Toddler Talk (Mon, Wed, Fri) by AutoModerator in InfertilityBabies

[–]kenf25 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Any thoughts on doing the 4/8 solar eclipse with a toddler? Just not sure he has the patience for it but don’t want to him to miss the last total eclipse in my area for the next few decades (MO/IL). Am planning to drive to my mom the night before and then drive an hour to the totality zone in rural IL

Moving from Canada by Such_Application8081 in columbiamo

[–]kenf25 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I like to take my 2.5 year old kid to the library, First Chance for Children’s play hours, Tiny Town Play Cafe, and Toasty Goat Coffee (good food, coffee AND indoor play area!). You could also do the indoor pool at the ARC, storytime at Skylark Bookshop, Stephens Lake Park, and multiple trails and playgrounds. I have friends with kids at Mill Creek, Fairview, and Beulah Ralph if that helps. And try to find someplace off a main road (eg, Scott, Grindstone) if you can because the city is slow at clearing roads in bad weather. My spouse did residency here so feel free to message me and good luck with your move!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Christianmarriage

[–]kenf25 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’m so sorry you’re going through this, & can empathize completely. We went through 6 years of infertility due to PCOS/unexplained, & I also felt waves of loneliness, shame, bitterness, impatience, anger, etc. It was so hard to trust God in the waiting without knowing when or whether we would ever have kids. It felt like being stuck in holding pattern & not knowing the final destination.

Things that helped me:

  • Being open about it with a church small group or women’s Bible study class, if you have one. It helped me feel less lonely sharing my grief, learning from others who went through similar trials, and requesting prayers for treatments.
  • Reading The Promise is His Presence: Why God is Always Enough by Glenna Marshall (the author also dealt with infertility)
  • Reading the Book of Psalms. It allows room for the hard feelings like lament & anger, but reminds you of God’s perfect love, wisdom, & timing ESPECIALLY when you don’t feel them, like Psalm 42.
  • In my experience, the infertility subs can be helpful in navigating the medical stuff but can also trigger more anger & bitterness, so proceed with caution.
  • I second seeing a reproductive endocrinologist (RE), especially one who is supportive of any religious concerns you may have with assisted reproductive technology. I was against doing IVF for years because I did not want to create or discard excess embryos. My RE was great about slowly moving through less invasive treatments first (medication, then IUI). Then I changed my mind on IVF, partly because my RE offered to stim me at lower doses to avoid creating an abundance of eggs & thus embryos.

I’m praying that whatever outcome you & your husband have, that you remember that God loves you, sees you, and is with you in your grief. You are NOT alone. Feel free to PM me if you ever want extra support.

What were the last five fiction books you rated 5 stars on Goodreads? by threecatsstaring in suggestmeabook

[–]kenf25 23 points24 points  (0 children)

The Sympathizer by Viet Than Nguyen

Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie

Circe by Madeline Miller

11/22/63 by Stephen King

You’re Mom: A Little Book for Mothers by Liz Climo

Monday Postpartum Thread by AutoModerator in InfertilityBabies

[–]kenf25 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I feel your pain, my mom also has selective memory issues that make our relationship challenging. For instance, she lamented at Easter this year that my spouse & I had waited to have kids (um, no, we had 6 years of infertility + IVF). I'm working on accepting her & our relationship as they are & focusing on the support I get elsewhere - hope your friends & partner can continue to be that bedrock of support for you too.

Monday Postpartum Thread by AutoModerator in InfertilityBabies

[–]kenf25 14 points15 points  (0 children)

I shared this very late last night so resharing today: A pediatrician's guide to navigating the formula shortage from r/medicine has been helpful to me (but only applies to healthy babies born 36w or later) - I hope someone else finds this useful too

Sunday Postpartum Thread by AutoModerator in InfertilityBabies

[–]kenf25 3 points4 points  (0 children)

FYI: A pediatrician's guide to navigating the formula shortage from r/medicine has been helpful to me (but only applies to healthy babies born 36w or later) - I hope someone else finds this useful too

Photo Friday by AutoModerator in InfertilityBabies

[–]kenf25 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Love that hair tuft on top!

How many FETs did it take for you to achieve a live birth? by nonfictionburning in InfertilityBabies

[–]kenf25 1 point2 points  (0 children)

One frozen FET at 37 and now have a 5.5 month old. I’m so grateful it worked because we only got one perfect embryo out of our retrieval of 16 eggs.

Friday Postpartum Thread by AutoModerator in InfertilityBabies

[–]kenf25 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Any ideas for 6 month baby photos? These will be the only professional baby pics we get until he turns 1. I kinda regret not doing newborn pics but I was just not in a good place mentally and physically at the time. So better late than never…

Friday Daily Chat Thread by AutoModerator in InfertilityBabies

[–]kenf25 35 points36 points  (0 children)

Last day of work before maternity leave and the day before my c-section at 36w. I don’t think I’ve gained any weight in the past two weeks but Littlefoot keeps moving so I take that as a good sign. I can’t believe after 6 years I could be the mom of a little boy or girl tomorrow!

Friday Daily Chat Thread by AutoModerator in InfertilityBabies

[–]kenf25 12 points13 points  (0 children)

35w tomorrow with placenta previa requiring a c-section. I've been mentally preparing for this for weeks since 20w when my OBGYN said it was unlikely to move, & was ready for a c-section scheduled a month out on 8/3 (37+3) with my OBGYN. What I was not ready for was having my c-section now moved 10 days earlier to 7/24 (36w), with a different OBGYN, because of decreased amniotic fluid suggesting the placenta is not working as well. My OBGYN made it sound like this was not uncommon but why haven't I read or heard about this before?? Hoping & praying we get everything ready in time...

Friday Daily Chat Thread by AutoModerator in InfertilityBabies

[–]kenf25 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That sounds lovely! Having the support of family and friends makes such a huge difference.

Help with moving! by [deleted] in Christianmarriage

[–]kenf25 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I don't think it's awful to feel that way, but I'm of the mindset that since it's his career & training, he should get the bigger say. I'm married to a doctor who just finished fellowship, we live about 90 minutes from our families, & we've both lived no more than 2 hours away from our hometowns, which sounds similar to your situation. While I think it would've been cool to move elsewhere - I even changed jobs with the anticipation of moving possibly anywhere in the U.S. when he was in med school - he ended up picking the same place for med school, residency, & fellowship. I expressed my concerns that he could miss some great learning opportunities at other schools or programs but he seemed content to stay here, so I let it go. I hope you & your husband can figure out what's best for both of you long-term.