Celebrating the holidays, while planning a family – a look at Stork OTC
This is a sponsored conversation from Mums the Word Network and The Stork OTC. All opinions are my own.
Timehop is a funny thing. I love looking back on memories, and this time of year is a weird one for me. Seven years ago I was using Twitter in a way most of us don’t use it anymore – I was actually posting thoughts and questions. And seven years ago, unbeknownst to anyone – including myself – I was pregnant. I had worked from home one day and one of my tweets mentioned sauteeing spinach at 10:30 in the morning just because I wanted it. (Turned out I was not getting enough iron, craved spinach, and would crave spinach my entire pregnancy.) A few days after that particular tweet, my husband and I would learn that we were expecting our first child.
Leading up to those initial tweets of spinach cravings and exhaustion – oh and insomnia! – I had eluded on social media to a few health things I was discussing with my doctor. We had been married for more than 3 years at the time, and had been trying to get pregnant for several months but things were off. I was (relatively) young, and healthy. I’d talked to my doctor and we went on one medication that helped us along, and I’m grateful that we actually did get pregnant that first month. (We were surprised, but in a good way, that it happened as soon as it did.)
But oh how it would have been nice to not have to deal with doctor’s appointments and blood tests and just let nature do its thing. Conceiving a child shouldn’t have to be so stressful, and thankfully there are products available over the counter that can help you without ever having to visit the doctor – like Stork OTC. This is something you can use in your home, without having to get a prescription.
The Stork OTC is a technique of cervical cap insemination which puts the sperm at the opening of the cervix, as close as possible, to swim up through to an egg, optimizing your chances of becoming pregnant. It’s been cleared by the FDA and it demonstrates on average a 3.23 higher value of sperm concentration at the cervix than with natural intercourse.
Up to 20% of women who use the Stork OTC get pregnant – and is considerably more affordable than other methods. You can purchase it at Target and other retailers for $59.99, or you can purchase it online at storkotc.com. It is designed to be a next step for couples to conceive, and it’s easy to use.
That Christmas we knew we were pregnant? It was a wild one. We didn’t tell anyone we were expecting – not until later in January. Do you know how difficult it is to keep that kind of secret when you’re celebrating the holidays, not feeling that great, and pretending that all was normal in your world?
On the other hand, holidays can be extremely stressful for couples who are having trouble conceiving. Holidays are stressful to begin with, but when you’re getting the “so when are you going to have kids” asked, it’s a whole new level of stress.
We eventually did come clean with our families and friends. And I had a normal pregnancy – I even exercised for many months. I actually walked until that final week of pregnancy. At 41 weeks, I was induced and after many hours of laboring, followed by pushing, and my son not cooperating, a c-section was done. The experience was surreal. I chose a Pandora playlist (we went with Michael Jackson – and my son was born to “Thriller”), and the hours after his birth were horrendous. I had a terrible reaction to the drugs, couldn’t keep anything down, and my husband was stranded in this hospital room trying to care for his incapacitated wife, and a newborn trying to get used to being on the outside.
Fast forward almost 5 years and we were unexpectedly pregnant. My doctor and I had a good laugh that first visit because she often told patients that it was sometimes easier to get pregnant the second (or third!) time around. My pregnancy was not as easy as the first, and midway I decided that a planned c-section was for me. If I went into labor before that planned date, they would let me progress, but I knew at 39 weeks that my body was not going to cooperate. So on that Monday morning, I walked into Labor & Delivery, told the nurses I was there to have my baby, and they directed me to a bed to get ready. I walked into the OR, chose a playlist (this time I went with something more calm and my daughter was born to Edwin McCain’s “I’ll Be”) and our almost 9-pound daughter was born without incident.
It’s interesting to look back at both of my pregnancies and deliveries – and I definitely wouldn’t change a thing about either journey.
Want to discuss getting pregnant and Stork OTC? Join me (and several other bloggers) Thursday, December 21 at 8pm EST on twitter to talk trying to conceive during the holidays. Follow along with #gettingpregnant and #storkotc for a chance to win prizes!
Did pregnancy come easy to you or your significant other? I can’t begin to tell you how many friends who have had difficulty starting their families
