Goodbye Farrah, Goodbye Michael

Picture: http://www.eonline.com/, Barry King/Getty Images


I'm going to dedicate my blogs today to two icons of my generation, both of whom died last week.

First Farrah: Such a beautiful woman. If you look through my highschool yearbook, almost all the girls at least attempted to have a Farrah hairdo. We had to watch Charlie's angels - not because it was a good show, but because we had to see what they were wearing and study their hair. A little shallow, I know. Back then, we didn't have cable TV, so the shows that made it big had a huge viewership and much more control over social trends. After Farrah left the show, none of the other actresses could quite reach her level of fame. Farrah went on to do more serious acting which received rave reviews. May she rest in peace.

Michael: What talent! He's exactly my age (yep, I hit the big 5-0). Boy, that really makes you wake up and feel your own mortality. I recall walking home from elementary school (back in the days when parents didn't drive kids everywhere) and singing songs like ABC and Oh Baby Give Me One More Chance. Who would have ever predicted back then that his life would have unfolded the way it did. I feel for him because he was such a tortured soul. The older I get, the more I realize that although many people strive for fame and fortune, the happiest among us are just regular run-of-the-mill people who live ordinary lives. I hope his children find peace and can stay together. Rest in peace Michael.

Do You Blame Yourself For Your Miscarriage?

Miscarriage and Blame

It's probably only natural that there's some piece of you that will blame youself for your miscarriage. I know, for me, there was always a feeling like I must have done something wrong - afterall, it happened inside of me. Most people will never know why they miscarried. In my opinion, aside from chromosomal problems, most miscarriages are probably a case of wrong place, wrong time (perhaps because of bad timing or hormonal imbalance). There are so many factors that have to occur synchronistically to get pregnant, it's a wonder anyone does.

Here's an article about how you shouldn't blame yourself:

Miscarriage And Self Blame

From the article:

"It was not my fault- just as it's not your fault that you've miscarried. No, that glass of wine or beer you had did not cause your miscarriage. No, the argument you had with your husband did not cause you so much stress that you miscarried. No, the unhealthy food you ate from a fast food restaurant didn't do it either. Please, stop knocking yourself and blaming yourself for this. I know you need answers. You want some sort of justification for your pain and loss. But, when you continually find, or try to find blame within yourself, you are hurting yourself over and over again. "

Recurrent Miscarriage - Does Anything Help?

Here is a no-nonsense article about recurrent miscarriage and some of the treatments available. Although it is technical in nature, you may find some information which applies to your situation:

tspace.library.utoronto.ca

Exercise and Miscarriage

I frequently read articles which state "There is no evidence that exercise causes miscarriage". I really don't believe that. According to a study cited in this article and many others, there does seem to be some evidence that vigorous exercise early in pregnancy does increase the rate of miscarriage. I'll let you be the judge. Read more:

www.revolutionhealth.com

From the article:

Information from a Danish study, in which they interviewed 92,000 women, suggests that vigorous exercise during the first trimester greatly increases the risk of miscarriage. Their study reported that women who exercised vigorously during the early weeks of pregnancy, especially those who participated in "high impact" activities such as jogging, were 3.7 times more likely to have a miscarriage. They noted that women who swam were not at all at increased risk. These risks disappeared completely, though, after the 18th week.

Trying To Conceive Afer Miscarriage - How Long to Wait?

After my miscarriages, I had this overwhelming desire to start trying to get pregnant right away - especially since I was over 40. But I came to the realization that it may be best to wait until I had a chance to recover both physically and mentally. Here is a good article on the subject:

Conception after loss: When should you try to get pregnant again?

When I was experiencing recurrent miscarriage, everytime I got pregnant and subsequently miscarried, I always felt like I had taken one step forward but two steps back. I felt the time pressure closing in on me. This only led to more stress and anxiety which isn't good for conception under any circumstances. If you've had a miscarriage, try to take a couple months off from the trying to conceive rollercoaster. This may be a good time to acknowledge the baby you lost (I had my own little ceremony for each one), and take care of yourself physically and emotionally.

Memorialize Your Baby After Miscarriage

I had a small memorial service after each of my miscarriages. I did this by myself, but it did seem to help me through the trauma of the whole thing. I also created a miscarriage memorial which may be viewed at:

Miscarriage Memorial

Anyone is welcome to add a memorial to their own baby on this site.

Here is an article that talks about other ways to memorialize your lost baby:

Bella Online

Pregnancy, The Flu, and The Flu Vaccine

I couldn't get used to the idea of injecting a foreign substance into my body when I was pregnant so I didn't get a flu shot. However, it may be recommended as the following article discusses:

Pregnancy and the Flu Vaccine (pregnancy-info.net)

From the article:

"The Flu Shot and Pregnancy
Pregnant women are considered to be in the high-risk group of those most vulnerable to getting the flu and are strongly urged to get a flu shot, especially if you have an increased risk of pregnancy complications due to a medical condition. While some doctors may avoid administering a vaccine to a woman who is very early in her first trimester, it is generally thought to be safe to receive the vaccine at any point during pregnancy.
Pregnant women have been found to have an increased risk of death or severe complications if they contract the flu during pregnancy. Although the general risk of death from the flu is quite low, one study showed that pregnant women have a nine times greater risk of death from flu compared to other adults. Additionally, since pregnant women have a weakened immune system, there is a greater chance of pneumonia or bronchitis developing. Even if you do not develop complications from your flu, your flu symptoms are much more likely to last longer if you are pregnant.

But what about your baby?
Generally speaking, the average flu won’t harm an unborn child. However, if your condition were to become serious, then there could be a chance of a miscarriage or preterm labor occurring. Once your baby is born, your constant close contact with your child will make your baby more susceptible to catching the flu. However, the flu virus is not thought to pass through breast milk.

While the flu shot is believed to be completely safe for both pregnant and breastfeeding women, FluMist, a nasal spray flu vaccine, is not. Unlike the flu shot, which contains killed flu virus, FluMist contains the live flu virus, thereby increasing your chances of catching the flu from the vaccine."

Announcing! Fertility Bodywork

I am very pleased and excited to share with my readers a project I've been working on for the last year. It's called "Fertility Bodywork" and it's available through my website. It's a DVD and it's designed to help prepare your physical body for conception and pregnancy. It includes fertility yoga, fertility pelvic massage, acupressure and reflexology and daily routines to enhance pelvic circulation and oxygenation.




For more information, or to order, click here:

Fertility Bodywork