Keep Your Face Towards the Sunshine – Meet Lovable Lindsay Livingston
Welcome back to Warrior Women Wednesday!
Have you seen those lovable faces before? I bet you have! That’s the Livingston fam, infamous to the popular blog, The Lean Green Bean.
I haven’t had the pleasure to meet Lindsay in real life yet, but her honesty and genuine nature stole my heart a few years back when we were in the first years #TTC. I invited Lindsay to share her story here on the community of Bumps to Baby for I believe it’s important we continue to show the road to motherhood is not always picture perfect.
Lindsay and her husband share their story below and I welcome you to join Lindsay as she shares her journey below.
Tell your story.
We decided to start trying to have a baby in November of 2012. I had been on birth control for a long time, and went off it at the end of the summer. I wasn’t sure how long it would take for things to get back to normal, but I had no delay. Everything was regulated during my first month off the pill, complete with the terrible, terrible cramps which were the reason I went on the pill in the first place.
At the end of 2012, I was about 5 months away from finishing my dietetic internship. We figured it would take a couple of months, but knew that if it did happen that first month, I would still be able to finish my internship. When nothing had happened by February, I went to the doctor to get checked out and was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. My TSH levels were super high (6.5 when they’re supposed to be under 3) so I was put on Synthroid. It took several months of playing with the dose to my levels down into the normal range but things were under control by June. My doctor told me this could be playing a role in not getting pregnant so I was hopeful that it would happen now that my levels were under control.
No luck. When things still hadn’t happened by November, I went to see an OB-GYN. After discussing options, he gave me a prescription for 3 months of Clomid. Clomid is often used to help women get their period if they aren’t getting it on their own. He told me that since I was already getting it, it would basically supercharge things. I told the three rounds of Clomid in November, December and January with no luck. I didn’t really have any of the negative side effects that some women get while on it, which I was grateful for.
By this point I was starting to lose hope. If you want to read more about the emotions we were dealing with, check out this post we wrote about our struggles. I went back to my OB in January and he said we could try another 3 months of Clomid or go see a specialist.
We opted to see a specialist and got an appointment in early February. Hubby also got things checked out on his end and everything was fine. We met with the specialist, developed a plan, I got some blood work done, and we made a list of various things we were going to do after I got my period that month. There were certain tests that we couldn’t do because of where I was at in my cycle but the plan was to check my tubes to make sure they were clear and try another round of Clomid, plus an IUI. Except my period never came that month.
I ended up getting pregnant without clomid after 3 months (with Squish, baby #1).
How long did you try?
We tried for over a year. I used an app to track but did not chart body temperature.
How has the journey to motherhood changed you?
It’s made me realize that getting pregnant is not easy for everyone. I no longer ask people when they’re having kids or why they don’t have kids yet….something I never thought twice about asking before I went through the struggle myself. I wrote this post about it. I published the blog post about a month before I found out I was pregnant with my son. I was overwhelmed by the number of people who reached out and told their similar story. I wish more people talked openly about their struggles so they could receive support and realize they aren’t alone.
What advice do you have for women struggling with trying to conceive?
Talk about it. Ask people to send positive thoughts your way. Find a tribe of friends who you can text when your period keeps coming month after month and you just wanna punch something. Don’t go through it alone.
Favorite quote to pick you up?
Always keep your face to the sunshine and the shadows will fall behind you.
Favorite healthy comfort food?
Eggs and toast 🙂 Or if I’m feeling fancy, Whole Wheat Yogurt Waffles!
Thanks so much Lindsay! What a great reminder to, “Keep Your Face Towards the Sunshine!”