Meet The Moderators ~ Gargy

[The ModSquad]

When did you become a BellyBelly Moderator?
August 2008

What forums do you moderate?
LTTTC

What is your favourite forum?
* Long Term Assisted Conception
* Long Term TTC
* LT TTC & Assisted Conception Vent Forum
* TTC Vent

What do you love about being a Moderator?
I'm able to ensure that Belly Belly remains a safe and comfortable place for people to post.

What is your real name and date of birth?
Carmel, born Dec 69

Starsign?
Sagittarius

Where do you live?
Western Sydney

What family do you live with?
My husband - user name Montyp - my dog Scrappy and my cat Scottie.

Who are your support people?
My huband. My BFS. My best male friend and donor. My mum and dad. My family. My friends - both on BB and IRL.

How many children do you think you would like?
Originally we wanted three. Now I would just love to have at least one. Two if we can...

What are your hobbies?
Journalling and blogging. Drawing. Watching movies. Tapestries (although I am not doing this a lot at the moment). Taking photos. Organising - I am currently trying to organise my house (hit a wall with my work resources LOL).

Recently I've started an exercise program, tried to limit spending and eventually want to create a budget. I also want to see family and friends more this year.

Current Occupation?

High School Teacher

Are you a morning or a night person?
Night person definitely!

Your favourite music groups?
I'm actually quite ecclectic and my music depends on my mood. Helps that my husband is a musician! Currently loving Lily Allen, Architecture in Helsinki, Dizzy Rascal, Hilltop Hoods, The Prodigy etc.

Your favourite movies?
Midnight Cowboy, Citizen Kane

Your favourite books?
Wow - that's hard! LOVE science fiction/fantasy (at the moment reading Jennifer Fallon), historical fiction, romance novels , biographies (just finished 'Dear Fatty'). I'll read almost anything except criminal/murder stories (too scary and depressing)

Your favourite foods?
Chocolate, Seafood, Italian, Thai, Lebanese, Vietnamese - anything that is not too creamy or too heavy.


Your favourite alcoholic drink?
Beer on hot days, wines with dinner.

Your favourite holiday destination?
My husband and I love going on driving holidays - last one I loved was driving from Geelong to Adelaide along the Great Ocean Road.


Do you have a goal/dream for yourself in life?
I want to fall pregnant and have a baby. I want my husband and I to raise this baby into a wonderful adult. I want to write a book. I want to learn how to draw at an professional level. I want my husband and I to purchase and eventually own our own home.

Do you have a favourite motto or saying?

"Her defeats leave her undaunted"

A little bit about Gargy's TTC & parenting history?

I had an ovarian cyst when I was 15, and another at 17. I was placed on the Pill. I met my DH when I was 18 and I married him when I was 24. Then when I was 25 I came off the Pill. Nothing was happening, so I went to a specialist when I was 27, to be given the diagnosis of PCOS.

The big shock came when I was 30. We went to the IVF clinic and were tested. My husband was diagnosed with azospermia (no sperm). Initially he said 'no children' and I tried to live with that. However through counselling DH realised there was more to fathering than just sperm. So when I was 35 we went back to the IVF clinic for counselling.

When I was 36 we tried IUI twice with an unknown donor. Then the clinic ran out of donors. Our friend had offered to donate sperm so we spent my 37th year going through counselling.

At 38 we tried IUI and IVF with our known donor. The IUI failed. In the IVF cycle harvested 12 eggs, however only four eggs were fertilised and only one embryo lasted to be implanted. Unfortunately this embryo that we named 'Tenacious D' did not stick.

Now due to my new job as well as financial, health and emotional pressures, we are replenishing our energy and financial resources. I am trying to get fit, eat well, get organised and go to work to learn my new job as well as to pay for the next cycle of IVF. This is what is keeping me sane at the moment.