Monday, January 31, 2011

CELIAC DISEASE AND INFERTILITY


image by: http://allergicliving.com

“Celiac disease (CD) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by inflammation of the small intestine’s absorption surface, induced in genetically predisposed individuals by ingestion of wheat, rye or barley. Specific peptides of these grains, collectively called gluten, elicit an inappropriate immune response that damages the surface of the small intestine, causing malabsorption of nutrients. A gluten-free diet for life is the only effective therapy in reversing the damage and complications."

It seems Celiac disease can result in infertility and could be a condition that those who are diagnosed with ‘unexplained infertility’ need to be screened for.

Read more


Friday, January 28, 2011

LIGHT MOMENT FRIDAYS – Feature 1




All of us who struggle with infertility can attest to the fact that it can rob us of our happiness. It can rob us of our ability to truly laugh and this is why I have come up with this new feature on my blog, called ‘Light Moment Fridays.’ I love Fridays, I guess it is because this is the beginning of a well awaited weekend and the mood is usually casual, and laid back and this is why I have chosen Fridays for this, where I will post short jokes and funny videos. Our son is at the stage now where he says or does things which is so hilarious, so I will share some of those precious moments with you as well.

This is for you all, especially those of us  who struggle to be happy, amidst our hurts and pain.......DO ENJOY!!!!


Feature 1

The other day, our son came home and after changing his clothes, asked for his story book.  Without waiting for us to get it for him, he helped himself to a book from the book case. He then sat and on the sofa, opened the book and began in a 'teacher-like tone':

“Everyone, everyone, please listen to the story, Mommy, Daddy, please listen to the story..........

Once upon a time –
The power and the ‘blory’
Forever and ever –
Amen.”

Then he proceeded to quiz us on the story (This is how his teacher interacts with them at story time at Pre-school), ‘what’s the name of the story’ His father gave him a made up title, to which he responded, ‘nice boy.’

Then he turned to me and asked, ‘whats the name of  the story?’ I gave him a made up title as well (I can’t remember the titles his Dad or myself gave him, but he responded to me, ‘nice boy, mommy.’

We could not hold back our laughter. This was a precious moment and we are so grateful that infertility did not rob us of it.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

WHAT INFERTILITY ROBBED ME OF




Many of us who have suffered with infertility, especially those who have suffered for as long as I have, can, I believe , identify with this post.

Infertility can consume you and sadly to the detriment of positive things in your life. As my struggles progressed, I found out that I was never able to be as happy as I knew I could be. No matter how joyful a situation I was in, there was always this underlying heaviness, this sadness and yearning to become a mom, that robbed me of the opportunity to be truly happy.

Loneliness also crept in because I had pushed all my friends away. I thought some would never understand my pain because they were parents and for others, I was ashamed to open up the window of my soul to them, so that they would know what infertility was doing to me.

I would tell myself that whenever I had a child, I would be so blissfully happy that it would feel like Christmas every day, and so I would postpone being truly happy until then. 

I was happy, very happy when my son came, but blissfully? I am not quite sure, because for a while I just did not want to put my son down for fear that I would turn around and then he was not there. I remember when he just began to sleep through the night, I awoke one morning, and upon remembering that I did not have to get up that night to tend to him, I got up in panic, where is my son? I thought, his he still here, is he alive? I felt that finally overcoming infertility was a joke that someone was playing on me, it was not real, it was a dream from which I would soon awake.

Infertility has robbed me of the ability to be as happy as I know I could be, here on earth, as this for me is still very much a struggle. (I say here on earth, because Christ has promised us that our ultimate happiness and joy is with him in heaven). I still have to make great efforts to remain present in a joyful situation enough to really enjoy the moment, because many times I find myself over-processing and over-evaluating things, which robs me of this. After all, that was pretty much how the years that I struggled with infertility were. I would worry that my treatments would not work. I would worry if I would ever get pregnant and wonder if I was pregnant many months, to the point where I would over-process and over-evaluate my symptoms to total exhaustion.

I am happy to report though, that infertility did not only rob me, it gave me some things that has added to the whole person that I am today. It has given me the ability to show much more compassion to people who are hurting. It has given me the ability to hold my judgement and most importantly not try to fix their problems for them. The thing is, the situations we hurt from cannot be fixed and will not be fixed, until we allow them to be. In allowing them to be, this means that we have learnt all the lessons that were meant to be learned from these hurts and we are now in a position to move on with our lives, being better individuals on account of them. I am able to say this with such conviction, because I remember in my struggles, the privileged who were aware, often tried to help me by telling me not to hurt so much. When my mom found out the pain that infertility had me in, she quickly admonished me to, ‘live in the sunshine’ I was angry, how could I live in the sunshine when there was nothing but dark rainy clouds in my heart? I wanted help ofcourse, but not that kind of help. It is now, looking back, I am realising that I resisted this help, only because my process was not complete, I needed further refinement, there was simply more for me to gain from this pain.

It is my charge to all who read this post, to embrace your struggles, hurts and pain as difficult as they may be, because many of us who have gone through these things would not change what we have learnt from them and the people we have become because of them.

Be RENEWED as a result of your struggles.


Monday, January 24, 2011

POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME (PCOS) AND MISCARRIAGES


Image showing signs of pcos on left and right ovary


Women who are diagnosed with PCOS not only have problems becoming pregnant, but have a higher rate of miscarriage, and as one of those women, I have experience in both these cases.

This is said to be so, because one of the major symptoms of PCOS is hormonal imbalance which usually lead to elevated insulin levels, which can lead to miscarriage.

Read more:-


From the site:

“PCOS is a syndrome of hormone imbalances; its dominant feature is that the women who suffer from it are likely to have multiple hormonal imbalances - some are too high while others are too low (2). One theory regarding the higher incidence of miscarriage in women who have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome is that the occurrence is related to elevated insulin levels. Researchers definitely see that miscarriage is more likely to occur in women who have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome PCOS, caused by Insulin Resistance, than in women who do not have the condition (3).

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

WHY SOME WOMEN WITH PCOS SEEM TO GET PREGNANT EASIER THAN OTHERS



Having being diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) from in the 1990’s, I have since come across other women with this diagnosis, who seem to get pregnant so much easier than I did, and I cannot help but wonder why.

Of all the symptoms you can have, I have just one (very irregular periods) and so I always thought, having just one symptom means that I probably have a mild case of the condition and would therefore not have great difficulty becoming pregnant. Was I wrong.

I did some research recently to see if some light could be shed on why some women with PCOS seem to get pregnant easier than others and what I found out was that this depends greatly on proper management of the condition, e.g treatment, exercise and diet.

If you have been diagnosed with PCOS and is having problems conceiving, you could find information contained on the following site helpful.


From the site:-

“Women with PCOS are known to have higher levels of certain auto-immune diseases too such as thyroid auto-immune disease which can negatively affect fertility and increase miscarriage risks. Thoroughly checking this - and other common coexisting conditions associated with PCOS - can greatly speed conception. Auto-immune factors could one of the bigger road-blocks on your journey to conception that need to be removed, even though your diagnosis is PCOS. 

All these variants are the same disease - PCOS - in it’s may forms, and all these PCOS sub-types warrant being treated slightly differently to help women to get pregnant more speedily.

In my fertility coaching practice I find that clients with PCOS have a good level of success - whether trying to conceive naturally or with ovarian stimulation - especially if they have taken the time to change their food choices and use natural supplements and herbs to create a better micro-environment for their eggs to grow in which can take some months to effect.”

Monday, January 17, 2011

SPACING YOUR BABIES AND AUTISM


Many of us believe in having our children very close in age, so that they can grow up together and be able to interact with each other at basically the same age level.

For those of us struggling with infertility, our reason for this is slightly different, it is because when we do begin having children, we want to have them in quick succession to make full use of our window of opportunity.

With this said, there is however a recent preliminary study which reveals that children spaced less than two years apart, could be at a greater risk of developing autism. This is indeed interesting to note.

Please read more:-

http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/health/articles/2011/01/10/study_spacing_babies_close_may_raise_autism_risk/

From the article
"Reasons behind the birth spacing-autism link aren't clear. It could be that parents are more likely to notice developmental problems when siblings are very close in age, Bearman said. When 2-year-old Billy isn't developing like 3-year-old Bobby, parents might be more likely to seek help. Or biological factors could be at play, he said. 


Pregnancy depletes a mother's nutrients like folate, a B vitamin found in leafy green vegetables, citrus fruit and dried beans. Prior research has tied close birth spacing to low birth weights and prematurity, possibly because of lack of folate."

Thursday, January 13, 2011

THE GREAT PHYSICIAN



Thank you all for your prayers. The babies that I asked you to pray for, a couple of days ago, are doing much better now.

God remains faithful and we give him all the glory.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

WHEN THERE IS BETRAYAL



 


Some of the words used to describe betrayal are, disloyalty, unfaithfulness, treachery and infidelity. Many of us, I believe, have had to deal with betrayal of some kind or another and I know that it is very difficult (to say the least), to deal with.

Do we set ourselves up for betrayal? I think not. When a couple at the wedding altar professes their love for each other and their willingness to stick with each other for better or worse, and yet another couple dating, professes their love and commitment to each other day in, day out, or when friends from childhood share every secret and spend so much time together, are these persons thinking that perhaps one day they could be dealing with betrayal, even though, in the case of the marriage vows, the ‘for better or worse’ should  take care of this.  

People betray each other for various reasons: For a married couple dealing with the pangs of infidelity, it could be that there is something missing from their marriage. This void could be caused from a lack of communication and intimacy, leading to loneliness, a lack of respect, so many things. It could be also, that this couple is dealing with infertility and so there is this emptiness that they are hoping having children will fill. For friends, it is a little more difficult to pinpoint the reasons for betrayal, but one of the reasons that quickly comes to mind is jealousy, resulting in disloyalty, simply because one friend could be progressing in his or her personal life, faster than the other.

Can we safeguard against betrayal? is the next question I want to ask. We cannot stop betrayal, but we can certainly protect ourselves from it, to some degree. At one point early in my marriage, my husband and I were having a conversation about trust, from that conversation, I realized that he had put me on a pedestal and trusted me completely. I was honoured by this, but then became troubled. What pressure I thought, and so I told him how grateful I was that he loves and trust me so wholeheartedly, but being only human, I would prefer if he left, if only a percentage room, for my humanness, not that I had plans to do anything to hurt him. I would recommend that for all relationships, to protect ourselves against our humanness, we leave such allowances in this regard. It is important that we do not manipulate this to indulge in calculated actions of mistrust, or, because we know that there is this allowance, we think that we are not trusting as we should. This just has to do with the fact that none of us is perfect, it is all about our humanness and nothing else. Our marriage is standing the test of time, I believe, on account of these allowances.

Can a relationship recover from betrayal? This is the last question I want to ask before I wrap up this post. I want to answer this question with a yes. A relationship can recover from betrayal, no matter how bad it is, as I have seen where this has happened. I do believe that why some relationships do not recover, is because they are not given the chance to, as people cannot get beyond the immediate let-down, anger and pain that betrayal causes. As difficult as it might be, to do, especially when things are still fresh, I believe communication, if given the chance, can be the first step in this recovery. From experience, in my relationships, marriage and otherwise, I have seen where communication, not just any communication, but a honest, heart to heart one, does lead to the solving of various interpersonal issues, even very serious ones and can bring about forgiveness and ultimately renewed trust. It is important that the person who is guilty of this betrayal tell the other what is in their heart. What they are feeling. What void there is, that could have led to this betrayal and it is equally important that the other person listens without judgement and try as much as possible to put themself in the position of the offending person. I would not recommend that anyone play the blame game, because this causes some resentment, anger and defensiveness. However, If you feel the need to do this,  start by blaming yourself. See about taking owning  the part in the situation that you could possibly be responsible for, because as I mentioned in earlier paragraph, many times when betrayal happens, it is because one party is not receiving what they feel they are entitled to from a relationship and is therefore unfulfilled. This should lead to a better understanding of each others’ need and expectations in the relationship.

 Check with any relationship which is standing today and see if somewhere along the way, the parties involved never had to deal with difficulties, even to the point of betrayal and yet these relationships are still standing and growing stronger every day.

BE FULFILLED IN YOUR RELATIONSHIPS



Disclaimer: I am by no means a Therapist of any kind, but write solely from my own experience and the experiences of others that I am privy to. With this said, please do not hesitate to seek the intervention of qualified personnel, if you feel that your relationship is in need of such intervention.



Monday, January 10, 2011

THE GREAT PHYSICIAN


On Friday, a fellow blogger requested prayers for her twin boy and girl, who are just about five months old, and is very sick.  They became ill over Christmas with a  cold which became worse, resulting in severe congestion, to the point where they are having difficulty breathing and they also have a high fever.
I want to use this space today, to offer a prayer on their behalf and I ask anyone who see this post to do the same as well.

“Heavenly Father, we know that you are the great Physician who is the creator of all things both in heaven and here on earth. You saw the struggles of these dear parents, in their pursuit to become parents and have since seen it fit to grant them this privilege. It is with this in the background that I ask you to touch these precious little bodies and heal them of their diseases.

Father, you said in your words that, whatever we ask in faith believing,  you will grant it to us, and I am positive, that you, being in touch with the parents’ infirmities, as they struggled with infertility, will grant them that which they desperately seek from you right now, for their babies to be returned to their aching arms, restored to good health.
Lord, thank you for answers to prayers, Amen.”

"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people."
Ephesians 6:8

See prayer request at:-

Friday, January 7, 2011

COULD DIET INFLUENCE THE SEX OF YOUR BABY??



For all my pregnancies, when asked what sex baby I wanted, I was quick to answer, a healthy one will do, please. I mean, come on, after years of wanting children so badly who would want anything else but a healthy baby. However, if I should get pregnant again, I would wish for a girl, because I always felt I wanted back my girl that I lost seven months into the pregnancy, before that with my son.

There are people I know who are quite adamant about the sex of the babies they want. My husband is the first of four boys and his parents wanted the youngest to be a girl so badly. There is also a friend I know, who is currently pregnant and when she found out that the sex of her baby was a boy, she was noticeably sad, because she already has a boy.

What if your diet during pregnancy could help you get the sex baby you want. 

An article from the following site, claims it could, read more:


From the article:
“The overall sex ratio in our population was close to 50:50, but individual mothers had a greater chance of bearing male offspring if their nutrient intake was high prior to conception,” wrote Fiona Mathews, the study’s lead author and a research fellow at the University of Exeter. “The consumption of breakfast cereal was also strongly associated with having a male infant.”

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

EARLY LABOUR DETECTOR TO PREVENT PREMATURE BIRTHS


Pregnancy is usually a joyous time for everyone involved, but sadly this time can be complicated with worries of varying kinds. For persons who have finally become pregnant after struggling with infertility, there is mixed emotions as you are so elated from finally becoming pregnant and now you cannot help but think that this is too good to be true, and then worry that something might go wrong.

One of these worries being, having a premature birth. I had so much anxiety in my pregnancy with my son, after years of struggling with infertility and suffering a miscarriage a few months before. I also had a lot of cramping and tightening of my stomach and was actually terrified that this could be signs of pre-term labour. Luckily, for me, with the help of my OB, I had a full term pregnancy.

There is currently a prototype that has been built by some Johns Hopkins biomedical engineering students, and is now undergoing testing in animals. With further refinement, the students say, their system could eventually help physicians discover early signs of labour and allow the doctors to delay preterm deliveries, giving these babies more time to mature. 

This is certainly good news for women of childbearing age, and all others concerned, because, should this materialise, it would be one less thing to be concerned about during pregnancy.

See link for article in Medical News Today, below:


From article:-
The normal length of a pregnancy is 40 weeks, while babies born before 37 weeks gestation are considered to be preterm. By detecting preterm contractions with greater accuracy and sensitivity than existing tools, the new system could allow doctors to take steps at an earlier stage to prevent premature births, its inventors say.” 

Monday, January 3, 2011

THANKS AND APPRECIATION


As this brand new year advances, I want to first thank God for giving me the chance to continue on this journey of life. I consider every day such a great opportunity to be a better wife, a better mother, a better person overall  and I try not to take it for granted, because many who began the year 2010, with all intention to make it 2011, sadly did not.

I want to thank those of you who continue to support my writing efforts through this blog.  If you have only visited once, I thank you so much and if you are a regular visitor, I am so grateful to you because this means that I am doing something worth both our time and effort.

I want to congratulate all those who have struggled with infertility and was able to welcome their little miracle/s in 2010. I know from experience that this is indeed a very rough road and thankfully, for me, I know the joy that you are revelling in right now.

For those who are pregnant and are looking forward with eager arms to embrace your little miracles, just know, you remain in my prayers and for those still struggling with infertility and is waiting anxiously for the day when they too will become pregnant, You are in my prayers and I do hope that 2011 will be your year.

Do remember that my website is geared at offering information, encouragement and most of all, hope, to all who are struggling with infertility and I am qualified to do this, not because I hold a Phd. or any other formal qualification in this subject area, but because of simply struggling for years with this understated and underestimated condition.  I ask that you do not hesitate to recommend my blog to anyone you know who could benefit from information contained herein.

A happy, productive and blessed 2011 to you all and I look forward to your continued support, even as I look forward to continue serving you.