I hesitated sharing this personal post in fear of being too vulnerable online and looking ridiculously silly, but I've gotten tons of questions from other moms if we tried anything different this time around to conceive a girl, and we actually did. So for those of you mamas that want to get silly with me and give gender swaying a shot, this is for you... I honestly don't know if these steps really worked or if it was by the grace of God, but I like to think it was both. Lord knows I was praying my butt off ! First and foremost let me just say that we are very thankful that we have been blessed with two healthy sons! I know many people who have struggled with conception, so I don't take this for granted for one second. Deciding to have a third child did not happen overnight, it actually took us 4 years of going back and forth! We thought we were completely done with having more children (because our boys are pretty awesome and my pregnancies totally sucked), but there was always a tiny tickle of doubt lingering around that kept us from making that final decision. Snip. Snip. However our baby making window was coming to a close and if we were going to try for another, it needed to be now or never -as dramatic as that sounds. Even though my heart yearned for a baby girl, I was also ready to welcome another boy to the wolfpack, or be totally okay if we didn't end up getting pregnant at all. But ya better believe that since this was our last attempt that I was going to do everything in my power to gender sway for a girl, without freaking my husband out.
THE SHETTLES METHOD Our cousin told us about the Shettles Method, she had two boys and got her baby girl on their third try! Ill never forget her important advice was to only try it if I was 100% okay with having another boy. At the time I was terrified of having another boy, not because I don't like boys, but because my pregnancies with both boys were dreadful! I was sick for 7 months straight! H-O-R-R-I-B-L-E!!! There was no way that I could be that sick while taking care of two kids. Come to find out I'm THAT sick with any gender, so it really didn't matter lol! When we were finally ready to give it a try I turned to the internet to research this gender swaying thang. I came across these videos that explained the method and I followed them...
The first step is to track your ovulation. If you have a regular period then this step should be easy. I used this ovulation calendar to help http://www.babymed.com/fertility-ovulation-calendar-calculator . Its pretty cool because you plug in your last period and it will give you the exact dates that you need to try to conceive that girl or boy.
It also mentions implementing an acidic diet and have your husband eat more chicken and less red meat. I wasn't going to ask my husband to change his diet, but it just so happened that my husband was already eating mostly chicken anyway! I was already eating pretty healthy and juicing alot so this wasn't going to be a huge change either. I ate mostly chicken and green veggies. Green smoothies galore! I made them with spinach, orange juice, bananas, blueberries or strawberries, and protein powder. I drank Green tea and had oatmeal everyday for breakfast. The biggest change in my diet was to drink a few cups of cranberry grape juice daily. I guess the cranberry is very acidic, I chose the one with grape for taste. We decided to only try this method for one month and whatever was meant to be would be. So the calendar suggested being unprotected on 3 specific days, and that's just what we did. As much as I tried not to stress out, these were the longest months of my life... - Waiting to see if we got pregnant - Then whether we should find out the gender or wait until the baby is born As much as I wanted to wait until I met our new babe, every day seemed like eternity because we wanted to know if this method worked or not! Especially because all of my pregnancy symptoms were the same as my boys and the Chinese calendar said it was a boy too. At this point I left it in God's hands, I did all that I could do, now it was all up to him. After 20 weeks of being on strike, my husband eventually persuaded me into finding out the baby's gender. I was Excited. Nervous. Hopeful. Terrified. Part of me wasn't ready to put all my dreams of someday having a daughter to rest. When the little baby showed up on the monitor dancing around, I swear it was waving, all those fears went away. All of a sudden it didn't matter whether it was a boy or girl, I was just so excited to see my baby in there! When the doctor asked if I was ready to know what the gender was, I looked up at my husband, with tears in my eyes squeezing his hand, and whispered yes. I said "It's a boy" as the Doc said "a GIRL"! I didn't believe him so I made him check a few more times before breaking down into tears! After crying like a big baby in disbelief, I looked at my husband, who also had tears in his eyes. He was finally getting his daddy's girl and I was getting my future best friend!
Every ultrasound that followed I was waiting for them to change and tell me that she somehow evolved into a boy! I wasn't going to fully believe it until she was born! Sure enough the first thing I looked for when she came out was her girly parts! I look at her now and I still can't believe we got our girl! She's a dream come true! All our worries have been washed away by a whole new set of worries lol! I don't know if the gender swaying worked or if it was just our time, but I am thankful that we finally decided to take a stab at it and try this crazy method.
and here she is, our little unicorn baby...
If your reading this in hopes to conceive a baby girl, Good luck to you! I know how stressful this can be and I hope you get what your heart desires! I hope you also feel at peace with whatever you get because this can be a tough emotional road. There's actually such a thing called gender disappointment, watch the video below for more info on that, and know that your not alone...
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I was in the 3rd grade when I realized that my mom was my best friend. She wasn't the best friend that tells you everything you want to hear, but she was the one who listens, relates, understands, and still disciplined when she needed to. I deeply loved and respected her. She knew how to balance lifting me up while keeping me grounded. She taught me to always respect myself and to never feel that I was better than anyone. To always be thankful and appreciate what we have. She was the first to admit that she wasn't perfect, but she sure was perfect in my eyes! And even though she was an extremely busy woman -working, raising 4 kids, attentive wife, & most of her attention having to go to my brother who has special needs; she did the best she could to show us each love. I cherished all the time spent with her, especially if it was one on one time which was a rare bonus! I remember fighting with my siblings trying to lock each other out of the room so we could have her all to ourselves! Even if it was just to chat or watch a tv show together while she rubbed our head. This went on throughout those high school years when most kids want nothing to do with their parents lol! Its gotta mean something when all 4 of your kids (who are now grown adults) want you to come live with them! She was and still is ALL things good! The heart of our family! She is HOME! She is my Best Friend! This is why I yearned so much for the love of a daughter! Don't get me wrong I know my boys love me, but I also see how my brothers have grown and started families of their own and their relationships have changed with my mom. She is no longer the leading lady in their lives hahaha (which is completely normal!) -but for my sister and I, we have gotten even closer to my mom now that we are older and have children of our own. I pray that Ray and I are so lucky to have the same relationship that my mom and I have. This photoshoot was a dream come true!
Special Thanks to Arlene Garcia Photography for capturing these amazing photos and to Victoria Ivy Floral Design for these adorable matching floral crowns. |
I'M JANELLE MARINA
Wife, Mama Shark, + Photographer. Most days, you'll find me in mismatched socks and a top knot, working behind my computer with a smile on my face, listening to Zac Brown Band and R&B --or, dancing in the kitchen with my 3 littles and hunka husband, seeing who could come up with the coolest dance moves. I'm a wedding photographer, West Elm lover, aspiring advocate for our buddies with special needs, and a Certified Dreamer since 1986. We live in a cozy city in Southern California and are always up for a good adventure. I enjoy telling stories with my camera, grubbing on spicy food, and solving the latest Dateline case.
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December 2019
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