Evo Conference '12-Part 1

This past weekend I was able to attend Evo '12 Conference due to the amazing internship I have with MomItForward. And I was able to rub shoulders with some of the most influential women in the world, mom bloggers. These women are phenomenal in every aspects of their lives. I met women who have fought and won against cancer. Women who made many mistakes in their lives but choose not to focus on those mistakes but instead work forward. Women who are truly grateful for the big and small miracles in their lives.    

It was incredible to realize that there were many women who were experiencing their first Evo Conference including myself but they amount of love and inclusion we received from the start demonstrates the uniqueness of Evo. Being involved in the flash mob dance was exhilarating and nerve wracking for all of us, but it didn't matter because we were determined to do it even if we looked rather ridiculous.

The kickoff for the conference were the IGNITE presentations. Inspirational women who shared their lives and how they had overcome difficult trials. Each speaker left us with a motivational thought. Here are just some of those thoughts:

• You can have it all. Your dreams and wishes along with a family- Jenny Eckton. 
• Showing gratitude in every blessing, both large and small. Also she was a fabulous dancer - Lucrecer Braxton
• Accepting that we are each a superhero even with the flaws that we have - Jyl Johnson Pattee
• Getting over the a**hole in your self and going outside of yourself to interact with those around you -Cecily Kellogg
• And my personal favorite was Casey Mullins. I could tell that she was nervous but that only made her message that much sincere. She had her notes and may have stumbled but I don't remember. All I remember is a woman who had been through a horrible year like myself. A dark year in her life and she had made it out of the dark. She had to overcome past mistakes and painful trials.

Watching these women and every other woman at the conference, I saw women who were strong and capable. Women who were nurturing mothers and wives along with being successful business women. Women who were very inviting of the newbies and provided conversation to keep everyone included. 

Elizabeth Banks: I Thank Birth Control Pills for My Son

Elizabeth Banks: I Thank Birth Control Pills for My Son

Just over a year ago, my son Felix was born via gestational surrogacy. He came out of me nine months early and because of my broken belly, his babycake was baked in a wonderful angel’s oven and now — I can’t believe it — he’s a year old and walking. He has expanded my capacity for joy a thousand-fold.

His life would have been much harder to come by if not for the birth control pill. How’s that, you ask? Well, it’s a simple fact: The pill is used for many situations that have nothing to do with the prevention of pregnancy. The pill was prescribed to me when hormonally induced migraines kept me locked up in dark rooms for days at a time. It was prescribed to me to regulate insanely painful cramps every month — cramps so painful that I often vomited.

And here’s a little secret I am happy to blow the lid off of: The pill is often prescribed during the IVF (in vitro fertilization) process to help MAKE BABIES! That’s right, women dealing with infertility are often put on the pill to help regulate a cycle so that they might have a more successful IVF. The pill is used to manage ovarian cysts, endometriosis and other conditions too. Not to mention, it helps couples plan for wanted children.

Obviously, I’m not a doctor. I’m just a woman grateful for my necessary and very helpful medication. And I’m sure glad I don’t have to discuss any of these conditions, including infertility, with my employer.

A girlfriend and I recently wondered what would be more mortifying: having to tell her male employer she needed birth control to mitigate a heavy flow or just bleeding all over herself in the office?

So with that image in mind, I encourage all women — and the men in their lives — to protect access to birth control, and encourage our politicians to take women’s health issues out of the political process.

For more information, please visit the most comprehensive and willing advocates for women’s health in America: www.plannedparenthood.org.