Book Description
A memoir of hope for the thousands of women struggling with infertility, from one who beat the odds by simply tuning in to her body and tapping her well of sheer determination.
At a time when more and more women are trying to get pregnant at increasingly advanced ages, fertility specialists and homeopathic researchers boast endless treatment options. But when Julia Indichova made the rounds of medical doctors and nontraditional healers, she was still unable to conceive a child. It was only when she forsook their financially and emotionally draining advice, turning inward instead, that she finally met with reproductive success. Inconceivable recounts this journey from hopeless diagnoses to elated motherhood.
Anyone who has faced infertility will relate to Julia’s desperate measures: acupuncture, unidentifiable black-and-white pellets, herb soup, foul-smelling fruit, even making love on red sheets. Five reproductive endocrinologists told her that there was no documented case of anyone in her hormonal condition getting pregnant, forcing her to finally embark on her own intuitive regimen. After eight caffeine-free, nutrient-rich, yoga-laden months, complemented by visualization exercises, Julia received amazing news; incredibly, she was pregnant. Nine months later she gave birth to a healthy girl.
Unlike the many infertility books that take a clinical “how to” approach, Inconceivable simply professes the wisdom of giving expert status back to the patient. Julia’s self-discovery, and her ability to see her body as an ally once again, yield a beautiful message about the importance of honoring the body’s innate powers, and the power of life itself.
Download Description
A memoir of hope for the thousands of women struggling with infertility, from one who beat the odds by simply tuning in to her body and tapping her well of sheer determination.
At a time when more and more women are trying to get pregnant at increasingly advanced ages, fertility specialists and homeopathic researchers boast endless treatment options. But when Julia Indichova made the rounds of medical doctors and nontraditional healers, she was still unable to conceive a child. It was only when she forsook their financially and emotionally draining advice, turning inward instead, that she finally met with reproductive success. Inconceivable recounts this journey from hopeless diagnoses to elated motherhood.
Anyone who has faced infertility will relate to Julia's desperate measures: acupuncture, unidentifiable black-and-white pellets, herb soup, foul-smelling fruit, even making love on red sheets. Five reproductive endocrinologists told her that there was no documented case of anyone in her hormonal condition getting pregnant, forcing her to finally embark on her own intuitive regimen. After eight caffeine-free, nutrient-rich, yoga-laden months, complemented by visualization exercises, Julia received amazing news; incredibly, she was pregnant. Nine months later she gave birth to a healthy girl.
Unlike the many infertility books that take a clinical "how to" approach, Inconceivable simply professes the wisdom of giving expert status back to the patient. Julia's self-discovery, and her ability to see her body as an ally once again, yield a beautiful message about the importance of honoring the body's innate powers, and the power of life itself.
Customer Reviews:
Great read. A wonderful story of alternatives!.......2007-09-08
I bought this for my sister-in-law, but since I'm a pregnancy/birth junkie I read it before sending it to her. I think it's a wonderful reminder that western docs do not know everything there is to know about fertility and infertility, but they tend to act like they do and present no alternatives.
My sister-in-law just had her first baby a few months ago after 10 years of trying. The few years of Western fertility treatment did not work and she hadn't yet gotten around to the acupuncture I was urging her to get. It happened naturally after they came out to visit my hubby and daughter and me.
Nothing like someone else who understands........2007-07-26
Although the author is struggling with secondary infertility she still is suffering, as we all are. I saw I was not alone in what I was feeling and she opened up my mind and heart through her journey. I found it very helpful and I read in 24 hours cover to cover.
Amazingly hopeful, beautifully written, a must-read for anyone struggling with infertility.......2007-04-19
In the midst of my own struggle with infertility, I luckily came across Julia Indichova's beautiful book, Inconceivable. Her story of hope has touched me like no other book I've read on this subject and it was this book which allowed me to discover the author's support circles, workshops and website community which I have found to be an invaluable resource on this difficult journey. I highly recommend this book for anyone, male or female, who is struggling with infertility. I also highly recommend her second book, The Fertile Female which provides hands-on techniques for practicing what Julia calls her "Fertile Heart" tools. Incorporating these tools into my daily life has transformed me mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. While there are many tools regarding diet, exercise and relaxation, the most valuable and unique tools are the mind-body imagery and body talk tools. Deep within each of us who travel on this confusing, often scary journey through infertility, there exists a powerful and magnificent life force that is yearning to be heard. We can tap into this force more easily by listening to our bodies and connecting with our true self. The Fertile Heart tools exist to help us to this, and I am so grateful to have found them. The Fertile Female: How the Power of Longing for a Child Can Save Your Life and Change the World
Worthwhile...but read with a HUGE grain of salt.......2007-03-26
First of all, don't read this book if you are looking for in-depth info or specifics regarding a story of infertility. The reader is given pretty vague details about the author's "infertility"--only her age, FSH number, and a previous pregnancy, and no details on when the FSH was even taken in her cycle (we presume 3, but it isn't confirmed), and no other numbers from her testing, and the reader is then led to believe that a woman with an FSH of 42 (with her lab assay indicating 20 being limit for normal) can't conceive--at all.
The premise of this book is false. In reality, if you read up a lot on infertility, then you are probably aware that numerous women with higher FSH can and do conceive. Even if a woman has poor egg quality and quantity, that doesn't mean that every once in a while, she can't kick out a decent egg in a given cycle and achieve pregnancy. Not common, but it happens. The difference is that assisted reproduction techniques, especially IVF, depend on a woman being able to produce a decent number of quality follicles after drug stimulation. Women with high FSH and age typically are poor candidates for IVF, because they can't generate many follicles, of a decent size, and even if they do, the eggs sometimes are too fragile to withstand the IVF process and die upon retrieval, or subsequently fail to implant. So, while it makes sense that the author was probably refused admittance to IVF programs, it seems to me that the author misconstrued this as meaning she could never have a child. If the author was literally told that women with high FSH NEVER conceive, then the doctors or their assistants were just morons. Which is also possible.
In any event, I have to agree with "Bookcrazed" that this book is a tad dangerous. Not all women with infertility are going to be able to take yoga, go vegan and organic, and reduce stress, and then suddenly become pregnant after serious diagnoses and problems. And I was also very unimpressed with the anecdotes from people visiting workshops who got pregnant. A lot of them were young compared to most infertility patients or had minor issues to overcome or no diagnosis of infertility or diminished ovarian reserve. If this program really worked, we could anticipate seeing women 40-50, conceive with very high FSH numbers, after years and years of Western infertility treatments failed. And that's not what most of the anecdotes are. So, I think this book has to be careful in terms of not trying to sell snake oil to women who are desperate to conceive. And the author apparently does workshops on her regimine, so there is a financial stake in all this. If you have ever looked at fertility seminars/retreats around the country, you will note that some of them cost thousands of dollars!
I also think that few people could really do this regime. The woman gives up all alcohol, caffeine, dairy, and meat. One of her big things is daily organic "juicing." This women did not have a full time job. So, it's a totally vegan and organic diet that would be incredibly expensive and time consuming. People with full time jobs or budget limitations would have a very tough time with this. And she wasn't stressed out like people who have no kids, because she already had a toddler.
She also had a much younger husband (7-8 years?) which is worth noting because many women with infertility issues may be using donors, or if they are over 40, have husbands even older than themselves, and this can affect outcomes.
Having said this, I think it's a worthwhile read if you read this in the frame of mind that: 1) it is good to question doctors; and 2) getting in touch with your body and radically improving your health overall in terms of stress, counseling, some physical activity, and big nutritional changes could possibly tip the balance for some women, and even assuming it doesn't--and you should not expect it too- you will be in great shape.
I think there are some more realistic books out there on this issue that are also worth reading. One I recently enjoyed is the one "Waiting for Daisy" by Peggy Orenstein. Well written. Funny, relatable, frank. Orenstein eventually conceives despite a lot of odds--one ovary, cancer, miscarriage issues, a husband 10 years old and she's almost 40, but unlike this author, Orenstein ultimately conceives when she isn't really trying, and Orenstein is frank about how acupuncture and alternative medicine did NOT work for her, and is equally critical of how Western doctors are frequently trying to sell the product more than oversee the care. I also like, Liz Tilberis' "No time to die" about her unsuccessful fertility treatments, as well as Ann Taylor Fleming's "Motherhood Deferred"--she was also ultimately unsuccessful. Makes you realize that if you aren't successful, you aren't alone.
moral of the story--never give up.......2007-01-11
This author really inspires with her tale of how she persisted through negative medical predictions to conceive her second daughter. Her story highlights the fact that averages and statistics are just that, and that we can participate in our own reproductive destinies.
Amazon.com
Into the Depths of God by Calvin Miller gives guidance to Christians who are not satisfied by superficial relationships with God. Miller is a pastor, poet, painter, and theologian who has written more than 30 books (including the bestselling Singer Trilogy). In four main sections, "The Disciplined Life," "The Listening Life," "The Informed Life," and "The Confessional Life," Miller describes a vision of worship that will help readers escape the tyranny of forces that limit their perception of God, and explore more deeply God's mysterious presence that always beckons to us. Miller is a lively, entertaining writer who's not afraid of taking risks to get his points across: "How often the church is like Gilligan's Island," begins one argument. The analogy works surprisingly well: "None of [the characters] were going anywhere really. They were just living, and talking about a bigger world. But their conversation never amounted to much and none of them sacrificed themselves in any major way to get off their island prison." With Miller's guidance, many of us will finally break out of our prisons and into the freedom of God. (The book's study guide, complete with questions, will be useful for Sunday school classes or small groups.)
Book Description
A Life-Changing Journey of the Heart-
The waters of life are rough at the surface. But beneath the choppy waves of circumstances is a peaceful, unchanging haven-a dwelling place in God-a secret rendezvous with Him.
Entering into the depths of the fullness of God is not some distant thing for which a Christian must struggle throughout life. It is as near as one's heart, a majestic doorway that leads to the reality of God. The apostle Paul wrote: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" (1 Corinthians 2:9).
For those desiring a deep relationship with God, Calvin Miller shows believers how to break the tyranny of the things that bind up their hearts and then discover an intimacy with God that is too overwhelming to be measured by our senses alone.
Customer Reviews:
One big sticking point.......2006-01-06
This book is good. He gives you good ideas to futher chew upon and study. He gives great challenges to someone who thinks they are a good christian or close to God. My problem with this book is that it seemed like he had a chip on his shoulder...there was an incident where he gave a work of his art as a gift and the person rebuked him in a horrible manner. I agree it was awful how he was treated; but to use a book to trash an entire community or group of people because of that is poor taste.
Go Deep.......2001-09-30
Miller is an author who definitely has a way with words. He has stretched my vocabulary in exploring the depths of life in Christ. His words stick to me, making me want more of Him, and want to share that hunger with others. Many times, only a chapter or just a few pages would be all I could read at one time - not because of time restraints, but because I needed digestion time. Go deep... then go deeper.
Arousing and Satisfying Hunger for God.......2000-06-16
This book lifted my spirits, challenged my complacency, fueled my imagination, and gave me a fresh perspective on my pursuit of Christ. Perhaps it was just the right book at the right time, but I believe it was more than this.
I picked up the book because of the recommendations by Eugene Peterson and Richard Foster on the back cover. Rarely has Peterson let me down and thus I took his word on this book--and he was right. Miller masterfully and imaginatively paints a picture of the Christian life that is both ancient and fresh.
He begins by demonstrating that Christians are characterized by their hunger to know God and to plunge into deeper depths of love and obedience. However, this takes discipline. "We would like to appear to be like Jesus without the discipline of really being like him" (13). He thus calls us to a heavenly and inward life. "Life in Christ is the only life built from heaven earthward and from the inside outward" (224). This is not a one-time act, but a life-long pilgrimage. "We cannot give our entire lives to God at one time and have it done with for all time. We must surrender second by second" (47). It will take sacrifice as well. "Sacrifice that insists on 'time off' from its own requirements is little more than indulgence with a small religious habit" (149).
Miller's chapters on materialism and the tyranny of time are challenging and eye-opening. His chapter on the place of mystery in the Christian life is much needed in the church today. So much worship is lost because all mystery is explained away! Miller ends his book with a great section on the place of confession of sin and the role of guilt in the Christian life. For example, Miller writes, "Are Christians never to feel guilty? Is guilt never good? Yes, when it has the effect of bringing us to God, but it can also have the effect of obscuring God. Guilt is most worthless when we become so self preoccupied that we can't see anything but our own selfish needs" (198).
In short, this book is full of unique and fresh insights that will make you long to live for God. The book both arouses spiritual hunger and simultaneously satisfies our hunger--thus accomplishing its objective.
Average customer rating:
- Battle of the sexes?
- First half good, second half BAD.
- A much needed sense of humour for all infertile couples !
- HYSTEROSALPINGOGRAMS AND ALL THAT
- Wonderfully written, funny, sweet book - loved it!
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Inconceivable
Ben Elton
Manufacturer: Delta
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ASIN: 0385334656
Release Date: 2000-11-28 |
Book Description
The international bestseller that inspired the movie Maybe Baby.
Birds do it. Bees do it. Why can't Sam and Lucy?
When Lucy first suggested they make a baby, Sam was gung ho --after all, sleeping with his wife is one of Sam's favorite things to do. Then out came the thermometers, followed by the holistic home remedies -- not to mention some humiliating bouts with specimen jars. Soon Lucy's demands are driving Sam out of his mind. That is, until Sam conceives a plan of his own: He'll write a screenplay based on his and Lucy's poignant (and often uproarious) efforts to conceive a child. It could be a big hit. It might even make Sam's career. Or cost him his marriage . . .
From the award-winning author of
Popcorn and
Blast from the Past comes this hilarious and heartbreaking new novel --a provocative two-sided look at one couple's inconceivable dilemma. From sperm that swim backward to aromatherapy run amok, procreation for Lucy and Sam has turned into a grisly little war. But if Lucy feels barren as the Sahara, and Sam thinks his gay friends will be fathers before he is, they're about to have yet another problem on their hands: saving the love that once was everything they had. . . .
Download Description
Lucy desperately wants a baby. Sam is determined to write a hit movie. The problem is both of their efforts seem to be unfruitful. And given that the average IVF cycle has about a one in five chance of going into full production, Lucy?s chances of getting what she wants are considerably better than Sam?s. What Sam and Lucy are about to go through is inconceivable. The question is, can their love survive?
Customer Reviews:
Battle of the sexes?.......2007-03-30
This is a really good book. IMHO really good authors aren't only funny or only serious, but both because that's how real life is. Both Sam and Lucy are, in a way, caricatures - Lucy the former career girl panicked about her waning fertility, Sam the bewildered male who can't see what all the fuss is about - but they seem real and endearing through the "diary" format of the narrative.
Without giving away any real spoilers, I'll say that I love the character development in this book - how Sam comes to share Lucy's desire to have a child, how both characters come to be more sympathetic to each other through the process, and of course the ending that illustrates that real love and forgiveness are possible.
But good heavens, I really hope that if I ever want to have kids I'll prove fertile - this book really shows you all the hoops that reproductive technologies make couples jump through!
First half good, second half BAD........2007-03-17
I agree with the other posters who thought this book was hilarious--up to a point. Where it all went south for me was when the husband started acting like a total jerk by writing a screenplay about their experiences, selling it, and starting filming on the project. I won't spoil the rest, but by the end I was so disgusted with the husband, the wife, and their situation, that I wanted my money back. I'm so glad I bought this used instead of new.
Also, maybe this shows the male point of view on infertility well, but not the female one. There's so little detail on what the woman actually goes through in a trying to conceive cycle--it's laughable.
If you get it, enjoy the beginning, and don't feel bad about skimming the second half. The shift in tone and characterization is jarring; too bad the author spoiled such a good beginning.
A much needed sense of humour for all infertile couples !.......2005-08-18
Being infertile can be hell ! However, a sense of humour can help you cope better, and this book provides that. Even more importantly, it will help you communicate better with your spouse, because you'll be able to understand each other's perspective much better !
HYSTEROSALPINGOGRAMS AND ALL THAT.......2005-07-20
Ben Elton's style has been got under a bit of control since the heady early days of Stark. He still takes the occasional potshot at incidental targets, but he no longer fires a scattergun in every direction as he did then. As often, he picks a topic that might seem to call for the utmost delicacy and tact and treats it with the utmost frankness and even ribaldry. The topic in question is human infertility, although there is a very entertainingly-handled sub-plot of life within the BBC in addition. His style of comedy has always been to highlight the grotesque side of things, and so it remains here. This doesn't show any lack of human sympathy on his part - indeed very much the reverse I should say - but he is not for the shy or the oversensitive much less for the solemn or the pompous.
The processes of human sexuality verge on the absurd at the best of times whatever else can be said about them. When we factor in the exceptional manoeuvres increasingly demanded by a desperate mid-30's childless wife from her less committed husband, culminating in the lurid rituals of IVF, I think it's fair to say that it takes a certain type of writer to deal with such a theme successfully. Ben Elton handles it brilliantly. We are not spared the most graphic or intimate physical and anatomical details, but the comic style Elton adopts really masks a true delicacy of perception. Indeed I'm inclined to say that nobody with less of a sense of humour than the two protagonists show in this book would have been able to see the whole gruesome process through. The humour is very English humour, and I think I know what it's modelled on to a great extent. During the years of the Thatcher Terror, there used to be a hilarious column in the magazine Private Eye purporting to consist of letters from her husband to a friend named Bill. These were written in a very public-school idiom, probably derived basically from P G Wodehouse but influenced by minor literature such as the Molesworth books, familiar also from Oxford common-rooms and similar places of association, and updated more recently into the dialogue of the chattering classes in Islington and similar parts of London, the form in which we find it here. This idiom can take the heaviness out of the most serious situations without trivialising them, and whether or not I'm right about its precise origin in this book that is the way its author tries to use it, and tries very successfully in my own opinion.
The author never speaks to us directly throughout the whole book, using instead the device of diaries written by the husband and wife, much as is done in Julian Barnes's Talking it Over. The device works very well here. Ben Elton is an observer and critic with a particularly acute eye for human behaviour and attitudes, and it helps if he steps back a little from the narrative for that very reason. The incidents in the story are often Rabelaisian and hilarious, but the dilemmas and worse that the characters face are touched in with no little sympathy as well as perceptiveness. The style of writing has even gained a little (dare I say this?) refinement, to its and our general benefit I'd say. The ending is genuinely touching, so on balance 5 stars.
Wonderfully written, funny, sweet book - loved it!.......2005-04-22
This was the first Ben Elton book I read (have since read 3 more as I enjoyed this one so much). The book is so fabulously well written, especially about a subject that many men might find difficult to write about (the inability to conceive), but Elton manages to make the reader empathize with the protagonist even at the same time that you think he's acting like a complete twerp! I sympathized with both him and his spouse, and could understand why he acted the way he did even though I was wanting to shout to him "Oh Geez, don't do THAT." :-)
I couldn't put the book down - read it in one 3 1/2 hour sitting and then immediately went out and bought another Elton book. Fabulous book. Talented author.
Average customer rating:
- This Is a Very Excellent Book
- A Classic For A New Generation (and a Aging One)
- I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- Vivid adventure.
- Deeply moving story with sumptuous illustrations
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Abadazad: The Road to Inconceivable - Book #1 (Abadazad)
Manufacturer: Hyperion
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 142310062X |
Book Description
Kates little brother Matt is missing, and Kate thinks she will never see him again. But then she finds out that Matt is trapped in the world of Abadazad. Will Kate have the courage to look for her brother? And if she leaves homewill she ever return?
Customer Reviews:
This Is a Very Excellent Book.......2006-11-16
This book deserves more than five stars! Its compelling, exciting, intriguing etc. Loooooooooooooove it! I've never read such a fantastic novel! This is a book for all kids to enjoy. A classic and a masterpeice! Its appropriate for all ages. The plot is about a young girl, Kate, who finds herself in a enchanted land. You feel as if you're there yourself and experience the exciting events right with Kate. I highly recomend this fantastic novel.
A Classic For A New Generation (and a Aging One).......2006-11-15
Cross Gen Comics was a noble failure. The publisher tried to expand Comics by publishing stories in as many far-thinking formats as possible. They also tried to create tales for all age groups and interests by pushing into as many genres as possible, eschewing for the most part the capes and tights superheroics that still dominate this dusk of the comic industry. Alas, the financial side of the equation did not match the creative and Cross Gen was in the end unsuccessful.
However, one of the last enterprises of the company was the launching of Abadazad. It lasted a mere 3 issues, but fortunately showed enough of it's promise (and generated good word-of-mouth) to be picked up by Disney.
Abadazad is clearly the Wizard of Oz for the generations that have grown up demanding more depth even for Children's entertainment.
Abadazad is a dynamite mix of prose, traditional illustrations and pure comics. The prose adds so much more to the story than could ever be portrayed in traditional panel comics and the comic pages add so much more illustrative depth than could otherwise be conveyed.
The story is strong. While it concerns a more or less standard quest of fantasy ( a young girl must travel to a strange and enchanted land to rescue her little brother), the main character's persona is so much richer (and just a little edgier) thanks to the circumstances of her rather difficult life and family relations perceeding the jump to pure fantasy.
And what a fantasy world she jumps into! With all the depth and colour of Oz or Narnia, but with just a slightly harder edge that should be acceptable to both parent and child. Mike Ploog brings the fantastic world of Abadazad to life and proves the axiom that a picture is worth a thousand words!
A wonderful start for a series that should be immensely enjoyed by anyone 8 or older (or even MUCH older).
I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.......2006-11-06
This is an amazingly good book. The moment I picked it up I knew I was in for a treat. The charactors are fantastic and the plot is compelling and engrossing. The illistrations do wonders for the eye and once you star reading you can't stop. 5 stars!!!!!
Vivid adventure........2006-09-24
Take the graphic novel format, add full color, and add more text to get a vivid enchanting diary/journal of magic, adventure, and a friendless child whose life changes. A journey to another world makes for vivid adventure.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
Deeply moving story with sumptuous illustrations.......2006-08-17
These books share a trait with Alice in Wonderland/Looking Glass in having multiple layers of meaning. Alice books were a bit too mental when I read them in my young age, and fully appreciated them only after I had grown up.
Abadazad books on the other hand have a lot of heart. I am sure they will resonate much more with young children. I a 40+ person, also thoroughly enjoyed them.
And these books also have a lot of layers of meaning. A very intelligent and heartfelt creation.
Customer Reviews:
Essential to ANY Buddhist practice!.......2004-12-27
It seems to be a common misunderstanding that this particular sutra (or any other sutra for that matter) is "essential to the understanding of Hua Yen Buddhism". As a practicioner of true Zen, I would say that this is overly simplistic and even dualistic. All sutras, even the so-called "Hinayana" (Therevada) pali texts, can lead to sudden enlightenment. The Buddha taught via "expediant means", which is to say, he taught the same essential idea to everyone using different terms and symbols according to the capacities and tendencies of the listeners. Thus, the Flower Ornament Scripture contains the true essence of mind, as does all other sutras. Even the Holy Bible, if properly understood, can lead one to sudden enlightenment.
This translation of the Flower Ornament Scripture is by far the best (and I am not aware of many more), and Thomas Cleary is, in my opinion, the very best translator of Asian, and particularly Chinese spiritual texts (both Buddhist and Taoist), and his expertise, along with the help of J.C. Cleary, shines through here. I admit it took me a while to attain this beautiful book due to it's high cost, but it will sit in a place of honor along with my other Buddhist texts on my bookshelf.
If you read the Flower Ornament Scripture in order to "practice" the "doctrines" of the Flower Ornament Scripture, then of course you will be reborn in the lowest hell or even become a worm in a mud pit in the next life. However, if you read the Flower Ornament Scripture with your true nature and practice insight while reflecting on the rather massive text, there is absolutley no reason at all why you can't become a Buddha of the Western Paradise in a single moment!
Maybe I sound too abtuse, but the simple fact is that the Flower Ornament Scripture, while applying primarily to the "practice" of institutional Hua Yen Buddhism, is indeed a skillful guide towards the observation that the Flower Ornament Scripture would make good kindling for a fire on a cold winter night.
Thanks, and have a nice time reading this great translation of what may well be the most complete text of Buddhist practice (and yes, I am including the Heart and Lotus sutras) ever composed.
But it still doesn't "mean" a single thing!
Book Description
Once upon a time, equipped with a solid marriage, driven careers, and a recently finished basement, my husband and I were ready to start a family. Like many 30-something couples, we thought it would be easy. Unfortunately, after nearly 18 months of doing things "the old fashioned way," my husband was diagnosed with a latent birth defect. It rendered us virtually infertile, not to mention devastated and confused.
The remarkable thing about confusion is that it can spur knowledge and strength. Infertility did just that for us. We moved forward to try to have a child with the help of science and technology. Before we could blink, we were in the midst of monumental efforts to finance our baby-making venture, ordering medications on the Internet, and undergoing multiple, sometimes risky, and invasive, procedures. We endured it all for a single chance to have a child of our own.
Pregnancy Wishes & IVF Dreams: A Story & Lessons About Life, Love, & Infertility is a compelling and insightful look at one couple's struggle with male factor infertility and everything that goes with it. From failed attempts at conception, batteries of fertility tests, and a devastating diagnosis, to IVF/ICSI, other treatments, and ultimately the birth of fraternal twin daughters, Pregnancy Wishes & IVF Dreams offers readers a sense of shared experience through a real-time, personal story. The book also provides first-hand insights, guidance, and quotes covering a range of universal issues including dealing with jealousy, great expectations, doctors, risk, finances, and family. Finally, Pregnancy Wishes comes full circle, leaving readers with twelve, invaluable lessons-learned about life, love, infertility, and numerous questions, and challenges in between.
Like an understanding friend, Pregnancy Wishes & IVF Dreams will leave you feelings less alone, and more empowered as you cope with infertility.
Customer Reviews:
a must read, must buy book.......2007-04-11
Pregancy Wishes and IVF Dreams is an honest and touching account of a couples difficulties with conceiving a child. I have not had to experience infertility directly, but I have a sister and a friend who did. I could also relate to and empathize with Kelley's story as the mother of two children. Kelley Taylor's book is an inspirational story about the challenges that life can present to the reader. It's a must read book for anyone who is facing infertiltity as well as those who have a loved one or friend who is experiencing infertility.
Book Description
One in six couples in America will experience reproductive problems. Julia Indichova and her husband were part of that statistic. According to several fertility specialists Julia's high FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) level was an indication that her body was no longer producing fertilizable eggs. Her only chance of conceiving, they said, was in-vitro-fertilization with a donor egg. After a futile quest for a more hopeful prognosis, Julia searched through a variety of holistic alternatives and finally decided upon a personal healing regimen. She followed it as single-mindedly , as one would follow a doctor's prescription of antibiotics. Her daughter Adira was conceived naturally, eight months later, and was born on April 29, 1994.
Customer Reviews:
Inconceivable makes it all conceivable.......2003-09-23
This book is great for anyone who has been told she cannot have a baby "on her own" and for anyone feeling as though no one understands. Julia articulates the frustration, overwhelm, and disappointment that is felt by so many of us who have been told we are too old or are infertile while at the same time gives us hope that there is an alternative. I wish I could meet her in person and thank her. On the inside back flap of the book it says "maybe you are the person Julia knows is out there waiting to hear it" (her story). I was that person and the book made a huge difference in the way I am going forth and made a huge difference in my life!!
One of the best books out there.......2003-05-30
Plain and simple, Julia Indichova just makes this all manageable. She has walked the walk and knows what it means to be told that a baby is not possible. She has found a path that works and she is generous in sharing her journey with us. The people who are disappointed are upset that there is no magic formula here. But I found hope in the fact that no one solution works for everyone, that each of our paths are unique. Like our babies! Read this book, you will not be disappointed.
Totally deceived.......2001-12-28
If I'd known this was about secondary infertility, I would not have bought it. For the truly infertile, do yourself and your psyche a favor: Save the [PRICE]. Go ahead drink carrot juice, practice yoga, and stop reading books such as this one. At least those are three things that are affirmative self-loving acts that will keep you sane.
Thank you Julia - It worked for me.......2001-12-04
After being told I'd never have my own biological child, also because of high FSH levels, I went to Amazon.com (Jan 1999) and researched infertility. Thank God I read Julia's soothing book. It inspired me to follow her path. After Iyengar Yoga, Chinese Medicine, Visualization, reading most of the books in her wonderful bibliography, (and 2 unsuccessful rounds of FSH IUI), my openess to others about my struggle led to a holistic practicioner in San Diego (Dr. Carolyn Mein, D.C.) that balanced my hormones naturally and directly led to the birth of my now 15 month old daughter (Aug 2000). Bless you Julia! I didn't know where to begin and you were the calm voice in the storm affirming my inner voice. I am so grateful for everything this journey has taught me.
It is a good novel.......2001-07-20
The book was interesting in that it told a woman's story and how she successfully won the battle of infertility. However, if someone is looking to this book as a guideline they will be disappointed. This is not a how-to book.
Book Description
Today, 6.1 million women in the United States suffer from infertility, according to Resolve, the national infertility association. What do you do when all you want is to have a baby? How much time and money are you willing to invest with no guarantee of success? What do you do if you are single and Mr. Right is nowhere in sight? How do you handle everyday life when pregnant women and babies are everywhere? This personal account details the trials and tribulations associated with infertility and the blessing when all efforts pay off. The author hopes that the personal words written within this book will comfort others who suffer from infertility, letting them know that they are not alone.
Customer Reviews:
Tells it like it is!!.......2005-08-02
Unless you struggle IF you will never know the pain and heartache. In this book you will see what we go through. You will laugh and cry with each entry.
Another reviewer wrote, "Too much info" If more people spoke out the stigma and embaressment and shame we go threw would lessen.
Thanks Robin for being so couragious to write this book.
Lori
Very honest and open with her infertility struggles.......2005-07-21
I was able to read Ms lee's book in 2 hours. I did not read every little detail, I found all the indepth journalling to be more than I wanted to know, but it highlighted her struggles and determination to have a baby. I did not find it helpful per se. IMO it is the kind of book that is best shared with family and friends who know you personally. A great book for her to share with her son one day...
A true representation!.......2005-07-21
This journal is very open and honest. I couldn't stop reading once I started it! The author does a wonderful job of capturing the rollercoaster ups and downs of trying to conceive a child. There are a lot of emotions, both good and bad, that go along with this process and they are all shared within this journal. Financial and social struggles are also seen along the way. This journal is a very good description of the nightmare that infertility can be.
Amazing honesty.......2005-07-20
There aren't many people in this world that would open up their most private wishes, struggles and disappointments for others to experience through publishing. This book is a must read for anyone who has struggled or is struggling with infertility - as well as their friends and family members. I read this book in one sitting. It was so compelling to see how each attempt came out that you can't stop reading. I thank the author for sharing her journey with us. And I heartily congratulate her on having the family and son that she fought so long and hard for.
Inspiring book!.......2005-07-18
The story of Ms. Lee's journey through infertility is a 'must read' for anyone embarking on their quest for a child. Those who have not experienced this heartache would benefit from learning what it is like to yearn for a child who is seemingly so out-of-reach. It really makes you count your blessings!
Average customer rating:
- PAGE TURNER
- COULDN'T PUT THIS BOOK DOWN
- Inconceivable Danger
- Action Packed and a Great Thriller
|
Inconceivable Danger
Dale Ford
Manufacturer: PublishAmerica
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Suspense
| Thrillers
| Mystery & Thrillers
| Subjects
| Books
Law Enforcement
| Criminal Law
| Law
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Politics
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Law Enforcement
| Criminal Law
| Law
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1424133661
Release Date: 2006-05-01 |
Book Description
Inconceivable Danger takes you into the world of an undercover police officer pursuing a suspect named Skyscraper, a kingpin drug dealer. Skyscraper is the most dangerous, ruthless criminal Dale and his partner have ever tried to arrest. One mistake with this criminal could mean certain death for either officer. This book is action packed and a great thriller for all readers who enjoy crime stories. The sacrifices made by Dale and his partner are what legends and heroes are made of. The author makes no apologies for the death and violence contained within. The story takes you into the mountains of southeast Oklahoma, where contact with the suspect reveals the most vicious monster ever conceived by the two officers. This book is sure to please. However, it is not for the faint of heart.
Customer Reviews:
PAGE TURNER.......2006-06-11
A great insight into undercover narcotics investigations and patroling. I could not put this book down, a great read! Thank you for writing this exciting book!
COULDN'T PUT THIS BOOK DOWN.......2006-06-09
From beginning to end INCONCEIVABLE DANGER had me hooked. I'm usually not one to read police stories but, this one is most definately the exception. Easily a one day read; INCONCEIVABLE DANGER leaves you breathless, wanting more and hardly able to wait for the next book by this outstanding author. BRAVO!!!!
...THANK YOU, OFFICER FORD, FOR YOUR OUTSTANDING SERVICE TO YOUR COUNTRY AND YOUR COMMUNITY.
Inconceivable Danger.......2006-05-26
This is an action packed book that kept me in suspense. Just when I thought I was figuring out what was going to happen next, a surprise to me would occur. This book is truly suspenseful, exciting and keeps you on the edge of your seat all the time you are reading this book. It is a fine book of literature written here. I really enjoyed it. Jim
Action Packed and a Great Thriller .......2006-05-22
Inconceivable Danger takes you into the world of an undercover police officer who pursues a kingpin drug dealer known as Skyscraper; the most dangerous and ruthless criminal Dale and his partner had ever tried to arrest.
One mistake with this criminal meant certain death for any officer.
This book is action packed and a great thriller for all readers who like crime stories.
The sacrifices made by Dale and his partner are what legends and heroes are made of.
This story takes you into the mountains of southeast Oklahoma where contact with the suspect reveals the most vicious monster ever conceived by the two officers.
Inconceivable Danger promises to be a satisfying read for even the most discerning crime story readers. The author makes no apologies for the death and violence contained within it's pages; it is not for the faint of heart.
Dale Ford spent twenty years as an active police officer working undercover for five of those years as a narcotics investigator. He also served five years as an Officer and Chief of Southern Corrections Prisons and Asst. Chief of New Directions all women's Prisons.
Officer Ford continues to serve his community in 'off-duty' police assignments.
Book Description
Women who are anxious to conceive -- and who have yet to conceive -- know about waiting. Waiting is the hallmark of infertility. You wait in doctor's offices. You wait to ovulate. You wait for prescriptions to be filled. You wait for the pregnancy test indicator to light up. You wait for a miracle, and then you wait again. Inconceivable is the remarkable true-life story of Shannon Woodward -- a woman who stopped waiting her life away. She wrote this book for other women who've been waiting -- for women who can't afford the next round of medical treatments, who can't bear to let their feeble hopes rise again only to have them crash to the ground in disappointment. Woodward revisits eighteen years of personal frustration, pain, and anger. She speaks of healing, but not the kind that other women in her condition have prayed for. The healing she has experienced is the healing of walking another path -- the path of peace that she is uniquely equipped to share.
Features and Benefits
- Helps women come to terms with infertility and find peace with this diagnosis.
- Written by an author who has experienced the reality of infertility having tried to conceive for eighteen years.
- Painfully honest and unflinchingly real, Shannon Woodward opens the pages of her life to readers who will identify with the ache of unfilled desires and who will find relief and healing in her journey.
Previous Title:
Misconception
Customer Reviews:
Comforting and Well Written.......2007-03-28
Being a woman who's been through five miscarriages, I could sense the comfort and hope that this book brings to those who are unable to conceive. The loss of a pregnancy or the fact that you can't conceive at all can be a dark place in one's life.
The author's own experience offers hope and opens new paths for women who need a hand to guide them through this dark time.
As with her last book, Shannon Woodward paints vivid pictures with her words, in a style that is unique to her writing.
A WOMAN'S JOURNEY FROM HEARTACHE TO PEACE.......2006-09-16
This book shares the author's journey of learning to accept the fact that she'll never be able to conceive children. Her story begins in 1988, when her doctor discloses the dreaded news. She said his words became like "a constant, haunting hum in my head, like a song you can't shake -- a song with the power to drive you insane. His voice was inescapable."
Shannon Woodward explores her pain and subsequent healing in intimate detail for readers. She takes us back to her childhood, where she first looks out at the stars and wonders if God even exists, and she shares with us how her faith began to grow.
She takes us with her to every scene, filling each memory with description and dialogue which reads like the best of storytelling. We reach the point with her when she and her husband decide to adopt -- and we agonize with her frustration when birth mother after birth mother changes her mind.
One of the most poignant scenes in the book is when she and her husband are bringing home their first adopted son, Zachary, whose name means, "The Lord has remembered." As their new little son is bundled in soft blankets in the car seat, she and her husband look up and see an oversized, lighted marquis hovering above a used car lot. In bold black letters, the sign reads, "Congratulations, Dave and Shannon. It's a boy." They never learned who wrote that message.
The book takes readers up to the present, where we see how Shannon's journey has helped her become a mother to many. She has an active ministry in mentoring and encouraging hundreds of women through her speaking and writing.
There are some books I read once, then set aside, without feeling a change. Shannon Woodward's book is one I'll read again and again, always remembering how the blessing of motherhood is a gift not to be taken lightly. The back of the book contains a wonderful reader's guide which includes discussion questions for each chapter.
This is a must-read for anyone who struggles with infertility; Shannon's transparency gives readers the support they need to move toward peace.
Journey of Healing.......2006-09-15
I am absolutely awed by Shannon Woodward's ability to tell this story. A story lived by many, but voiced by far too few.
She has taken this uncomfortable and sometimes extremely painful journey and helped forge a way to healing.
I would highly recommend this book to any women who is struggling with issues surrounding infertility. Sometimes it's good to know you're not walking through darkness alone.
More for those who decide to pursue adoption.......2006-09-09
In this book, Shannon Woodward basically shares her personal story and struggle with infertility. While I related to many of the feelings she expressed, and found some things helpful in the book, overall I did not identify with most of what she wrote about. Her book largely covers her pursuit of adoption, and the many failed attempts she endured. While I found her stories engaging, I personally have not chosen the adoption route. I have pursued my path more through medical intervention to conceive biological children, and very little was mentioned in her book about this option, mostly because she seemed to have barely pursued it. I do think this is a good book, but I wish that I had been able to get more of a picture of what this book actually covered before I had purchased it.
Inconceivable is a MUST READ book.......2006-08-29
"Inconceivable: Finding Peace in the Midst of Infertility" is an excellent book that I highly recommend.
If you suffer from infertility, or know someone who does, you must buy this book and read it. The author of this book doesn't tell you how to fix your infertility, but she does share many things that will cut to your soul. This book has a wonderful ending, but it doesn't end with her conceiving. The ending is the kind of ending that infertile people can hope for and achieve without spending thousands of dollars for infertility treatments.
Shannon Woodward shares her struggles with infertility in a very transparent and non-candycoated way. She shares the frustrations that only someone who is infertile can experience. She is so open and honest about her thoughts and feelings--things I have felt but would never say to another person for fear of being an outcast.
This book has changed my life and my outlook on my own infertility. I want other ladies to know and experience the peace that I now have.
Books:
- Indigo Dreams: Relaxation and Stress Management Bedtime Stories for Children, Improve Sleep, Manage Stress and Anxiety (Indigo Dreams)
- Kitten's First Full Moon
- Lanterns on the Levee: Recollections of a Planter's Son (Library of Southern Civilization)
- Life Doesn't Frighten Me
- Lilly's Big Day
- Lions and Tigers and Crocs, Oh My!: Pearls Before Swine Treasury
- Little Black Girl Lost 3
- Marilyn Monroe: The Complete Last Sitting
- Mother Angelica's Little Book of Life Lessons and Everyday Spirituality
- Murder in Dealey Plaza: What We Know Now that We Didn't Know Then
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