I can't really give you an accurate review of Waiting for Daisy: a tale of two continents, three religions, five infertility doctors, and Oscar, an atomic bomb, a romantic night, and one woman's quest to become a mother by Peggy Orenstein. (How's that for a title?) She didn't even include her brush with cancer! I can't review it, because I haven't finished it yet. But I did start reading it last night, and it has kept my attention through today. I'm almost half way through and it is so familiar.

I am not a crier by nature. It takes a lot for me to cry or to even tear up a bit. But reading the introduction of Orenstein's book I was crying. The familiarity of it ... more

In the massage community it is an often observed rule to avoid massaging a woman that is in her first 12 weeks of pregnancy. The liability and the threat of miscarriage within these first weeks, along with nausea are long thought to have the newly pregnant woman at risk while receiving massage. This is passed on from therapist to therapist, but is actually an old wive's tale in my profession. The science just doesn't back it up.

Regardless of the scientific backing for early pregnancy and massage, I always ask my clients to first ask their doctor or midwife about massage. The above rumors are also heard by the other parts of the medical community and you can't ever really ... more

I have been in search of a few more blogs to add to my daily reading and in my looking, I came across this article from www.lifenews.com. I think that I also heard something about it on AOL, but hadn't seen the actual data until yesterday.

Being a preemie myself, I am always thrilled when I can read about a little one first of all surviving, and then going home after being born early. My mom always talks about what a great day that was to finally bring me home after months in the hospital. It was a relief and a worry to finally be my mom without all of the nurses around.

Here is ... more

I found this article, titled Noise pollution causes infertility and insomnia" by Iqbal Choudhry out of Pakistan.

Officials from the Punjab Evironmental Protection Agency would like to lower noise pollution levels in the city to 75 decibels maximum, from the 91 decibels that they recorded in certain areas of the city.

"Noise is a biological stressor that affects the whole body, raises blood pressure, transforms blood chemistry and imairs hearing," said the Chairperson of the Punjab University's Department of Psychology, Dr. Rukhsana Kausar, while talking to Daily Times on ... more

Last week I needed a little extra help in the comforting department. Knowing that my usual bath oil wouldn't work the magic that I needed it to, I decided to mix my own blend to help me through the emotionally rough few days. I arranged yesterday to have a massage and took my chosen oils to be mixed into the massage lotion for further care. I really enjoyed this blend, so I thought that I would pass it along.

It is not to be used during pregnancy, though. I will list substitutions for pregnant women at the end.

Base note: Cedarwood, cedrus atlantica
The qualities of this oil are for relaxing with psychological properties of ... more

"Know More"

A few years ago, it seemed like all of the rage was those yellow Lance Armstrong bracelets. My young niece had one, as well as my retired father in law. Then more and more causes and colors came on the scene. Along with school bans and controversies as well. I don't often see these types of bracelets any more.

While my dad was sick with cancer, we looked into ... more

A blog that I like to read is called 5 Minutes for Mom which is written by twins, Susan and Janice.

Janice is pregnant right now and starting last Friday, there has been worry about the pregnancy.

There are times that I think to myself, why do I read stuff like this? It keeps me going back to the exact emotions of my pregnancy losses. Especially when it is a real life woman, who posts her emotions as they are playing out, when she has the time. It is edge of your seat drama, with a ... more

Here is an article that I have saved for about a year that deals with celebrity baby names. I am always intrigued at the reasons why people name their children what they do. Truth be told, I'm a huge fan of weird names. I like to stick out myself, having six "Carrie"s on my dorm floor in college was a blow to my ego. That was when I started going by "Karianne" to put a little distance between me and the rest of the herd.

Before I even decided to have children, I had names picked out for ... more

I have been reading an article this week by Gretchen Voss. In the article she writes about "Walking around with a belly full of broken dreams" after finding out about her non viable pregnancy. I felt that this sentence is one of the best that I have ever read regarding pregnancy loss, and I seem to have read a lot of them.

For days we didn't know if we were miscarrying or not. By the time that we got the results of a non-viable pregnancy, we were wishing for answers. Even answers that we didn't want to hear. Getting that phone call was a relief that the wondering was over.

During the waiting, (which was the worst part of it) and also during the waiting for the D and ... more

I am in the process of listening to The Lady and the Panda by Lisa Croke on compact disc in my car. This true story is about Ruth Harkness who wants to complete her dead husband's quest to capture a giant panda in China. The book is about her life, journey and success.

While listening to the book read aloud, the sections about the widow's reaction to finding and caring for the infant baby panda, I was struck with the amount of love and caring that were reported between baby panda, Su-Lin, and Harkness. Not that I was surprised at the nurturing, but of the notice of it by others. They were surprized that the socialite fell so hard for the furry baby.

The ... more

Apart from wanting a baby, first off, do you have a preference of gender? With my first pregnancy, I felt for sure that my baby would be a boy. After miscarrying, we never found out the sex of the baby, yet we still refer to the pregnancy as a boy. Our second pregnancy loss was complicated with dates and timing and I never got a "feel" for what that baby would have been.

With Ivy, I KNEW she was a girl. In all of my cells, I just got a "girl" vibe. We had decided to not have an ultrasound to reveal the sex, but being cautious, I had to know if I was right in my intuition. If the scan would have shown a boy, I would have needed time to overcome my own readings. And with ... more

Dear Readers,

Thank you so much for allowing me to give you my opinions and to share my story on a daily basis with you. Having just come over from www.adoptionblogs.com I wasn't sure how it was going to go over here, blogging all by myself as opposed to blogging with a group. But so far, it has been working out fine. And I am enjoying it as much as I ever have.

Thinking back to last Valentine's Day, this has been a nice day. My father was dying at home from pancreatic cancer and every hour we were ... more

Some people believe that gemstones contain magical specific qualities that affect the people who wear them. As a nod towards a fertility inspired Valentine's Day gift, here are some of the fertility gemstones and what makes them so magical. From the website www.articlesbase.com</a>.

• 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 ... more

After tooting the horn of the benefits of dark chocolate, I thought that I would pass along a recipe that I found through www.sharffenberger.com Their company is located in San Francisco, CA and you can order their chocolate through their website. Their motto is "from bean to bar" which I thought was cute.

Brownies could very well be my favorite style of chocolate. Maybe hot cocoa? Maybe Godiva chocolate liqueor? Maybe I can't decide on a favorite, but there always seems to be a pan of brownies in the kitchen. My sister commented on this once. She said, "Every time I'm here, you guys have brownies on the counter." I hadn't ... more

Along with aromatherapy, herbs can also be helpful to the libido. I don't have any herbal training, yet, but would love to become more familiar with this subject in the complementary health field. Reading this article by Carly Young brought these herbs to the forefront. The article cautions that you should consult your doctor before taking any herbs or supplements. It also states that it may take a few weeks for these to work to their full capacity. Many of these I had never heard of, and I really liked the fact that she included many different types of herbs that give ... more

Every couple of years I need to put in my continuing education hours to keep my massage license current. Thankfully, in my area there are many classes that are offered that complement a massage practice that I am interested in. I actually look forward to taking classes when my hours come due. Last year, my hours were spent learning about aromatherapy and how they can be incorporated into all areas of your life, including your bedroom.

The following oils are described by Letha Hadady, L.Ac, who can be found at www.asianhealthsecrets.com. A leading expert in natural health, she describes these oils much better than I could! In ... more

In honor of Valentine's Day this week, I thought that I would focus on some romantic posts. Or, possibly romantic.

Through www.lifescript.com I learned some of the amazing qualities of one of my favorite treats. Chocolate. Dark chocolate to be exact, although I love all types of chocolate. As a matter of fact, handmade dark chocolates are always on the top of my list for receiving on any holiday. As I'm writing this, I'd better leave the husband a little reminder of where he can purchase my favorite kind. I don't think that he would ever forget, but I am a huge fan of better safe than sorry.

A little bit of history first. ... more

Tonight after work my husband came home and told me about the death of Anna Nicole Smith. I had heard on the television and through the internet that she had collapsed and had been taken to the hospital. I did not know that she had passed away. I was saddened and shocked by the news. I had always thought that she was so pretty. And so troubled.

I called my sister who was a frequent watcher of Smith's reality tv show. We talked about how sad it was that when the show was on, she was heavy, but she was somewhat on top of the world. We were happy for her with the anouncement of her pregnacy. Then shocked by the death of her son. And lastly very concerned by the looks of ... more

Fear of Fribroids? New Hope for Future Moms

The above article describes an alternative treatment for uterine fibroids that may preserve the woman's fertility. Fibroid tumors are benign but can cause increased bleeding and pain. Women who have uterine fibroids are often recommended to have hysterectomies to remedy the problem. This will insure that the fibroids don't come back, yet takes away the woman's ability to carry children.

An alternative solution to the traditional hysterectomy is a UAE, which stands for uterine artery embolization. ... more

I am not familiar with PCOS. I only know a couple of people who have it, both of whom have fertility problems as well. I had been wondering how to find out more info when, lo and behold, my February issue of Natural Health had an article titled, "Weighty Matters" by Lisa Drayer, MA, RD on the cover. Perfect timing. The article was hefty with facts and info, especially for a newcomer like me. I wish that the article had focused more on the emotional impact of PCOS. This is another area that I am interested in and looking forward to learning more about. Here is what I learned in a nutshell.

General

• The abbreviation stands for polycystic ovary syndrome. ... more

This past month in a magazine article that featured one couple's infertility, the title described their child as the "Miracle Child". I can't find the article on line to reference to it, so I'll just leave it vague.

The article was somewhat typical, yet the cover title doesn't sit well with me. The magazine sits on my desk, semi covered with junk from my day and yet the title jumps out at me. Makes me notice it, and bothers me. I have left it there until I could write this post. I'm excited to put this issue into the recycling so I don't have to look at it anymore.

I suppose that mostly my discomfort is with the word "miracle" used because the child was conceived ... more

"Our experienced medical journalist Daniel DeNoon took your questions about fertility issues to specialists. Here's what he found out. "

Although this question and answer from www.webmd.com doesn't deal directly with exercise addiction, it does deal with extreme exercise and biking. While reading through the answers, I was surprized to learn some new things.

The person writing in was asking if biking and large amounts of exercise can affect male fertility. A couple of doctors submitted their answers and came up with these answers.

The first physician gave answers that had to do with high temperatures that can affect sperm and ... more

Continuing along the lines of stress and how it relates to fertility, I found the following question and answer at www.ivillage.com. Click here to read the full article.

The woman with the question felt that her stress was affecting her ability to conceive since there were no findings from her testing. She wanted to know what she could do to help reduce her stress.

Dr. Mark Perloe was the doctor who wrote the response to her. He did a great job of explaining that stress can affect ovulation, hormone production, and the immune system. According to Dr. ... more

I knew that eating disorders have an effect on fertility. I knew that being overweight and underweight have an effect on fertility. I also know about anorexia and bulimia. But exercise addiction? I hadn't ever heard of it.

The whole back page of one of our newspaper segments was devoted to this "dangerous addiction". I found a complementary article on www.active.com titled, "Know the signs of unhealthy exercise addiction"

Exercise addiction is like any other addiction. A brain response to exercising that causes the afflicted to deny all ... more

I found this article through www.health.com entitled, "Stress and Your Fertility" by Susan Dominus.

"Just relax." is one of the most degrading and dreaded form of advice that infertiles can get while trying to achieve pregnancy. Yet, there is a connection between stress and fertility. Sometimes, stress can cause the absence of a menstrual period in women which is called amenorrhea. The first line of treatment for this condition is for a physician to prescribe Clomid. In this article, the author cites information that a resulting pregnancy from this type of treatment ... more