My four year old daughter is so excited for Mother’s Day this year. It is very touching to see her make such a big deal about it. She is making a gift for me at her preschool that is a “BIG SURPRISE”. I hear her conspiring with my husband about plans for Mother's Day. My daughter is a very passionate and enthusiastic person and she also happens to be quite thoughtful. It is a personality mix that brings me so much joy every single day, and most especially on holidays.
This week is National Infertility Awareness Week, a week dedicated to talking openly about infertility and the impact it has on millions of men and women worldwide. For my first post of the week, I have decided to write about Secondary Infertility, a taxing emotional and physical reality for millions of couples.
All month bloggers and tweeters effected by endometriosis have come together to talk about this terrible disease for Endometriosis Awareness Month. Endometriosis is a painful and chronic condition that affects approximately 176 million women and girls worldwide; 8.5 million in North America alone.
My 15 year high school reunion is coming up and I have to admit that I am excited about it, for the most part. I had a great time in high school and was actually really sad to graduate. I went to an all girl's private school in the suburbs of New York, and it was the best decision my parents ever made for me.
My Grandmother just turned 80 and I couldn't be more proud to be her Granddaughter. She has had many challenges in the past few years, the increasing loss of her eyesight and the loss of my Grandfather to name a few. But she is still going strong, even recently coming down from upstate to help my cousin and his wife take care of their newborn. For her birthday I wanted to help her stroll down memory lane. I was amazed to find out what the last 80 years of history held and how many incredible events my Grandmother has lived through.
Three years ago, my husband and I found out that I have a translocation, which is a genetic mutation with the majority of my eggs. It leads to recurrent miscarriages or a baby with fatal birth defects.
From the Duggars, to Selena Gomez's mom, it seems as though there has recently been a lot of sad news about pregnancy loss.
It has been said that up to 25% of women will experience at least one miscarriage during their childbearing years. Loss is a difficult thing to deal with at any time, but around the holidays, when it seems like a requirement to be cheery and happy, dealing with loss seems that much harder.
I am protesting the latest pregnancy announced last week by the reality show stars, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar.
To say that going through a fertility treatment is "a little bit stressful" is like saying the ocean has "a little bit of water!"
Your hormones (both natural and synthetic) are going crazy, your life revolves around doctor appointments and procedures, and your husband is trying to balance being sick with worry with being fully supportive.
In the past three years, my husband and I have suffered four miscarriages. We've also had 28 embryos genetically tested, only to find out that they were not viable. Why? Because I have a translocation, a genetic mutation which causes the vast majority of my eggs to be genetically unsound. This means that if my husband and I want to expand our family, the only options we have left are egg donation, embryo donation and adoption
