• egg freezing
    Health - infertility

    Part 3: Egg Freezing – Heather and Hunter

    December 12, 2014 - By 

    Meet Heather and Hunter Pelz. Mom and Baby couldn’t be happier or healthier. He’s a bit of a miracle and at 11 months, like many babies he is growing fast, exploring and socializing slowly when safely in presence of his Mom or Dad. So what’s so unusual about this story? Well, Hunter was born when Mom was 44 which speaks to a trend that is not entirely uncommon in Canada. Moms across Canada, are often older when they begin trying to conceive. It’s a demographic reality that is also partly related to social expectations and the fact that a huge…

  • Health

    Operation Banish High Blood Pressure

    December 2, 2014 - By 

    It’s time for fresh starts. December 1st. What could be a better time? I’m not waiting for New Year’s resolutions this year because I need to tackle this new health challenge head on. I have high blood pressure and it’s not going away. It started in September and I assumed it was because I was hyper about taking a trip with World Vision Canada and I assumed that the high reading was a one off. But in October it was high again and then this past weekend when we went for flu shots it was astronomical. So it’s time to…

  • egg_freezing_facts
    Health

    Part 1: Seven Facts About Egg Freezing

    November 30, 2014 - By 

    This past month several technology companies made significant announcements about egg freezing and fertility treatments. Apple and Facebook policies have created a lot of buzz in the fertility and infertility world. In this day and age when 1 in 6 face infertility, egg freezing facts should be part of your conversation with a doctor. First Modern Family star Sophia Vergara disclosed her intention to freeze her eggs. Then massive high tech companies like Apple and Facebook said they would chip in to help cover the cost of egg freezing, a procedure that provides a means of preserving a woman’s fertility. Technology Companies Driving Fertility…

  • home_safety_at_Christmas
    Health

    Twelve Home Safety Tips for the Holiday Season

    November 14, 2014 - By 

    We had a strange event in our neighbourhood last weekend involving one of my children. A person we did not know pulled over at the side of the road where my one daughter was playing with a friend and started taking pictures of them. The girls had been out playing on their bikes, in daylight, after school. Normally I can see my child out front. That afternoon I couldn’t see her, nonetheless, I knew she was riding her bike, helmet on, safe on our street with a friend. But the safety I take for granted was taken away when the…

  • Health

    What To Expect from the 2015 IVF Funding Program: An Interview with Dr. Marjorie Dixon #ohip4ivf #onpoli

    November 13, 2014 - By 

    This year infertility patients in Ontario welcomed the announcement that in vitro fertilization would be funded here as soon as 2015. Public funding for IVF would be a reality. Or would it? After that announcement last April, a spring election was called. That left many feeling worried that proposed funding would never arrive. For infertility patents in Ontario it was a roller coaster of emotions. But remarkably, the spring election resulted in a Liberal majority and the government did in fact reiterate its promise to support an IVF funding program in 2015. Members of Conceivable Dreams were overjoyed and hopeful with the announcement. But…

  • Health - infertility

    Turn Waiting for Infertility Treatment Into Action: One Couple’s Story #infertility #abhc4ivf #abpoli

    November 1, 2014 - By 

    When you are struggling with infertility sometimes it seems like you have nothing to do but wait. It’s pretty easy to begin to feel powerless inside the emotional roller coaster of the infertility health care journey. First, you realize you have no real control over your body when it won’t do what you want it to. You may feel like you have no control over doctors, nurses, or test results. Even your life plan is turned on its head when your body won’t conceive. You hoped to have a child by 30. You hoped then for 32, then 34, 35, by…

  • Mid-day snacks
    Uncategorized

    Weight Watchers Salted Caramel Brownie Bliss

    October 28, 2014 - By 

    I am all out of these scrumptious Weight Watchers Salted Caramel Brownie Bliss treats. Which is a total drag, because this will eventually impact my bottom line. (Pun fully intended) See I blog, as you might be aware, and that means endless periods of writing and staring at computer while sitting on my derriere. I love what I do. It combines writing, marketing and being creative with generating real results for clients and consulting with other clients through my social media consulting business Thrifty Mom Media. I really enjoy what I do, but working at home is hard on your…

  • family - infertility

    Raise Your Voice IVF Funding Alberta Twitter Chat #abhc4ivf #abpoli

    October 7, 2014 - By 

    It’s time, Alberta. Wednesday night at 8 p.m. EST. It’s time to raise your voice and make some noise on twitter. It’s time to challenge our notion of a health care system that is accessible to all. It’s time to tweet and talk and write and visit and share this message with the politicians in your area – the MLAs you vote into office. It’s time to tell them healthy families matter to everyone in Alberta and IVF funding matters to Alberta. By now you have to know the facts. I talk about them often enough here in this space.…

  • infertility

    Three Things You Can Do to Help Advocate for Public Funding for IVF in Alberta #abhc4ivf #abpoli

    September 29, 2014 - By 

    1 in 6 people struggle with infertility. I talk about that often here in this space. Why? Because I believe in a Canadian health care system that is accessible and great. And because infertility is a hard emotional and financial journey. It is devastating to far too many. That’s part of the reason why I help advocate for public funding for IVF. Couples, and singles, who are diagnosed with infertility, are sometimes prescribed In vitro fertilization as the best course of action. In Vitro Fertilization is a process by which sperm and egg are introduced in a lab and left…

  • Health

    When I Sponsor a Child With World Vision Canada Does My Money Really Go To Them? Child Poverty #TMMWVC

    September 26, 2014 - By 

    When I sponsor a child with World Vision Canada does my money really go to them? This is the number one question I am asked most in the days leading up to my trip to Colombia. I spent a week finding the answer to this question inside many impoverished Colombian cities where violence and drugs are a threat to childhood and family health. I witnessed extreme child poverty and the work World Vision is doing to try to help. I hope these posts help answer that question and many others too. Meet Miguel and Juan. I introduced you to them…