Resources

After I had my first miscarriage and the subsequent comedy of errors that went along with it, I couldn't find any solace. Until, through the kindness of a client and interim pastor, I found a novel that took me away from it all. Far, far away. Which is where I wanted to be. And where I wanted to stay. Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet was my ticket outa there and I seized it like Charlie with his golden ticket. At one point, I remember that Chris spoke to me from a couch length away and I was startled back into my reality. It had been forever since I had gotten so immersed in a book, the narrative and descriptions so captivating that… [more]

The series finale of The King of Queens aired last week. I saved the time and date and made plans to watch the show with my husband which is no easy task with our schedules. While watching the show, I started dreading where it was going. By the end of the show I was disappointed. And upset at what I saw. And with a goal to write about it here. Adoption myths and international adoption myths are alive and well in even the media of mainstream America. First of all, here are the things that I remember that I was irritated at. Carrie gets a text message of her baby's picture and then flies to Beijing to pick up her daughter, mere weeks… [more]

Painting Chef: Like a Little Ray of Sarcastic Sunshine I contacted PaintingChef last night to see if I could reprint her latest infertility post here as I felt that it did such a great job at conveying a reaction to a friend's pregnancy and a new baby born. And isn't this one of the cutest replies as well? Sure! And thanks so much, I'm really flattered!! Lucky for you its one of the VERY few infertility-related ones where I'm not whining and moaning... but if you are interested in those, I promise you, there are PLENTY! Haha!! I'll check out your website!! Now to see the actual post, which is titled, The Imagery Will Be Too Much For You Bear Let me tell you a secret about… [more]

During my pregnancy with Ivy, my fear of miscarriage was huge. I went to our local bookstore and found the book, Prayers for the Mother To Be by Angela Thomas. I had nothing to read during this time because I was terrified of the "What to Expect" book that I had relied on heavily while trying to get pregnant. I wanted to really stay away from any thing negative in all forms of media. This book seemed to fit the bill. While at a coffeeshop one day, a woman came up to me and told me that she had loved the book while she was pregnant as well I took this book with me everywhere while I was still pregnant. The prayer that I read over… [more]

I have mentioned here before that I love nonfiction writing. True, personal stories stick with me and intrigue me more than any type of scientific article or journal. Maybe that is why I am so addicted to blog reading and blogging. While going through the "No Baby On Board" site, I found the link to this list. There are many other fertility related reading lists as well, but this one is totally about first hand infertility. Once again, for some reason, I'm having a problem linking today. So, to see the actual list that I'm talking about, head over to Amazon and do a search within their listmania. Type in infertility. Then a list of recommended reading lists will pop up. The list of today's… [more]

Movies Regarding Infertility from No Baby On Board When I was going through our infertility, I stayed away from anything in the media that even suggested talking about the situation that I was in. I remember the weekend that we were waiting to find out results, I deliberately picked out the movie Snow Dogs to spend my time in front of. And to this day, I cringe inside when I see the cover of it, or when someone mentions it. I associate it with loss. But for others, watching about the struggles of others can be helpful and healing. They feel that they aren't alone and like to see how other characters have dealt with it, or at least, to see what other situations may be out… [more]

I have been reading Alternadad by Neal Pollack for the past couple of days and I've been loving it. I have laughed out loud and absolutely cannot put it down. His idea of parenting, and his reality are so far off of the mark, he reminds me of myself. Before I encountered infertility, I thought that I would be like these parents that Pollack describes here: In Rogers Park, it seemed impossible to be any kind of parent other than an eccentric one. One couple I got to know owned the No Exit Cafe, a place that had existed in several shades of brown since 1958 and practically screamed Leo Kottke Slept Here. They raised three kids in a world of folk music, bad poetry and… [more]

I found the following quote in the April 10-11 Self Improvement Newsletter put out by SelfGrowth It is excerpted from Magical Beginnings, Enchanted Lives: A Holistic Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth by Deepak Chopra, M.D., David Siman, M.D. and Vicki Abrams, C.C.E., I.B.L.C. When does life begin? Some spiritual tradtions see the origin of life as the moment a soul intends to enter into human form. Others see the beginning as a sparkle in the eye of a potential parent who wants to have a child. While biologists and religious clergy may argue about whether or not life starts at the moment of conception, convention has it that the day a baby emerges from his mother's womb marks the beginning of life. However you define life's… [more]

We have all heard about the book, The Infertility Survival Handbook by Elizabeth Swire Falker. Or, if you haven't heard of it, you have now! Over on Amazon her book is rated 4 stars, but honestly, from what I've heard about it, 5 stars are more like it. And yes, it is on my list of books to read, I'm just waiting for my turn with it at the library. It should be any day now. Anyway, she has started a blog! Yeah! It is called, The Infertility Survival Handbook's Blog, of course. And her first post is about wanting another baby and starting all over again. This should be interesting reading. A little bit more about Swire Falker, written by herself… [more]

As you have probably guessed, I read a lot of blogs. And to continue that further, I read a lot of infertility blogs. I'm a huge believer in "Misery Loves Company", and boy, was I miserable while trying to have my kids. There was no choice about it, I was miserable. But I'm finding that there are many women out there that aren't miserable. They are keeping on keeping on. And this really gives me hope. It also makes me feel a little bit guilty in all of my wallowings, but, hey, I'm the only me! The blog that I've been recently diving into is titled "Finding the Next" which I would readily nominate for best title for an infertility blog, ever!… [more]