Caffeine and TTC - Giving in to the occasional caffeine blowout

Today I went ahead and gave in and had a Visalus "Go." In addition to my large mug of Cafe D' Vita Mocha Mix decaf, and my usual Daily Neuro. So at this point, I've probably had at least 200 mg. of caffeine.... and I feel GREAT.

I should mention that I got my period today (one great thing about Fertil Plus... it makes me SOOO regular! I had it last month on the 29th also). I feel like I should be disappointed that Aunty Flo showed up after all, but honestly I wasn't really expecting to get pregnant this month. I didn't take a single ovulation test, and wasn't trying nearly as hard as I did the month before. I had a little too much caffeine, didn't eat any yams, didn't have half as many veggies as I did the month before, and probably didn't drink enough water either. I still was taking vitamins and other supplements but... just wasn't burning myself out like I did in December.  I just had to take it down a notch... for my own sanity!

I always wonder, when is the worst time in your cycle to "overdo it" with caffeine. My guess is, it's when you're ovulating, since the dryness and the acidity you experience won't exactly help the sperm get to where they need to go. But who knows, maybe it's even worse to do it on Cycle Day 1, because that's when your eggs are just starting to develop, or get ready to be released? Maybe I'll never  know. All I know is... today, I really felt like I needed the extra caffeine, and I just went with it.

I have a LOT of cleaning to do today. And I mean... A LOT. I realize excessive caffeine is not good when you're TTC, but then again, when you have as much cleaning to do as I do right now, and it's starting to depress you... in my opinion it's a lot better to do what you have to do, to get the cleaning done quickly and feel better about yourself in the process, than letting it pile up and be depressed... even though you are mostly "caffeine free."

I've started to realize, in the last year of TTC, and not having as much caffeine as I usually like to, I haven't been as productive as I usually am, when I have more than 100 mgs. of caffeine. It's not that I haven't been busy or productive at all. I have. Visalus Neuro has been great for giving me just enough of a boost, every day, to be productive. In the last year, since TTC (and also to try to avoid back problems), I've been really "good" about not having too much caffeine. I usually just have one Neuro per day (45 mg. of caffeine) and that's it. If you don't count the occasional piece of chocolate.

But when it comes to cleaning.... I realized, I really did benefit from those occasional days where I'd have, say, 3 cups of coffee, to just BLAZE through a project, like cleaning my office, in order to just GET IT DONE. And I haven't allowed myself to do this at all, in the last year.

Well, this last month I had more caffeine than usual. The biggest "caffeine day" was on Saturday night when I went all out and had a large Mocha from Starbucks (it was decaf, but still I think it must have had at LEAST 50 mg. of caffeine), plus half a Coke Slurpee I split with a friend of mine when we went to see a movie. I also had some chocolate. And a Neuro during the day. And a Cafe D' Vita Mocha (large mug of it). So, I probably had at LEAST 200 mg. of caffeine that day...

But I was LOVING IT. I felt GREAT!!!

I will admit, caffeine is like a wonder drug for me. In the same way that some people are addicted to cocaine and drugs... I kind of have a thing for caffeine. It really, truly helps me from becoming depressed, which is part of the reason why I was so miserable when I was pregnant. Not only was I hormonal, but I had stopped taking caffeine AND stopped exercising, altogether!!!

When I have a really good jolt of caffeine (between 100-300 mg) I feel like, everything in life suddenly looks easy. Things that really seem hard, will suddenly seem to look easy. I look at things in a much more positive light when I'm jacked up on caffeine. It makes me feel so good!

I have no idea if this is going to make any difference whatsoever, but I'm going to try to balance out the extra caffeine by taking extra Oil of Evening Primrose, Vitamin E, Vitamin B Complex, and Vitamin D, on days when I have too much caffeine.

You can read more about Caffeine and how it inhibits vitamin absorption, in this article.

I'm also going to force myself to drink an extra visalus shake (with vegetables in it) on days where I do a little overdosing of caffeine. I realize, this may not completely make up for overdoing it but... at this point, I have to just do it and pray for the best.

I will concede that EXERCISE is really the best stimulant, and if I were exercising more, I would probably be a lot more productive and not have to have the extra caffeine. I just haven't gotten back into the groove yet... but I am planning to!

OK time to get off the computer and utilize this buzz I just got from the Visalus Go, and GO CLEAN!!!

EB

101 Celebrities Who Got Pregnant / Gave Birth / Became Mothers After Age 40

Who says it's just about impossible to have a baby when you're 40 or over??? 40 is the new 30, baby!

If it really was *that* hard to get pregnant after 40, I can't imagine I would have been able to find over 100 celebrities who did it! And no, I do not believe they all had to go see fertility doctors. I got pregnant at 43 and never saw a fertility doctor once. If you take good care of yourself, take the right supplements, get enough exercise, eat the right foods, keep a positive attitude, and are able to fix or rule out medical issues... you can get pregnant! And by the way there are ways you can fix a lot of infertility issues... including blocked tubes! (I'm going to do a post about that).

In the last 5 years of TTC it's always been inspiring and fun for me to see lists of well-known women who have given birth in their 40's. Many of the lists I've seen would just feature about 10 people at a time, but I wanted a more complete list (and one that was sorted by age!). I tried to include as many Over-40 Mommies as I could find. Please note that the ages and info were compiled via information from Wikipedia and other common internet resources, so... I realize a few items could stand to be corrected, but to my knowledge it's pretty accurate.

Hopefully this list will inspire you. When I look at it, I think, "Wow... that's a lot of Moms over 40!" So don't give up hope! If you think of yourself as capable, young, and healthy, and you are taking great care of yourself, eating healthy, doing what you can to improve your egg health (see related post here) and you're still menstruating... there's a good chance you can still get pregnant!

In cases where I read an article or quote by the celebrity, that they had used IVF or a surrogate, I noted it. However, I realize many more of the women on this list could have had assistance with their pregnancies. If they choose to keep it private, that's their business. But it is nice to see women who are really honest about getting help! I have also included a few mothers who have chosen to adopt (in these cases I have noted it also). Good for these women for not letting anything stop them from becoming a Mom! : )

Here's the list... the age will usually represent the woman's age (to my knowledge) when they gave birth (in cases where they weren't new mommies, this is their age when they gave birth to their youngest child), or became a mom via surrogate or adoption. In some cases (like Molly Sims) I am listing celebrities who are pregnant and due to give birth. Again - If it was a known adoption or surrogacy, I will note it next to their name / age. I listed a couple of women twice (like Halle Berry... because she gave birth twice over the age of 40) but there are still 101 different celebrities on this list.

The list just keeps growing... the last time I posted this, there were 80 celebrities. I just added 21 more. I know the list will just continue to grow, but I thnk 101 is a pretty good number for now : )

40 

 Emma Thompson - Actress, 40

Helen Hunt - Actress, 40

Jackie Brambles- TV Presenter, 40

Kelly Rutherford - Actress, 40

Gena Rowlands - Actress, 40

Jennifer Connelly - Actress, 40

Eva Mendes - Actress, 40

Jenna Fischer - Actress, 40

Yolanda Adams - Gospel singer, 40

Ulrika Jonsson - TV Presenter, 40

Katharine Ross - Actress, 40

Nia Long - Actress, 40

Audrey Hepburn - Actress, 40










Amanda Holden - Actress, TV Presenter, 40

Naomi Watts - Actress, 40            

Mary Louise Parker - Actress, 40








41

Annette Bening -Actress, 41

Thandie Newton - Actress, 41

Tina Fey - Actress and Comedienne, 41

Brooke Shields - Actress, 41

Helena Bonham Carter - Actress, 41

Alfre Woodard - Actress, 41

Carrie Grant - Vocal coach, 41

Courteney Cox - Actress, 41

Mo'Nique - Comedienne / Actress, 41

Garcelle Beauvais - Actress, 41

Halle Berry - Actress, 41

Jennifer Beals - Actress, 41

Jerry Hall - Supermodel, 41

Holly Robinson Peete - Actress, 41

Julianne Moore - Actress, 41

Kate Silverton - Journalist, 41

Pauletta Washington - Actress, 41

Madonna - Singer, 41

Mariah Carey - Singer, 41

Molly Sims - Model / Actress, 41

Mariella Frostrup - TV Presenter, 41

Meryl Streep - Actress, 41

Nicole Kidman - Actress, 41

Salma Hayek - Actress, 41

Molly Ringwald - Actress, 41

Mira Sorvino - Actress, 41

Kim Basinger - Actress, 41











Alyssa Milano - Actress, 41










Maya Rudolph - Actress, 41











42 

Celine Dion - Singer, 42

Diana Krall Musician - Singer, 42

Jane Krakowski - Actress, 42

Mariska Hargitay - Actress, 42

Laurie Brett - Actress (Scottish), 42

Uma Thurman - Actress, 42          

Rachel Zoe - Celebrity Stylist / Designer, 42

Savannah Guthrie - TV News Anchor, 42








43

Caroline Quentin - Actress, 43

Carla Bruni - Italian / French Singer / Model, 43

Amanda Peet - Actress, 43

Michelle Duggar - Reality TV Mom, 43 







44

Christie Brinkley - Supermodel, 44










Gwen Stefani - Singer, 44

Iman - Supermodel, 44

Jane Seymour - Actress, 44

Sarah Jessica Parker - Actress, 44 (Twins via surrogate - also had a previous daughter)

Caroline Rhea, Comedienne, 44                  

Lisa Hartman-Black - Actress, 44

Marcia Cross - Actress, 44

Mira Sorvino (again!) - Actress, 44

Marcia Gay Harden - Actress, 44

Ursula Andress - Actress, 44

Diana Ross - Singer, 44

Meera Syal - Actress, 44

Sharron Davies - Olympic Swimmer, 44

Sarah Palin - Politician, 44

Kim Fields - Actress, 44                    

Sian Williams - TV Presenter (BBC), 44

Lisa Loeb - Singer, 44

Julia Bradbury - British TV Presenter, 44

Kathryn Morris - Actress, 44








45 

Cherie Booth (Blair) - British Barrister (Wife of Tony Blair), 45

Mimi Rogers - Actress, 45

Nancy Wilson - Rock Musician, 45 (via surrogate)

Patricia Hodge - Actress, 45

Mary Stuart Masterson - Actress, 45

Monica Bellucci - Italian Actress and Fashion Model, 45











46

Sara Edwards - TV Presenter (BBC), 46

Deborah Thomas - Celebrity Apprentice Advisor, 46

Susan Sarandon - Actress, 46

Halle Berry - Actress, 46 (pregnant AGAIN!)

  

Viola Davis - Actress, 46 (Adopted)

Kristin Davis - Actress, 46 (Adopted)








47


Arlene Phillips - Choreographer, 47

Angela Bassett - Actress, 47

Holly Hunter - Actress, 47

Jane Kaczmarek - Actress, 47      

48

Geena Davis - Actress, 48

Kelly Preston - Actress, 48

Helen Fielding - Writer, 48

Nancy Grace - CNN Anchor, 48







49 

Laura Linney - Actress, 49

Beverly D'Angelo Actress, 49 (via IVF)










Sonia Kruger - TV Host, 49






50 

Elizabeth Edwards - Attorney, Author, Healthcare Activist, 50 (IVF)








  Janet Jackson! You go, girl. By the way, she has the same water machine I've been raving about : )

52

Cheryl Tiegs - Supermodel, 52 (surrogate)










54

Joan Lunden - Newscaster, 54 (surrogate)    











If you find any errors in this list, please feel free to email me the correct info at knockknockbaby@gmail.com (I just ask that you include a link to your reference!)  Also, if you'd like to suggest a celebrity I've left out, please let me know!

Thanks, and good luck and baby dust to all you TTC'ers!

EB