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PCOS Success & Remembering 9/11

Sep 11th, 2011
by Krissi.
2 comments

  I was just reading over at Keiko’s blog and she had a post I wanted to link to for Success Story Sunday. Keiko is doing a weekly “Voices of PCOS” and her first story last week was Kristin’s who blogs at Once a Mother. In her story, she details her battle with PCOS and how she adopted a low Glycemic diet (per the advice of her RE) to help in her IVF cycle. It worked and she now has adorable 6 month old twins! Check out her story to get many helpful tips (that I think I am going to look into as well) and her blog to see the cutest babies! Thanks Keiko for sharing these stories! And congratulations Kristin! ;-)

***

  Today, of course, as many of you are remembering in your own way, is a day we will never forget. We probably all remember where we were, what we were doing and how much this day, 10 years ago, changed our lives forever.

 I had just moved to Colorado and children were a blip in my future dreams as I was months away from even getting engaged. I was trying to gain some independence and job experience half way across the country but I was home sick and longing to be back in NY. When September 11th unfolded, I felt lost and afraid. I wanted to cling to my family, my friends and my future hubby but they were so far away. I didn’t know what the world would be like, how many more attacks would take place, or how much war would be in our future and that unknown was a scary place to think about when moving forward with planning a wedding and eventually children. But, I planned, moved on, and felt whole again. I felt proud to be an American and especially a New Yorker.

  Now, 10 years later, back in New York in my second home with my three children nestled in bed and my boxer snoring next to me, we’re like a typical American family complete with a white picket fence in the suburbs. Today, we remembered that day and what was lost but especially what we gained as a country. My kids are too young to understand, but some day, they will remember with us and share the stories with their own children. We will never forget.

   I’m closing with a picture I took of my hubby (future fiance at the time) as we crossed into NJ on our cross country trip to move me out west. It was taken in August of 2001 with such innocence. I was just trying to get one last shot of the beloved city. I developed my pictures a few days after September 11th and this was the first picture on top of my pile.  It stopped me in my tracks and I remember gasping in disbelief. This is a very precious picture for us today.

My thoughts and prayers are with all those who lost loved ones 10 years ago today. They are all heroes.

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Friday Friend Link-Up ~ IRL Friends

Aug 8th, 2011
by Krissi.
No comments yet

   So In Real Life (IRL), many of my friends couldn’t relate to what I was going through when I was trying to have my kids. For the most part, they got pregnant quite easily. And, when I would try to explain the stress, the devastation and the heartache, they just didn’t get it. It wasn’t until after I was successful that I learned of friends IRL that were also having some trouble. One friend I supported had her son recently after enduring miscarriages and IVFs, and I featured her story here. Another friend is also now pregnant after an IUI and grueling tests. These friends can finally understand what I went through. It is a bond we now share.

   I wish I immersed myself into the blogging world then. Perhaps I would have made virtual friends who could have become friends in real life. I know that many of you have strong support holders. Perhaps some of them have been there for you your whole life, and others have recently supported you through your plight. I would love to hear your stories!

PhotobucketSo, I decided to have a Friday-Friend-Link-Up each week this month. This week’s topic will be IRL friends. Here’s how it will work:

  • Think of a post specifically about IRL friends who have impacted you during your infertility and helped ease your stress.
  • Write it up sometime this week before Friday, August 12th.
  • Share the link with your IRL friend(s) as a way of saying thanks for all they do/did
  • Come back on Friday to link up your post so others can read your story too!
  • Link back to this blog post to spread the word! Use the picture above!

 

That’s it! It may just give you more readers and help spread some love and inspiration to others! :-)

Here’s the schedule for the remainder of the month, so get your posts ready!

Virtual Friends ~ August 19th

Furry Friends ~ August 26th

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Meet Alison!

Aug 7th, 2011
by Krissi.
No comments yet

Today, meet Alison! She blogs at A Baby I Pray. Read on for her inspiring story!

    1.  How long did you struggle through infertility? 

My husband had a vasectomy reversal in December 2006 and were told we should be pregnant by January 2007.  Needless to say that didn’t happen.  Prior to Charlie’s surgery I went through the gamut of testing to make sure there was nothing barring me from conceiving.  We started the IVF process in 2007 and had Luke on IVF cycle #5 in April of 2011.  I consider 2006 the start of our timeline when we started TTC. 

   2.  What did you go through (as far as treatments, different doctors, adoptions agencies, etc.)?

  My husband had two surgeries – reversal and sperm harvest, four fresh IVF cycles, one FET cycle, one chemical pregnancy (from FET). Pregnancy #1 with fresh cycle #2 ended in miscarriage at 10w, D&C #1 July 2009. Pregnancy #2 with fresh cycle #3 ended in miscarriage – belighted ovum discovered at 7w u/s, D&C #2 November 2009.  Genetic testing completed with D&C #2 revealed pregnancy #2 was a baby girl with trisomy #18 – “normal” chromosomal abnormality.Charlie & I both went through a battery of genetic testing to ensure there was nothing causing the repeat miscarriages, took some time off from December 2009 -June 2010, started fresh cycle #4 in July 2010.  With fresh cycle #2 our clinic was closed and we were transferred to a clinic out of state and almost 2hrs away MID CYCLE!!  Ugh!!  That was frustrating and scary and infuriating.  As it turned out we LOVED our new clinic and could do all the monitoring locally – the only travel we did was for egg retrieval and transfer (and acupuncture pre and post transfer). Our last cycle protocol was different than we had tried in the past and we had to pay 100% out of pocket.  We found out I was pregnant on a HPT I just couldn’t wait to take and it came out positive, and did the next day and the next until my beta on August 26th.  We found out we had a healthy baby boy just before Christmas and Luke Alan VanDerburgh was born April 27, 2011 at 8:24 p.m.  YYYAAAAYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

   3.  How did you handle disappointments through your cycles (natural and otherwise) or months of waiting?

  Just as we were starting the IVF process I was unexpectedly laid off from work.  School budget cuts eliminated my position as the Director of School Nutrition in the school district I was working for – it was a blessing in disguise because the only thing I needed to focus on was the IVF process.  We decided as a couple that I would not look for employment during this time.  Also as a couple we did some marriage counselling to help us work through the struggles of the process.  I also worked individually with a therapist to help me relieve stress of the process.  Through the first cycle I started my blog to help journal the process and try to connect with others going through the same thing – no one in my personal life could really understand infertility let alone the IVF process.  My husband and I also worked with our pastor and relied on our faith to deepen our relationship with each other and our higher power – also it helped to let go of the need for control you want to have throughout this process.

    4.  What were the ‘stress-free’ techniques that you tried that helped you get through the cycle or time (yoga, meditation, acupuncture, support through family, friends & on-line, etc.)? 

Oh my goodness, I feel like I have tried everything, lol  :-)   As I stated above, Charlie & I worked together and individually with therapists (a HUGE help), I have struggled with depression and anxiety throughout my 20′s. I wanted more than medication so I took a class (for lack of a better term) on Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Way Through Depression & Anxiety – this was AMAZING and I would recommend it to anyone regardless of history of depression/anxiety. Through that class I learned how to practice meditation and still practice to this day.I went to polarity therapy and worked with an ayurvedic practitioner for health and well-being and herbal support. I sought out an acupuncture practice that worked with infertility patients – this was/is amazing and if you find a practitioner who really studied and understands infertility it is invaluable. I took yoga from an instructor that was also a polarity therapist – focused more on the mind-body-spirit relationships/connection rather than fitness only and I loved every minute of it! I found family was only so helpful as some aren’t, nor really want to be educated about reproduction much less infertility.I found that my blog was a way to keep those family members who really were interested in the process but didn’t “want to intrude” by asking me how things were going or just to keep them involved without calling me daily, my friends were AMAZING and I am so glad I had each of them surrounding me with love through this.  I did join ivillage’s IVF group but I found it really ramped up my anxiety – sometimes there is just too much info/opinions out there.  I don’t feel the group was negative in any way just that it wasn’t a good fit for me personally.  And other IVF world bloggers were an AMAZING support, reading other success stories or other stories/experiences that were mirroring mine were tremendously helpful.

   5.  If you could give advice for couples going through infertility now, what would it be? 

 1) Be kind to yourself and your spouse.  2) Therapy is a tremendous tool – use it and open your mind. 3) OPEN YOUR MIND!!  What you traditionally thought you’d never try might just be something you enjoy or find helpful to your well being.  4)  Faith in a higher power will help you surrender the need to control every treatment, procedure, result, etc. – faith in a higher power through whatever religion or combination of religions you choose!  I am a christian by upbringing (and choice) but also feel a very strong connection to Buddhism – I take what I connect with from whatever religion and work it into my life.  5)  Ask for help from whomever you feel may be able to help you – financially, emotionally, spiritually – friends, family, community.  

       
 
Thank you Alison!
Alison is on Facebook as Alison Wilder VanDerburgh and you can also follow her blog to follow her journey!
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Meet Kelli!

Jul 24th, 2011
by Krissi.
1 comment

  Hello! I am so happy to have a new success story and this one is adoption related! If you or someone you know has been successful (through adoption, infertility treatment, surrogate, etc.) go to this post for the info! I am also working on a success story book so let me know if you’d like to share it there as well. Thanks so much in advance! You’ll be an inspiration to so many!

Meet Kelli! She blogs at Parenting By Adoption. Read on for her inspiring story.

1. How long did you struggle through infertility?

I had issues with ovarian cysts for years before marrying my husband but I was told the year before we married after a surgery for yet another ovarian cyst that all looked great and I was a go for pregnancy. I even took the pill up to the day of my wedding not wanting to be pregnant when I walked down the aisle.  Little did I know then that was not going to be an issue, my two later pregnancies never made it past the first trimester.

2. What did you go through (as far as treatments, different doctors, adoptions agencies, etc.)?

Six months after Andy and I said I do and starting trying to conceive, after some initial tests -we were thrust straight into IVF treatment.  The first cycle I made an outstanding 13 eggs!  For a 39 year old this was stellar news and we were all very positive that I would be having a happy and positive ending to that cycle.  Well I did get pregnant but lost the pregnancy right after they said I could start relaxing at about 9 weeks gestation. 

At this point they told me I had something called Polycystic Ovary Syndrome which is a multi-system disorder (quite common in women) that causes issues with insulin resistance, hormone imbalances, infertility and explained the irregular cycles I had battled all my life.  At my insistence I was given medication to help regulate my insulin so I did not develop full blown diabetes at some later date.

Cycles 2, 3 and 4 were all negative despite my continuing good egg production.  At this point we decided to use donor eggs for cycle 5 wondering at this point if my aging eggs were the problem.  We chose a donor (a young 21 year old woman) and started synchronizing our cycles for an IVF cycle, she did great and we were all again positive this was going to be it.  Heartbroken after the horrid two week wait after embryo transfer that I was again not pregnant. 

At this point I insisted they do more testing on my husband and low and behold he had some DNA level mutation that would cause issues with embryo development.  I was upset at the doctors after five IVF cycles that they had assumed it was me that was the obstacle to a positive pregnancy outcome.  In a last ditch effort, we did one frozen donor egg cycle and transferred in an outrageous 9 embryos knowing most would not implant.  Again, no pregnancy.

At this point I was done being a science experiment and so weary from doing all I could to become a mother.  I was more than ready to pursue adoption as in my heart I knew it was motherhood I was really deeply wanting and I was able to let go of the dreams about experiencing pregnancy. We signed up with a local adoption agency and did the legally mandated paperwork called a home study to be ready to be presented to potential birth moms. 

After having our written profile (which is like a printed flyer withphotos and information about us) shown to about 80 birthmom’s, Ariel’s birthmom T saw it and quickly knew we were the ones she wanted to parent the baby she was carrying.  As it turns out, she and I look a lot alike (bothhave blond hair and green eyes) so our daughter Ariel Faith looks more like me than if I had carried her.  That was not in our wish list for a child but it just worked out that way.

We have an open adoption in that we got to know Ariel’s birth mom during her pregnancy, I went to doctor’s visits when I could and we were there for the ultrasound to see that Ariel was indeed a girl.  Ariel was due to be born on July 30th but she had other plans for us.  We had everything set up in T’s home town at the hospital so that they all knew of her plans to place for adoption.  Well T was in another city visiting friends for a last visit before she gave birth and she went into labor at about 12:30 AM on July 27th.  She called us and I quickly called the hospital near where she was staying and faxed birth plans and documents from the adoption agency so that T would be taken care of as we had planned.

Andy and I quickly threw clothes into bags and drove the 2 hours to the hospital arriving just in time for Ariel to be brought to us all snug in her onsie and little hat.  It was truly a life changing moment for me.  I had waited 45 years of my life, 6 years of my marriage and so much sadness before that moment to finally become a mom.  I just held her for hours looking into her beautiful face and relishing that my lifelong dream of motherhood was finally here.  Ariel is now 7 and I still am so blessed to be her Mom, she is truly my heart walking around outside of me.  7 years later we continue to have an open adoption, being friends on Facebook withAriel’s birth mom and face to face visit about once a year with Ariel’s biological grandma and her parents.  We all just were open to being open and the relationships have developed naturally and with love.

3. How did you handle disappointments through your cycles (natural and otherwise) or months of waiting?

The losses were heartbreaking and I had to lean very hard on my husband to get through them.  There were days I did not know if I could get out of bed but I did and just tried to be gentle with myself and worked hard to maintain hope and faith that we would one day achieve our dreams of being parents.
 

4. What were the ‘stress-free’ techniques that you tried that helped you get through the cycle or time (yoga, meditation, acupuncture, support through family, friends & on-line, etc.)?

During the infertility treatments stress management was essential – I exercised, did acupuncture, Yoga, mediation, did counseling when I felt it necessary to handle the grief and loss of my two pregnancies.  I developed a core group of people to support me and my spiritual community at my church truly held my hands through the journey.

5. If you could give advice for couples going through infertility now, what would it be?

After my long and bumpy journey to motherhood – my advise to those still in the trenches of infertility, I highly recommend taking breaks periodically.  Give yourselves a chance to recharge and reconnect and have fun and joy in your lives.  Make decisions that you feel comfortable with long term as far as your health is concerned, looking back if I had not been so caught up emotionally in the IVF process, I would not have done so many cycles of IVF, that is a lot of synthetic hormones that we pumped into my body.  Fortunately 9 years later with annual screening I do not have any lasting effects.  Take time to make decisions as you move along, breath and allow both your brain and your gut instincts to weigh in.

And finally if you are not succeeding with fertility treatments know that parenting by adoption is a very wonderful option.  I love my daughter so deeply and probably more than if I had carried her as I know the huge sacrifice her birth mom T had to make in placing her with us.  I now work as an adoption coach helping other couples and single women get through the adoption process with their own personal cheerleader and informed coach by their side.  It is very rewarding to help others become as happy as I am!


Thanks so much Kelli! Follow her journey as a mom and her wonderful work that is truly inspirational on her blog! ;-)

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Lovin’ A, Mrs. R, and Heather!

Jun 28th, 2011
by Krissi.
2 comments

 OK, for the last day of ICLW, I will again randomly pick from that list for Blog Love (which I didn’t get to yesterday!) And tomorrow, look for my review on Good Eggs! I just finished it! ;-)

 

First up, I’m lovin’ A from The Journey to Baby G. In her recent post, she had a vivid dream about un-implanting her little embryos from a recent transfer. In this post, she explains IVF pretty well as an emotional roller-coaster. Go calm her nerves during this 2ww and wish her some luck!

  Next up, we have Mrs. R from Hearts Joined, Hands Fast.  She just started stimming for her first IVF on day 2! Here is her welcome ICLW post where she also tells us she is doing acupuncture and got “acudrunk”! I remember feeling that way~it’s such a relaxing thing to feel! ;-) Happy Stimming Mrs. R!

 Survive Infertility and ThriveAnd last but not least, we have Heather from Survive and Thrive! She has a sweet Father’s Day post to her Dad. She also has some slightly altered lyrics to Alexis Jordan’s song Happiness which I love! Go send her some love and luck for her new appointment with an RE!

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Cool Happenings around the Web…

Jun 25th, 2011
by Krissi.
1 comment

  OK…So it has been one hectic week but now that the school year is out, I have a little 72 day break from all things work related! ;-) Just wanted to post a few cool happenings around the web that I got from my recent comments…meant to post this yesterday!

   ~ Kristin from Go Team Witt is having a silent auction today with pretty cool items to help a couple Allen and Jill Witt add a little one to their family. Check out the items or donate to a worthy cause! What a great idea!

~ Tracey from the Fertility Daily is having a contest for a free micro-IVF cycle and other prizes, which runs til this Sunday in honor of Father’s Day! It’s easy and free to enter.

Check these out and happy ICLW!

Oh yeah, and…

image

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Interesting Stats…

Jun 16th, 2011
by Krissi.
No comments yet

     Well, I got to hand it to G.o.ogle! They have a pretty sweet (and free) down-loadable program called Go.ogle Analytics that gives the average blogger so much information about their site and I thought I’d share some interesting stats from the last 18 months since I’ve launched.

 I’ve had 27, 212 visits with 13, 695 unique visitors from 120 countries/territories. Of course nearly 75% are visiting from the U.S. But shockingly enough, there has been visitors (and more than one I might add) from places like Pakistan, Indonesia, and Tanzania among others. Also I thought it was interesting to note that even China  (the most populated country in the world) had some visitors proving that even the most seemingly fertile are having some trouble or needing some insight on the subject.

 Overall, my blog has had 47, 969 page-views. The two pages with the most views was my home page (of course) and my infertility experience page. Interestingly enough, the next 3 most viewed pages are the 2ww survival kit, my IVF advice, and the 100 ways to be stress free through infertility which I think is awesome!

 Almost 15% of my visitors are coming directly here. About 21% are using search engines to get here, and the remaining 64% are from referring sites. I now have to take time out to thank all the blogs out there that have my button or link on their site especially those in my top 10 referring sites which are: Infertility and the City (#3 beating out twi.tter and fa.ce.bo.ok!!), Stirrup Queens (#6), Artificially Infertile Myrtle (#7),  Busted Plumbing (#8), My Basic World (#9), and Hannah  Wept, Sarah Laughed (#10).

Wow! Thanks everyone for being such loyal readers from all over the world! I am feeling all warm and fuzzy inside! ;-)

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Meet Still A Guest Room!

Jun 12th, 2011
by Krissi.
No comments yet
*This is the last success story I have to post until I get more so if you’ve been successful and would like to share your story here and in my book I will be working on, go to this post to get the info and thanks in advance!
 
Today, meet Still A Guest Room! Through a difficult journey of recurrent loss, she has just found out she is pregnant with twins-a boy and a girl! Read on to hear her incredibly brave story!
 
1.   How long did you struggle through infertility?
I began having extreme pelvic pain in November 2007.  After consulting with multiple doctors, I had surgery to confirm my endometriosis diagnosis.  Unfortunately, removing the visible endo did not end the pain.  Through spring 2010, I tried everything from pelvic therapy, bladder surgery, to special diets, but nothing helped.  Finally, my husband and I decided to just go for it and stopped birth control in April 2010. 
 
2. What did you go through (as far as treatments, different doctors, adoptions agencies, etc.) ?
A luteal phase defect was quickly detected, so I began Clomid in July 2010.  During my second Clomid cycle, we conceived, and I was ecstatic.  Our first beta, however, was just a 9.  The doctor was extremely concerned, yet we held out hope.  The beta rose, but nothing ever showed up in my uterus.  Finally, about three weeks later, the pregnancy was diagnosed as ectopic and methotrexate was administered.  That was the longest, hardest day of my life.  We had a terrible experience with our doctor (we changed immediately after the ectopic), and spent an entire day being shuffled from specialist to specialist trying to figure out what to do.  The next month, without medicine, we conceived again.  This pregnancy dissipated after just a few days.  The next month, we did an IUI so we could use a stronger dose of Clomid, and again got a positive pregnancy test.  The beta was the strongest yet, so we had great hope.  Unfortunately, that pregnancy lasted just over a week. 
 
Clearly we could conceive, but we couldn’t get to a clinical pregnancy.  My doctor felt strongly that though the HSG showed that my tubes were open, they were not working, and that all of my pregnancies had failed because they were not able to reach my uterus.  He believed the only viable option was IVF.  I was devastated…how had we gotten here so quickly?  After two second opinion consults, we decided to go all in and signed up for IVF.  I began stims on New Years Eve, and on January 25th received the best news–we were pregnant with an amazing beta!  About 10 days later, we got the even more amazing news that we were expecting two little miracles!!!  I am now almost 23 weeks pregnant with twins.
 
 3.   How did you handle disappointments through your cycles (natural and otherwise) or months of waiting?

We shared general information with family and friends, so one thing we did was establish that I did not want to receive phone calls asking about our status.  When we had news, we emailed it out, and that avoided many painful conversations.  We also tried to be together to receive news as often as work would allow.

 

4.  What were the ‘stress-free’ techniques that you tried that helped you get through the cycle or time (yoga, meditation, acupuncture, support through family, friends & on-line, etc.)? 

 I did meditation during IVF, which was wonderful, and also got fairly regular massages throughout our journey.  Also, I am an attorney, and when we began I had a very stressful job which required extremely long hours.  During the fall of 2010, I took a less time-consuming job that allowed me to commit more time to treatment.

 

5.  If you could give advice for couples going through infertility now, what would it be?

If you are going to share information with family and/or friends, set up a system to communicate the information you want them to have.  If you have bad news to share, only having to write it once can be really helpful.  Also, don’t let other people tell you how you should feel.  Sometimes you will grieve more deeply than people think you should, and sometimes you will get over setbacks more quickly.  Do not try to conform your emotions to other’s expectations.

 
Thanks so much for sharing! Follow her journey here on her blog!
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Meet Athena!

Jun 5th, 2011
by Krissi.
No comments yet

Meet Athena! She blogs at A Field of Dreams. Read on for her inspiring story!

1. How long did you struggle through infertility?

About 6 years. I turned 29 and DH and I decided it was time to start our family. After establishing careers, holidays and buying our home – children were next on the cards.

 2. What did you go through (as far as treatments, different doctors, adoptions agencies, etc.)?

The first year was the ‘see what happens approach’. I also saw my local GP and had blood tests and an untrasound done to check that I had a functional reproductive system. All results came back excellent. By the second year I began monitoring my cycles more regularly with OPK’s, and tempting as well as taking over the counter supplements. My husband finally had his sperm tested. All was well there too. This year also introduced ‘robot sex’ – basically baby dancing was timed and only occurred strategically during ovulation time. Towards the beginning of the third year it was apparent that something was wrong. A laparoscopy identified endometriosis which affected 40% of my fertility. Laser surgery removed it and we again tried naturally. I then embarked on intrauterine insemination (IUI). 3 cycles of this were unsuccessful. My fertilty specialist didn’t want to pursue this treatment anymore and by the 4th year I began the tumultuous journey of IVF and FET. My first cycle produced 16 follicles with 7 eventually making it to the embryo stage. I also had a mild case of ovarian hyperstimulation. 2 fresh embryos were transferred. This was unsuccessful. The followong 3 months were medicated frozen embryos transfers, again twins were transferred however the last month was cancelled as the last remaining embryo did not survive the thaw. I received this phone call from the clinic only a few minutes before I got there. I then embarked on another IVF, again the same results with 16 follicles retrieved and only one embryo making it to transfer, this embryo was a blastocycst as opposed to the first round which were all day 2/3 transfers.

 Failed and on the brink of depression. Finances were tight and our relationship was losing its grip. I decided to take a break from the assisted reproductive technologies and took on a holistic approach to my fertility. I starting seeing a counsellor as well as taking Chinese herbs. By the end of the 5th year I fell pregnant having only been taking the herbs for one cycle. This PG unfortunately ended in miscarriage at 7 weeks. I continued with the herbs and also introduced a personal trainer to my new gym routine. I ate healthy, exercised and overall felt great about myself. On New Years Eve 2008 as the 6th year of infertility came to a close I saw again the two lines which confirmed a pregnancy. I was only 2 weeks away from starting another IVF cycle. My miracle arrived at age 36 on the 8th September 2009. One day before my wedding anniversary. Callum is Gaelic Heritage meaning Dove – The Harbinger of HOPE. He was 4.16kg and 52cm long. I had an emergency c-section after being induced and diagnosed with gestational diabetes.

 3. How did you handle disappointments through your cycles (natural and otherwise) or months of waiting?

There were a lot of tears shed. The first year was obviously the easiest. Most couples take only 20% to conceive in the first year of trying. I was older so I knew it wasn’t going to be easy for me. As the years went on each failed month of naturally trying was dreadful. Each IUI, IVF or FET was met with sadness and hostility toward myself for leaving it to a later age. Guilt ridden and always anxious. I am not your poster girl for handling disappointment too well. I’m also the kind of person who puts other people first. My husband and family were also devastated and I usually consoled them more than myself.

 4. What were the ‘stress-free’ techniques that you tried that helped you get through the cycle or time (yoga, meditation, acupuncture, support through family, friends & on-line, etc.)?

It wasn’t till I started the Chinese herbs towards the end of the 6 years and started going to the gym and exercising that I finally felt stress-free. Having those endorphins pump through you is exhilarating and making love more enjoyable and less “robotic”. Acupuncture was also accompanied with the herbs but I can’t say whether I felt anything different from this treatment. My gym routine also included pilates which is great for stretching and relaxing. I also joined an online support forum that helped me immensely as a long term trying to conceive and miscarriage survivor. I still keep in contact with some of those members who have become an integral part of my life.

5. If you could give advice for couples going through infertility now, what would it be?

Regardless of your diagnosis for infertility I believe that exercise, eating healthy and having other interests and hobbies other than trying to have a baby is paramount.

If you find yourself not being able to cope, on the brink of depression that you can’t seem to get out of – please see a counsellor. I believe talking to someone else other than your partner, friend or other family member puts this issue into perspective and gives you the opportunity to truly let go of any negative feelings.

Trying all methods/options as possible. I literally tried everything and anything. If I did go on to do the 3rd cycle of IVF and it failed, I probaly would have considered surrogacy or adoption.

Never give up on HOPE. Never.

 Please read the full story of her IF Journey here. 

  

Thanks so much Athena! Your son is adorable! ;-)

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Lovin’ Hopeful1, Exploring Chaos, and Just Heather!

May 23rd, 2011
by Krissi.
4 comments

 ICLW  Blog Love time! It happens only once a month but it’s a nice way to combine my usual Blog Love Monday post and pick randomly from the ICLW list! ;-)

    

First up, I’m lovin’ Hopeful1 from Our Twisty Turny Journey. She is brand new to ICLW and is dealing with a lot right now as her dad has just been diagnosed with liver cancer. To learn more about her TTC journey, go here and for a lighter, funnier post with an interesting question about shaving, go here!

 Next up is Exploring Chaos hailing from Australia! She really needs some love right now because she just got a BFN from a recent IVF. But, I love this very sweet post about her first miracle baby who is now 16 months old!

    And last we have Just Heather from BattleFish. In One of those moments, she describes learning about some unknown IF troubles with 2 of her close friends, friends she assumed had no trouble at all. And she has a welcome ICLW post so go check it out to learn more about her! I just did! ;-)

  Go send all these ladies some ICLW blog love!

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