Sunday, April 21, 2013

Happy ICLW and NIAW!

Happy IComLeaveWe and National Infertility Awareness Week!

IComLeaveWe stands for International Comment Leaving Week and is organized by Melissa at Stirrup Queens. To learn more about ICLW, you can visit this page. National Infertility Awareness Week is put on by RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association and aims to increase awareness about infertility.

So, about us. My husband, Keegan, and I have been married since August 2012. Exactly one month after our wedding, I was diagnosed with PCOS and insulin resistance. From September until January, we didn't actively try to conceive. Instead, I worked on eating better (my low carb diet is the bane of my existence,) taking my Metformin, and trying to get my hormone levels in check. January we decided to start actually trying for a baby and have had three failed cycles. At my last appointment, my doctor asked if we wanted to do the "infertility workup" to make sure we didn't have anything else working against us. Keegan has agreed to do a SA which will hopefully happen this week. I'm due for another round of blood work, ultrasounds and a check in with my doctor at the end of this cycle.

When I don't have babies on the brain, I work at an art gallery, spend too much time on the computer reading blogs and playing video games and tormenting my cat, Mika, with the evil red dot.

Google image

Keegan is an engineer at a steel mill and his '71 Corvette is his second love. He is also a big gamer and music lover. We're both originally from Missouri but are currently living in Mississippi due to Keegan's job. To learn more about me, you can read how I'm going to be the hated parent on the playground, how I'm a pee stick-aholic

In honor of NIAW, I'm seriously considering "coming out" on Facebook about my infertility. Being only 23, I don't have a whole lot of friends who are growing their families (even though it seems to increase every day,) so I'm not sure how well it would be taken or how interested they would be. I'm going to change my profile picture to:

but I feel like I should also include a status to explain. It's not something that I'm going to post about all the time, I'd just like the knowledge out there that infertility is something that I deal with and I'm available to answer questions.

So, my question to you is, have you "come out" on Facebook? If you have, what did you do? Did you make a bold status update, or did you gradually include it in your every day posts? If you haven't why not? Do you ever plan to? 

I'm so happy that you stopped by my blog! I hope that you'll decide to stay awhile and we can deal with our pee stick addiction together. 

11 comments:

  1. I have always been very open about my infertility challenges and I never hesitate to spread information about what people go through.

    Also, I read your post about why you are going to be the most hated parent on the playground and I am cheering you on. My kids are older and, after giving them a very in depth talk, I have told them I will answer any question they have and, if I don't know the answer, I will find it for them. It's been kind of mind blowing looking at the questions they have come to me with.

    ICLW #66 Dragondreamer's Lair

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  2. Already a follower! But hello anyway from ICLW! ;-)

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  3. I am slowly coming out in real life. I am not bold enough to make the facebook announcement yet. I'm still protective of who I tell. But I have to say it feels SO GOOD to share. It's freeing and so liberating. One day I'll make it Facebook Official. ;) good luck, dying to hear how it goes!

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  4. Hi from ICLW. Oh yeah my fb friends know I'm infertile...all 376 of them.

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  5. "i love you i love you i LOOOOVE YOU" *elf voice*
    we got married august 2012 too! holla!

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  6. I read your post about being the hated parent at the playground. I am that hated parent. In fact, my daughter freaked out my (36 year old) friend the other day by using the word vagina. I couldn't help but smile.

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  7. Hi from ICLW...I am so happy your spreading the NAIW word...I am too afraid of coming out on FB since its not just me it affects. I dont think my hubby wants the world to know our business

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  8. Visiting from ICLW. I'm sending many good thoughts your way as you and your husband begin your infertility workup.

    I like your idea of changing your profile picture to the NIAW thumbnail. You could also just share the link, and maybe a statistic, without having to divulge much personal information.

    I've shared my struggles with close family and friends and don't use FB in that way. I don't share much personal information on FB and many of my "friends" are professional acquaintances, so I do not feel comfortable coming out about anything there.

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  9. hi from iclw! Hope your infertility workup comes back with great results!

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  10. Hello from ICLW! I have NOT come out on facebook, at least not yet. Although when someone asks I will tell them we are trying. If they tell us we need to get moving i will tell them we've had a miscarriage. If they start a conversation then I will share our story. My in-laws have been the most difficult and I am not in a place where I want to speak with them about what we are going through. But every person has different needs about what they can or want to speak about. If you are ready be true to yourself.

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