[blparent] Article by one of our own

Fri Apr 13 18:08:05 UTC 2012

Great post, Bridgit, and congratulations that things are going so well. 
Terri, hang in there.  Who knows what will happen!

I was told that pregnancy wasn't in the cards for me, and I did move on with 
my life.  I was truly okay with the fact that the children I nurtured were 
not going to come from my womb, and they probably were not going to live in 
my home, either.  Then--surprise, surprise!  Sarah has been my greatest joy. 
But it's very likely that she'll be an only child, except for her two half 
siblings, who are 16 and 20.  Gerald and I have lost three babies since 
Sarah was born, with no known explanation of why.  But the doctors think 
that the three miscarriages in a year and a half probably triggered off my 
fibromyalgia symptoms, and I've reluctantly agreed with the conclusion that 
getting my health back under control is the best thing, for both Sarah and 
myself.  Another miscarriage, or even a successful pregnancy, wouldn't be 
wise for me right now, and since I'm forty years old, it's probably time for 
me to call it good and count my blessings.  A little sad for me, but I never 
thought I'd have a baby of my own, and I do.  So anything's possible.

Jo Elizabeth

"How far you go in life depends on you being tender with the young, 
compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of 
the weak and the strong.  Because someday in life you will have been all of 
these."--George Washington Carver, 1864-1943, American scientist

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From: "Bridgit Pollpeter" <bpollpeter at hotmail.com>
Sent: Friday, April 13, 2012 11:53 AM
To: <blparent at nfbnet.org>
Subject: [blparent] Article by one of our own

> First, Marsha, no problem sharing this. I usually send the blog link out
> anyway so thanks. I haven't been advertising it as much since my new
> editor started, and  they have significantly been rewriting my blogs
> eliminating my unique writing style and voice. As a writer, this has
> been frustrating not to mention unethical on the part of the editor.
> Nonetheless, I am glad for the opportunity to share my knowledge and
> experiences.
>
> Terri, yes, I not only understand the frustration of trying
> unsuccessfully for a child but that I too would opt for fixing health
> concerns before blindness. I'm currently healthy and though I've been
> type 1 diabetic for 27 years, my minor complications do not directly
> stem from diabetes but from a viral infection that almost killed me 8
> years ago and simultaneously had adverse affects on my diabetes. A 10
> year eating disorder also complicated my health as well. My diabetes has
> been well managed and maintained for the past 8 years but as a result of
> both anorexia and the infection, I have tachycardia, which is an
> elevated heart rate, extremely low blood pressure, which I've always
> had, but after the infection, my BP dropped to dangerously low levels,
> minor issues with my GI system where I don't digest certain foods as
> quickly as I should, very mild neuropathy, though I've never had
> numbness but pain from time to time and of course blindness. None of
> this actually keeps me from conceiving, but a couple of medications I
> had been on were not safe for pregnancy so I have to be off of them for
> now, and of course, pregnancy can always have a negative impact on
> health concerns if not monitored. And in general, any pregnant diabetic
> will experience fluctuations with their glucose levels. I have to keep
> detailed records that I send weekly and my doctors and I make weekly
> adjustments to my insulin routine as the pregnancy progresses.
>
> Though I was finally told a pregnancy was possible, no one expected
> conception itself to be easy or happen quickly, least of all me. Imagine
> our shock when after a month of getting the green light we found out I
> was pregnant. No one expected such quick results, and so far,
> thankfully, both baby and I are doing well.
>
> In order to ensure the best possible outcome, my life has become this
> pregnancy. I'm not working so I can focus on maintaining my health along
> with eliminating a stress from my life. I test 12 to 15 times a day and
> continue my pre-pregnancy work-out routine. I see both a high-risk OB
> and endocrine OB anywhere from every 2 to 4 weeks depending on how
> things are going. Since my first month, things have progressed well
> enough that we have been able to reduce visits to every four weeks.
>
> I'm incredibly blessed that after three years, we finally have a child
> that will be completely our own. However, our goal has always been to
> start a family. We didn't necessarily have a rigid idea of how that had
> to happen. When we thought a natural pregnancy wasn't possible, we moved
> onto our next option which was adoption. We were actually in the
> beginning stages of that process when this all happened, and we are not
> ruling adoption out for the future. We wanted a family and were willing
> to pursue any route to make it possible.
>
> I wish you, Terri, the best of luck. I know the struggles of less than
> stellar health along with not being able to conceive or maintain a
> conception. My thoughts are with you, and I wish the very best for you.
> All I can say is never give up because I can't tell you how many times I
> wanted to just quit and accept what I thought was the reality for my
> life. I need to take my own advice at times, grin, because I truly
> believe that where there is a will, there will be a way.
>
> Sincerely,
> Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter
> Read my blog at:
> http://blogs.livewellnebraska.com/author/bpollpeter/
>
> "History is not what happened; history is what was written down."
> The Expected One- Kathleen McGowan
>
> Message: 4
> Date: Fri, 13 Apr 2012 10:11:04 -0400
> From: "trising" <trising at sbcglobal.net>
> To: "Blind Parents Mailing List" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [blparent] Congratulations on your Article and on your
> precious little one!
> Message-ID: <A7EFDBC717C34EAE95886AFC3E8928FF at userPC>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
> Congratulations Bridgit on a really well written article and on your
> pregnancy. My husband and I have been trying since we got
> married almost seven years ago, and still no baby. I was born with septo
> optic dysplasia, which involves endocrinological problems
> due to an almost nonexistent pituitary gland, along with total blindness
> from a lack of optic nerves. Individuals ask me if I would
> like to see given the chance. I surprise them by saying I would fix
> other health issues rather than my blindness.
>
> Terri Wilcox
>
>
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