#National Infertility Awareness Week | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

coochiequeens · 5 months

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Who was taking care of her three kids while she was busy have 7 soon to be 8 babies and three miscarriages for other people?

"I get attached like a loving aunt," Emily Westerfield explains of her relationship after giving birth. Courtesy Emily Westerfield

April 25, 2024, 5:39 AM EDT / Source: TODAY

By Rosie Colosi, TODAY

April 21-27 is National Infertility Awareness Week. All week, TODAY will be sharing stories to raise awareness of what it is like to experience infertility.

In the last 13 years, 37-year-old Emily Westerfield has delivered 10 healthy babies. Three were her own biological children. She acted as a gestational carrier for families of the others. Twice, she carried twins.

She is now 28 weeks pregnant with baby No. 11.

“I’m probably the unicorn in this industry,” Westerfield tells TODAY.com.

Her incredible success in navigating the surrogacy experience led her to give birth to Carrying Dreams, her own full-service agency designed to help egg donors, surrogates and intended parents on their parenting journeys in a way that works best for them.

So, would Westerfield consider having baby No. 12?

“In a heartbeat,” she says.

Planting the seed for surrogacy

Westerfield and her husband, Max, live in Celina, Ohio, with their three biological children: Mckenna, 13, Jack, 11, and Charlie, 10.

In 2010, Westerfield spent a lot of time bonding with Max’s cousin, who had been having trouble sustaining a pregnancy for years. She was suffering from secondary infertility and struggled to bring a pregnancy to term.

“She just continuously kept having loss after loss, and it was heartbreaking,” she says.

Westerfield was able to conceive and deliver her three biological children with relative ease, making her feel “guilty” every time she shared the news with her husband’s cousin. Without knowing much about the process of surrogacy, Westerfield offered to be a gestational carrier for the cousin’s embryo.

“They did not feel that surrogacy was the path that they wanted to take,” she explains, “but I knew that there were probably so many other people in the world who needed help in a very similar way. Maybe I could help.”Even while she was pregnant with her third (and last) biological child, Westerfield mentioned to her husband that she was interested in becoming a gestational carrier.

“I was shot down by him so many times,” Westerfield says with a laugh. “The more and more I shared to educate him, I think the more and more he felt comfortable with it. Or he just got sick of me nagging.”

The first surrogacy journey

After her son Charlie completed their family, Westerfield activated her search to find another family to assist via surrogacy in earnest. She joined an online forum that no longer exists. “It was almost like a Craigslist of everybody in the infertility community,” she says. Surrogates, egg donors, sperm donors and intended parents used the site to help create families.

“I created a profile and just put myself out there,” says Westerfield. “I was overwhelmed with the response and just inundated with emails and queries. The more and more that I got into this, the more I realized there’s so many more people out there that need the help than the people that are willing to help.”

Westerfield had initial conversations with a handful of hopeful parents and ultimately chose a couple that seemed like a good match in terms of personality, age and location. They were an easy three-hour drive away.

But the decision wasn’t easy. Each story was more heartbreaking than the one before. The family that Westerfield ultimately decided to help already had two children. During the second birth, the mother needed an emergency hysterectomy, leaving her unable to complete their family with the third child they so desperately wanted.

Calling to tell the couple the good news “was so emotionally overwhelming and exciting and nerve-wracking, all at the same time.” Using the embryos the couple had already created, Westerfield delivered their third child, a girl, in December 2015.

“And that’s when everything started,” Westerfield says.

Westerfield has had three miscarriages and 11 live births. She was induced and had vaginal deliveries each time.Courtesy Emily Westerfield

Westerfield says, “I noticed that as soon as I had the first one, I wanted to do this again. It was almost just like, ‘Now who else can I help?’”

She delivered healthy babies in 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2021 and 2022. She is currently pregnant and due in July.

“I’ve been able to completely just have wonderful pregnancies,” she says. Even so, at age 37, she knows that she may have a limited window in which to continue.

The process of being a gestational carrier is markedly different than being pregnant with your own child, according to Westerfield. For instance, there are screenings and contracts and psychological evaluations. Her husband did not accompany her to appointments. She keeps in mind that the end goal is to deliver a healthy child so that another couple can “start, build or complete their family.”

Wondering if it’s ever hard to let go of a baby you have physically carried for nine months? Westerfield says it’s not.

“I get attached like a loving aunt,” she explains. Knowing the heartbreak that the couple has gone through in the past, “you want to hand that baby over when you get to the end of this.”

Westerfield started her own surrogacy agency in August 2023 in part to help educate and provide resources for both potential surrogates and intended families.

“I feel like there’s so much information out there that it’s overwhelming,” Westerfield says. “And a lot of it is outdated or incorrect, and I want to be able to speak from personal experience going through this process.”

In December 2022, Westerfield was on her way to her son's basketball game when she had to head to the hospital to give birth for the 10th time.Courtesy Emily Westerfield

She also helps match families with gestational carriers and helps hold their hand through a stressful process, making sure they are on the same page for important topics like physical or chromosomal abnormalities, geographic location, contact preferences after birth and even vaccination status.It’s difficult to find gestational carriers who are willing and fit all of the qualifications. Westerfield also thinks it’s essential for gestational carriers to have completed their own families before helping others grow theirs. She has about six prospective couples for every one potential surrogate.

Westerfield takes a lot of pride in helping families grow, especially those she has carried children for. She stays in touch with each family in some capacity via text or social media, and she tries to remember to send birthday gifts.

“I am so proud to be able to do this for other people. I know my time is very limited as we’re getting closer and closer to how many people I’m able to help, but still I’m young enough and I’m healthy enough to be able to do so,” Westerfield says. “And I’ll continue to help as long as my body and my family allows me to.”

#April 21-27 is National Infertility Awareness Week #Waiting to long to have kids is not infertility #Wanting a surrogate for the convience is not infertility #Not wanting to go through pregnancy and childbirth to protect your image for your career is not infertility #While adoption is possible no one should feel guilty for being able to have kids #Secondary infertility means trouble have another kid after having a full term pregnancy #So did her in laws already have biological offspring?#Then why did she feel so eager to help them have more?#And the first couple she helped already had two kids?#How many family events as she missed ?

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murderousink23 · 1 year

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05/07/2023 is my birthday, Day of the Soldier 🇸🇻, Mother's Day 🇭🇺, Beaufort Scale Day 🌎, World Laughter Day 🤣🌎, International Dawn Chorus Day 🐦🌎, National Barrier Awareness Day 🇺🇲, National Paste Up Day 🇺🇲, National Roast Leg of Lamb Day 🇺🇲, National Infertility Survival Day 🇺🇲, Small Business Week 🇺🇲, National Cosmo Day 🍹🇬🇧, World Beer Pong Day 🇬🇧, Lemonade Day 🍋🇬🇧

#happy birthday #day of the soldier #mothers day in hungary #beaufort scale day #world laughter day #international dawn chorus day #national barrier awareness day #national paste up day #national roast leg of lamb day #national infertility survival day #small business week #national cosmo day #world beer pong day #lemonade day

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weezly14 · 5 months

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It’s national infertility awareness week, and I’m still infertile.

It’s been 19 cycles of nothing.

No, not nothing.

Once I was 8 days late before I started bleeding clots.

Once I got three days of very, very faint lines. I told myself not to get excited until the lines got darker. Instead they disappeared, and the blood came. I tried to tell myself I’d just taken seven faulty tests over three days. It hurt less.

(It hurts, still.)

It’s national infertility awareness week, and my best friend has a newborn, and another friend just announced she’s pregnant. It’s a boy.

(What would my lost faint line have been?)

I’m in the middle of my first IVF cycle. Every morning and every evening my husband gives me injections of fertility meds. I’m bloated, fatigued, emotional. I’ve had headaches and nausea. I have bruises from the shots, and every other day we wake at 5:30 to drive to the clinic for bloodwork and an ultrasound. I can’t tell if it’s going well or not. Everything about IVF is shrouded in mystery and uncertainty. I haven’t been my best self, but my husband has come with me to every appointment, has held my hand and watched the fertility videos and kisses the bandaid he puts on me after he administers the shots, morning and evening. He buys me a hash brown after every appointment and dealt with the pharmacy for me. He woke up at 6 am today to wait for fedex to deliver my meds.

(My father left when I was a baby, wouldn’t go with my mom to visit me in the nicu. But my husband has gone above and beyond for eggs that may not even become embryos. Potential future sprout, you will never feel unwanted; you will always know the love of a doting, caring father. Before you even became, he took care of you.)

IVF is not a guarantee. It gives us a chance, but it’s still just that — a chance. A better one than we’d had, but it could still fail. It’s hard to hold onto that reality and the stubborn hope, too. Because it’s stubbornness more than anything that’s gotten me here. I don’t know when to quit. As scary as it is to try, I have to at least try.

So, this is trying. It’s four injections a day and bandaids shaped like cats or dogs. It’s a shared audiobook on the drives to and from the clinic, and hash browns on the way home. It’s tears and fear and clinging to the idea of success, holding each other when it gets to be too much. It’s the cats and dogs staying close and giving cuddles, like somehow they know how much I need it. It’s friends and family checking in and offering support.

(It’s the basket in the closet of an empty bedroom, filled with little things acquired over the past year and a half. Little things for a potential future sprout, socks and onesies and a blanket. In the room we haven’t filled, that we still call the nursery.)

Infertility sucks, but it’s more common than anyone wants to believe. 1 in 6 is the stat going around. National infertility awareness week is all about people sharing their stories, helping others feel less alone. It’s still fucking lonely, but it helps, somehow. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone. As much as it hurts when friends get pregnant easily, I’m so glad for them, too. I’d hate to see them go through what I have.

So, for whatever it’s worth, it’s infertility awareness week, and I’m infertile. I have two failed IUIs under my belt, and I’m on my first IVF cycle. Everyone’s journey is different, but they all suck. Not all of them end with a take home baby. If this is your experience, too, I’m sorry.

I don’t know how our journey ends. I might not for a while yet.

(Lost faint line, potential future sprout — you were always, always wanted. We’ll keep trying.)

#weezly talks infertility #personal stuff #honestly might delete later

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scleroticstatue · 8 months

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Would you please be kind enough to share your views on sunscreens

Please ignore if this is stupid lol

Y'all really enjoy asking me questions that will make people hate me.

Sunscreen is. So bad. It's probably the cause of non-traction alopecia in a lot of women, it's a known endocrine disruptor, and most components are known carcinogens. Every few years, formulas get pulled from the market en masse because a common ingredient was found to be more carcinogenic than UV damage. That doesn't mean all sunscreens — zinc and titanium oxide is probably fine, but titanium is a heavy metal and zinc overload can happen, especially if you're applying as much and as frequently as you should.

Now, I'm not saying you should never wear sunscreen. Humans are chronically indoors and if you decide to leave your 60-hours-a-week office job for a ten day bar crawl across the beaches of Bali, you should probably wear sunblock. You have no natural protection. But when I trekked through the national parks between Florida and South Carolina for a couple of weeks, I barely even got a tan, despite wearing no sunscreen and being out in the afternoon sun. In August. In Georgia.

Of course, a lot of it comes down to the lifestyle we're leading now. We live indoors, we eat trash food that has no nutrients, and we shut down natural adaptations when they occur. Sunglasses trick your brain into not releasing the correct amount of melatonin, causing sunburns. Malnutrition means we don't have enough vitamins and minerals to build strong cell walls that are resistant to UV damage.

Honestly, in today's day and age, it's sixes if you'll get cancer from the sun or from sunscreen. But sunscreen cancers are more likely to be reproductive or glandular, which is difficult to fix and has lifelong repercussions. Skin cancer is relatively easy — treatment is highly targeted, rarely reaching into organs or muscles, and being aware of your body and new moles and patches is the number one way to prevent death from the sun. I personally would much rather a doctor cut chunks out of my flesh every couple of months than deal with germ cell cancer that spreads to my lungs and my lymph nodes, requires years of surgery, causes lymphedema, renders me infertile, and gives me even more digestive issues.

That's really the decision you're making every time you put on sunscreen. So. Which type of cancer would you prefer?

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0mega-x · 11 months

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The idea of nations being born and dying and their relations to one another.

I have no idea how it works in canon, if Himaruya ever showed it. But I do have some headcanons about it.

How are nations born, and how do they die ? I do think nations cannot get pregnant or get someone pregnant. They are infertile. The way they are born ? Nobody knows, people just end up finding them and realise the little one is immortal. Why are they born ? It depends. They can be born from the formation of a state, a new settled area, or from the genesis of an ethnic group if they don't have a proper state or subdivision. Alfred would be born from the first European settlements in Norh America at around 1607. But he wouldn't be found out until much, much later.

Nations aren't born as babies, though. I think they would have a "minimal age" any nation in a set region would be born at, probably ranging between 3 to 8 years old. In Ludwig's time, he would be born at 8 years old.

Nations are almost immortal. They can't die from old age or disease. They age very slowly and I headcanon that there's an age where they stop aging. They can die, though. If their entity is dissolved, disestablished or their population is wiped out, they can die. See HRE. Imagine a Tyrol character. I would imagine they'd die shortly after 1919, leaving two children, the northern and southern parts (I also wonder what would be this Tyrol character's interaction with a Trentino character...).

Now, how are nations related? I say they have blood relations. I hc that nations can only have one biological parent, but they can take physical traits from others that have greatly influenced them. What happens if two nations are related but didn't know of their relations for x reason ? They just know. They have a "feeling". A feeling that tells them that this person is not just a stranger to them. How would Normandy know she is related to the Scandinavians? Magic? I also imagine nations might have a different kind of relationship between families than regular humans. Look at Antonio and his 1082038108302 children, how the fuck is he supposed to have a relationship with all of them? He doesn't. Both would be aware of their connections, but it doesn't guarantee anything. I imagine it would be much more common within the nations to be closer to non-relatives and relatives. France and the Frankish Empire might have had that, no blood relations, but still very close. However, I don't thing this "feeling" would apply to any relatives further than siblings/parents/children. Maybe aunt and uncles ? But definitely not cousins.

Anyway..... IT'S FINALLY THE HOLIDAYS WOOOOH!

Fuck I have 3 graded homework for the week after the holidays

#im back school just hit me a little bit #i also have an idea about post-mortem children #aka children nations born after their parents death.#im thinking about saarland #the father dies during the napoleonic wars #leaving behind no more state or subdivision #however #the daughter is born in 1919 #if everyone knows who her parent is its probably from her aunts/uncles #hence my hesitation in the relations lart #hetalia #historical hetalia #also yeas the minimal age thing is so that i can reconcile having the earlier nations still be teens during the middle ages/early modern era #while not having the younger ones be too young #mes blogs #hetalia headcanons

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brookston · 5 months

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Holidays 5.5

Holidays

American in Space Day

Arbegnoch Qen (Patriots’ Victory Day; Ethiopia)

Arbor Day (Dominican Republic)

Bevrijdingsday (Liberation Day; Netherlands)

Bonza Bottler Day

Bus Worker Support Day (UK)

Carpet Weavers’ Day (Azerbaijan)

Children’s Day (Japan, Korea)

Cinco de Mayo (Anniversary of the Battle of Puebla)

Cinco de Rhino

Comfrey Day (French Republic)

Day of Remembrance Against Violence and Racism in Memory of the Victims of National Socialism (Austria)

Dutch Heritage Day (Canada)

Europe Day (EU)

Ferret Day (UK)

Folly Festival

Give Local America Day

Global Big Day

Hand Hygiene Day

Hidirellez (Turkey)

Hug a Shed and Take a Selfie Day

Independent Living Day (EU)

Indian Arrival Day (Guyana)

Inko de Mayo

International Dowsing Day

International Midwives' Day

International Roller Derby Day

International Sri du Chat Awareness Day

International Uyghur Doppa Day

Kodomo-No-Hi (Children's Day; Japan)

Liberation Day (Denmark, Netherlands)

Lost Continent of Mu Day

Lusophone Culture Day

Martyrs’ Day (Albania)

Museum Lover’s Day

Nail Day

National Astronaut Day

National Cartoonist Day

National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women

National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (Canada)

National Devin Day

National Dildo of Consequence Day (UK)

National Ferret Day (UK)

National Library Legislation

National Make-Out Day

National Silence the Shame Day

Orininal (Children’s Day; South Korea)

Panopoea Asteroid Day

Parasite Awareness Day

Patriots’ Victory Day (Ethiopia)

Perfect Game Day

Press Day (Belarus)

Proserpine Asteroid Day

Revenge of the Fifth (Star Wars)

Save Lives Clean Your Hands Day (UN)

Scopes Arrest Day

Senior Citizens Day (Palau)

Significant Other Day

Sleep Apnea Awareness Day (Australia)

Tamil Tigers Day

World African Heritage Day

World Asthma Day

World Environment Day

World Fives Day

World Hand Hygiene Day

World Labyrinth Day in Schools

World Math Day

World Portuguese Language Day

World Pulmonary Hypertension Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

National Burgundy Day

National Enchilada Day

National Hoagie Day

National Mayonnaise Day

Oyster Day

Totally Chipotle Day

Independence & Related Days

Atovia (Declared; 2017) [unrecognized]

Constitution Day (Kyrgyzstan)

Hope Kingdom (Declared; 2020) [unrecognized]

The Netherlands (from Nazi Germany, 1945)

Pangration (Declared; 2020) [unrecognized]

Transterra (Declared; 2018) [unrecognized]

1st Sunday in May

Children’s Sunday (Tonga) [1st Sunday]

Humane Sunday [1st Sunday]

International Baby Lost Mother’s Day [1st Sunday]

International Bereaved Mothers' Day [1st Sunday]

International Dawn Chorus Day [1st Sunday]

International Family Equality Day [1st Sunday]

International Permaculture Day [1st Sunday]

Kanamara Matsuri (Japan) [1st Sunday]

Lemonade Day [1st Sunday]

Mayday for Mutts [1st Sunday]

Mother’s Day (Spain) [1st Sunday]

Motorcycle Mass and the Blessing of the Bikes Day [1st Sunday]

National Infertility Survival Day [1st Sunday]

National Miscarriage Awareness Day (Australia) [1st Sunday]

National Ride A Bike Day [1st Sunday]

Randwick Wap Cheese Rolling (Gloucestershire, England) [1st Sunday]

Rural Life Sunday [1st Sunday]

Understanding Day (Northwestern Cross-Quarter; Aretéanism) [1st Sunday] (Science)

Unmother's Day [1st Sunday]

World Hickory Golf Day [1st Sunday]

World Laughter Day [1st Sunday]

World Meditation Day [1st Sunday of Every Month]

Weekly Holidays beginning May 5 (1st Full Week)

Arson Awareness Week (thru 5.11) [1st Full Week]

Be Kind to Animals Week (thru 5.11) [1st Full Week]

Catholic Education Week (Canada) [1st Full Week]

Children’s Book Week (thru 5.11)

Choose Privacy Week [1st Full Week]

Dating and Life Coach Recognition Week (thru 5.11) [1st Full Week]

Drinking Water Week (thru 5.11) [1st Full Week]

Flexible Work Arrangement Week (thru 5.11) [1st Full Week]

Goodwill Industries Week (thru 5.11) [1st Full Week]

Holocaust Remembrance Week (thru 5.11) [1st Full Week]

International Building Safety Week (thru 5.11) [1st Full Week]

International Clitoris Awareness Week (thru 5.11) [1st Full Week]

International Coaching Week (thru 5.11)

International Compost Awareness Week (thru 5.11)

Kids Win Week (thru 5.11) [1st Full Week]

National Anxiety and Depression Awareness Week (thru 5.11) [1st Full Week]

National Children’s Mental Health Week (thru 5.11) [1st Full Week]

National Correctional Officer’s Week (thru 5.11) [1st Full Week]

National Eastern Box Turtle Week [1st Full Week]

National Family Week (thru 5.11) [1st Full Week]

National Herb Week (thru 5.11) [Week before Mother’s Day]

National Hurricane Preparedness Week (thru 5.11) [1st Full Week]

National Pet Week Week (thru 5.11) [1st Full Week]

National Postcard Week (thru 5.11) [1st Full Week]

National Raisin Week (thru 5.11) [1st Full Week]

National Travel and Tourism Week [Sunday of 1st Full Week]

National Wildflower Week [1st Full Week]

North American Occupational Safety and Health Week Week (thru 5.11) [1st Full Week]

Public Service Recognition Week (thru 5.11) [1st Full Week]

Root Canal Appreciation Week (thru 5.11) [1st Full Week]

Salvation Army Week (thru 5.11) [1st Full Week]

Stewardship Week (thru 5.11) [1st Full Week]

Sun Awareness Week (thru 5.11)

Updates Your References Week (thru 5.11) [1st Full Week]

Week of the Classroom Teacher Week (thru 5.11) [1st Full Week]

Festivals Beginning May 5, 2024

The Big Nosh (Columbia, South Carolina)

Chili Cook-Off & Craft Brew Festival (Thousand Oaks, California)

Columbia VegFest (Columbia, South Carolina)

Heritage Fire (Austin, Texas)

Sly Fox Bock Fest & Goat Race (Pottstown, Pennsylvania)

Taste of the Town (Santa Clarita, California)

West Tennessee Strawberry Festival (Humboldt, Tennessee) [thru 5.11]

Feast Days

Angelo (Christian; Martyr)

Angelus of Jerusalem (Christian; Saint)

Aventinus of Tours (Christian; Saint)

Avertin (Christian; Saint)

Blessing of the Ships (Ancient Crete)

Chicken Lickin’ (Muppetism)

Day of Adoration of Anubis (Ancient Egypt)

Door-Banging and Window-Tapping Conference (Gremlins; Shamanism)

Edmund Ignatius Rice (Christian; Saint)

Fabián de la Rosa (Artology)

Fairy Ring Day (Receiving; Shamanism)

Feast of al-Khadr (St. George; Palestine)

Ferret Day (Pastafarian)

Frederick the Wise (Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod)

Hidirellez (Balkans, Turkey)

Hilary of Arles (Christian; Saint)

Judith (Christian; Saint)

Jutta of Kulmsee (Christian; Saint)

Kakava Spring Festival begins (Bulgaria, Turkey) [thru 5.6]

Mauront (Christian; Saint)

Old Faith Rain Ceremony (Mexico & Central America; Everyday Wicca)

Oshun’s Day (Pagan)

Pius V, Pope (Christian; Saint)

Polybius (Positivist; Saint)

Slender Three Day (Celtic Book of Days)

Søren Kierkegaard (Writerism)

Stanisław Kazimierczyk (Christian; Saint)

Start of Ramendan (Pastafarian)

Store Bededag (a.k.a. Great Prayer Day; Denmark) [4th Friday after Easter]

Tango no Sekku (Iris Festival; Japan)

Tiberius Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Viktor Hartmann (Artology)

Hebrew Calendar Holidays [Begins at Sundown Day Before]

Yom HaShoah (יוֹם הַשּׁוֹאָה; Holocaust Remembrance Day; Judaism) [27-28 Nisan]

Orthodox Christian Liturgical Calendar Holidays

Easter (Orthodox Christian) [1st Sunday in the Julian calendar following the Full Moon that occurs on or just after the Spring Equinox] (a.k.a. ...

Agdgoma (Georgia)

Coptic Easter (Egypt)

Fasika (Ethiopia)

Orthodox Easter

Pascha (Greece)

Pashkës Ortodokse (Albania)

Pashkët Ortodokse (Kosovo)

Paste (Moldova)

Pastele (Romania)

Tensae (Eritrea)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Perilous Day (13th Century England) [16 of 32]

Taian (大安 Japan) [Lucky all day.]

Premieres

Bad Moon Rising, by Creedence Clearwater Revival (Song; 1969)

Barnyard Egg-Citement (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1939)

Buddy’s Trolley Troubles (WB LT Cartoon; 1934)

Carnegie Hall (Music Hall; 1891)

Country School (Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Cartoon; 1931)

Donald’s Fire Survival Plan (Disney Cartoon; 1966)

Droopy’s Good Deed (MGM Cartoon; 1951)

Foundation, by Isaac Asimov (Novel; 1951)

French Kiss (Film; 1995)

From the Choirgirl Hotel, by Tori Amos (Album; 1998)

Gee Whiz-z-z-z-z-z-z (WB LT Cartoon; 1956)

Gladiator (Film; 2000)

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (Film; 2017)

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (Film; 2023)

Hare Trigger (WB MM Cartoon; 1945)

The Hidden Persuader, by Vance Packard (Book; 1958)

Hoot (Film; 2006)

Interview with the Vampire, by Anne Rice (Novel; 1976)

Jagged Little Pill (Musical Play; 2018)

LinkedIn (Social Media App; 2003)

The Love Boat (TV Series; 1977)

Mission Impossible III (Film; 2006)

The Mouse Comes to Dinner (Tom & Jerry Cartoon; 1945)

Nim (Video Game; 1951)

Odd John, by Olaf Stapledon (Novel; 1935)

One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel García Márquez (Novel; 1967)

One Man Band (Pixar Cartoon; 2005)

The Pentaverate (TV Series; 2022)

Planet Earth (Documentary; 2006)

Puss ’n’ Boats (Tom & Jerry Cartoon; 1966)

Silo (TV Series; 2023)

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, by John le Carre (Novel; 1964)

Steel and America (Disney Cartoon; 1965)

Surf-Bored Cat (Tom & Jerry Cartoon; 1967)

Them Not-So-Dry-Bones (Science Rock Cartoon; Schoolhouse Rock; 1979)

This Is America, by Donald Glover as Childish Gambino (Song; 2018)

To the Lighthouse, by Virginia Woolf (Novel; 1927)

Watch Me (Whip/NaeNae), by Silento (Song 2015)

Woody’s Knight Mare (Woody Woodpecker Cartoon; 1969)

Yankee Doodle Donkey (Noveltoons Cartoon; 1950)

Today’s Name Days

Florian, Guido, Valeria (Austria)

Cvijeta, Cvjetko, Florijan, Iskra, Silvije (Croatia)

Květoslav (Czech Republic)

Florian (Denmark)

Roosi, Rosalie, Saale, Saali, Sale (Estonia)

Roosa, Rosa, Ruusu (Finland)

Florian, Sylvain (France)

Florian, Guido, Valeria (Germany)

Melia, Pelagia (Greece)

Flórián, Mónika (Hungary)

Ada, Ciriaco, Efisio, Porfirio, Silvano (Italy)

Flora, Florians, Viola, Vizbulīte (Latvia)

Dargailas, Florijonas, Mintautė, Monika (Lithuania)

Mona, Monika (Norway)

Florian, Grzegorz, January, Michał, Monika, Paulin, Strzeżywoj (Poland)

Pelaghia (Romania)

Florián (Slovakia)

Florián, Godofredo (Spain)

Mona, Monika (Sweden)

Alvina, Eunice, June, Palahna, Una (Ukraine)

Jodi, Jodie, Jody, Judie, Judith, Judy, Terrell, Tyrell, Tyrese, Tyron, Tyrone, Tyrrell, Tyson (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 126 of 2024; 240 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 7 of week 18 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Saille (Willow) [Day 22 of 28]

Chinese: Month 3 (Wu-Chen), Day 27 (Ji-Si)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 27 Nisan 5784

Islamic: 26 Shawwal 1445

J Cal: 6 Magenta; Sixday [6 of 30]

Julian: 22 April 2024

Moon: 8%: Waning Crescent

Positivist: 14 Caesar (5th Month) [Alexander]

Runic Half Month: Lagu (Flowing Water) [Day 11 of 15]

Season: Spring (Day 48 of 92)

Week: 1st Week of May

Zodiac: Taurus (Day 16 of 31)

#calendar #Holidays

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brookstonalmanac · 5 months

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Holidays 5.5

Holidays

American in Space Day

Arbegnoch Qen (Patriots’ Victory Day; Ethiopia)

Arbor Day (Dominican Republic)

Bevrijdingsday (Liberation Day; Netherlands)

Bonza Bottler Day

Bus Worker Support Day (UK)

Carpet Weavers’ Day (Azerbaijan)

Children’s Day (Japan, Korea)

Cinco de Mayo (Anniversary of the Battle of Puebla)

Cinco de Rhino

Comfrey Day (French Republic)

Day of Remembrance Against Violence and Racism in Memory of the Victims of National Socialism (Austria)

Dutch Heritage Day (Canada)

Europe Day (EU)

Ferret Day (UK)

Folly Festival

Give Local America Day

Global Big Day

Hand Hygiene Day

Hidirellez (Turkey)

Hug a Shed and Take a Selfie Day

Independent Living Day (EU)

Indian Arrival Day (Guyana)

Inko de Mayo

International Dowsing Day

International Midwives' Day

International Roller Derby Day

International Sri du Chat Awareness Day

International Uyghur Doppa Day

Kodomo-No-Hi (Children's Day; Japan)

Liberation Day (Denmark, Netherlands)

Lost Continent of Mu Day

Lusophone Culture Day

Martyrs’ Day (Albania)

Museum Lover’s Day

Nail Day

National Astronaut Day

National Cartoonist Day

National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women

National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (Canada)

National Devin Day

National Dildo of Consequence Day (UK)

National Ferret Day (UK)

National Library Legislation

National Make-Out Day

National Silence the Shame Day

Orininal (Children’s Day; South Korea)

Panopoea Asteroid Day

Parasite Awareness Day

Patriots’ Victory Day (Ethiopia)

Perfect Game Day

Press Day (Belarus)

Proserpine Asteroid Day

Revenge of the Fifth (Star Wars)

Save Lives Clean Your Hands Day (UN)

Scopes Arrest Day

Senior Citizens Day (Palau)

Significant Other Day

Sleep Apnea Awareness Day (Australia)

Tamil Tigers Day

World African Heritage Day

World Asthma Day

World Environment Day

World Fives Day

World Hand Hygiene Day

World Labyrinth Day in Schools

World Math Day

World Portuguese Language Day

World Pulmonary Hypertension Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

National Burgundy Day

National Enchilada Day

National Hoagie Day

National Mayonnaise Day

Oyster Day

Totally Chipotle Day

Independence & Related Days

Atovia (Declared; 2017) [unrecognized]

Constitution Day (Kyrgyzstan)

Hope Kingdom (Declared; 2020) [unrecognized]

The Netherlands (from Nazi Germany, 1945)

Pangration (Declared; 2020) [unrecognized]

Transterra (Declared; 2018) [unrecognized]

1st Sunday in May

Children’s Sunday (Tonga) [1st Sunday]

Humane Sunday [1st Sunday]

International Baby Lost Mother’s Day [1st Sunday]

International Bereaved Mothers' Day [1st Sunday]

International Dawn Chorus Day [1st Sunday]

International Family Equality Day [1st Sunday]

International Permaculture Day [1st Sunday]

Kanamara Matsuri (Japan) [1st Sunday]

Lemonade Day [1st Sunday]

Mayday for Mutts [1st Sunday]

Mother’s Day (Spain) [1st Sunday]

Motorcycle Mass and the Blessing of the Bikes Day [1st Sunday]

National Infertility Survival Day [1st Sunday]

National Miscarriage Awareness Day (Australia) [1st Sunday]

National Ride A Bike Day [1st Sunday]

Randwick Wap Cheese Rolling (Gloucestershire, England) [1st Sunday]

Rural Life Sunday [1st Sunday]

Understanding Day (Northwestern Cross-Quarter; Aretéanism) [1st Sunday] (Science)

Unmother's Day [1st Sunday]

World Hickory Golf Day [1st Sunday]

World Laughter Day [1st Sunday]

World Meditation Day [1st Sunday of Every Month]

Weekly Holidays beginning May 5 (1st Full Week)

Arson Awareness Week (thru 5.11) [1st Full Week]

Be Kind to Animals Week (thru 5.11) [1st Full Week]

Catholic Education Week (Canada) [1st Full Week]

Children’s Book Week (thru 5.11)

Choose Privacy Week [1st Full Week]

Dating and Life Coach Recognition Week (thru 5.11) [1st Full Week]

Drinking Water Week (thru 5.11) [1st Full Week]

Flexible Work Arrangement Week (thru 5.11) [1st Full Week]

Goodwill Industries Week (thru 5.11) [1st Full Week]

Holocaust Remembrance Week (thru 5.11) [1st Full Week]

International Building Safety Week (thru 5.11) [1st Full Week]

International Clitoris Awareness Week (thru 5.11) [1st Full Week]

International Coaching Week (thru 5.11)

International Compost Awareness Week (thru 5.11)

Kids Win Week (thru 5.11) [1st Full Week]

National Anxiety and Depression Awareness Week (thru 5.11) [1st Full Week]

National Children’s Mental Health Week (thru 5.11) [1st Full Week]

National Correctional Officer’s Week (thru 5.11) [1st Full Week]

National Eastern Box Turtle Week [1st Full Week]

National Family Week (thru 5.11) [1st Full Week]

National Herb Week (thru 5.11) [Week before Mother’s Day]

National Hurricane Preparedness Week (thru 5.11) [1st Full Week]

National Pet Week Week (thru 5.11) [1st Full Week]

National Postcard Week (thru 5.11) [1st Full Week]

National Raisin Week (thru 5.11) [1st Full Week]

National Travel and Tourism Week [Sunday of 1st Full Week]

National Wildflower Week [1st Full Week]

North American Occupational Safety and Health Week Week (thru 5.11) [1st Full Week]

Public Service Recognition Week (thru 5.11) [1st Full Week]

Root Canal Appreciation Week (thru 5.11) [1st Full Week]

Salvation Army Week (thru 5.11) [1st Full Week]

Stewardship Week (thru 5.11) [1st Full Week]

Sun Awareness Week (thru 5.11)

Updates Your References Week (thru 5.11) [1st Full Week]

Week of the Classroom Teacher Week (thru 5.11) [1st Full Week]

Festivals Beginning May 5, 2024

The Big Nosh (Columbia, South Carolina)

Chili Cook-Off & Craft Brew Festival (Thousand Oaks, California)

Columbia VegFest (Columbia, South Carolina)

Heritage Fire (Austin, Texas)

Sly Fox Bock Fest & Goat Race (Pottstown, Pennsylvania)

Taste of the Town (Santa Clarita, California)

West Tennessee Strawberry Festival (Humboldt, Tennessee) [thru 5.11]

Feast Days

Angelo (Christian; Martyr)

Angelus of Jerusalem (Christian; Saint)

Aventinus of Tours (Christian; Saint)

Avertin (Christian; Saint)

Blessing of the Ships (Ancient Crete)

Chicken Lickin’ (Muppetism)

Day of Adoration of Anubis (Ancient Egypt)

Door-Banging and Window-Tapping Conference (Gremlins; Shamanism)

Edmund Ignatius Rice (Christian; Saint)

Fabián de la Rosa (Artology)

Fairy Ring Day (Receiving; Shamanism)

Feast of al-Khadr (St. George; Palestine)

Ferret Day (Pastafarian)

Frederick the Wise (Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod)

Hidirellez (Balkans, Turkey)

Hilary of Arles (Christian; Saint)

Judith (Christian; Saint)

Jutta of Kulmsee (Christian; Saint)

Kakava Spring Festival begins (Bulgaria, Turkey) [thru 5.6]

Mauront (Christian; Saint)

Old Faith Rain Ceremony (Mexico & Central America; Everyday Wicca)

Oshun’s Day (Pagan)

Pius V, Pope (Christian; Saint)

Polybius (Positivist; Saint)

Slender Three Day (Celtic Book of Days)

Søren Kierkegaard (Writerism)

Stanisław Kazimierczyk (Christian; Saint)

Start of Ramendan (Pastafarian)

Store Bededag (a.k.a. Great Prayer Day; Denmark) [4th Friday after Easter]

Tango no Sekku (Iris Festival; Japan)

Tiberius Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Viktor Hartmann (Artology)

Hebrew Calendar Holidays [Begins at Sundown Day Before]

Yom HaShoah (יוֹם הַשּׁוֹאָה; Holocaust Remembrance Day; Judaism) [27-28 Nisan]

Orthodox Christian Liturgical Calendar Holidays

Easter (Orthodox Christian) [1st Sunday in the Julian calendar following the Full Moon that occurs on or just after the Spring Equinox] (a.k.a. ...

Agdgoma (Georgia)

Coptic Easter (Egypt)

Fasika (Ethiopia)

Orthodox Easter

Pascha (Greece)

Pashkës Ortodokse (Albania)

Pashkët Ortodokse (Kosovo)

Paste (Moldova)

Pastele (Romania)

Tensae (Eritrea)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Perilous Day (13th Century England) [16 of 32]

Taian (大安 Japan) [Lucky all day.]

Premieres

Bad Moon Rising, by Creedence Clearwater Revival (Song; 1969)

Barnyard Egg-Citement (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1939)

Buddy’s Trolley Troubles (WB LT Cartoon; 1934)

Carnegie Hall (Music Hall; 1891)

Country School (Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Cartoon; 1931)

Donald’s Fire Survival Plan (Disney Cartoon; 1966)

Droopy’s Good Deed (MGM Cartoon; 1951)

Foundation, by Isaac Asimov (Novel; 1951)

French Kiss (Film; 1995)

From the Choirgirl Hotel, by Tori Amos (Album; 1998)

Gee Whiz-z-z-z-z-z-z (WB LT Cartoon; 1956)

Gladiator (Film; 2000)

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (Film; 2017)

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (Film; 2023)

Hare Trigger (WB MM Cartoon; 1945)

The Hidden Persuader, by Vance Packard (Book; 1958)

Hoot (Film; 2006)

Interview with the Vampire, by Anne Rice (Novel; 1976)

Jagged Little Pill (Musical Play; 2018)

LinkedIn (Social Media App; 2003)

The Love Boat (TV Series; 1977)

Mission Impossible III (Film; 2006)

The Mouse Comes to Dinner (Tom & Jerry Cartoon; 1945)

Nim (Video Game; 1951)

Odd John, by Olaf Stapledon (Novel; 1935)

One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel García Márquez (Novel; 1967)

One Man Band (Pixar Cartoon; 2005)

The Pentaverate (TV Series; 2022)

Planet Earth (Documentary; 2006)

Puss ’n’ Boats (Tom & Jerry Cartoon; 1966)

Silo (TV Series; 2023)

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, by John le Carre (Novel; 1964)

Steel and America (Disney Cartoon; 1965)

Surf-Bored Cat (Tom & Jerry Cartoon; 1967)

Them Not-So-Dry-Bones (Science Rock Cartoon; Schoolhouse Rock; 1979)

This Is America, by Donald Glover as Childish Gambino (Song; 2018)

To the Lighthouse, by Virginia Woolf (Novel; 1927)

Watch Me (Whip/NaeNae), by Silento (Song 2015)

Woody’s Knight Mare (Woody Woodpecker Cartoon; 1969)

Yankee Doodle Donkey (Noveltoons Cartoon; 1950)

Today’s Name Days

Florian, Guido, Valeria (Austria)

Cvijeta, Cvjetko, Florijan, Iskra, Silvije (Croatia)

Květoslav (Czech Republic)

Florian (Denmark)

Roosi, Rosalie, Saale, Saali, Sale (Estonia)

Roosa, Rosa, Ruusu (Finland)

Florian, Sylvain (France)

Florian, Guido, Valeria (Germany)

Melia, Pelagia (Greece)

Flórián, Mónika (Hungary)

Ada, Ciriaco, Efisio, Porfirio, Silvano (Italy)

Flora, Florians, Viola, Vizbulīte (Latvia)

Dargailas, Florijonas, Mintautė, Monika (Lithuania)

Mona, Monika (Norway)

Florian, Grzegorz, January, Michał, Monika, Paulin, Strzeżywoj (Poland)

Pelaghia (Romania)

Florián (Slovakia)

Florián, Godofredo (Spain)

Mona, Monika (Sweden)

Alvina, Eunice, June, Palahna, Una (Ukraine)

Jodi, Jodie, Jody, Judie, Judith, Judy, Terrell, Tyrell, Tyrese, Tyron, Tyrone, Tyrrell, Tyson (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 126 of 2024; 240 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 7 of week 18 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Saille (Willow) [Day 22 of 28]

Chinese: Month 3 (Wu-Chen), Day 27 (Ji-Si)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 27 Nisan 5784

Islamic: 26 Shawwal 1445

J Cal: 6 Magenta; Sixday [6 of 30]

Julian: 22 April 2024

Moon: 8%: Waning Crescent

Positivist: 14 Caesar (5th Month) [Alexander]

Runic Half Month: Lagu (Flowing Water) [Day 11 of 15]

Season: Spring (Day 48 of 92)

Week: 1st Week of May

Zodiac: Taurus (Day 16 of 31)

#Holidays

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ramtracking · 5 months

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Surrogacy 'unicorn' is pregnant with baby No. 11 and would do it again 'in a heartbeat' [ Surrogacy ]

Surrogacy ‘unicorn’ is pregnant with baby No. 11 and would do it again ‘in a heartbeat’ [News Summary] April 21-27 is National Infertility Awareness Week. All week, TODAY will be sharing stories to raise awareness of what it is like to… Emily Westerfield has delivered 10 healthy babies in the past 13 years — and now she’s due this July with her 11th. Of those 10 children,… At the age of 37, a US…

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kevinseldon · 1 year

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A personal piece I wrote for National Infertility Awareness Week + The Good Men Project...

#parenting #infertility #mental health

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shawandareneeobeymd · 8 months

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Health Inequality - A Major Problem for Black Women

Years after the passage of the Affordable Care Act, Black women still face disproportionately poor health outcomes. As a demographic group, they make up 7 percent of the US population and 13.6 percent of women. However, they have a much higher prevalence of certain health conditions, including heart disease, hypertension, stroke, diabetes, cancer, and obesity. They even have a lower life expectancy at birth, three years lower than non-Hispanic white women.

The health disparities facing black women are even more pronounced in the realm of reproductive health. Research shows that Black women have higher incidences of uterine conditions and experience more severe symptoms. Uterine conditions include gynecologic cancers, abnormal uterine bleeding, uterine fibroids, endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome, and infertility. For example, 80 percent of Black women get fibroids by age 50, compared to 70 percent of white women. Further, Black women get them at a younger age on average, have fewer days between periods, and have bigger fibroids.

Adding to the higher incidences and severity of uterine conditions among Black women, disparities exist in their diagnosis and treatment. Even when Black women do get treated, they are more prone to adverse outcomes. For instance, with fibroids, Black women are twice as likely to get hysterectomies (surgical removal of uterus and ovaries) despite the availability of minimally invasive treatments.

Switching to maternal health, Black women are three to four times more likely to die from childbirth than non-Hispanic white women. Further, Black women have the highest percentages of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (complications due to poor management of high blood pressure) and grand multiparity. Grand multiparity is when a patient has had five or more births at 20 or more weeks of gestation.

As they get older, Black women continue to experience health inequalities. Black women enter menopause at age 49 on average, two years earlier than the national median of 51. Further, they spend more time transitioning to menopause, meaning they experience menopause symptoms like hot flashes, period changes, depression, mood changes, and sleep disturbances for longer spans of time. With night sweats and hot flashes, for example, Black women experience them for 3.5 years longer than white women.

Because many medical practitioners are unaware of the unique circumstances of Black women, they fail to provide appropriate care. Implicit racial bias, limited cultural competency, language barriers, and low racial diversity in medical centers are all reasons why physicians may not provide appropriate care to Black women.

Beyond medical practice, it is necessary to take a holistic look at the systemic issues that expose Black women to inadequate health care, starting with employment. Black women experience higher unemployment rates than other women. Further, they earn about $5,500 less every year than the US average for women. This means many are unable to afford good health insurance, and when they are required to pay for certain services out of pocket, they have a harder time doing it.

Black women are also more likely to head their households, meaning they have to take care of more people with whatever they earn. Given a choice between caring for loved ones or themselves, many are likely to pick the former. Higher poverty rates, inadequate housing, and limited access to nutritious and affordable food are other challenges Black women face.

Increased awareness of racial inequality in health care is the first step to addressing it. Next, policymakers should work with health systems to increase diversity in the medical profession and enhance access to affordable care among Black women in both rural and urban settings. Finally, policymakers should enact laws that address the systemic issues hindering Black women from accessing the opportunities other women have.

#Shawanda Renee Obey #MD

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