Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Say hello (International Delurking week 2014)

After 3 years of trying to have a baby, I have finally reached “viability.” Today marks 24 weeks (!!). This is a milestone that I did not think I would get to, and when I find myself passing it, I feel like it needs a wee celebration, if only in my own head.

Coming to the topic of this post, Mel announced that this was International Delurking Week. I am a huge fan of that concept.

When I first started blogging, I made an intense effort to connect with other bloggers and find new blogs regularly. Now, I barely find time to post all the things I want to talk about, and when I find a new blog I want to follow, it is quite by accident. This seems like a great opportunity to find many blogs at a single go. If you step out of the shadows, say hi, and share your blog address (if you have one), I would love to follow your journey, just as you follow mine. I will probably be a godawful commenter for the most part, but I will be there silently reading, which is hugely comforting in itself.

If you do not have a blog, step out and say hello anyway.

Finally…we all fall into different camps here. Are any of you single moms by choice? Are any of you Indian? Are any of you an incredibly rare combination of the two, like myself? Are any of you fellow recurrent pregnancy loss warriors?

Please, tell me your stories, and connect with me, and with each other.

35 comments:

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  3. This is why I don't comment...stupid phone messes everything up.

    Congratulations on viability!

    I'm melanie. 27, single, rpl, no money for further treatments. No blog.

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    1. Hi Melanie. I'm sorry.....RPL and no money for treatment is tough. You combine it with doing this on your own, and that suddenly requires a new level of grit. I've had multiple people---people I really care about and who care about me--tell me that they think my fertility problems are only here because I am using frozen sperm. Makes me want to go bang my head against a wall.

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  4. I follow but don't regularly comment. Actually found it prohibitively difficult to comment with the DISQUS.

    Academic/SMC/RPL. Like your science-y approach to things.

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    1. Thanks Gwinne. Love your comments--It is fun when somebody talks science back at me, and your balanced replies have helped talk me out of a few freakouts.

      I read your blog, but I'm a truly shitty commentor :(

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  5. Hi. Long time reader first time commenter. No blog. Married. One kid post very mild IF struggles compared to many others. PCOS , low thyroid,

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    1. Hi Mihaela...glad your journey has been of of the relatively easier ones. It is striking how many people have the combination of PCOS and thyroid issues. All of this may occur in combination with a lifelong vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency.

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    2. Same boat Mihaela! I'm just beginning to tell my story on my blog. http://www.lifesbettertogether.com/

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  6. Hello! I've been reading for quite a while, and have emailed you but have not left comments (I don't think). I'm pretty sure I started reading your blog when I was looking into using some supplements during my TTC process (thanks, third IUI it worked, the only one that I tried supplements!). I am a SMC with a 18 month old son.

    Congrats on reaching viability! I hope the rest of the pregnancy goes quickly (not in a he/she comes early way, but in a concept of time way)!!

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    1. Hi Ali! It gives me a warm fuzzy feel to hear stuff like that, never mind that if I had not been there to write about supplements, you would have gotten the very same information from another source :) Congrats on your baby!

      Thanks for the good wishes, and yes, I do want time to move faster instead of crawling forward like it is now.

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  7. I'm a married SAHM with a 2.5 year old and 8 week old. I have a masters in nursing but right now just nurse my baby :) I found your blog recently through a search about goats milk based formula. I haven't needed it yet but was researching. Now I have just been following your journey and believe you will add a science based edge to parenting that I appreciate. I'm not an infertile or single mom but I like your story and hope you continue blogging once baby arrives. I'm from Powell, OH so you can see when I visit :)

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    1. Thanks so much :) I do plan to research the crap out of everything I do as a parent and blog about it, and I hope that I will be given the opportunity!

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  8. HI! New reader here. I'm Heidi and I write hiddeninfertility.blogspot.com. I have been struggling with infertility for almost 3 years now. I am now on my 4th IUI and have been pregnant twice. The first one ended in a chemical miscarriage at 5 weeks and the second time I miscarried at 9w baby measuring 8w due to trisomy 15. I'm currently taking Femera for this IUI and had 2 follicles today, one measuring 18 and one measuring 14. I'm praying one (or both) of them are my take home baby. I am a kindergarten teacher who lives in Connecticut but originally from Philly. Congrats on 24 weeks!

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    1. Hi Heidi! Visited your blog, and will be following your story. Best of luck with this IUI!

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  9. I'm Abby. SMC to an amazing 2 year old.

    I blog at http://trueconfessionsofasinglemothertobe.blogspot.com/

    Reading your posts with interest... hoping you saw my email expressing interest in naturally timed FETs.?

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    1. Hi Abby... I've responded to your comment in the last post; did you see it?? Will also be putting up a sticky page on best practices with respect to IVF in a while, but it is all covered in my response to you :)

      Looking forward to following your story, best of luck with the next FET!
      N

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  10. Howdy,

    I've been following your blog for several years since being pregnant with my now 2.5yo daughter. I'm so very thrilled for you to have reached viability! Really huge. I'm an SMC. No blog...live in Texas!

    Cheers,

    Tara

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    1. Hi Tara,

      Thanks for reading! I hope to move to Texas (specifically Austin) for the low taxes, the plentiful sunshine, and all that liberalism someday. Maybe our paths will cross, if that is where you are :)

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  11. I'm a follower and occasional commenter. I have PCOS and dealt with RPL before I found Dr. Braverman. Our first IVF with him (5th total) resulted in my twin girls who are now 4 months old. I'm so happy for you that you have reached viability, it's such a huge milestone! My blog is: www.compromised-fertility.blogspot.com

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    1. Congrats on your twin girls! That is interesting about Dr. Braverman. I tend to focus exclusively on embryo genetics because that is where my issue lies, but immune issues could definitely play a role in infertility. I'm very glad that there are people out there willing to address it.

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  12. Not sure I count as a lurker as I do comment here occasionally. Fellow Infertile SMC, but (gratefully not RPL), not Indian and not science-oriented by nature. I'm 18 weeks, 5 days pregnant and nearly as happy for you as I am for myself. Congrats in reaching viability!!

    I blog at formerlymmm.blogspot.com.

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  13. Viability! A complete joy to behold. Congratulations.

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    1. Aww, thank you Misfits. As is your continuing miracle :)

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  14. Congrats on viability! I found you via a comment on Stirrup Queens' doctor post. I'm a married IFer who has one son via domestic gestational surrogacy.

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  15. SMC to 4 and 2 year old daughters, via IUI with donor sperm, I am fortunate that I didn't have challenges with conceiving or pregnancy My blog: claireandfiona.blogspot.com

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  16. Congrats on making it to 24 weeks! I'm 39, with 2 failed IVFs, starting stims now for my 3rd (and last one). Unexplained diagnosis, no sperm problems. If this fails, we're moving on to child-free and plan to travel more, retire early, pay off the house early, and thus comfort ourselves. No blog.

    --Elena

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  17. A week late in delurking...tho I'm not a lurker, am I, lol!

    Worst I am a week late in congratulating you on viability. i couldn't be more happy for the 2 of you!!

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  18. Delurking from Colorado. I am so happy for you. Wishing you continued success.

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  19. I've had three miscarriages. Pregnancy loss never gets easier with time or "tries". Good luck with the little incoming surprise! Everything that baby will do will be new to you!

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  20. Congrats on viability!! My EDD went by yesterday after a loss - but I decided we would just have a good day. Time to move forward - I do blog as I have found it a great way to talk about things!

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  21. I've been following your blog for a few months now! I have a 3 year old....and secondary infertility after a miscarriage. I'm just beginning to blog about my story...check it out
    http://www.lifesbettertogether.com/
    -Char

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  22. Congratulations on reaching viability!
    I'll officially delurk. I've been ready throughout much of your journey. I have unexplained infertility, one miscarriage, now parenting a delightful nearly one-year-old daughter conceived on our ninth medicated cycle. And I'm in the process of becoming a gestational carrier for a fellow IF blogger. :) I'm a full-time working mama, medical social worker.

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  23. Hi! Congrats on reaching viability!! Such an amazing feeling.

    I have been through the ringer with IF treatments, 3 IUIs, 2 IVFs and 3 FETs, 2 m/cs and now two sets of twins! My first set came from my 2nd Fresh cycle and my 2nd set came from my 3rd FET (1st FET after my 2nd Fresh cycle) hope that made sense! I have PCOS, hypothyroid and what I suspect to be some type of immune something or other since I needed steroids to prevent miscarriages. You can read all about my crazy family of 6 here: http://urzaandluna.blogspot.com

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