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12-12-2012 at 8:30 AM
Manada
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Manada is not online. Last active: 05-22-2013, 4:07 PMNewbie

All this "MOM" discourse makes me a bit crazy....

As someone who may, or may not, eventually be able to carry any of our babies - I am really struggling with all the MOM talk around the holidays. 

Yes, my Partner-Love and I will both be our kids' moms -- and at the same time we're not sure if that "MOM"-word, as it's often heteronormatively defined, is one that we both identify with.   Parent is probably a more appropriate word, but we both like the Mom/Mama/Mommy familiar titles and will probably use them :)

 

But the other night, at a gathering, I was totally triggered by some people going around the room saying what they were thankful for - and so much of it was a "I'm so glad for my mom, for carrying me, you only get one mum", and "I'm so glad for the experience of carrying and growing my babies, and understanding what it's like to be a woman by having this experience".........   

 

Me:  This winter I'm so grateful for my partner-love, and our village who supports us in this crazy, painful, sometimes terrifying and exciting journey we are on. 

I'm also totally terrified about the strength all that heteronormative, biological MOM discourse has in our world, and how we - as queer/lesbian/bi/trans/gay parents can navigate that, especially for the non-biological or non-carrying parents who often get left out in the cold by the comments above.....   I don't want that for my partner, if I should get pregnant, and I certainly know it makes me sad!

 

Just my little rant for the day.....  


Same sex couple - 31 years old - donor sperm, carrying our first due to dx of DOR/POF in Nov. 2012.

Low AMH, AFC - 6, Normal FSH, SS-A (RO) Antibodies (Autoimmune issues), tubes clear

IUI# 1 - December 19 - Done too early (24-36hrs before Ovulation) - BFN

IUI# 2 - January 16 - Femara + HCG trigger - BFN

IUI# 3 - March - 150-225iui Puregon, stimmed 16 days with only 1 follicle - nearly missed surge so no trigger - Progesterone - BFN.

IUI # 4 - "Pokey-Pokey" April 9 - 100mg Clomid CD 3-7, HCG Trigger + Progesterone - 2 follicles! IUI done after one O'd and before the 2nd one did. - BFN

...Moving on to trying to get my Partner pregnant with donor sperm. Hoping to come back and try with me, or do IVF with my DP's eggs eventually. My nerves are too frazzled for now

Getting Married with a Love Party in June 2013 to the amazing Healz413!

 

12-12-2012 at 9:54 AM
stringy813
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I can relate to something similar - this weekend when we found out we are having a little Girl, M said something along the lines of "girls and their mothers have such a special bond."  now, this may or may not be true and is true with sons too - but something in the way she said it (without any bad intentions) made me think...OMG and YOU are her biological mom so of course YOU are going to be the one with this amazing bond and I am going to be on the periphery, what am I, an aunt? a father? etc.  Anyway I explained to her how I felt (not that it was rational, really) and she totally understood what I meant, and 100% believes we will both have an amazing bond with our daughter. I know deep inside that will be true - but then I prepared myself for all of the other similar comments that will probably come up when I won't be able to express how they make me feel like I was to her.

I think there are just so many gender-role things ingrained into us from society that we and others say, without considering how they don't apply to everyone, and without any bad intentions.  I mean it IS true that you only have one (biological) mom who carried you.  But look at children who don't have the chance to know their bio moms and still are so grateful and loving for their adoptive or non-carrying mom - or other parent or guardian.  I think my goal in this process is just to realize that most people say these things completely un-maliciously as part of conversation and to just take them in stride and educate them. 

 
12-12-2012 at 9:58 AM
2brides
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2brides is not online. Last active: 05-18-2013, 9:39 AMSilver

I am sorry....

FWIW - I have found that a lot of that cultural stuff about biological connections, the community identifying the biological mother as the "real" mother tends to dissipate once you get past that initial baby stage. No one at my kids' school/soccer team/camp/etc was around when I was pregnant and thus doesn't know who has a biological connection and who doesn't. And parents tend to stop talking about pregnancy, breastfeeding,  etc as kids get older and discussions trend towards homework, after school activities, behavior, etc.

Smile 


Lilypie Kids Birthday tickers 
12-12-2012 at 10:52 AM
Manada
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Manada is not online. Last active: 05-22-2013, 4:07 PMNewbie
2brides:
I am sorry....[:]nbsp;


Oh! I don't want to make anyone here feel like you've done anything! I specifically talking about inperson incidences....

Same sex couple - 31 years old - donor sperm, carrying our first due to dx of DOR/POF in Nov. 2012.

Low AMH, AFC - 6, Normal FSH, SS-A (RO) Antibodies (Autoimmune issues), tubes clear

IUI# 1 - December 19 - Done too early (24-36hrs before Ovulation) - BFN

IUI# 2 - January 16 - Femara + HCG trigger - BFN

IUI# 3 - March - 150-225iui Puregon, stimmed 16 days with only 1 follicle - nearly missed surge so no trigger - Progesterone - BFN.

IUI # 4 - "Pokey-Pokey" April 9 - 100mg Clomid CD 3-7, HCG Trigger + Progesterone - 2 follicles! IUI done after one O'd and before the 2nd one did. - BFN

...Moving on to trying to get my Partner pregnant with donor sperm. Hoping to come back and try with me, or do IVF with my DP's eggs eventually. My nerves are too frazzled for now

Getting Married with a Love Party in June 2013 to the amazing Healz413!

 

12-12-2012 at 10:52 AM
Manada
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Joined on 11-26-2012
7,918 Points
Manada is not online. Last active: 05-22-2013, 4:07 PMNewbie
2brides:
I am sorry....[:]nbsp;


Oh! I don't want to make anyone here feel like you've done anything! I specifically talking about inperson incidences....

Same sex couple - 31 years old - donor sperm, carrying our first due to dx of DOR/POF in Nov. 2012.

Low AMH, AFC - 6, Normal FSH, SS-A (RO) Antibodies (Autoimmune issues), tubes clear

IUI# 1 - December 19 - Done too early (24-36hrs before Ovulation) - BFN

IUI# 2 - January 16 - Femara + HCG trigger - BFN

IUI# 3 - March - 150-225iui Puregon, stimmed 16 days with only 1 follicle - nearly missed surge so no trigger - Progesterone - BFN.

IUI # 4 - "Pokey-Pokey" April 9 - 100mg Clomid CD 3-7, HCG Trigger + Progesterone - 2 follicles! IUI done after one O'd and before the 2nd one did. - BFN

...Moving on to trying to get my Partner pregnant with donor sperm. Hoping to come back and try with me, or do IVF with my DP's eggs eventually. My nerves are too frazzled for now

Getting Married with a Love Party in June 2013 to the amazing Healz413!

 

12-12-2012 at 11:34 AM
2brides
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2brides is not online. Last active: 05-18-2013, 9:39 AMSilver
No..I meant sorry you are feeling this way. :) It is a very legitimate concern, but I was just giving my perspective as the mom of some of the older kids on here! :)

Lilypie Kids Birthday tickers 
12-13-2012 at 12:27 AM
leapgirl8
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leapgirl8 is not online. Last active: 05-21-2013, 10:49 PMBronze
Even at just 7 months out, and with Jen still breastfeeding, it doesn't seem to matter much that I'm the non-bio mom. I think it really depends on the two of you and how you approach it and feel about it. I feel very-extremely-crazily bonded with both babies. Can I say for sure that I am AS bonded with them as Jen is, or that they feel AS connected to me as they feel to Jen? No. I'm not her, or them, and they aren't me. But I can tell that they feel loved and comforted by me, they're happy to see me, I make them laugh, they trust me and they know that I am, in a word, mom. THAT is what matters to me. THAT is what defines being a mom. And the other important people in my life - Jen, my family, our friends, even her conservative family - see me as a mom and treat me that way. It leaves me very little room to doubt myself or feel defensive or worried about it - and for that I'm grateful to all of them. 

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12-13-2012 at 9:23 AM
mollykelle...
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I find this whole conversation so interesting. Being in the beginning of our journey to parenthood, I haven't thought about this very much. But this is exactly the types of conversations I hoped to see on this Lgbt board. Thanks for sharing all!

M&K met 8/2002 legally married 6/2012
Wedding ceremony planned for June 2013
TTC with RE since March 2012
3 missed O's, 6 IUIs = 1 BFP/m/c, 5 BFNs
(2 unmedicated IUIs, 2 clomid IUI, 2 femara IUI)
Shared maternity/partner IVF starting Feb 2013
K's ER on 3/8, M's ET on 3/13
3/24 BFP!!! Beta #1 = 236 3/26 Beta #2 = 736 3/28 Beta #3 = 2141
First u/s at 6w4d showed hb of 119, second u/s at 9w1d showed baby waving arms and hb of 172
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