Pregnancy

First of all, I just want to say thank you to the many of you who have responded to the posts this week.  I have received emails, texts, Facebook messages, etc., and the feedback and response has been overwhelming.  It is so great to know that there is a huge community of support out there. I know first hand what so many of you are going through.  Looking back at my journey, I realize that my infertility story was extremely, mercifully short compared to what many of you are currently experiencing.  But the ache and hurt from that period of my life still linger.  I've told friends time and time again that I still, oddly, feel infertile, even though I...

For the many of you who are reading this blog series (here is Part 1 and  Part 2) who have never struggled with fertility, chances are that you know someone who is.  Infertility affects between 10% and 15% of couples trying to conceive.  You likely have a friend or a relative who is currently dealing with this issue.  Knowing the right things to do or say can be tricky because you don't want to walk on eggshells, but you don't want to be hurtful either.  Based on my experiences, here are a few suggestions for what to say and what not to say. Things you should try to avoid saying or doing: Don't tell her to "just relax".  This was...

Yesterday, I shared my story of my journey through infertility .  What I failed to share yesterday, however, was the deep agonizing pain that I went through in that journey.  I didn't share about the endless nights when I would cry myself to sleep, or when I would wake up in the morning with tears covering my face from crying in my sleep.  I didn't share about the times when I would have to rush to the bathroom to be sick and then return to a room full of my friends and their young babies with a smile plastered to my face.  Or the times when I would hear a song on the radio that triggered deep pain in...

I have two amazing children.  Matthew, my three-year-old, is an inquisitive, bright, tractor-loving country boy, while Ben, my almost-two-year-old, is a playful, hilarious, sweet bull in a china shop.  I cannot imagine not being their mother. But for years I could not imagine that I ever would have the chance. In 2006, after two years of marriage, Kenny and I decided to start a family.  We didn't really know many people with young children, and only a very few of our friends had experienced a pregnancy in their marriage.  So we really had no idea what to expect in the process.  I truly believed that we would become pregnant immediately.  In fact, I remember that we started trying to conceive in October, and...

Medical technology is an amazing thing.  Cesareans save many women and babies, and I am so thankful that they are available. However, it is clear that something isn’t right in American obstetric care.  The World Health Organization states that an acceptable cesarean rate to ensure the best outcomes for mothers and babies is between 5 and 15% and that rates above 15% seem to do more harm than good (Althabe and Belizan 2006).  Currently, Louisiana leads the United States with a cesarean rate of just over 40%, more than 3 times the recommended rate.  The US rate is hovering around 30%. April is Cesarean Awareness Month, the perfect time to discuss this important issue. Why are cesareans a big deal?...