Women's Concert of Prayer: Motherhood

"Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises." James 5:13 (NLT)

The women from my home church [Parker Road Bible Church] host the occasional Women's Concert of Prayer -- once or twice a year. Over the years, I've attended a couple of these events and have always found them to be a positive and beautiful experience. Prayer is amazing and the results can be breath-taking.

On Saturday, March 23rd, my church is hosting a special event entitled, Women's Concert of Prayer: Motherhood. From 10:30 am - 12:00 pm, we will gather together at Parker Road Bible Church and focus our prayers completely on motherhood. So I have to ask...

Are you or someone you love struggling with infertility or childlessness?

Do you know someone who has lost a child through death, miscarriage, adoption, or abortion?

Do you have a child that has left the nest, gone astray or are you just going along day-by-day trying to raise kids the best you can?

No matter what your situation may be or who you would like to pray for, you are more than welcome to join your sisters in Christ for a special time of prayer.

For more information about this event, feel free to check out the official Facebook event page -- Women's Concert of Prayer: Motherhood. By clicking on the link, you can get more information and RSVP for this event. If you can't physically make it to Parker Road Bible Church, please consider scheduling some time to pray during our Concert of Prayer -- and let us know where you'll be praying from by joining the event and posting on the event wall.

Now for a quick infertility update!

I had an appointment this morning and it looks like I've got the green light to start taking my next round of fertility medications. This time around my clomid has been doubled to 100mg. I will also be taking prednisone and estadiol. I've been on metformin for three weeks (going on four) and, starting today, I have started taking my full dosage (4 pills a day, 2 in the AM and 2 in the PM).

I've been experiencing some uncomfortable side-effects from the metformin -- mostly loss of appetite due to feeling full/bloated, dizziness, and fatigue. These side-effects are perfectly normal. Prednisone will likely make me very hungry and people usually gain weight when they're on it -- so I have to be extra careful. I can't remember if it is the prednisone or the estadiol, but one of them makes you emotional and you can't always process thoughts very well. So I'll be all kinds of messed up starting this week -- good luck, Dan. I took estadiol during my last treatment and I don't recall experiencing any negative side effects, so it's probably the prednisone -- which is a steroid.

I've taken up yoga/stretching to help my body prepare for my fertility treatments and (Lord willing)upcoming pregnancy. Dan and I are also looking into getting massages during this treatment. The more relaxed we can get our bodies the better. We're not looking to break the bank, so we're looking at Groupon deals. We found one that seems reasonable, so we'll see if it'll work out. I'm feeling good about this treatment, so I want to make sure I make the most of it!

Starting tomorrow, I'll be on clomid for five days and prednisone for ten days. Once I'm done with the clomid I'll be on estadiol until they tell me to stop. I have a follow-up appointment on Monday, March 18th at 7:00 am. At this appointment we will see if there is any follicle growth. I'm feeling good about this treatment, so we'll see what God has in store for me.

As always, thank you for all your prayers and support! God's hands are at work and while I'm feeling the weight of my trials, I'm also feeling joy and excitement as I anticipate the outcome of our fertility treatments.