I Growing up, my mom grew marigolds in our backyard. They lined the side fences along Charlie and Florence’s yards, but sometimes, you could find them scattered around the front yard. Now they sit in a black pot, near my parents’ back door. II At a restaurant for my friend’s 48th birthday, dried marigolds hung… Continue reading Marigold Poem (unfinished)
Tag: egg transfer
“Home is a Sweater” (Finishing Line Press Book of the Day)
FLP CHAPBOOK OF THE DAY: Home is a Sweater by Stefanie Wielkopolan ADVANCE ORDER: https://finishinglinepress.com/product/home-is-a-sweater-by-stefanie-wielkopolan/… Home is a Sweater reflects on ideas of #place, #infertility, #trauma, and hope. A series of poems explore memories held within specific organs of the body and others use tangible objects to reflect on absence and loss. Pieces take you… Continue reading “Home is a Sweater” (Finishing Line Press Book of the Day)
Loss of Production (Poem)
Loss of Production I.The eggs are there,along with cysts,a thin uterine lining,fibroids and scar tissue. I do not know how this will end. II.I’ve been saying fuck a lot.When the blood starts,when someone,anyone younger than me,announces an unplanned pregnancy. A pregnancy absent of forms,thousands of dollars invested in conception, blood work, tests, drugsand therapy. I… Continue reading Loss of Production (Poem)
February 16, 2023
After a handful of cancelled embryo transfers, tweaks in protocols, tests, and delays, we were finally on track. February 16, 2023 would be our transfer date, for real this time. We felt that the date was a sign, as it was my grandma’s birthday, and the next day was my father-in-law’s birthday. Two people that… Continue reading February 16, 2023
Back to Back to Back to Back…
We’re sad. We’re tired. We don’t know what is next. I feel silly and don’t know how to gather up buckets of hope anymore. I’ve been avoiding writing about anything, really. Starting a family is constantly on my mind, and when it isn’t, some random person will innocently ask, “Do you have any kids?” The… Continue reading Back to Back to Back to Back…
Actually, Robert Frost, I Prefer the Well Traveled Road
The nurse called Sunday afternoon to give us results from the tests earlier in the morning. “Unfortunately, your uterine lining is still too thin, and the doctor would like to cancel the cycle for this month. I’m so, so sorry.” January 19. The date we were supposed to transfer our embryo, would now be just… Continue reading Actually, Robert Frost, I Prefer the Well Traveled Road
Thank You for Your Patience
This afternoon, I counted the total number of shots that I had taken earlier in the month, over an eight-day period. Twenty-four. Twenty-two of those were given to me by my partner, the remaining two I administered on my own. One evening around 6 p.m., I sat on the edge of our bed and tried… Continue reading Thank You for Your Patience
Stefanie Wielkopolan 