Shine was born from my personal journey through infertility and grew out of my dream to create a place for women and their families to come together to share, experience, learn, and celebrate our unique challenges in creating the families we so desperately desire…

Shine is…

• a place to share feelings and experiences, and gather knowledge and information
• peer support through open discussion
• professional knowledge shared from guest speakers covering topics such as infertility options, alternative medicine, nutrition, life coaching, and more!

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My story started way back in late 2008…my road to PG (short for pregnant) was a bumpy one…I went through high points and low points…

It started with my husband (Bill) and I deciding we wanted to start our family, getting off the pill, and ringing in 2009 with a normal annual exam at my OBGYN, learning I have a non-existent period, going through preliminary testing, trying several rounds of hormonal meds to help “jump start” my period, nothing working…, getting referred to an infertility specialist, going through WAY more testing, getting diagnosed with PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome), to even more rounds of hormonal meds, more than I can count blood works and ultrasounds, and again nothing working…, finally getting my period started, turning the corner to 2010, to several failed IUI (the glamorous acronym for Intrauterine Insemination, previously known as Artificial Insemination) attempts, to our first IVF (In-Vitro Fertilization) attempt, including more meds (you name it I was probably on it), shots (in my stomach and my behind), tons of monitoring appointments (blood work and ultrasound), periods of stress, sadness, pain, and general “why me”, to finally in June 2010 the feeling of overwhelming joy, hearing the words “you are pregnant”.

It was a long road, but time flies, and reflecting back on it makes me all the more appreciative that I got pregnant, and am now a mom to my little girl Gwen (we nicknamed “LOC” for little O’Connor and now “Scooter”).

I decided to start this group and write my blog to share my story, to help other women going through infertility not feel alone, and to help break the silence of infertility.

I hope that when reading my story you can laugh (and cry) right along with me, and feel that you have a friend who is side by side with you, going through this with you, together.  I wish that you find help (and humor) in my posts detailing my journey of overcoming infertility, the highs and lows of being pregnant, and the trials and tribulations of a new mom navigating this thing called parenthood.