Posts tagged IUI
147 | On their Terms - MyLin & Lindsay Stokes Kennedy

MyLin and Lindsay started their lives together after marriage with the hopes of expansion. When they decided to have more children, they were not fully aware of the obstacles they would encounter. The sticker shock regarding Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) expense steered them towards traditional or old-school insemination with a known donor. Patience over almost two years and a devastating anembryonic pregnancy would lead them to the full-term pregnancy and consequent birth of their first child together.

Lindsay chose to carry the baby, and they managed their insemination personally with advice from a fertility specialist. The fertility specialist validated their concerns and guided them through the most straightforward ways to help them. Despite having PCOS, she could make adjustments in their fertility journey and conceive. Her pregnancy was amazing, and there were no issues until the end of the pregnancy. She presented with itchy hands and feet, which was one indicator of Cholestasis. Cholestasis can affect the liver and can be dangerous for mom and baby. An induction was ordered at 37 weeks to avoid complications to their health and after two days of labor, Lennox would join the family. Shortly afterward, Lindsay developed preeclampsia and would need additional monitoring.

Postpartum for Lindsay included healing and challenges with breastfeeding. Thankfully, MyLin had started the induced lactating process prenatally with the hopes of sharing the work of feeding the baby. She was able to nourish the baby while Lindsay worked through latching issues with Baby Lennox.

MyLin’s pregnancy required more preparation as she wanted to deliver at home. They were able to have all of the birth-related services to make her dream homebirth come true with the generous support of the Victoria Project, a nonprofit organization serving Southern California. The Victoria Project provided full financial support for a midwife (not the deposit), chiropractor, pelvic floor therapy, hypnobirthing, and childbirth education.

MyLin labored with her family and doula as they awaited the intensity of active labor. Lindsay busied herself preparing the tub for her but found her work was futile. MyLin found herself in “labor land” and talked her baby out as he quickly slipped out. The midwife would arrive later and attend to the newly expanded family. She had four postpartum midwifery visits and was able to spend a lot of time in bed, healing physically and mentally.

Finding the right avenues to expand their family was pivotal in their birthing experiences. MyLin and Lindsay share their knowledge with other same-sex couples to make themselves an accessible resource. Patience, grace, and softness are essential aspects of their continued parenting journey.

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136 | Receiving Energy from Water - Adenike & Brandi

Their pregnancy journey involved five tries with Intrauterine Insemination (IUI). After two unsuccessful attempts at home, they decided to get support at a specialized clinic. They had a Nigerian nurse practitioner during the first two tries at the clinic (Adenike is of Nigerian and Haitian descent). Still, it would be the fifth try to become pregnant ultimately.

For Adenike, the pregnancy itself would be pretty "straightforward" the most challenging part was managing her Sickle Cell Anemia. Individuals with this diagnosis can have low birth weight babies due to the birthing person cells being shaped differently and how their body carries oxygen. For Adenike, this meant the need to get red blood cell exchanges completed once a month. Due to Covid, she was attending these appointments alone, spending four to five hours getting blood pumped in and out of her body. While a tasking endeavor, Adenike expressed that care providers like to tell you what you can do with your body in terms of Sickle Cell care. That was not the route that she and Brandi wanted for her pregnancy and birth. They leaned into the research they had done and the support of their doula to ensure every step of the way, Adenike was able to support her body in the way she understood her needs.

Adenike's pregnancy was considered high risk due to her Sickle Cell diagnosis paired with other health concerns. Taking that into account, her maternal-fetal medicine (MFM) doctor (also Nigerian) discussed with Adenike and Brandi that it might be safest to have an induction at 38 weeks. As the time came around, they could push this time frame back as her body and baby were managing well. After their appointment and returning home, Adneike and Brandi settled into their nightly routine, with Brandi taking their dogs on a walk. As she stepped out, she noticed a drizzle of rain, along with a woman she hadn't seen before sitting about 20 ft away. Brandi shares in a greeting with her, and the lady exclaims, "You know it's raining outside!" throwing Brandi off a bit as it wasn't raining that hard. Continuing on her walk, she was baffled when she saw the lady get up and begin walking away into the distance with no known end. Returning home, she shared this interaction with Brandi, but they both shrugged it off as they went to bed, but soon after, Adenike felt a sudden sharp pain and gush from her waters breaking.

Labor would take its time, the rain increasing into a torrential downpour as they made their way to the hospital. As they moved through their birth, some shifts were required from their birth plan, along with hard discussions and push back from their care team. Through it all, Adenike stayed in tune with her needs, and when she was ready to push, she followed her intuition, bringing her daughter hearthside as the rain came pouring down a reminder they were covered and held.

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99 | Birthing Their Light - Tauri & Sarah Hayter

In expanding their family, Tauri and Sarah found that Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) was the route that felt best. And after finding out they were pregnant, being the planner she is - Tauri began preparing for their birth vision.

They wouldn't have even known they needed to prepare for dealing with pregnancy and birth during the COVID-19 pandemic. After the 20 week scan, Tauri and Sarah would soon find they would be experiencing their pregnancy amongst just the two of them. Coming to the end of her pregnancy, Tauri was trying all the techniques to get labor started. After a night of nothing happening with castor oil, Tauri found herself a bit restless. Feeling a shift, she went to the bathroom and experienced a movie-style breaking of her waters. She shared the news with Sarah and went back to sleep.

Into the next day, there wasn't much change, and after 12 hours, Tauri and Sarah headed to the hospital. With the support of Pitocin, contractions began coming intense and fast. Working through the night and into the early morning, Tauri started to feel a new intensity. When her midwife arrived, her body had already begun pushing, her baby already crowning. And following her lead, pushing when she felt ready, Sarah caught their baby, placing her on Tauri's chest with all her "cheesy vernix" goodness.

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28 | Second Opinion - Natalya Alexander

When Natalya and her husband began the process of expanding their family, they imagined it would be the same story of many of their friends. After a year of trying to conceive, they went to a doctor hoping to get answers as to why it was taking so long. After numerous tests and scans, Natalya and her husband were left with the diagnosis of "unexplained infertility."

That diagnosis led them down a path of navigating a fertility clinic and the process of Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) LINK, a form of fertility treatment. Unfortunately, this process was unsuccessful and after many attempts and feeling discouraged from her doctor. Natalya knew she had to advocate for herself. She and her husband found a new fertility clinic and got a second opinion about how to move forward. The doctor recommended trying the process of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), and they were able to conceive after the first round of treatments.

It is essential that we discuss and celebrate the variations of creating our families. By sharing her story, Natalya is hoping it highlights the journey of IVF and establishes a support resource for others who may be going through the same thing.

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