GRATEFUL WEDNESDAYS – Who or what is your source?

The other day, someone we knew relatively well, committed suicide. What I gather is that, his marriage was his source, and when his wife died almost a year ago, he felt like he just could not go on, on his own and so he took his life. Really sad and this is taking us a while to process.

Which leads me to the question, who or what is your source? It is quite helpful to note that your source should never be temporal, in other words it should never be temporary where it can cut out on you at any time, leaving you to fend for yourself. I am quite thrilled to say then, that the Almighty God is my source, let me also say that this does not mean that we who claim God as our source won’t find ourselves in similar situations like this gentleman. Which really is because, at times we seem to forget, or we become so blinded and overwhelmed by our problems that we try to go it alone. We fly solo.

When I lost our first pregnancy, I romanced the idea of suicide because I just did not think that I could bear this overwhelming pain, which had me so blinded that I really did not think to give it all to God. In fact, he was the first person I took it out on. I was so angry with him and refused to have anything to do with him in the first few days following my lost. How could this God who promised his children good things, allowed such a horrible thing to happen to one of his own, I thought. It was not long before I was feeling even more miserable and helpless and so I felt I had no choice but to put my tail between my legs and crawl back into his embrace, because I realized that no one was able to help me deal with my pain. No husband, no friend, no one.

God took control and I allowed him to heal my broken heart, certainly not instantly but surely gradually and he has since blessed me more abundantly than I could ever ask or imagine. Even more importantly, he is allowing me to use this pain to minister to and help others. What an awesome source to have and I am indeed grateful that I found it.

Let me therefore encourage those of you who are dealing with situations that have left you feeling broken, hopeless and helpless, if you do not know the Almighty God as your source, I challenge you to find him, he stands ready to rid you of your burdens and lead you into quality life everlasting if you will allow him.

Thanks for your indulgence.

WHY AM I AN ONLY CHILD??????

We had more or less settled on the idea that we would not be trying to have anymore children, when we unexpectedly became pregnant. Our son was about 20 months old and my husband and I, after the initial shock had worn of, began embracing the idea of having another child around. We lost the pregnancy almost as soon as we found out we were expecting, to a missed abortion.

We continued however, to embrace the idea of having another child and took our doctors advice seriously, to change my diet, because my PCOS condition, which seemed to have intensified after the birth of my son, was the cause of us losing this pregnancy. I took the liberty of going on some fertility herbs, not by any means forgetting that it was as a result of a course of treatment from a herbalist that we were  proud parents of our son.

After being on this course of treatment for a while, we began trying to conceive. I could not shake the feeling though that maybe, God just had one child in his plan for us and even more so, many times throughout my infertility struggles, I had prayed that he just be merciful to us and give us, if only just one.

When we failed to become pregnant for while, I became even more convinced that we would only be parents of just one child. We sold all the baby gear we had purchased for our son, not only for this reason, but because we were moving from a house to an apartment and we needed the space in his room to set up for his growing years. I remember the lady who purchased his crib said to me, so you are not planning on having any more? A question I struggled to answer, but still convinced we were doing the right thing.

After we settled into our new space, I became overcome with guilt. What right do we have to deny our son the chance of having a sibling? What right to we have to think we know the mind of God? What if he is not yet finished with us, but just want our testimony to be fuller and richer.  The yearning for another child intensified and I had no choice but to give in.

Just last night, we were in the supermarket where we met a young man and woman  (not sure if they were a married couple) and a sweet 10 month old baby girl. We began chit chatting about everything from the age of our babies, to weaning. My husband, in trying to make a point, said to them, if another one comes…….The young lady responded immediately “if…..no if.’’ Thinking that she was probably saying, no if, we definitely want more, I decided to help her along and said, “not if, but when.” She looked at me with a smile on her face that seems to be saying, we are pretty sure, then quickly pointed to the young man and said, “we spoke about it and we have decided on no more.

When we got home, remembering my struggle in this regard, said to my husband. What is with this couple? Unless it is for monetary or health reasons (for us, we had both these reasons to contend with), what other right do they have to deny their daughter the chance of having a sibling. Let’s say that it is because she was traumatized by child birth (I know of one such case). From experience, Child-birth pain and trauma pales as your body heals and so, for me,  this is hardly an accepted excuse.

In my view, I believe any child with siblings around, makes them more rounded, with fuller lives, thus making them better placed adults and we have little right to deny them that.

What are your views?

image by:

https://www.google.com.jm/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1280&bih=909&q=couple+and+only+child&oq=couple+and+only+child&gs_l=img.12...1156.8324.0.10255.32.15.5.12.3.0.95.1165.15.15.0...0.0...1ac.1.3.img.VMCZZa9BWzs#imgrc=hzdnVe8vQvRMuM%3A%3B88V9c5yBeGVrUM%3Bhttps%253A%252F%252Fflipter_test_2.s3.amazonaws.com%252Fmedia%252Fphotos%252Fchild.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fflipter.com%252FMimiSendico%252F%3B550%3B400

“Safe, Effective, and Inexpensive Way of Identifying Healthy Eggs For IVF”

Many couples who have resorted to IVF to have a family, have to deal with a gruelling wait to find out if they have achieved a successful pregnancy, after implantation of their embryos. This is because only a few eggs per IVF treatment cycle are able to produce a pregnancy as many eggs have the wrong number of chromosomes. If the egg is missing a chromosome or has an extra chromosome it is said to be abnormal. This problem exists in older women.

There is great news which could help alleviate some of this anxiety as according to Medical News today, a new study performed by Yale School of medicine researchers, have identified the chromosomal make up of an egg. This new discovery may soon make it possible to avoid using abnormal eggs and instead use healthier eggs that would result in a higher success rate of pregnancy.

Read more by following the link below:-

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/246138.php







http://cdn.hivehealthmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/in-vitro-fertilization.jpg
Post image by:  

CONSTITUIONAL AMENDEMNT IN MISSISSIPPI COULD HAVE NEGATIVE IMPACT ON INVITRO-FERTILIZATION

A constitutional amendment in Mississippi, set to come up for a vote on November 8,  could have negative impact on invitro-fertilization.

This amendment could spread to at least twelve States, including Florida and Ohio and seeks to classify a fertilized human egg as a legal person, thus making abortion and some forms of birth control (like the morning after pill) murder.

For more, please visit the link below:-

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/10/24/personhood-ballot-initiative-in-mississippi-could-ban-some-ivf-practices.html

From the article:-

“As Hines explains, for IVF to have a decent chance of success, doctors have to try to fertilize more eggs than they intend to implant. “A basic problem in IVF is that we cannot look at an egg and determine that egg will get you pregnant,” he says. “In order to enhance the pregnancy rate, we stimulate the patient and take all the eggs that we can get and combine those with sperm. Then the eggs and the sperm determine which ones are actually going to lead to pregnancy. Some will not fertilize. Some will not become embryos, and some embryos will not progress."

Post image by: http://pregnancy.about.com/library/graphics/invitro.gif

PREGNANCY AND ONE FUNCTIONING OVARY

Do you have only one functioning ovary and is worried that this might affect your chance of getting pregnant?

Well, be worried no more, it turns out you have the same chance of becoming pregnant just like  any woman with two functioning ovaries. Why, because a woman does not need two ovaries to become pregnant. There are a few exceptions to this though, that can make conceiving more difficult.

Read what these exceptions are and more on this subject, from the following article.

 http://www.wisegeek.com/can-you-get-pregnant-with-one-ovary.htm

From the article:

"A woman with one ovary usually has the same chance of getting pregnant as a woman with two. There are a few exceptions that can make getting pregnant more difficult. The remaining ovarymust be attached to the remaining fallopian tube. If only an ovary and the opposite fallopian tube exist, it is much more likely that during ovulation, an egg will not pass down the fallopian tube. One with a single ovary and a single fallopian tube that are not on the same side is also at higher risk for tubal pregnancies.

If the fallopian tube and remaining ovary are both on the same side, another thing to look for is a regular period. If a woman continues to menstruate on a regular basis, this tends to be a good sign that the woman is ovulating and can get pregnant. Conversely, if periods are irregular or have stopped altogether this may signify that no ovulation is occurring, or that it is occurring on a very infrequent basis."

THINKING OUT LOUD

 I was visiting with some family members this weekend, on route to a wedding on the west end of our island.

It was a beautiful visit because we had not spent any quality time with these family members for a while and so it was all the more worth it.

This couple has no children and at this stage will not be able to have any biological ones. I also know that they would not mind having children. My husband and I were visiting with our 4 year old son and I am currently 6 months pregnant with our second child. Throughout the visit, I had moments when I was wondering how, especially my sister-in-law was co-oping with us being there, given her circumstances. She did not show any discomfort outwardly and did not hesitate to engage me in conversation about the pregnancy and our expecting child. I know it is easier for this couple to deal with this because by now, they probably have resigned themselves to be without biological children, but does this pain and void that children would fill, ever go away?

I know in my time of struggles with infertility, it was very difficult for me to be around children and expectant women, much less to be host to them for any period of time. Having this experience, I did not talk or draw any undue attention to my pregnancy at all.

 I love this couple dearly, so much so that my sister-in-law is our son’s godmother and this decision was made so that we could share our son with them.

Thanks for having us guys, we truly cherished every moment we spent with you.

image by: http://info.thinktutoring.com/Portals/58528/images/thinking-out-loud.jpg

DEALING WITH A PREMATURE BIRTH

Many of us who become pregnant, look ahead with much expectation of  having a healthy full term pregnancy and we make our plans accordingly.

Then we find that our little bundle of joy has other plans, they have decided to come early. Some do come early and their prognosis is quite good, but for others, this is the beginning of a lot of anxiety and fear for the parents.

You never think that you would be among those parents who have to leave the hospital with empty arms, leaving your little bundle of joy hooked up to tubes in a neonatal unit and could very possible have to remain there for weeks or even months before they are ready to come home with you, or worst yet, not even come home with you at all because they did not survive. I have never been there but could have been if our first little miracle hadn’t died intrauterine. I therefore can only imagine the anxiety that all involved have to face at this very difficult time. A fellow blogger had, not one, but two ‘premies’ (twin boy and girl) so you can just imagine its double the anxiety. Premature births are common among multiples so try to put yourself in the position of parents of premature triplets etc.

I have come across a lot of blogs in my area of focus (infertility), where many families have to go through this, and it is amazing how they make it through. The blogging community, I find, is full of people who are always there when they are needed. They never fail to pass by these blogs with an encouraging word or prayer or thought. Amidst that though, it strikes me to see how these parents handle these circumstances, they do not throw any ‘woe is me’ or ‘why me’ tantrums, instead they take things one day at a time, having so much hope and never failing to give thanks that they are able to bare children (most of these blogs are of persons who are struggling with infertility).

Pregnancy is much like life, you do not know at all what the future holds. I remember for my pregnancies, whenever I hit the 28 week mark, I would begin to feel some relief, because it is widely known that if your baby decides to come at this point, then (barring any other problems), they would be able to survive outside of the uterus. For the pregnancy with my son, I never felt that I had conquered infertility until I woke from the anesthetic and was presented with my healthy baby boy, because things can go wrong anywhere from conception to birth in a pregnancy.

Whenever you find yourself blessed with a full term healthy baby, you have to be thankful and most of all,  feel very favoured by God, because many are not so privileged.

My thoughts and prayers are with the family of the blog http://roadlesstraveledblog.blogspot.com Their little one decided to come early, and thanks be to God, his prognosis is very good.

For any of you dealing with a premature birth, you are in my prayers and for those who are pregnant, a healthy, safe and full term pregnancy to you.

image by: http://cf.ltkcdn.net/scrapbooking/images/std/58815-400x265-Nicu.jpg

"NEW DOUBTS RAISED ABOUT COMMON FERTILITY TREATMENTS"

This speaks in particular to couples who have been diagnosed with unexplained infertility, a diagnosis given to one in eight couples.

In a recent article in Shine from Yahoo, mention was made of a recent study published in British Medical Journal with findings which states that, when there was intervention for couples with cases of  unexplained infertility, the success rate for pregnancy, was not any better than for other couples with this diagnosis who just waited and see.

From the article:-

“The study, published in the British Medical Journal, compared two common treatments with the wait-and-see approach. Couples with unexplained infertility were randomly assigned to have ovarian stimulation with the drug, clomiphene citrate (otherwise known as Clomid) or to have intrauterine insemination (IUI) without ovarian stimulation drugs. A third group was encouraged to try to get pregnant but were not given any treatment. Researchers found no significant difference in pregnancy rates among the groups. Women who had no intervention had a live birth rate of 17 percent, the group taking Clomid had a birth rate of 14 percent, and the group having IUI alone had a birth rate of 23 percent. Though the rate is higher in the IUI group and lower in the Clomid group, the differences were not statistically significant.” 

The article also went on to mention that, although Clomid  is a popular drug, used to enhance fertility, it can reduce the chances of the sperm reaching the egg and can also reduce the chances of the uterus supporting implantation of the embryo.

Please follow the link below to read more:-

http://astrology.yahoo.com/channel/health/finding-fertility-new-doubts-raised-about-common-fertility-treatments-230679/

image by: http://blogs.smarter.com/blogs/FE_PR_070403pregnancy.jpg 

PCOS DIET AND HERBS FOR FERTILITY

I did a post on this subject in February of this year, but feel compelled to do a repost, because more and more, I am seeing great success in pregnancy, for PCOS sufferers who follow a specific diet and use specific herbs.

Please follow the link below for my previous post, which links to a website that outlines this diet and the specific herbs that can be taken in this regard.

http://onereachinganother.blogspot.com/2011/02/pcos-diet-and-herbs-for-infertility.html

IS THE DECISION UP TO US, REALLY?

Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.

Children born to a young man are like sharp arrows in a warrior’s hand

Psalm 127: 3 & 4

“HOPE MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE”

I always knew I wanted more than just one child, but my struggles with infertility, saw me bargaining with God, telling him that if he just give me one, I would be pretty fine with that and would adopt another, as a thank you to him, for answering my prayers.


After I had my son, I was convinced that I was quite fine with just him, and more so, given the fact that I was so nervous and anxious with this pregnancy, I really did not want to have to experience this amount of anxiety and nervousness again, because it truly wore me out. We were then totally convinced that we would do adoption, to give him company.

Then I became pregnant unexpectedly last January, but found I had experienced a missed abortion early in the pregnancy. I was sure now, that I did not want to go down this road again, the miscarriages, the anxieties, the unknown and so my husband and I decided that this would be it and we started thinking of beginning adoption proceedings. Soon I began wondering, we have banked on this adoption thing, but what if it is not as easy as the brochure makes it out to be? Thankfully, not long afterwards, we began hearing stories of persons who had difficulties adopting and these are persons who we believe would be easy to be approved to adopt a child, given their status, and realized that we, without a doubt would be sure to experience even more difficulties in this regard.

Before long I realized that I was grieving for the pregnancy I had just lost, and wishing I had carried it, if for the only reason that my son would be sure of a sibling to grow up with, as I am one who does not believe that a child should grow up alone, if it can be prevented, and having seen how difficult it is for only children, not to mention the questions and conversations that the parents have to deal with, it began haunting me that my family might be subjected to this as well, given our plans. We immediately began rethinking our decision.

Then came the feeling of guilt, how could we have banked on adoption and made the decision not to have any more children, without thinking about the pros and cons and not thinking enough, about the needs of our son, How would we handle the questions when he starts asking them, ‘how comes I do not have a brother or a sister?’ Further, how would we feel when he draws his first picture of his family in kindergarten and realized that his picture has only three persons and those of his classmates have more and he is demanding answers from us. I personally would feel very guilty and feel that we have betrayed him, because life is just too difficult as it is, for a child not to have a sibling to grow up with, someone to lean on as they chart their course through life, someone to be themselves with, someone to share little secrets with, someone who they can count on to be there for them.

It is with this in mind that we are working closely with our doctor to give our son the company he deserves, because is it up to us, really, to make the decision, not have any more children after having just one? This decision, I believe, would be up to us to make, if we were told that having another pregnancy would be detrimental to my health, or if financially we could not afford any more, even though, who is ever totally convinced up front, that they can afford a child, when they begin thinking of having them. My Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and age is a factor for anxiety yes, but we live in an age where women with fertility issues are still getting pregnant and women who are forty and over are also becoming pregnant and having healthy babies, so why can’t I do it too.

If our efforts does not bring about the result we desire, then we would be satisfied that we did our part and it sure would be easier to explain to our son, when he starts asking questions. I have already come up with a response if that time should come, and it goes, well son, we tried to give you company, but you are so special that God wants us to have just you.

We are forever grateful to God for our son, but we really believe he needs a sibling and we are still thinking of adopting, but much later down the road.

If there are anyone currently caught in this situation, I hope this post will be encouraging to you.

Be blessed, and until next time, keep clinging to hope.

PROMISING OVARIAN CANCER SCREENING

Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.

Children born to a young man are like sharp arrows in a warrior’s hand

Psalm 127: 3 & 4

“HOPE MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE”

 

Healthy women might soon be able to have screening done for the early detection of Ovarian Cancer. This is surely good news for all women and especially for those who are at increased risk.


As someone who has been diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), and was told by my doctor that this can lead to cancer, I immediately thought that he was referring to ovarian cancer, since it is the ovaries that is affected in the case of PCOS. Upon research, I found out that women with PCOS are not at risk for ovarian cancer, instead we are at increased risk for Endometrial Cancer.

Women are at increased risk for ovarian cancer, as it relates to the following:-

• Age. Ovarian cancer usually develops after menopause. Women over age 60 have the highest risk. However, it is not confined to older women; one quarter of ovarian cancer deaths occur in women 35 - 54 years of age.
• Family history. If a close blood relative of yours (mother, sister, daughter) has had ovarian cancer, your risk is higher.
• Infertility & childbearing status. Women are at increased risk if they’ve had difficulty conceiving, had children late in life, have never been pregnant, or have never used birth control pills.
• Fertility drugs. In some studies, researchers have found that prolonged use of the fertility drug clomiphene citrate, especially without achieving pregnancy, may increase the risk for developing ovarian tumors. If you are taking this drug, you should discuss its potential risks with your doctor. However, infertility also increases the risk of ovarian cancer, even without use of fertility drugs.

The more we know, the more we can preserve lives.

Be encouraged therefore.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR ANGEL IN HEAVEN – Our First Miracle

Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.

Children born to a young man are like sharp arrows in a warrior’s hand

Psalm 127: 3 & 4

"HOPE MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE"

Today we pause to say a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY, to our first little miracle, Sara-Marie Abigail Price, who was born sleeping on April 2, 2006, (four years ago).

For all those who do not know the story of our first little miracle, I crave your indulgence.

After more than a decade long of struggling with infertility, we learned that we were expecting in September, 2005. We were so ecstatic, my husband and I hugged each other and dance around the room.

As the pregnancy progressed, I found that I just could not embrace and enjoy it, as I had dreamt of doing for so long. Each month we visited our doctor, despite the very good reports, I just could not shake the feeling that something would go wrong. I sometimes dismissed this feeling though, thinking it was only jitters from having waited so long and as a result of previous miscarriages, only to have it return shortly afterwards

In the seventh month of our pregnancy, the day after a lovely baby shower was thrown for me, we visited our doctor, for what we believed would be another routine visit with a good report. My doctor, who is very jovial and funny, began the examination, making us laugh as usual. Before long into the examination, we realized that he got very quiet and was looking at the screen of his examination machine, quite intently. He even took a seat on the examination table beside me – something he never did in any of our previous visits. This was when I knew that the feelings of uneasiness I had since the pregnancy was about to confirm that something was indeed wrong I remember my husband asking him if there was a problem and he said, yes. The room suddenly went black, I blacked out, even though I was lying down (I have never heard of this).

I came around shortly after and he asked us to join him at his desk, where he proceeded to write us a referral to a fetal specialist, to see exactly what was happening with our baby. I remember glancing on the referral and saw the term hydrops fetalis, in the space for diagnosis and he then proceeded to explain to us what this was. I really was not listening as I was still trying to come to terms with all that was taking place.

We went to see the fetal specialist and when he began the examination, I saw him turned the screen away from me and said, he did not want me to see the images. By this time though, I was ready to accept my fate, so it probably would not have made any difference if I had seen the images.

We collected the results a few days afterwards and it was confirmed that our baby had been diagnosed with hydrops fetalis, ( a severe, life-threatening problem of severe edema (swelling) in the fetus and newborn and occurs when too much fluid leaves the bloodstream and goes into the tissues). Babies diagnosed with this condition, usually have a low chance of survival.

Our doctor tried to give us hope by assuring us that he was focused on the 30% chance of survival and he challenged us to do the same too.

We waited almost a month for further testing to be done, to see if they could find the exact cause of this condition and all this time, I prayed to God earnestly and others prayed as well and I believed deeply, that things would somehow turn around for us. It was with that faith that I got up out of bed one day, and started preparing the nursery. I felt I had to do this because, if things turned around, I wanted to be ready. This was undoubtedly one of the longest, hardest month ever. The tests all came back negative and I was feeling even more optimistic.

Our doctor referred us to our University Hospital for management from then on of our pregnancy, in hopes of getting treatment for our baby intrauterine.

Sadly, while a doctor was doing my examination, he realized that there was no heartbeat. Our baby had left us without us knowing.

I was admitted the next day (being Saturday), to give birth, and in the wee hours of Sunday morning, April 2, 2006, our little miracle was born sleeping, weighing just over 2 pounds. She fought a good fight, but the battle was not hers to win. I remember I had decided that I would not look at her after she was born, because I did not want to have that image embedded in my mind, as I believed it would have made it harder for me. I however found myself actually trying to look at her, but my husband objected, I guess because he too thought it would have been too painful for me. He saw her though and it was indeed very difficult for him.

The days following this, were some of the darkest days of my life. I never cried so much in my life, and it all began the day after I gave birth and continued right through that night and into the days ahead. I was so angry with God that I refused to even talk to him, I wanted to ask him why, but I just could not. I could not even pray.

I remember being on my way home from the hospital, and found myself scanning my medicine cabinet at home, to have a mental picture of all the pills I had in there that I could take, to put a quick end to this overwhelming grief that I was in, because it was just too much for me. God stepped in though and had me tell my husband that I did not want to be alone at home in the days ahead. I told him this, after feeling very afraid that I was actually thinking suicide, and so the next day and for the rest of that week, I went to my sister’s to stay with her housekeeper, who herself, had had experience with grief, having lost her husband, and my sister thought she could help me through my grief as well.

I made it through those difficult days, largely due to the kind support of my family, especially my eldest sister and my Church family and friends. A very good friend lent me the book, When God Doesn't Make Sense By. Dr. James Dobson, and this really helped me put things into perspective. In essence, what this book is saying is that - life is about change and we are never targeted for bad things to happen to us, this is just all a part of life, and the sooner we understand this, the sooner we are able to accept what comes our way, and  trust God to help us heal from our wounds. I strongly recommend this book for anyone dealing with grief.

My Mom says, our daughter was just too beautiful, so God decided to keep her for himself and I truly believe that. My mother-in-law says that our daughter, gave herself as a sacrifice to make way for our second miracle, because my body needed cleansing from all the anxiety, depression and treatment that I had undergone as a result of my struggle with infertility. I strongly believe that too and this makes our little angel all the more special to us.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY GIRL, Your dad, your brother and I can’t wait to meet you in the sweet by and by. Continue resting in the arms of Jesus, where you belong, because you must be tired from the fight you fought to stay with us.

WE WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU.

IS YOUR ENVIRONMENT MAKING YOU INFERTILE???

Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.
Children born to a young man are like sharp arrows in a warrior’s hand
Psalm 127: 3 & 4

"HOPE MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE"

When it comes to infertility/fertility, The more we know, the better off we are in terms of preserving our fertility and treating our infertility. With that said. I am not trying to scare anyone, but do you all know that your environment has a lot to do with your fertility?

While these days we are trying to prevent further damage to our precious environment by trying to adapt to a ‘living green’ lifestyle, which is very good and necessary, but sadly for many people, the damage has already been done, as they were either made to experience much difficulty in trying to conceive children and have the family of their dreams, or sadly, have had to make peace with not being able to have children of their own at all.

It is found that toxic materials, among them, mercury, copper and lead, which is found in our environment in several parts of the world, do have adverse effects on your fertility and can also result in miscarriages, should you become pregnant.

If you have been diagnosed with unexplained infertility, it could be that this is a result of these toxic materials found in your environment.

Below are links to some sites, which speaks in detail to this issue.

http://www.annuaire29.org/articles/category/17/message/340/
http://www.annuaire29.org/articles/category/17/message/334/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1519933/?page=1

Please read and be encouraged and until next time, keep clinging to hope.

"HAVING A HEALTHY BABY BEGINS WHEN YOU ARE TRYING TO CONCEIVE"

Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.
Children born to a young man are like sharp arrows in a warriors hand
Psalm 127: 3 & 4

I did a post identical to this one before but feel that I should still share this one with you, as I believe we cannot be reminded enough about this, when we are trying to conceive.

This is especially so for those who are struggling with infertility because it is very easy to forget that indeed a healthy baby begins when we are trying to conceive. We become so consumed with the various treatments to beat our condition and sometimes too, we are aware of this, but because infertility treatments are so expensive, sadly, we have to forego this, because it is equally very expensive to eat healthy and to purchase prenatal vitamins and where stress is concerned, once you are struggling with infertility, sadly, this becomes a part of your life and is not so easy to keep under control. I still implore you all to bear this in mind though.

When I became pregnant with our daughter, I was not on any prenatal vitamins, my diet was not as it should be and I was extremely depressed and stressed out as a result of my struggles with infertility. I still cannot shake the feeling that this was probably why the pregnancy ended up as it did, because after entensive research and testing, we still do not have any answers as to why we lost that pregnancy.

When I became pregnant with our son a couple months after, I was on prenatal vitamins, I was on iron, because my doctor told me I was anemic and I was exercising and eating as healthy as I could have afforded. As we all know that pregnancy was a success and our son was born in perfect health. I strongly believe it was because of my prenatal regiment, why this pregnancy was successful.

Please follow the link below to see post by a fellow blogger and until next time ALL THE BEST in your efforts.

http://infertility-fertility.blogspot.com/2009/09/having-healthy-baby-starts-when-youre.html

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HOW FERTILE CAN ONE FAMILY/ WOMAN BE???

“Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.
Children born to a young man are like sharp arrows in a warrior’s hand.”
Psalm 127: 3 & 4

I think you all might know of this family, the Duggars. They have a television show on The Learning Channel called, Eighteen kids and counting, turns out they are pregnant with their nineteenth child with their eighteenth just months old. I guess they now need to change the name of the show to reflect this change after this child is born.

Can you imagine, eighteen children with number nineteen on the way, and that is not all, they are also expecting their first grandchild by their oldest son. How fertile can one family be? I can just imagine how women who are battling infertility, wanting to have even one child must be feeling. I was taken aback, and even went a little further to being somewhat annoyed and wanted to shout at the television, ‘enough already, will you stop,’ when they were featured on the today show announcing this pregnancy. I have a child and was still annoyed so I can only imagine how others who do not have and so desperately want to have, must be feeling. I guess my annoyance stems from the fact that Mrs. Duggar makes getting pregnant seem so easy when so many of us have to struggle long and hard to be successful even just once.

I was reading an article which stated that she thought her childbearing years were behind her when she realized she was pregnant again. It is accurate to say then that she was not trying for another child but she was certainly not doing anything to prevent it either.

I wonder if Mrs. Duggar knows that there are many infertile people around who might be feeling a little annoyed with them as their announcement is only a reminder of what they so desperately want, children. I wonder also if this family is trying for a record or something, ‘the family with the most children.’ I do not know, but what I do know is that, the minute I heard this announcement I immediately started thinking about persons who are infertile and how they must be feeling, and my heart went out to them.

Children are indeed a gift from God and the Duggars are blessed to have so many children. They have been blessed times nineteen with the blessing of a grandchild also on the way. They seem so happy and fulfilled and even though my post is not reflecting this, Don’t be fooled, I am happy for them.

Mrs. Duggar gives hope to women who are over forty and still want to have children, as I have learnt that she is forty-two.

Please follow the link to continue reading the Duggars story and until next time keep clinging to hope.
http://infertility-fertility.blogspot.com/2009/09/another-pregnancy-over-40-duggar-does.html

ARE OUR DOCTORS COLD AND CALLOUS???

“Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.
Children born to a young man are like sharp arrows in a warrior’s hand.”
Psalm 127: 3 & 4

This post is written with due respect to our doctors and their profession.

Recently this has been on my mind, how can a doctor tell a woman that she will never be able to have children or that she should never get pregnant or try to have any more children.

A friend of mine was told by a doctor that she should never get pregnant. She said this was so hard to hear and she could never picture her life without children. As I sat and listened to her, something came over me, something so familiar because for many years, I was forced to picture my life without children and it was really one of the most difficult things I ever had to do. Today this friend is very pregnant, a difficult pregnancy of course but she is an ardent Christian and is totally relying on God to see her through this pregnancy. She should give birth in a couple of days.

There is someone else I know who had one child at the time and wanted another, her doctor told her she should not try to get pregnant again. Of course, she had her second child and both are doing fine up to this day and I am sure there are many other such stories out there.

I know these doctors are advising their patients against pregnancy because of medical issues that could endanger their lives and the lives of their babies, should they get pregnant, but I still think this is a cold and callous thing to do. Maybe they could find some other way of telling their patients news like this and have them involved in the process as much as possible. I am also thinking that probably, many doctors who are guilty of this are male and therefore will never be able to know what it feels like when a woman finds out she can never have children. I know this affects men too, but not in the same way as it affects women. For women, the pain is more raw and more personal. I guess it is because it is women who carry the pregnancies.

Another thing that doctors do is put timeline on people’s lives. When there is a diagnosis of a terminal illness, doctors tell their patients how much time they have left to live. As a Christian, who believes that God gives life and takes it away, this is one thing that I have a problem accepting. Senator Ted Kennedy was told he was lucky if he lived for six months after his brain tumor diagnosis and he lived fifteen months. The story was told at church on Sunday of a gentleman, a former pastor who was told he had five years to live after a surgery many years ago, and he lived twenty more years and I could go on and on with stories like these.

I cannot help but wonder if a doctor’s program of study trains them to be outright with people in such a callous way. I am all for honesty but I have a hard time dealing with honesty of this nature. I cannot imagine a doctor telling me how much time I have left to live because either I would die before the time the doctor give me from just mere fretting, or I turn the situation completely over to my Heavenly Physician. I am really hoping I would do the latter as one cannot say for sure what they would really do, until they are faced with the situation.

I was watching a television pastor once and he was telling a story that he recently went to his doctor for a check-up. His doctor took a chart and began calling out the names of some diseases and asked him if he had them in his family. Each time the pastor replied yes, the doctor ticked off a disease that he would most likely have to face in his life. The Pastor got angry, took the chart from the doctor and began going down the same list of diseases and ticking off as the doctor replied yes to them. The Pastor then said, well doc, I am just giving you an idea of how it feels to be putting timeline on people’s lives. He was simply saying, doc, you do not have that right, my Almighty God has the right to decide what diseases I get and how long a life he has afforded me here on earth. That story left an impression on me, as it happened many years ago and I am still able to relate it.

When I did my laparoscopy (surgery for PCOS) in 2002, I was so nervous and anxious. It was a minor surgery but there was nothing minor about the anxieties I was feeling. The mere fact that I had to go under anesthetic was enough to drive me crazy, that a few days after the surgery I broke out into a rash, which was later diagnosed as a type of eczema brought on by stress. I remember when I walked into the hospital lobby the morning of the surgery, a picture of a doctor with God bent over his shoulders, apparently giving him some instructions, caught my eye and that was the image I took with me into surgery. This gave me the reassurance I needed that I would have made it out of that surgery because I knew God was in charge, I trusted my doctor but I trust God more. I still use that image today whenever I find myself in situations like these. Let me say also that I was given a timeline after this surgery within which to get pregnant and when this timeline expired I was told that only invitro-fertilization could help me at this point. Well here I am today, I did not do invitro-fertilization and my husband and I are the proud parents of a vibrant and healthy two year old. Is'nt our God good.

Wow, a big mouthful indeed, but what I am really saying is that our doctors can only do for us what Almighty God entrusts them with and when they give us news that is difficult to hear, before we think it is the end, and especially if we are Christians, we should look to our Great Physician, our Head Physician and turn the situation over to him. I know in each of the cases above, these persons called on their Heavenly doctor for a second opinion and I strongly believe that, that is how they were able to rise above their conditions.

Be encouraged therefore and until next time, keep clinging to hope.

Is infertility punishment?

“Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.
Children born to a young man are like sharp arrows in a warrior’s hand.”
Psalm 127: 3 & 4

When my husband and I lost our pregnancy in 2006, I remember my mother saying to me, Marie, search your life and see if there is anything there that God could be punishing you for. As you can well imagine, that was hard for me to hear. I was so angry at my mother for saying that, how could she? I thought, and felt I would never speak to her again. I remember saying it to my brother who was also very upset that she had said that to me and quickly told me to just ignore what she said. We, her children, have to do that a lot, because she does say things, not intending to hurt, they just come out in the wrong way. Bless her heart.

The thing is though, my mother was not exactly out of context with what she said, because as my struggles with infertility progressed and intensified, I started wondering more and more if God was indeed punishing me for something I had done. I remember even saying to him, Lord, if this is so, find something else to punish me with, as this is also punishing my dear husband who does not deserve this. I scanned my life many times over, to see if there was anything there that I could be receiving punishment for and in case there was, I changed my pattern of praying to, ‘Lord, please forgive me of my sins and this include any that I might not have knowledge of.’ In doing this I figured those sins that I have no knowledge of, would be covered as well.

Back to my question then, is infertility punishment? That I am not able to answer because I am not God, but if it is, apart from the raw pain and emotions that comes with it, in my opinion, it is punishment with benefits. Infertility has made me such a better, stronger person. It has taught me so much, not to take anything for granted, not to judge others and most of all to be dependent on God, who is the author and finisher of our faith. Many times, I actually felt special in the sight of God, for choosing me, even if he had mistaken me for someone which great strength to receive this cross, because on many occasions, I did buckle under the pressure, but I can actually say to God now, thanks for this experience and although it hurt so bad, I know it is a process he needed me to go through to be who I am today.

I hope if you are thinking your infertility is probably punishment too, just quickly look at how it is changing you. Look at how it is transforming you into a better person. This might sound crazy but start embracing it, because, ‘it too shall pass’ and you will emerge a better and stronger person.

Be encouraged therefore and until next time, keep clinging to hope.






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Cellular phones link to miscarriage

“Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.
Children born to a young man are like sharp arrows in a warrior’s hand.”
Psalm 127: 3 & 4

I received an email a few weeks ago about a woman who carries around her cell phone in the pocket of her jacket. It turns out she kept having recurring miscarriages, as soon as she was three months into the pregnancy, she would miscarry. This miscarriage was traced back to the fact that because she carries her cell phone in the pocket of her jacket, the radiation from the cell phone has badly affected her reproductive system.

I have heard too that if we stand in front of a microwave, this can also affect our fertility becasue of the same radiation issue. My husband likes to stand in front of the microwave and whenever I remind him of this, he quickly tells me that the microwave has a protective film on the door to safeguard against this. I tell him to move anyway, because we are still not totally out of the childbearing age, so we cannot afford to take any chances.

I must say that the cell phone issue did get my attention and so I have decided to write about it on my blog because I know many of us carry around our cell phones on our person and therefore can sadly fall victim to this. Women are created to naturally to want to have children and so let’s not add one more issue to the many that currently exists, to ruin our chances in this regard.

I seem to have deleted the email, because I have been searching for it and has had no luck in finding it, or else I would have included the article with this post. There are also other issues in this article relating to cell phones, another of which is that, you should not allow your baby to play with these devices because this radiation can also affect them as they are still developing.

Since reading it, I have banned my son from playing with our cell phones.

Be informed therefore, and in the meantime, keep clinging to hope.

Progesterone Infertility

“Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.
Children born to a young man are like sharp arrows in a warrior’s hand.”
Psalm 127: 3 & 4

In my research on the causes of infertility, Progesterone Infertility is never mentioned as one the more popular cases of infertility and as a result of this, it does not get the attention as the other more popular ones.

What is Progesterone infertility?

“Progesterone infertility can mean there's either an excess of estrogen, a condition called estrogen dominance, or there's a deficiency of progesterone.
Progesterone and estrogen are two vital hormones to the life and well-being of every woman. However, progesterone is the hormone of fertility and pregnancy.”

Please click on the following links to continue reading about Progesterone infertility and how it can be treated using supplementary progesterone cream. I am not sure how available this product is worldwide, but it does not hurt to ask your doctor about this treatment.

http://www.safemenopausesolutions.com/progesteronein%20http://www.yourlifesource.com/upfold/natural-progesterone-fertility.htmfertility.html

If you have been diagnosed with infertility of this kind, the above sites will be helpful to you.
Just a reminder of one important point I made in my infertility story. When you are diagnosed it is always beneficial to research as much as possible on your condition so that you will be able to contribute to your treatment process in a meaningful and informed manner. This can no doubt lead to a shorter and more productive treatment process so that your dreams of having the family you desire can become a reality much sooner.

Until next time, keep clinging to hope.

Age and Fertility

From website:-

“More of us are leaving it later to start a family than ever before. Figures from National Statistics for England and Wales show that, since the 1980s, the rates for women giving birth at age 30 or over have gone up, while the rates for women giving birth aged under 30 have fallen. There are many factors which make having babies less important or more difficult for young couples than it used to be, including going on to higher education, developing a career, and financial pressures to stay in the job market. Also, many people don't find a partner they want to have children with until later in life or just don't feel ready to become parents when they're younger.”

For further reading on age and fertility, please visit:-
http://www.babycentre.co.uk/preconception/activelytrying/ageandfertility/

For us, it was none of the above factors, we were battling infertility and when I woke up one day and found that I was over 35, I was terrified, as I knew too well of the challenges now facing me. I refused to let that deter me though and so I pressed on.

At one point I heard that age 40 was the cut-off point to have children and would watch helplessly as it approaches, then when I heard that it was 45, I was relieved as this now gave me a few more years. I do not know how much these numbers stand true though, as more and more I am finding that women 40 and over are having their children and many are born normal and healthy. It is therefore all up to the woman I would think, as I have heard of women having children much older than that. Rare cases I might add, but it does happen.

Having had our son, We are thinking now that he needs company and so we will be trying to give him a sibling. Mind you, it is stressful to want to get pregnant again at my age because I know too well of the odds. It will be harder to conceive for sure as you now have less healthy eggs, but you just have remain positive, trust God, stay close to your doctor and try to do everything in your power to have a healthy pregnancy. An anomaly scan is very vital at this stage. This is performed at about four months into the pregnancy and tells if the baby has any abnormalities.

When we found that our son was developing normally, we were so overjoyed.
If you are trying to have a family and are concerned about your age, I hope this post will help to put your mind at ease so that you can focus on getting pregnant and having a healthy pregnancy.

I found this site to be very encouraging:-

http://www.azcentral.com/families/articles/0604oldmoms0604.html

From site:-

"When Cynthia Goodwin's doctor told her she might be pregnant, "I started laughing hysterically," the Phoenix resident says.Goodwin was 47, childless and menopausal - she thought. That was in July 2003. Today, her and husband George's daughter, Anna, is 17 months old and keeps Mommy running. "She's kept me more active than I was before," says Goodwin, one of the growing number of older women enjoying first-time motherhood."

ALL THE BEST.