Author Archives: haleybartsch

At the beginning of September, Dustin had to take our dog, Pieces, to the vet. She has an underactive thyroid (just like me!) so, she is on daily medication. When her prescription runs out, she needs to have blood work done (also, like me!) to make sure there are no adjustments that need to beContinue reading “It Might Be Something Better Than You Planned”

I was chatting with a friend a few months ago about this blog and my Icing and Animal Crackers Instagram page. She asked if I was going to continue writing, even though we are no longer trying to have children. I started the blog in August 2021 after our second donor embryo transfer ended inContinue reading “It’s Still a Miracle”

Last Friday, we celebrated our 11th anniversary! It’s hard to believe it’s been 11 years; as they say, time flies when you’re having fun! But if you have read my blog from the beginning, you know the last 10 years have not all been “fun”. You’ll also know that seeing a counsellor has been importantContinue reading “Team 11”

This week is National Infertility Awareness Week and honestly, it crept up on me this year! I remember the first year that I made a social media post for NIAW. I was so nervous for what people’s reaction would be, but I also wanted to make people aware that this is something that affects 1Continue reading “National Infertility Awareness Week 2023”

I apologize in advance; this is not going to be an uplifting post! But I wanted closure for this part of our story before I write about how we continue to rebuild our life after all we have gone through. So, here it is:  March 1st, 2022, we transferred two donor embryos. March 14th it wasContinue reading “There’s No Good Answer”

It’s been a while since I’ve written a blog post. I’ve sat down a few times between now and November and attempted to write. I’ve started a few and not finished. I’ve finished a few and decided I wasn’t ready to post. The following is a post I started writing back in October. It hasContinue reading “Not the End”

A monumental event happened this week in the infertility world, specifically for the childless community. Jennifer Aniston did an interview with Allure Magazine and spoke openly about her infertility. On my Icing and Animal Crackers Instagram account I follow other fertility related accounts. Let me tell you, my feed was blown up with posts about theContinue reading “Celebrities: They’re Just Like Us”

Everything was different in our third transfer. My body was responding well to the medication now that it was being regulated. My ultrasound results were better than they had ever been. We found a donor with two very high-quality embryos. We spent a few days relaxing by the ocean after the transfer. When we gotContinue reading “Third Time is Not a Charm”

From September to January, I monitored my thyroid (TSH level) through lab work. In January, my naturopath felt I was in a good range to begin prepping for our next donor embryo cycle. When choosing our first and second donor embryos, we prioritized characteristics that were similar to ours. In our third cycle, we askedContinue reading “To Twin or Not to Twin”

Time flies! It’s been over a month since my last blog post! If you’re a teacher, you know how crazy June is: the kids are antsy, report cards need to be complete, parent meetings are taking place, classrooms are being cleaned, everyone in the school is ready for a break! This June was a littleContinue reading “This Summer”