Answers.

So I went and saw my new OBGYN today. I'd heard great things about him, and that he also has a special interest in fertility. I've wanted to see him for a while, but we just got insurance that he accepts, so I made an appointment as soon as I could! Today was my appointment and I went over my medical history with him, and we lingered on the topic of pregnancy and my 4 miscarriages and he was very surprised that I still had not had any tests done to see what is going on. I told him that my doctor basically would tell me to try to get pregnant and then they would see how my body handled it and he was not thrilled about that.

So he explained to me that new findings show that a 20% of repeat miscarriages are caused by clotting disorders like thrombophilia. Basically a clot forms in the placenta and eventually destroys the pregnancy. He said that since I had a 2nd trimester miscarriage it made it even more likely that this could be a problem for me. So they drew 8 vials of blood today and sent them off to the lab to be tested. If it does happen that I do have a blood clotting disorder, when I do get pregnant I get to take 2 shots a day of a medicine called heparin throughout the entire pregnancy and through postpartum recovery. Not looking forward to that, but if it gets me a baby I'm all for it. And this made me wonder, since I had my son and the only "complication" was mild preeclampsia onset at the end of my pregnancy, why wasn't this possible disorder a problem? He told me that it can not only be genetic, but acquired at later points in life, so I could have acquired it after my son was born, but that gives no explanation to my 2 miscarriages before him. Anyways, we'll know in about 3-5 days the results.

He also told me if I am not pregnant now, than once I start my cycle again to call and schedule an HSG test (Hysterosalpingogram) which is where they inject dye into my uterus and it flows up the fallopian tubes and then they take an x-ray of it. They look for misshapen uterus, blocked tubes, or anything in the uterus like a fibroid, polyp, or scarring that prevents the embryo from properly implanting. He said sometimes the dye that is injected can clear out any blockages in the tubes, remove scar tissue, and basically aid in the process of getting pregnant. I heard it is a little painful and uncomfortable, but the results are usually pretty good- conception wise.

If all those come back normal we'll do a semen analysis, and then he suggests genetic testing to make sure neither of us have any genetic defects that are causing repeat miscarraiges.

Well, HOPEFULLY I am pregnant now, and these things will not be necessary. Well, except for the blood clotting thing, because if they came back positive I'd get on those shots right away.

I am very relieved, even excited at the chance to get some answers. Who knows, they all might come back normal and there's nothing wrong with me, but atleast this will remove any doubt! I am due to test a week from tomorrow and I am going to try with all my might to resist the urge to pee on a stick until then. We shall see! Wish me luck folks!

Go Green. Or Red. Or Blue...

I'm always looking for a remedy or things to help in the fertility department, and one thing that I was curious about this week was gemstones and their relationship to fertility. For ages gemstones have been known to have healing powers, and meanings. I know that, for instance Citrine is supposed to ward off evil thoughts, Amethyst is supposed to prevent intoxication, and that Garnet is supposed to ensure safe travels (ironic that Noah on the Ark had a garnet inside the ark?). I've seen pieces of jewelry out there labeled as "fertility jewelry" and it sparked my interest. Being a jewelry maker myself, I figured if there was any reality to these gemstones having healing effects, then maybe I could whip myself up a piece and get pregnant! So first I did some research on what stones to use, and I've found several options.

1. One person said that any green stone can help promote fertility. I think in theory the green color symbolizes life, renewal, nature, and so forth. This is lucky for a lot of people because there is a huge variety of green gemstones available. Some good choices are Jade, Emerald, and even garnets and opals.2. Moonstone is a hormone balancing stone that is associated with feminine energy and brings balance to the menstrual cycle and synchronizes it to that on the moon. You can make a fertility elixir by placing a moon stone in purified water and leaving it outside at night under the moonlight. It should be left outside for at least a couple of hours on a clear night. Remove the stone and use the water as healing elixir by drinking it.I thought this was kind of interesting. Don't know if I'll try it, but it's interesting to say the least! 3.Carnelian- Boosts fertility, Promotes sexuality and planned reproduction, Stimulates, balances and heals the uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, cervix and vagina, Alleviate premenstrual syndrome, irregular cycles and cramps by helping to rebalance reproductive hormones. 4. Rose Quartz- The stone of love, the first necessary stepping stone to creating a healthy baby. 5. Pearls – These are the most closely tied gems to fertility. Since oysters are natures aphrodisiac, it would seem that the pearl would also contain some of those properties. Lastly, it is thought that since it requires patience and time to create a pearl, just like the patience and time required to create a baby, is why the pearl is so powerful to fertility
6. Rubies are thought to prevent miscarriages.

When I researched "Gemstone Therapy" it basically calls for programming your gemstones, basically palming them, and stating some kind of mantra like "These gemstones will heal me, and bring me a healthy baby, or pregnancy." Then it says to place the gemstones on your body, near your ovaries, uterus, on your temples, and lay in a dark place and meditate for 15-20 minutes about the outcome you desire. It is supposed to help with all kinds of afflictions, not just infertitily. I would think it's worth a shot.

Also, the shape of the gemstone doesn't necessarily matter, but they suggest round, oval, heart, or egg shaped gemstones to have the best effect.

To purchase your own gemstones, visit your local craft store, like Michaels or JoAnnes. Most gems are available on a string, but you can also purchase individual pendants. Also, two good online stores are www.artbeads.com (free shipping) and www.firemountaingems.com.

There are many places on the web where you can purchase fertility jewelry. I've planned a fertility line to offer on my store and that will be coming soon. For now, I plan to scavage my jewelry box and see what I have that can give me a boost!

Just a lil' update

Well, either today or tomorrow should be O day. Yay! Then it's another 2ww. This cycle has been kinda bleh for me because of the strep throat, I haven't really cared to much or done anything besides charting my temps. Who knows, maybe the lack of trying will be the key. lol. Anyways, CD 15 today... let's hope we have better luck this month!!

King Henry VIII would have no patience for me...

So, there's a show I like to watch called "The Tudors." It's basically the story of Henry VIII's reign and his many wives. He was married to Catherine of Aragon for many years, they had a daughter but after her, she had many miscarriages and still births. Then He married Anne Boelyn, and she has a daughter, Elizabeth, and then has a late miscarriage, which would have been a boy. The king then beheads her- not only because she didn't give him a son, but other reasons too. Then comes Jane Seymore, who dies in childbirth... and the cycle continues.

If I were at court back in that time and Henry married me, he might just have me divorced or beheaded b/c of the difficulty I have to get pregnant and carry a healthy baby. Yep. I guess it's a good thing I was born in 1987 and not the 1500's. haha.

Sorry, just a random thought. Getting over this strep throat just in time for BDing!

Hello friends. It has been a little bit since I've posted last...mainly because I've been out of town and then dealing with a lovely case of strep throat. The Strep came on so fast! I went to Utah on Friday, drove back on Saturday, and by Saturday night I was feeling "off" and Sunday I hurt everywhere...even my toes ached. It was so miserable. I kinda just laid around the house and slept and my fever rose to 105.5. So Monday I went to the doctor and they confirmed it was strep and gave me some antibiotics, so hopefully I'll be feeling better here really soon. The aches are gone, all that hurts is my throat and my head. Bleh. Thank goodness for my SIL who watched Cohen all day yesterday, that made it possible for me to rest all day. I have atleast 3 days until ovulation so hopefully this will all clear up in time to catch that egg!! Anywho...more bloggage later, I'm still kinda tired.

A Little Inside Joke

Ok, so I'm a big fan of the show Family Guy. There's an episode where the baby, Stewie, doesn't want his parents to have another baby, so he jumps in this little spaceship thing, shrinks down, and goes into Peter (his Dad's body) to destroy all his sperm. It's really funny. My husband and I like to joke sometimes that our son does the same thing Stewie does in this clip (kill the sperm) because getting pregnant isn't that easy for me. Sorry about the bad quality, this is the only clip I could find.

Baby Spring Fling

So this past weekend was that Baby Spring Fling. I ended up going with my 2 year old and it was kinda an interesting experience. Mostly because I forgot Cohen's stroller and had to keep him from running off the whole time.

But I was thinking this fair was going to be all things baby, and according to the fliers that there would be medical professionals of all types there to get some info and ideas of what you wanted out of childbirth. This fair was just a way for every anti-medicated birth, anti-formula feeding women, anti-doctor, anti-hospital birth person to get together and push their ideas onto others. I didn't leave feeling informed about anything, but I felt bad that I had an induction, an epidural, a hospital birth, and that I did not breastfeed Cohen. Which is odd, because I am not upset about my choices. In fact, I stand behind them 200%.

For these professionals who claim that women should be able to do it unmedicated, and give a shpeal about how women need to stick together and support each other and yada yada yada... making someone feel like crap because they don't think the same way you do is quite hypocritical. They only want you to do what they want you to do. I left this place sorely pissed off because I was looked down on for having an epidural, or for formula feeding my child.

It irritates the crap out of me that people have to stick their noses in my business that way. I brought a freaking baby into this world, he was perfectly healthy, and is smart as a whip and growing. How can anyone look negatively on the way that I chose to do that? It really ticks me off that people dwell way too much on the childbirthing "experience" rather than the point of it all...the child.

Sorry about the rant, it just ticked me off going to this fair and all these women thinking they were better than me because they did everything "the way it was supposed to happen." I bet you if all those women back in the olden days were offered an epidural, I bet you most of them would take it.

Moral of this Blog:
If you want to do it natural, great. If you want to feed your baby bottle or breast, fine. If you want to give birth in tub of water, or a hospital bed, great. Just don't assume that it's the only way to do it and that anyone else who does it differently is selfish or ignorant. Just mind your own business and keep your opinions to yourself.

Thanks for listening. :)