Attendre Un Bébé En Juillet

It is with great excitement that I introduce to you a Baluku or Masika, 

expected around July 23.

That means we just started the second trimester (currently in week 14). It also means God answers prayer, that hard work and diligence are worth the effort, and that some treatments for PCOS do work. Suddenly, we conclude our journey of infertility and prepare for parenthood with great expectation. You cannot imagine the excitement!

We found out back in November (funny story later) but decided that we would not announce publicly until after the first trimester when all manner of possible mishaps has passed. We also wanted my father-in-law (her dad) to have the honor of being the first family member to know, so we held the secret until Christmas when we visited Seattle. Other family members and close friends learned shortly thereafter. We deserve a medal for how well we kept the juicy secret; nobody had a clue.

"Baluku" and "Masika" are rank names traditionally given to first-born boys and girls, respectively, in the Konjo tribe of western Uganda (of which I am kin). They signify special responsibility and blessing on the first-born name-bearer, a vision for their life. The rank name becomes a middle name when their legal firstname is decided (although I know some who use it as a given or even a surname).

Speaking of traditions, our diverse backgrounds, ethnicities, and upbringing have suddenly swung into full focus as we begin making decisions about this baby (in a good way). I mean, who knew we would have different opinions about birthing? Our parenthood will definitely be unique, to say the least.

Appreciating Our Wedding Party

On April 03, 2011 these twelve friends saw us begin our journey into marriage. With our third wedding anniversary fast approaching, we wanted to pause and recognize them for the support they have continued to show us, and for being our biggest fans. After all, there was a part in our collective vows about them keeping tabs on us and making sure we were doing well. And we are doing well.

So during 2013 we dedicated a month to each one and specifically sent them our appreciation and best wishes. Thank you Evan*, Bobga, William, Chad, Alex, Jared, Kelsie*, Lydia, Melissa, Tamra, LaChelle, and Valarie. We are glad we can count on you anytime.

The Insuring of Things

In this country, insurance is as much a part of life as taxation. Almost every major aspect of life is insurable, including life itself, whether required by law or voluntary. So we comply if we want to drive (auto insurance) or want to live in this apartment (renters insurance). And every year, we review our insurance plans to make sure we are adequately covered at the best possible price.

For a family our size (2 people living in an apartment and owning 2 vehicles), these standard features and coverages are considered "good" coverage. You can get by with less or more, obviously, but the crux is getting what would be realistically "adequate" should catastrophe come.

AUTO INSURANCE
Bodily injury liability	$100,000 ind./$300,000 acc.
Property damage liability	$100,000
Uninsured/underinsured motorist	$100,000 ind./$300,000 acc.
Medical coverage	$10,000
Comprehensive deduction	$500
Collision deductible	$500
Glass coverage	Yes
Roadside emergency/towing	Yes
Loss of vehicle	Market value less deductible

RENTERS INSURANCE
Property damage liability	$45,000
Personal liability	$300,000
Guest medical cover	$10,000
Deductible	$500
Content replacement	Cost value with evidence
Loss of use	Up to 2 years, or until recovered
Other	Sewage backup. Flooding.

Conventional practice says bundling policies under the same insurer should deliver some savings. But this year, that did not pan out true. GEICO offered the best overall rate for auto insurance ($540 every 6 months for both vehicles and 2 drivers), while State Farm offered the best package for renters insurance ($125/year) at said coverages. It would have been $30 to $60 more expensive if bundled under either insurer. I checked out the top 10 big insurers, who offer web-based estimators and various discounts. I'm sure some insiders can beat these rates, but think they are competitive rates.

With that, we bid farewell to Farmers Insurance, which would have renewed with lesser coverages (half the limits, double the deductibles) at $870 every 6 months (auto) and $167/year (renters)! I'd asked why the rates were comparatively high and was told the 2 big fires that beseiged our city had forced risk and prices up. But I found it curious that no other major insurer was increasing their rates as much as Farmers was. I'm for shopping around and options, and will gladly do it every year.

Next up: life insurance and business insurance. We already have life assurance!

A PCOS Diagnosis

We pride ourselves in having self-diagnosed our infertility, but while FAM can point you a certain direction, it doesn't provide a diagnosis. We needed expert opinion on what kind of infertility we are facing so we visited a fertility specialist, who eventually informed us that from his initial observations it looks like Polycystic Ovarian Syndrom (PCOS). The thing with PCOS is that it is a spectrum of fertility issues that may or may not have anything to do with ovarian cysts. In fact for a lot of women, a hormonal imbalance perhaps due to a malfunctioning thyroid can be diagnosed as PCOS, as would a pre-cancerous cyst. So we needed to find the specific infertility affecting us.

From FAM, we can see the interplay of three reproductive hormones: estrogen (obviously), luteinizing hormone (LH), and progesterone. BBT charts show lower temps because estrogen rules pre-ovulation. The temps rise after ovulation because of progesterone. Ovulation tests work by detecting the presence of LH. But there is another important hormone is this interplay: Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH). It is responsible for arbitrating follicle competition and nurturing an egg to maturation in ovarian follicles, and for releasing the egg during a so-called "LH surge" (what we collectively call ovulation). By a process of elimination, FSH became the culprit that was later confirmed by labs (blood panels). Ultrasounds around the time of ovulation revealed a pattern of anovulation (no mature follicles were observed 1-2 days before ovulation). So we moved from a general diagnosis of PCOS to a more specific "anovulation due to FSH deficiency". With that, two more questions arose: (1) what causes FSH deficiency? (2) How is this hormone imbalance treated?

The cause is not as easy to pin down because of the complexity of the endocrine system. We learned that a deficiency in some gland (say the thyroid or the pituitary glands) can affect the production of hormones elsewhere in the body, and this is what was likely happening in our case. The doctor thinks there is actually an estrogen imbalance that is affecting FSH. More specific blood panels and two possible causes emerge: vitamin D deficiency and insulin resistance. It is amazing how lifestyle and diet now tie into fertility, so we know treatment will not be singular.

The treatments start with Letrozole (as an alternative to Clomid) to help regulate estrogen and restore ovulation. Daily supplementation with vitamin D is recommended, and Metformin is prescribed for insulin resistance, even as diabetes is not diagnosed. We institute a low-sugar diet ("The Sugar Solution" is an excellent resource) and continue daily exercise. We also started seeing a doctor that specializes in PCOS treatment, who helped with the specification of said diet. We know the diet and exercise are working already just a couple of months in.

Even as we do infertility treatment, we are aware of the possibility that it may not work. After some heavy discussions, we decided that we would try any options (clinical or alternative) that are reasonably available, but would not do surrogacy or IUIs and beyond. At that point, we would take a break and eventually turn to adoption. But we do what we can while we still can (insurance, etc).

It is emotionally draining and stressful to deal with such a diagnosis, the medications, the doctor visits, and the numerous clinical procedures you undergo. I applaud my dear wife for the courage and strength she has shown in this journey. As long as there is visibility into the condition (we know what is going on), great chances are that there is a specific treatment plan for it. If you have been here, I encourage you to do your research and understand the condition yourself so that you can contribute to the doctor's prognosis. You know yourself better than a doctor does, and many doctors appreciate informed patients and working as a team. It is not an easy journey and it requires persistence and diligence.

I should also say that no one treatment plan works for everyone precisely because infertility is variable in different people, even under the same diagnosis. Fertility is one of the few areas where treatment must be quite specific and exact for a given degree of diagnosis.

Our Company Sold

A big surprise early Monday morning: that our company had been sold to Avago Corporation, which is expanding into the storage and networking space. An even bigger surprise is that many of us on the the inside had no idea whatsoever that such a big transaction was in the works. Many of my co-workers seem upbeat about the news nonetheless, especially that our stock price has finally broken the $10 barrier. Our company stock, earned over the years through the ESPP or as RSU grants, is suddenly worth a whole lot more. I'll give myself a couple of weeks before I sell some of it.

The question on everyone's mind has been whether people would lose their jobs. Traditionally, the absorbed company sheds some positions as they get assimilated into the owning company. We did that when we acquired Agere Systems and MegaRAID. But in this week's employee conferences (3 by week's end) with both CEOs, the message has been that this is more like a merger, a combining of specialties to create a larger company, and so business should proceed as usual albeit under a new name on our side. If any jobs will be shed, it will be in departments that do similar work in both companies, and such decisions will be made in the 3rd or 4th quarters of 2014 after the acquisition gets approved in in March or April.

What does this acquisition mean for our family though? For the time being, we will proceed with our lives as originally planned. If I were to lose my job, three things would be at stake: our plans to buy a house next year, our healthcare insurance, and a sabbatical I have been delaying. The slight uncertainty has caused us to look more critically at our finances, and to begin considering alternatives (part-time work or contracts through my business STRIVE). It's definitely a sterner dynamic.

So we covet your prayers that we may find peace and not be thrown off course by uncertainties that would befall us. In times like this, we are glad that we still have two incomes, and that our emergency plans account for one of us losing their job. It's comforting and helps us avoid panic.