, which was day 22 or so.  If you conceived on day 27 of your cycle, then I would definitely wait for 5 or 6 days of drying up.  BTW, I have also had 3 of my children born within 24 hours of my personal due date, which was exactly 40 weeks after known conception.  Most due dates, including yours, are based on about 38 weeks from conception.  My other 3 children, I could not actually pin down the date of conception (too many possibilities).

My cycle used to be pretty regular but postpartum I have ovulated and got my period 3 - 5 days later sort of thing.  I highly suggest Creighton and the use of the CLearblue easy fertility monitor that I posted a link to above.  It is helpful at knowing what is going on, especially when you cycle is so different.  My cycles used to involve ovulating on day 18ish and then having a normal length post peak cycle.  When I first got my cycle back through it seemed I was ovulating within 3 days of my next period.  I have noticed that the post peak time has slowly increased as I nurse less (but my kid loves to nurse so going back to a normal length will take a while).

Anyway, if after some months of charting you realize you are consistently ovulating late, maybe you could use the first few days after your period until you have more of a normal post peak phase.  The other thought is to completely abstain for several months.  We did that so I could get more of an idea of what was going on.  I think too often with NFP we feel entitled to some days each cycle but if we are serious about not getting pregnant we might need to abstain for a season, I know of a couple who did that for a year because her cycles weren’t clear.  I am not saying that is your thought process but it is an attitude I have seen a lot that I think is somewhat modern.  Anyway, really compared to people in ages past we are blessed to most of the time have some days we can use each cycle.  Our ancestors who didn’t want to get pregnant would have just abstained for a long time.  I just mention this to put it in perspective and I can speak with the street credit of having had to abstain for a very long time before.  Hope you get some clarity and a long post peak phase soon.  I know how frustrating this can be.  God Bless you Kate!

Thank you ladies!  I appreciate the responses later in the week.  Michelle-I don’t have as many births to compare with you but my first son came 38 weeks post-conception.  Conception date was 5/8/2010 and his birth date was 1/29/2011, so exactly 38 weeks!  He’ll be 1 very soon! I really hope that this baby (#2) comes no later than the 38 week mark   I am really starting to get tired now!  Happy Epiphany ladies!