#notpregnantjustfat

Infertility is a medical issue not a political one, right? Well actually yes and no. Technically it is down to biology, so it is a medical issue, but how that medical treatment is funded and how it is recognised by wider society is much more political. Political correctness has never been a hotter topic, unfortunately in the world we still have issues with racism, homophobia, sexism and much more. Moreover, we now have world leaders who are actually turning the clock back on progress that has been made over decades and generations. With such powerful forces at work, we need to rally and speak up when we see injustice in the world. The problem is rallys don't happen every day and we can't always be there when they do. Personally I believe the best way to chip away at these issues is to hold our heads high and confront injustices one by one as we come across them. I know that won't revolutionise the world overnight, but it will help people to address their attitudes for the...

I am currently in the limbo stage of the month - the 2WW (two week wait for those of you who are unfamiliar) has passed and following multiple BFNs (big fat negative) I am now patiently awaiting my period and all of the pain and disappointment that goes along with that. I have been on this journey for close to 2 1/2 years now and I look back and can't believe how naive I was at the start. I used to actually patiently wait for my period to come each month until I learned that you can buy tests that allow you to check results up to six days before your period is due. Six days might not sound like a long time, it's not even a full week, a six day holiday would go by in the blink of an eye. Not when you're TTC (trying to conceive).  Time passes at a snails rate whilst waiting to test for pregnancy; you try to put it to the back of your mind but it consumes you until the day finally comes and you wake up like a child on Christmas morning, rush to the bathroom knowing that ...

Hi Everyone and welcome to the latest edition of my blog! I feel like scolding people for things that I have seen on social media recently i.e. fake pregnancy announcements, however, as many of us are agreed, this is an opportunity for a teaching moment rather than a witch hunt. Thankfully fake pregnancy announcements are becoming more few and far between as people get more educated on the wider world and things that don't necessarily impact them directly and also as the way we use social media changes. I can still remember a time before  social media *shock horror* when my friends and I would speak to each other on the phone, or make solid arrangements about where to meet; a time when no one cared what we had for dinner, and the almighty avocado was yet to be discovered. Back then poor taste humour was confined to your own social (actual social  i.e. people in real life, in front of you) circle and I don't doubt that if I took the time to scroll/cringe my way throug...

"She's got Brazilian leather boots on the pedal of her German car  Listen to the Beatles singing back in the USSR  Yeah she's goin' around the world tonight  But she ain't leavin' here  She's just going to meet her boyfriend down at the street fair It's a french kiss, Italian ice  Spanish moss in the moonlight  Just another American Saturday night"  - Brad Paisley - 'American Saturday Night' Full disclosure, I am a HUGE country & western fan. I was raised on Garth Brooks, Johnny Cash and Patsy Cline (thank you Daddy) and it is a love that has never left me. I think it's the detail and the stories that capture me most of all. The lyrics from 'American Saturday Night' by Brad Paisley (😍) highlight the irony of the 'All American' life as it incorporates elements from so many other nations and races. Now don't get me wrong, I absolutely love the multi-cultural side of life and the fact that th...

"The unicorn is a legendary creature, a symbol of purity and grace." - OK so I cut some bits out there but you get the picture; also I'm not the pure or graceful but I just fucking love unicorns. My best friend got me this for Christmas - best present EVER! This week is very important, it celebrates International Women's Day on Thursday 8th March. The very next day just happens to be my birthday. I have been very torn about my feelings heading towards another birthday, on one hand it is not a 'big one' but on the other it only serves as a reminder that my big ol' biological clock is a tick, tick, ticking. I am at an age where my life seems to be filled with endless hen do's, weddings, Christenings etc, so my weekends are constantly filled with events I attend for other people. Now don't get me wrong here, I am very, very happy and always feel privileged to have people invite me to be a part of these life events, however given my circumst...

I've previously written about how infertility is a LOT of waiting and perpetuating cycles. When you're going round in constant circles, it had be hard not to get dizzy and feel like you're spiralling, or trapped. Unfortunately, sometimes you are. The main trapping for me is the financial trap. My work brings me a LOT of stress and you are always told to 'relax to conceive' however I have bills to pay and if we are to save up for private IVF treatment then we need two incomes. Furthermore, if I were to move jobs now and then got pregnant, I wouldn't be eligible for maternity pay and would end up being skint, which is not what I want life to be with a beautiful new baby. So I stay. Sometimes I don't know if I am doing right for doing wrong or vice versa. I worry that the stress is hampering my chances of pregnancy, but isn't any job going to bring me stress? Also, if I were to just give up work, it would put so much pressure on my Husband that it c...