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The Truth Behind The Secret “Infertility” Book Review

May 3rd, 2012
by Krissi.
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Fran Meadows is the author of The Truth Behind The Secret “Infertility.” I had the pleasure of meeting her on Resolve’s Advocacy Day on April 25th in Washington D.C. (You can read more about her day here). She had an amazing, but difficult infertility journey that has turned into a success story (which I featured here).

One of the first things about her book that struck a cord with me was how familiar it was to my own journey. There were so many moments, (that are even written about in my book) that I could relate to. I found myself laughing at the similarities and nodding my head while reading. I think it’s her writing that makes it all so personable. She says that she was so secretive about her experience and I could understand why, but she has a great way of revealing those secrets. Whether you’ve been through an IUI, an IVF cycle, or a miscarraige, or none of these things, you still will find an amazing story within the pages of her book.

There was one part that was quite difficult to read. When Fran found out that she had lost her baby at 26 weeks and had to deliver a still born, I was nearly in tears. I couldn’t imagine the heartbreak. It was heart wrenching to read. I can only imagine what it was like to go through in reality. But somehow, Fran conjured up amazing strength and stayed focused on her path to motherhood. I think her resolve is quite inspiring.

I am recommending The Truth Behind The Secret “Infertility.” You can go to her website to learn more about the book and where it’s been featured. You can buy it here! Also, Fran just started designing her own jewelry and t-shirt designs. Check out these beautiful pieces!

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Ordinary Miracles Giveaway!

Apr 22nd, 2012
by Krissi.
6 comments

In honor of NIAW, I am giving away an autographed copy of my new memoir Ordinary Miracles!

To me, an ordinary miracle is something that happens miraculously but is quite an ordinary occurrence, like how every snowflake is unique or how each of us have different fingerprints. My children, I believe, fall under this category because when you look at them, they seem quite ordinary to you. But, the truth is, they are miracles. It took three IVF cycles to have my daughter, and another three to have my twins. They are naturally my husband and I, but they battled a petri dish environment in the first precarious stages of life and my twins were even frozen for six months before implanting inside my uterus. So, that is why I call them my ordinary miracles and that is where the title of my memoir comes from.

Now, I want to know, what does an ordinary miracle mean to you? All you have to do is to tell me in a comment below of what an ordinary miracle means to you. That is the main entry!

By the way, if you have a blog and you’d like to review Ordinary Miracles, I can get you a free copy! Go to the book’s website for more information on the book and contact me through my email: mymiracles77@gmail.com. ;-)

*This giveawy will close on April 30th, 2012.*

Again, for the main entry: Tell me what an ordinary miracle means to you.

For extra entries: (Each of these must be represented in a comment by itself to be considered an extra entry.)

  • Follow this blog
  • Follow me on Twitter at @stressfreeIF
  • Tweet this giveaway with a link back here. You can do this once per day. Copy and paste this: Win a copy of the new memoir by @stressfreeIF: Ordinary Miracles during #niaw! http://j.mp/I2xRyS
  • Like this blog on Facebook
  • Like Ordinary Miracles on Facebook
  • Write about this giveaway on your FB wall.
  • Blog about the giveaway! (*This will count as 2 extra entries, and I will even add an additional entry if you mention that I will give a copy to those who’d like to review it on their blog in your post! In separate comments below, 1) write the url 2) tell me you blogged and 3) tell me you mentioned the review part in your post.)

*That’s it! Good luck!

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Test Tubes And Testosterone ~ A Review

Nov 22nd, 2011
by Krissi.
5 comments

  I just finished Michael Saunders’ memoir Test Tubes And Testosterone A Man’s Journey into infertility and IVF and I have to say, I really enjoyed it! First, I want to say how refreshing it was to get the male point of view into the world of infertility and IVF. I’ve been through IVF and of course have shared many conversations with my husband on the subject but it was quite interesting to be inside Michael’s head through his journey. If you’ve ever wondered what your hubby was thinking when he needs to poke you for an injection or when you get moody, then you should pick up this book!

  The other thing I loved was how Michael explained the process. IVF in the UK is quite different from the US and I found it interesting to know what the other side of the world does when it comes to this procedure. For example, instead of Lupron injections to ‘down regulate,’ they use a nasal spray. And of course, there was a lot of tea to mark each occasion! Michael was also kind enough to do some reserach on IVF and FETs and he gives us a mini history lesson on the subject which I thought was enlightening. I also love how he gives us an excellent analogy of sperm moving to the egg by explaining it in human terms: ‘getting to Glasgow from London on foot without feet or legs, getting weaker by the day, and lots of things trying to kill you along the way. Then when you get there, you are exhausted and dying and then you discover you have to break through a wall they built around the city using nothing but your head.’ Now doesn’t that put things into perspective?

   Michael also gave some great advice throughout the book. In one part he writes to all the males out there (regarding your sperm), “Don’t eat rubbish, don’t drink rubbish, don’t put nasty things into your body and make sure you have happy knackers.” He also writes, “I firmly believe the best way to start IVF is to be as relaxed and chilled as possible.” I whole-heartedly agree! Other helpful parts of the book are Michael’s top ten tips, a glossary of medical terms and Internet abbreviations, and a list of resources to check out online all located at the end.

  I thought Test Tubes and Testosterone was really funny. Michael certainly has a wit about him and I’m guessing this sense of humour is what helped him through his infertility. There were many parts I was literally laughing out loud! There are also really touching parts that were sprinkled throughout that I loved. 

   *Spoiler Alert*

 If you’re interested to know if Michael does indeed have success (since some infertility memoirs aren’t wrapped up by the end in a neat little baby bow), then I am happy to report that he does! That’s all I will tell you, although he does announce his daughter Ruby in the opening Author’s Note. You’ll have to read the book to find out more!  

The only criticism I would give is that I wanted more! More details on the birth of his child(ren) would have been nice especially since he goes into great length about his thoughts on the subject before his wife Hayley even becomes pregnant. I also wanted to know what it is finally like for him to be a father. Although he does sum it up quite nicely in #10 on his tip list: “It can be worth it in the end, believe me.“

   Read Test Tubes and Testosterone! It is an interesting read with a rare perspective into an unfamiliar world. You can share it with your significant other and everyone can get a laugh! You can follow Michael on Twitter at @theIVFdad and buy the book here! :-)

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Good Eggs ~ A Review

Jun 29th, 2011
by Krissi.
1 comment

So I recently finished Good Eggs by Phoebe Potts. It was a very good memoir with a very interesting perspective. I’ve never read any graphic novels before so, being a writer myself, I was impressed with how the good old phrase “show, don’t tell” took on a whole new meaning throughout the story.

Phoebe paints a vivid tale of her life through carefully chosen words and drawings that had me nodding and empathizing through much of it. And, yet the whole book wasn’t completely about her infertility (which I expected) but there was a true coming of age storyline; a story of a woman trying to fit in, be accepted in this world through her art and her religion and ultimately find true happiness while battling depression. And although I loved many parts of her back story, I thought at times, it was a bit disjointed as she went back and forth between present and past.

The infertility was heartbreaking to not only read but watch. It was like a little movie playing out in front of me, a silent movie all too familiar. I too questioned ‘all the things I could have done wrong in the last month’ like on page xiv and wondered “where’s my baby?” as I sat in a shop surrounded by moms like on page xv. But the miscarriages and the negative outcomes she experienced…the pain was real and evident in each little drawing.

I was really glad for all the humor in the book! Phoebe added in lots of little tid-bits that were really funny like the thoughts of her cat Reuben and even her slipper. And just some of the thought bubbles in general were hilarious. I particularly found the Anatomy of a Fertility Clinic Waiting Room on page 98 to be really funny and yet oddly recognizable at the same time.

I also really loved all the sweet and tender moments like on page 142 after yet another negative result when she drew her husband and her in an embrace and the words “It’s in Jeff’s description to say the things I need to hear even if they are not true when the alternative is just too hard to take.” Those words rang so true.

I was honestly sad for Phoebe to read all the way to the end and not see her finally achieve success with her infertility but it was refreshing to read that in the end she was ‘full of hope’ as she light-heartedly began the discussion of adoption. I did really LOVE her analogy in her Afterword comparing her journey to her Hebrew ancestors -”suffering and celebrating.” I truly hope we can celebrate with Phoebe at some point in the future as she takes on a new story of motherhood.

Phoebe Pott’s book Good Eggs was nominated for The Best Book Award for The 2011 Resolve’s Night of Hope. If you haven’t voted yet, please do! She is in good company with a few other great choices including So Close by Tertia Albertyn (which I reviewed here). *You can also vote for the best blog while you’re there!

To look at what Phoebe’s been up to inlcuding other reviews go to her website. For a sneek peek into the book some more go here. Happy Reading! ;-)

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So Close ~ A Review

Jan 22nd, 2011
by Krissi.
4 comments

  51GMdlLp16L__SL500_AA300_So, I recently had the pleasure of reading So Close by Tertia Albertyn. And, I have to say that it was a gripping novel, an infertility memoir that will stay with me for some time to come.

  The cover has a tagline of “Infertile and addicted to hope.” And I think that’s what has resonated with me the most. The hope. The sheer will that Tertia had to do whatever it took to finally have a child. She never gave up because she decided that it would never be an option until she had what she yearned for most.

   She certainly went to hell and back througth her infertility battle! If you can imagine the worst happening, it happened to Tertia. She went through 3 IUIs, 10 IVFs (9 of which are written about in the book), had negative cycles, was canceled from poor response, had miscarraiges, an ectopic pregnancy, and even the very worst, an infant loss with her first born son Ben. And as frustrating as it was to read and empathize, I can only imagine how devastating and frustrating it was to experience. I give Tertia a LOT of credit! She has perhaps the most perseverance out of anyone else I have ever read about experiencing infertility.

   One review on the back cover reads, “So Close is the heart wrenching, exhilirating, devastatingly funny story…” And  it was definitely heart wrenching…especially the part when Tertia describes in detail how she layed in the hospital, resting her hand on her belly with one twin dead and the other waiting to be born. I cried reading that. I also cried when I read about Ben’s birth because although she never wrote a single word about it, Luke, Ben’s twin who had died a month earlier in utero, was also born that day, still born.

 tertiaAnd truth be told, I didn’t really find it “devastatingly funny.” It was sad, really sad. But I knew it was going to be a happy ending, so I couldn’t pull myself away. (In fact, it was really hard to put the book down.) Tertia has a wit about her that did make me laugh at times though. And for that, I was grateful.

  The book wraps up at the birth of her twins Adam and Kate. They are now has 6 year old! And after 2 surprise pregnancies that ended in miscarraige and a negative FET (her 10th IVF), she now has a 20 month old, Max who she had (BIG Surprise) naturally! 

  The book is so appropriately titled So Close because she did come so close so many times and finally acheived happiness. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry. You’ll be inspired and empathize with her pain. She is a rock!

Go check out So Close. It is truly a wonderful memoir of hope! You can aslo follow Tertia’s journey at her blog.

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