living life abundantly in spite of PCOS
My heart has undergone so much healing during the month of May. I shared a little bit about this in my Fertility Update, but I wanted to expound upon that post a little bit more for my May Restoration update.
It’s been exactly one year since my last pregnancy began. May marks the same exact cycle that resulted in a shocking miracle pregnancy that I never expected after five years of waiting, and it ultimately ended in miscarriage. Now here we are, in year six of waiting, exactly one year later, and I felt compelled to give a quick update on what’s happening, what the last year has looked like in terms of fertility, and my hopes for the future.
Photo by Artem Bali on Unsplash
It’s no surprise that my state of fertility after the miscarriage went right back to its old ways. I had very sporadic cycles with a lot of intermittent bleeding (in fact, I had 11 “cycles” in 9 months) but finally regained control once I started using essential oils for my cycles. Sometimes my cycles are textbook perfect and sometimes they’re very similar to the cycle I last got pregnant on, but either way, I’m functioning like a woman should. Sure, ovulation feels like a grenade went off in my abdomen, and it follows with 2 lbs of excess fluid and bruising, but hey, I’m ovulating. Beggars can’t be choosers, right?
Today marks exactly one month since I’ve started Keto and I wanted to give an update on how it’s been going, what I’ve learned, and my plan for the next month.
So far I’ve lost 9.6 lbs and my clothes that were too tight are fitting so much better. I wish I had taken measurements because you often see more results in inches lost than pounds shed, but based on how my clothes fit, I’m extremely excited. In my first post about starting Keto (you can read that here) I mentioned that my goal was to not have to go up in size and to be able to wear the same shorts that fit me at Disney last October to the beach. Well, they DO FIT! And not only do they fit, but they fit comfortably. I do need at least one new pair of athletic shorts because one got a hole in the fabric (that’s what I get for being cheap – they only lasted a few months of minor wear), but I don’t have to go up a size and that was my true goal.
I should have a 9-week-old curled up next to my 8-year-old this Mother’s Day. That’s really hard to acknowledge. Last year at Mother’s Day, I had no idea that the cycle I was starting would lead to pregnancy and then miscarriage. After 5 years of waiting for that pregnancy to come, I had given up and accepted that it just wasn’t meant to be. We’d be a family of 3, I was grateful for that, and I moved on.
This year, Mother’s Day is different.
Photo by Josh Adamski on Unsplash
I’m so incredibly grateful for the beautiful daughter I have, but I do mourn the baby we’ve lost. It doesn’t make me ungrateful… it makes me a mother. Child at home or not – miscarriage still means motherhood on this side of heaven – it means a baby is part of the family… we just don’t get to raise that baby.
Or in some of your cases: babies.
I don’t know why this bothers me so much, but I never thought I’d be in the position to have to think this through. I’ve always been very public with my story, so talking to people has become very easy. But I had no idea how to properly respond to that question when someone who didn’t know my story asked it.
How many children do you have?
One…
…on this side of heaven.
And one we’re missing deeply.
If you struggle with infertility and need to confirm ovulation, the Ovulation Double Check Home Progesterone Test for Fertility and Ovulation Tracking can help. According to their website:
The Ovulation Double Check® test is an FDA compliant and patent-pending in vitro diagnostic device that measures the presence of the Progesterone metabolites in urine. Progesterone is very low in the female body the first half of the menstrual cycle. When the ovary releases an egg, ovulation occurs and the ovary starts to produce Progesterone at a significantly high concentration. Therefore, Ovulation Double Check® tests should be taken after you believe ovulation has occurred to “Double Check” if ovulation has occurred.
Here is a link to their clinical research: Accuracy and Clinical Research
When using these tests, you have to turn off the part of your mind that is looking for 2 lines to equal a positive result. These tests do not work the same as OPKs and HPTs. If you see two lines—even if one is the faintest second line you’ve ever seen—this means your progesterone level is registering as less approximately 10-12 (based on the images in their clinical research), and the result is negative. So just keep that in mind when you go to use these. Two lines are not good… you just need one to have a positive result.
Since my miscarriage last August, I’ve been in a downward spiral with my body and my weight. I talked about it more in my first post about why I was starting Keto (read here) so I won’t go into all of it in detail again. But obviously, starting Keto is an act of restoration in my life, specifically when it comes to how I treat my body.
As we’re wrapping up National Infertility Awareness Week (NIAW), I wanted to share a collaborative post that Caroline put together on her blog In Due Time. I have a little appearance on there, along with so many incredible women who are bravely sharing their stories with you. In Caroline’s exact words:
“The heart behind this post is to show the many aspects of infertility: how long women wait, the different diagnosis they might receive, the many paths they might take, etc. I hope this post sheds some light on how every story looks so different from the next, but they all matter!”
Read our stories here: 1 in 8 go through infertility. These are our stories.
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
Last week was my first week of Keto and I lost 4 lbs! I’m so proud of my first week. The adjustment was surprisingly easy for me and I am so grateful. Day 2 welcomed me with a headache, which I know was a combination of being sugar-free and low carb for a full 24 hours, plus the fact that some nasty weather rolled in (when it’s going to rain, I always have a headache). However, it was incredibly easy to deal with! The dreaded “Keto Flu” wasn’t a real thing for me, and I didn’t have the digestive issues everyone warned me about.
After doing a lot of research, I knew that if I wanted to avoid the Keto Flu, I had to be very intentional on how I cared for myself. The Keto Flu is what people experience when they first cut out sugar and cut back on carbs. Basically, they are detoxing, and it’s incredibly uncomfortable. I’m talking extreme fatigue, headaches, body aches, just overall feeling like utter crap. Here’s what I did during my first week of Keto to avoid the Keto Flu!
Today, I’m sharing my Aldi shopping list for Keto, as well as the cost of each item! Please note that prices are subject to change at Aldi each week when it comes to produce and what is in season. Most other items remain pretty much the same, or fairly close. Either way, when I take the time to shop at Aldi, I save a ton of money. It isn’t nearly as convenient as my beloved Walmart Pick-up, but the cost comparison is totally different. As I mentioned in my last post, making the decision to start Keto was difficult for me mentally, simply because I am having to relearn how to eat. I think this will be good for me and I’m excited to see what happens, but just like any new eating plan, there will be a learning curve.
