national-infertility-awareness-weekThis post is one of many that you will find throughout the week on No Ordinary Homestead about infertility, because this blog has been dedicated to National Infertility Awareness Week (April 24-30). This is being done to raise awareness on behalf of the millions of people, male and female, who have ever been infertile or are considered infertile today. Learn more about why I’m doing this.


Infertility is a complicated and complex adventure that has so many facets. Every individual who is diagnosed with fertility issues is instantly thrown into a world of abbreviations, acronyms, medical procedures and medications to decipher. There are volumes of information to learn and become familiar with in order for you to understand what your doctors are saying to you, and to know the right questions to ask. After all — it is up to you to fully educate yourself if you find yourself embarking on a journey into this foreign territory.

Melissa Ford, who is the author of the blog, Stirrup Queens and the editor of the daily Lost and Found, has written Navigating the Land of IF as a sort of tour guide through the land of infertility. It shares details about her experiences and those of others as they have traveled through this territory and all the land mines it hides. The Land of If got its name not only because “IF” is the abbreviation for “infertility” in the online world, but also because there are so many “ifs” inherent in being here.

The Land of IF is considered to be an island and your mission while there is to survive without losing yourself or your loved ones. Navigating The Land of IF covers important lessons that are only passed along from infertile person to infertile person: learning the lingo so a person can be assertive with her own treatment; feeling empowered when searching for the words to explain infertility to someone living back on the Mainland; and maintaining friendships through infertility, a crisis known for inducing jealousy and self-anger.

I appreciated the conversational tone in which the book is written. Although there is a lot of technical material being covered, I never felt like it was time to pull out the dictionary. it is easy to read and comprehend the material, and it might even make you smile despite the heaviness of the subject. I think this book is perfect for someone who is new to the world of infertility, or friends, family and others who have loved ones dealing with fertility issues. It gives a great overview of things you need to know (injections, dealing with your emotions, understanding all the options from meds to IVF to adoption to living child-free) and has a huge resources section.

Read an excerpt from Navigating the Land of IF.

The Prize (US Only)

One copy of Navigating the Land of IF.

Navigating the Land of If

How to Enter

Main entry (required)

US entries only. You must answer this first before you complete any other entries.

***Why is National Infertility Awareness Week important to you?***

Additional Entries (13 total)

(each of these will count as one extra entry — please be sure to leave an extra comment for each one that you complete)

  • Follow me on Twitter
  • Follow the Stirrup Queen on Twitter
  • “Like” or share this giveaway on Facebook (you must first “like” NOH on Facebook, then click “Like” or “Share” on the post about this giveaway)
  • “Like” Melissa Ford on Facebook
  • Follow NOH on Google follow (right side of blog — please leave your username on GFC in your comment)
  • Subscribe to (and confirm your subscription to) one or both of the NOH newsletters (right side of blog)
  • Retweet this giveaway (please use @txblond @stirrupqueen in your tweet) – You can retweet this daily until the contest ends, but please remember to leave a comment each day. For example: Would love to win the #book Navigating the Land of IF by @stirrupqueen from @txblond  http://bit.ly/h7CNpY #giveaway #NIAW #infertility

If you already follow, “like”, subscribe, etc. you can still count these as extra entries…you do not need to subscribe again or refollow. Just leave your comment for each entry below.

If you have questions about any of this, please just drop me an email (tiffany at noordinaryhomestead.com) or leave a comment below.

**Why all the extra ways to enter? By growing the following of NOH, you are helping me to let other companies know you are out there reading and participating. Acknowledging your presence helps me to secure more partnerships for the future so you have even more chances to win incredible prizes!

The contest will be open until midnight EST, Saturday, April 30th, 2011.

Winner Selection

One winner will be chosen via the WordPress plug And the Winner Is… and announced on May 1st.

The winner will be contacted via email after the announcement and have 48 hours to respond. If I do not receive a reply, another winner will be drawn.