Fundraising for Babies

Infertility affects millions of couples in the United States. While recent studies suggest that the numbers of people may be dropping, that doesn't really help those of us struggling to have a family of our own. Fertility treatments are extremely expensive and it's not always covered by health insurance. People with health insurance can usually get some of the more basic and routine tests performed under their plan, they end up having to pay out of pocket for additional treatments such as IUI's and IVF. These treatments cost thousands of dollars per try. 

Unfortunately, that is just waaaay out of reach for lots of couples trying to conceive. 

  Adoption is also an option for childless couples. However, just like fertility treatments, adoption can be very expensive. Couples can often find themselves quickly getting buried in debt trying to finance this dream. As a result more and more couples are deciding to hold fundraising events to raise the money they need. 

Deciding to hold a fertility treatment, or adoption fundraiser isn't easy. Infertility is a difficult thing to discuss for most couples. When they decide to host a fundraiser to finance their fertility treatments they have to come out and admit to everyone that they are living with condition. Family, friends, co-workers and strangers will now learn all about your struggle. This can add extra stress to your life so you want to make sure that this is the right decision. Once you send out the info about the fundraiser there is no turning back.  You also have to be prepared to discuss your infertility struggles openly and frankly. 

So now that you've decided to hold a fundraiser it's time to start planning! Just like any other fundraiser, the key to holding a successful event is good planning at the start. 

• Get all your facts in order first. Research costs, statistics, and anything else you think is relevant. Providing this kind of information will help convince people to donate to your cause. 
• Determine your fundraising goal. Make it clear exactly what you will do with the money. Keeping things clear and transparent will make people feel more confident in supporting your endeavors. 
• Get organized! Whether it's a file on your computer, your email calendar, or a basic notebook, being organized will help you stay on top of everything at all times. 

Thanks to the Internet there are more ways than ever before to raise funds for your infertility treatments or adoption costs. One of the quickest and easiest ways to being raising money is through a crowdfunding site. Using a crowdfunding site is extremely quick and easy. You just sign up, fill out your info, create your fundraising page and start sharing the link. Anyone can then visit and make a donation. Easy-peasy! 

Some sites to consider include:

• Fundly.com
• GoFundMe.com
• Crowdrise.com

You can take a look at a fundraiser one of my friends set up to see what she has done on her page to help finance her dreams: Wishing for Our Rainbow Baby. You can learn more about Maria by visiting her blog The Mamma Homemaker

If you want to host a fundraiser online, but want to provide a product that your donors will like too then you can check out the site MyFundraising.com This site allows people to buy items such as magazine subscriptions and gives you a commission on each sale. I created one there just to check it out. You can find my fundraising page at: A Family Of My Own. 

Take a moment to also visit this page at funraising123.org. They have several free guides and eBooks that you can download to help make your online fundraiser a success. Just click here to get these valuable resources now. 

Since fertility treatments are so expensive, you're probably going to need to raise a lot of money. While online fundraising is a great way to get help, a more traditional "real world" event could be an excellent way to raise even more funds. If you decide to hold an event like this try to avoid spending a lot of money on it, especially if this is your first fundraiser. Remember, the goal is to make money!  Also, keep the event small so that you can manage it easily. 

Some ideas to consider include: 

• Raffles
• Auctions
• Garage sales or flea markets
• Create a recipe book to sell
• Dances or dinners

You can also look for sponsors for your event. For example, if you want to have an auction then you need stuff to sell. Contact your local businesses and ask then if they have any items that they can donate for your cause. This could be a physical product, a gift card, or other type of service. Many times companies love to work with fundraisers since it's a great way to get advertisement for their business while also improving their social standing in the community. 

Another excellent option is working with a direct sales company. These programs usually come with everything that you need to have a successful fundraiser. They can range from simply hosting a single party, or having a huge event where several people assist you in the selling. Each direct sales company is different in the amount of money they offer for each sale. Some programs allow people to buy anything available in their product catalog, while some have specific catalogs with items just for fundraising. Go over all the details about the fundraising program with your representative thoroughly. Make sure that you understand what they offer, how much help and assistance they provide, and what will be expected of you. Taking a little time at the beginning to do this will save you and the representative a lot of headaches and misunderstandings later.

Contact these direct sales representatives to learn more about their fundraising options:

• Gold Canyon Candles. Representative: Jennifer Snyder-Allen. Her facebook page: Wix-N-Stix Candles Her Gold Canyon business page: https://scentsationalwicks.mygc.com/Home
• Thirty-One Gifts Representative Britney O'Keefe. Her business page: Mythirtyone.com/bokeefe Email Britney at Britney.okeefe@gmail.com

Now that you've decided what type of fundraiser you're going to have it's time to start promoting it! A good promotion campaign is essential to the success of your event. You want everyone to know what is happening and how they can help. 

• Share your online with all of your social network. Facebook, twitter, pinterest and Instagram can all be great ways to get the word out. 
• Put up flyers and posters advertising your event. Include all relevant information, including contact information. 
• Ask family and friends to help spread the word. 
• Many local newspapers, radio stations, and TV stations have "what's going" segments. Contact them about listing your event. Ask about discounts for advertising fundraisers, or offer them a "sponsor listing" in exchange for the promotion. 

Personally, my preferred method of raising funds for my treatments is through this blog. Supporting my efforts is as simple as click on the ads, signing up for promotions I share or join the reward sites that I participate in. Hosting a fundraiser may be the perfect solution for some couples, but it's just not for me. Here are a few programs that you can join to help me. 

• Swagbucks
• iRazoo
• GiftHulk

Have you tried fundraising to pay for your fertility treatments or adoption? Would you consider supporting a fundraiser for someone that is? Let me know in the comments!

Books To Help You Overcome Your Infertility

As many of my readers now, I am one of millions of women in the world affected by infertility. Earlier tonight while searching Amazon for free books I decided to look for free eBooks relating to infertility. I've only found one. However, I also found several books that look promising that aren't very expensive at all. Please click on the links below to check them out. They may hold the answers to your fertility questions. If you are a member of Amazon Prime then you can borrow many of these titles for free.

The Sperm Meets Egg Plan is a step-by-step guide to achieving pregnancy without taking invasive tests, charting temperatures, or making mistakes in predicting your ovulation that result in mistimed attempts at fertilization. Designed by Deanna Roy after months of trying made her believe she had a fertility problem, the plan will help you time intercourse whether you have a typical or atypical cycle. It includes adjustments for common fertility problems, what to do if you are over forty, and considerations for trying again after a pregnancy loss. This booklet includes 40 pages of instruction plus a 10-page sneak peek of Deanna's book Baby Dust. It should be a free download.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder that affects women and between 5-10% of all women have this condition. The cause of why PCOS develops is basically unclear, however medical professionals believe it to be partially influenced by a condition called insulin resistance, hormone imbalance and even genetics. A well balanced diet plan designed to manage insulin resistance and PCOS needs to consist of all the essential nutrients you would expect in any good basic plan. This is sometimes a hard task to plan meals trying to cover all the bases but diets don't need to be difficult to maintain. Even harder is following a different diet than your family and preparing separate meals than everyone else is eating. This complicated domestic situation can be expensive, inconvenient and often is the reason people quit trying a particular eating plan. Take heart though, even a very general knowledge of the body and what impact certain foods have on it can clearly illustrate how even small changes can reduce your PCOS symptoms.

Worried about your ability to have children in the next five years? Have you been trying to get pregnant for a while now and it’s just not happening? Does it seem like every woman you know is having a hard time getting pregnant and you don’t want that to be you when you’re ready? If you answered yes to any one of these questions, Aimee’s second book, Yes, You Can Get Pregnant: The Diet That Will Improve Your Fertility Now & Into Your 40’s, was written for you. Whether you’re in your 20’s, 30’s or 40’s, this book will give you all the nutritional information you need to keep your baby-making machinery in tip-top shape.

BEARING THE UNBEARABLE wrestles with two of life's most painful realities, the loss or diminishment of hope and the inability of human beings to fulfill their vocation, potential, and dreams. We will focus on perhaps the most poignant cause of this, infertility, but our discussion will include other major obstacles to fulfillment. There is an innate link between the futility of procreative and potential fulfillment efforts. We will integrate western civilization's most famous infertility stories, those from the Bible, and particularly the Old Testament, with contemporary stories and your own.

This book provides resources and options for any couple struggling with infertility. Dr. Khatamee, a world-renowned infertility specialist, presents numerous case studies, discusses the most current tests available, what each entails and when testing should commence. The prevention of infertility and preservation of fertility are addressed. Adoption may be the right choice for you and information and resources are provided should you choose this option. Every couple deserves the best in fertility care. That’s the premise of the book DOCTOR, ARE YOU LISTENING? (A Couple’s Struggle to Find the Right Infertility Doctor). The book is co-authored by Linda Perelman Pohl and Dr. Masood Khatamee. It follows Linda and her husband, Stuart, in their quest to become parents. For many years, they saw doctor after doctor who "claimed" to be infertility experts, but, sadly, were not.

Yoga and Fertility: A Journey to Health and Healing: is for those who have never done yoga before, as well as those with yoga experience, or who are currently taking a yoga class. Personal stories are woven into the text, so that women can relate to the author and others who have struggled with fertility challenges. The book includes suggestions for friends and family members to help them better understand the issues.

Foods to Eat And Foods To Avoid If You’re Facing Infertility

Eating a healthy, well balanced and nutritional diet will have a tremendous effect on your health and well being. It’s also extremely helpful for those trying to conceive a child. When planning your new diet it’s very important that you understand what foods will provide you with the essential nutrients that you need, as well as the foods that you want to avoid.

Zinc:

Zinc is very important in your fertility health. For men it will help to increase sperm production and raise their sperm count. For women it’s much needed nutrient for the production of her egg during ovulation.

Zinc can be found in many foods. The best suppliers of this nutrient are oysters, shellfish, wheat bran, pine nuts, pecans, fish and liver.

Iron:

Low iron levels is a well known problem for women. This is mostly due to our monthly menstruation. Iron creates hemoglobin in a person’s bloodstream. This protein in the red blood cells delivers oxygen and other nutrients that the organs and tissues in the human body needs. When a woman has low iron levels then she has a much lower chance of producing a healthy egg. While a person can get a lot of the iron they need naturally from their diet, you can also look to supplements if your levels are too low.

Some of the best sources of iron in food include bread, green peas, broccoli, almonds, ham, peaches, spinach and tomato juice.

Vitamin E:

There have been several studies in recent years that have shown Vitamin E to increase fertility in both men and women. Scientists also believe that the antioxidant effects found in Vitamin E can make a man’s sperm more fertile.

When looking to increase the Vitamin E in your diet choose foods such as avocados, eggs, peanuts, sweet potatoes, apples and corn oil.

Now that you know which foods to eat, it’s time to look at a few things that you want to avoid in your diet. The worst offenders are caffeine and alcohol. Both of these substances work to constrict the blood vessels preventing the necessary amount of blood from reaching a woman’s uterus. This can cause problems when the fertilized egg tries to implant itself to the uterus.

It’s also recommended that you avoid having too much meat in your diet. By eating too much meat you are raising the levels of ammonia in your body. This will also make it more difficult for the fertilized egg to attach to the uterine wall.

When trying to conceive you need to look at all aspects of your diet. Before making any major changes be sure to discuss them with your doctor. Remember, the goal is to be as healthy as you can be so that you create a healthy, beautiful baby.

10 Popular Sayings That Hurt People With Infertility

Do people love to give you advice on how to conceive a child? They may have good intentions, but these comments are often painful for those of us that haven't been able to have a child. If you're struggling with infertility then you've probably heard most of the comments in this infographic before.

 
Via: FertilityNation.com

What Is Unexplained Infertility?

Do you know what unexplained infertility is? It's the only diagnosis I've ever been given, and honestly it sucks. Check out this infographic to learn more about unexplained infertility.