The Compassionate Friends Worldwide Candle Lighting unites family and friends around the globe in lighting candles for one hour to honor the memories of the sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, and grandchildren who left too soon. As candles are lit at 7:00 p.m. local time, hundreds of thousands of persons commemorate and honor the memory of all children gone too soon. The Compassionate Friends: Providing Grief Support After the Death of a Child “The Compassionate Friends is about transforming the pain of grief into the elixir of hope. It takes people out of the isolation society imposes on the bereaved and lets them express their grief naturally. With the shedding of tears, healing comes. And the newly bereaved get to see people who have survived and are learning to live and love again.” –Simon Stephens, founder of The Compassionate Friends Click to read more: The Compassionate Friends
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IVF and PGD Part 2 – Trigger Day!
Image Source: Pinterest and stayinspired365.com Today is trigger day! Woohoo! This morning I kissed the hubby goodbye on my way out the door to my monitoring appointment and asked him to say a little prayer that we were good to go, and it must have worked because Dr. J announced that everything looked great and we’re ready to do the trigger! I have 6 follicles measuring between 19 to 21 mm and a few stragglers that will hopefully catch up by Monday. We’ll see what we actually get at the retrieval, but 6 is still a pretty good number since we already have the 5 frozen fertilized eggs from our retrieval in September. Praying it will be enough to get us to 5-day blast and have at least one healthy embryo after PGD! I’m so relieved we’re ready to trigger. Aside from the obvious relief of moving forward to the next step, I’m beyond ready to be done with the injections. I did the usual Lupron shot this morning and then 1 last vial of Menopur and 200 units of Follistim at the clinic to give my follicles that extra boost for final maturation, and then at exactly 8:15 this…Continue reading IVF and PGD Part 2 – Trigger Day!
IVF and PGD Part 2 – Injections Day 9
Today is day 9 of injections and day 7 of Stims and so far so good. I had another monitoring appointment today and the 8 follicles are doing well and measuring between 14mm to 16mm. There are a few smaller ones measuring around 11mm so we may actually have a few more if they catch up to the rest. We’ll see. I know something is happening because I can really feel a lot of pressure in my uterus and ovaries. Pressure is good! I’ll take it if it means good things to come! If things continue to progress as they have been, we should be good to trigger on Saturday evening. We want to be around 20mm before we do the trigger. I have another monitoring appointment on Saturday morning, so I’ll find out then. Fingers crossed! My hubby is making popcorn and we’re going to settle in and watch a movie. I will write more on Saturday after my appointment. Hopefully with good news that were about to trigger! Happy Thanksgiving! May the spirit of the holiday bring good things for all of us!
IVF and PGD Part 2 – Injections Day 5
I’m 5 days into this round of meds (day 3 of Stims and HGH), and to say I’m feeling off is a bit of an understatement. Other than feeling like a pin cushion, physically I’m not too bad. Although I have to ask, why does Menopur burn so much when it’s injected? The Lupron is fine, the Follistim is fine, even the HGH is fine. Other than that initial prick, they’re all manageable, but the darned Menopur feels like I’m being injected with fire. Seriously? What the heck? Has anyone else felt this? Other than that, I still have that throbbing headache, but it’s not as bad as it was a few days ago. I’m also feeling a bit queasy, but it’s not too bad either. The most noticeable physical side-effect so far is I can really feel my ovaries. I know that sounds weird but they feel achy and huge. I’m still early into my Stims so I hope this is a good sign that there are lots of follicles starting to grow and not hyper stimulation or something scary like that. I have an appointment with Dr. J on Monday for an ultrasound so I’ll find out how…Continue reading IVF and PGD Part 2 – Injections Day 5
Preeclampsia Foundation News
World Prematurity Day is November 17 Last Updated on Friday, November 15, 2013 Friday, November 15, 2013 The March of Dimes brings attention to prematurity with other organizations worldwide on World Prematurity Day. We partner with them to deliver information that impacts roughly 15 million babies worldwide—more than one in ten born each year. Preeclampsia is one of the leading causes of prematurity worldwide, accounting for approximately 15 percent of all premature births in the US alone. Please share this information, and help us make others more aware and supportive of our mission. Here are links to some articles that will update you on the statistics, concerns, advances, action items, and reasons for hope. Delivering action on preterm birth (The Lancet) Born too soon: Global action report (Save the Children, March of Dimes and World Health Organization) Join the conversation on November 17 (Healthy Newborn Network) World Prematurity Day Events (Maternal Health Task Force) US cannot brag about infant mortality rates (Preeclampsia Foundation) Prematurity means separation, medical complications, sometimes depression (Preeclamspia Foundation) From hope to joy (BabyCenter.com) Why do we need a world prematurity day (Impatient Optimists Blog – Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) European Prematurity Group: Socks for Life campaign(European Foundation for the…Continue reading Preeclampsia Foundation News
I Would Die For That
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqfGqOx2iDQ&w=420&h=315] Watch it on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqfGqOx2iDQ By Kellie Coffey © Duet Inc. All Rights Reserved I’m feeling especially emotional tonight. There’s been a recurring theme in the Recurrent Pregnancy Loss circle of the blogging world lately. Some of you have been writing about whether you think you’ll be a good mom and the more time that goes by in the trying process and with all the losses, some of you are giving it more and more thought. I wish I could say I wasn’t one of you, but of course the thought has crossed my mind too. In the darkest recesses of my mind, I have asked if there is a reason why none of my pregnancies have worked out. Maybe I’m not meant to be a mother, or worse, maybe I shouldn’t be, but somehow my hope and faith always prevails. Then today I read a very touching post by A Calm Persistence, where she writes I just won’t go there… She talks about how with each of her subsequent pregnancies after her first loss, she protected herself and didn’t allow herself to fully hope, but if she becomes pregnant again, she plans to honor her baby by allowing herself to hope…Continue reading I Would Die For That
New test may predict preeclampsia odds in pregnant women – CBS News
Preeclampsia is a potentially dangerous complication facing pregnant women, but new research suggests an experimental test may be able to get ahead of the illness. Researchers at Kings College London say they’ve developed a new test that can predict which women will have the condition. Their findings were published Nov. 4 in the American Heart Association’s journal, Circulation. “The test is designed to differentiate women with preeclampsia from those with high blood pressure alone,” study author Dr. Lucy Chappell, a clinical senior lecturer in obstetrics at King’s College, said in a press release. “Current tests for the condition only detect that it’s happening, rather than predicting it, and by that time the disease has progressed and has likely already caused organ damage. Preeclampsia is a severe form of high blood pressure marked by excess protein in the urine. It affects about 8 to 10 percent of pregnant women in the U.S., according to the AHA. Symptoms that seem to occur with preeclampsia include persistent headaches, abdominal pain and blurred vision or light sensitivity. Click here to read more and view video
A Little Sunshine in a Dark Week
Today, I found out a fellow angel mom had nominated me for the Sunshine Award! I was shocked and touched to receive this acknowledgement, and it couldn’t have come at a better time! I always try to maintain a positive attitude and sense of humor with all the ups and downs of trying to conceive and recurrent pregnancy loss, but lately I have to admit that I have been struggling with it all. I had a mini breakdown last night and found myself going to a really dark place full of bitterness, anger and self loathing. Then, this morning I logged onto my blog and discovered this little gift. Thank you so much Recurrently Lost for your nomination and for brightening my day! This angel mom always writes from the heart and her stories have been a constant inspiration to me. I am so honored that she thought of me. Thoughts on the Sunshine Award When I received my nomination, I immediately tried to do a search about it and learn more, and was confused at first when I couldn’t find a website for the Award. I could only find other bloggers who had received the award nomination and had…Continue reading A Little Sunshine in a Dark Week