Infertility | PulseonParenting

The Leap of a Lifetime: Moving to New Zealand

Welcome to Auckland, the iconic Skytown the morning of our arrival.

Aug 18 2022

It’s COVID’s doing, I tell people when they ask why our family decided to move to New Zealand. My husband doesn’t agree because we’ve wanted to come Down Under for years. He’s not wrong, but as I see it, the upheaval COVID caused in our lives gave us pause, and got us to actually make the leap across the “other pond.” How the idea started In 2004 New Zealand was the dangling carrot, or truth be told, the duct tape to our gaping infertility wound. My husband and I decided that if our fourth round of IVF didn’t work, we…

Oct 15 2020

I’m really worried. It’s not a secret that our twin boys are the miracles of science. After three rounds of in vitro fertilization, and the mourning of many of our embryonic children, on our fourth attempt our boys were conceived. I had morning sickness like clockwork. I remember the weird little vibration in my abdomen while I was doing charts at work, the boys’ first movements an absolute wonder. The ultrasounds seem like just yesterday. From the first furious fluttering of their little 6-week-old hearts to Baby B turning sommersaults at 20 weeks. He still has that kind of energy…

Feb 23 2016

Last week, in Happy Birthday, Boys: “Infertility Unplugged” by the Numbers I wrote about my husband’s and my infertility experience from a mathematical point-of-view. This week, I turn to the lighter side. It’s hard to believe, even years later, that some aspects of infertility could actually make anyone laugh. And I wish I could have at the time; laughter is great therapy. But better late than never, right? So here are some of the absurd instances in our infertility journey: ~“The Folly of the Pharmacy.” Pharmacology was the toughest class I took in school. Anyone who can get a PhD…

Feb 16 2016

At this time 11 years ago, I was crying into my shoes…literally. Bloated as a waterbed, I tried desperately over my pregnant tummy to reach my shoes and shove my swollen feet into them. Time was of the essence; I needed to commute an hour away to sit for my recertification exam and shoes were a necessity in the frigid Wisconsin winter (and probably in the exam center, too). Fortunately my husband came to my rescue, armed with a shoe horn and sheer determination. It’s hard for me to believe my twin boys will turn 11 in a matter of…

Feb 09 2016

“So what is your birth story?” Have you ever shared with someone the story of how your children came into the world? I remember a friend of mine and I doing just that on one of the rare occasions we could sit and catch up. It was an enlightening personal experience, one I would never think to initiate and was glad she took the first step. The actual birthing experience may be a small fraction of life experience but it ends in the first time we lay eyes on our children, so it’s a story we as parents hold…

Jan 12 2016

I have never made it a secret that my twin boys are the product of science…I’ve “put it out there” since my husband and I shared the good news that we were finally expecting. And we’ve talked to our boys about their beginning, showing them pictures and telling them about the special doctor who helped us become pregnant with them. We found a wonderful age-appropriate book to read to all three of our kids (our daughter, conceived the “old-fashioned way” finds it especially interesting), back when they were in Kindergarten. Since then, I’ve looked for a book that is directed…

For the Remaining 88 Percent

Sep 30 2014

In my last post “Twelve Percent of You Really Need to Read This Post” (September 25, 2014), I wrote briefly about what to say when someone confides they are struggling with infertility. As I thought more about it and received some feedback, I’d like to expand on what I said. We humans want to fix problems. We become uncomfortable with the unfamiliar. That’s just the way we are. And when a loved one comes to us revealing a painful ordeal, we want to help and make things better. But some things we cannot change or influence and infertility is one…

Sep 25 2014

Actually everyone should read this post. But of course, I am a bit biased. No. More than a bit. Twelve percent of couples struggle with the inability to conceive naturally. That number may seem small. But even smaller is the number of women who break the silence on their sadness and frustration. So when someone has the courage to broach the painful topic of infertility, it can be an awkward conversation. For example, the course of three days I learned a new friend is expecting her first baby, another friend delivered her second baby, and yet another is facing…infertility. The…

Category - Infertility

The Leap of a Lifetime: Moving to New Zealand

In Vitro Fertilization Grows Families: #ThanksIVF

“Infertility Unplugged:” the Outtakes

Happy Birthday, Boys: “Infertility Unplugged” by the Numbers

Too Much Information: a Conception Story

Calling All Family and Friends of In Vitro Fertilization Kids

For the Remaining 88 Percent

Twelve Percent of You Really Need to Read This Post