A Cautionary Tale
or, Leave It In The Trash Can!

I learned a valuable lesson tonight.
I SHOULD TAKE MY OWN ADVICE SOMETIMES! :D
And so should you, in this situation! :)

Ladies, my cautionary tale, for your enjoyment:

I am 4.5 months postpartum. I am breastfeeding and have not yet resumed cycling. According to the Bellagio Consensus, a woman has <2% chance of pregnancy in the first 6 months after childbirth (provided there is no bleeding past the first 56 days postpartum) and if she is exclusively breastfeeding (not pumping, as it does not provide the same nipple stimulation.) So my husband and I are not charting or practicing periodic abstinence yet. (We use NFP.)

About two weeks ago, I noticed a couple things that made me wonder if I could possibly be pregnant. I went to the store and bought a 2-pack of AccuClear HPT's. I peed on the first one right there in Target's restroom. It came up negative, as I had really expected. I, being the pee-stick-obsessor I am, kept the test and tossed it in a drawer at home.

Several days later, still noticing a couple odd symptoms, I used the other test (this time in Nordstrom's public restroom while I was out with the baby! ;) It too was negative. I tossed it in the drawer along with the first negative test because my name is Meg and I'm a peestickaholic ("Hi Meg!")

Tonight I started work on the AccuClear section of this site. I reached into the drawer and pulled out the two negative tests I'd stashed there (for inspiration?) I stared at them. I blinked.

Then I had the following conversation with my friend on Yahoo IM:

me: okay
me: tell me something I already know:
me: NEVER READ A PREGNANCY TEST AFTER THE LIMIT
me: ...right?
her: Right
me: because I just pulled out those 2 I took awhile back
me: and one is positive now.
me: the second one I took.
me: the other is still negative.
her: Take your own advice!
me: okay.
me: how come my heart is pounding then?
me: why is only ONE positive?
me: and why is it the more recent one?
her: Because you want an excuse to take the cup test or the digital test.
me: LOL
me: hold on
me: I just showed Jared and he's running to the store
her: OMG really???
me: yes
her: No one says "don't read the test after the limit" more that YOU! ha ha!
me: I KNOW!
me: but it's like PINK, not evap-ish
me: and only ONE . . .
me: the more RECENT one...
her: Did you tell him to get the cup test or the digital test?
me: hahaha
me: I'll probably tell him digital
her: No ambiguity there
me: right
her: And no evap lines

I also scanned the tests for her to peek at:

and

Only ONE test had the second line . . . they'd been in the SAME box . . . I took that one more recently (more hCG???)

Needless to say my heart was pounding when my hubby got home from Safeway with a 2-pack of Clearblue Easy Digitals.

Incidentally, this was my first experience with the digital test. I was already pregnant when it hit the market. I felt cheated ;) But I digress!

I read the directions, peed in a cup, dipped the test, and stared with bated breath at the results window for about 3 minutes, when the answer came:

So little Aurora is not going to be a big sister in the immediate future and so far breastfeeding really is keeping my fertility at bay. And I learned a very, very important lesson. There is a reason you're supposed to throw away your negative HPT's after the time limit! Digging them out of the trash (or storing them in the first place!!! ;) will only give you, as my husband said, an "artificial cardiovascular workout for the evening."

However, it was a really good excuse to try out the digital test.