Raff Out Loud

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About Me

About Me

Hey There! My name is Raffinee, but most people call me Raff. My wife, Micaela and I are Bay Area locals and mom to three toddlers born 7.5 months apart. Want to know more? Just ask!

Instagram

  • ⁣#BabyDovePartner For 34 weeks and two days, I carried twins🤰🏼I was a medical hot mess and a walking miracle all at the same time. My first trimester I LOST 12 lbs because I was so sick and in my third trimester I got diagnosed with pre-eclampsia, which eventually progressed to HELLP syndrome- an extremely rare and sometimes fatal complication of pregnancy. ⠀ ⠀ Usually delivery is the cure, but that wasn’t the case for me. My blood pressure continued to rise postpartum🤱🏼So high in fact that I required a dose of hydralazine, an emergency medication used to bring down dangerously high BP’s. My liver enzymes and clotting factors also continued to change for the worse postpartum. But that wasn’t it. I also developed a bumpy red rash that covered almost EVERY square inch of my body except my face and itched like CRAZZZZY. No, for me delivery wasn’t the cure-all. ⠀ ⠀ But miracles happen. And with medication and time, everything eventually worked itself out. In fact when I look back on my pregnancy and delivery, I see ✨miracles✨ EVERYWHERE! Somehow both babies were head down. Somehow I was able to push BOTH babies out 28 minutes apart and didn’t require a c-section. Somehow my blood pressure, liver enzymes and clotting factors rebalanced themselves within 36 hours. Somehow our 34 weekers didn’t require additional oxygen support. Somehow the twins didn’t end up having to go to the NICU. Somehow, out of all the chaos, we were blessed with TWO beautiful little beings that we were able to bring home and love💗 Somehow, everything worked out. ⠀ ⠀ In sharing my story with other women, I’ve realized that my story isn’t that unique. I’ve realized that EVERY woman in some form or another has experienced their own version of ✨miracles✨ at some point in their journey to parenthood. If you feel inclined to share, I’d love to hear YOUR miracles below👇🏼and celebrate them- because every miracle big or small deserves to be celebrated. #BabyDovePartner #RealBirthStories @babydovecare
  • ⁣🌈Micaela and I decided that we would start with Intrauterine Insemination (or IUI) and escalate fertility treatments on an as needed basis. We decided to start with IUI over IVF for a handful of reasons. For starters, we wanted to do things as natural as possible- we didn’t want to have to take medication and hormones if it wasn’t needed (I ended up taking both on my last try and that’s what worked for me!) 🤰🏼 Second, we paid for all our fertility treatments out of pocket and IUI was the cheaper option. We also bought 15 vials of our donors sperm, so we had the option to each try multiple times (if you have limited vials of sperm that you are set on using- IVF MAY be a better option!) It ended up taking Micaela 4 tries and myself 5- with my last cycle being medicated with clomid and ovidrel. Ultimately, everyone’s journey is going to look different and one journey is definitely not more “valid” than the next♥️🧡💛💚💙💜 ⠀ More answers to more questions coming in a post tomorrow and a video this weekend! Feel free to leave any more questions about the fertility process below👇🏼⠀ ⠀ 📸: Gabby for @flytogropher ⠀ ⠀ Use code: RAFFINEE50 to get $50 off your shoot with Flytographer. Valid until 12/31/2020 #gifted #flytographer
  • ❌Giveaway Closed- Winner to be announced ❌ Yep! You read that right! It’s 🎉 GIVEAWAY time!🎉 To celebrate my milestone of reaching 100k, I wanted to thank you all in the biggest way I could possibly think of. So I’m partnering @cryobank to give one lucky winner the chance to start a family! California Cryobank is near and dear to our hearts because it is the sperm bank we used to start our own family!⠀ ⠀ THE PRIZE ($4,700 value!)⠀ 🌟4 vials of sperm from the donor of your choice ⠀ 🌟One year of storage (but three years to select your sperm so there’s no rush!)⠀ 🌟Unlimited access to donor catalog during selection ⠀ ⠀ TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:⠀ ✅ Make sure you are following me @raffinee⠀ ✅ Head over to @cryobank and give them a follow⠀ ✅ Tag TWO friends below in the same comment ⠀ ✨ BONUS entry✨share this post in your stories and tag me @raffinee so I see it! ⠀ ⠀ And that’s it! Giveaway open to US residents only. Only TWO entries per account. A third entry will be tallied for accounts who share this post in their stories and tag @raffinee! Giveaway will close 11/13/2019 at midnight. Winner announced 11/14/2019. Rules: https://bit.ly/2rzf27p Good luck! 🥳⠀ ⠀ In addition, California Cryobank wants to give EVERYONE complete access to their donor profiles for FREE for 90 days!! Use code: RAFFINEE and see my stories for more details! #lgbtqfamily #lesbianfamily #twomomfamily
  • ⁣🌈With everyday that goes by, I somehow fall more and more in love with our children. Their giggles build me up, their hugs melt me, and their smiles seize my soul. Becoming a mother alongside the love of my life has by FAR been the greatest gift in life I’ve ever received. A gift I never thought was possible for me because of WHO I loved. But I am BOTH- a mom and a lesbian and simultaneously owning these two identities has brought be the greatest happiness I have ever known. All because I stopped living my life for other people, listened to my gut and started living my life for ME ❤🧡💛💚💙💜⠀ ⠀ 📸: Belinda for @flytographer ⠀ ⠀ Use code: RAFFINEE50 to get $50 off your shoot with Flytographer. Valid until 12/31/2020 #gifted #flytographer
  • Traveling with toddlers is: embracing the WiLd 🤪 Plans go out the window, no one realllly ends up sleeping as long as they should, and for some reason there is always an epic kid 💩story on our vacations🤦🏻‍♀️ (Please tell me that’s not just us😬) but we all end up having an awesome time regardless! Especially at @monacoslc! With a FREE nightly happy hour🥂, rooms big enough for our family of five, bikes to borrow🚲 and family games in the lobby, it’s been the perfect home away from home for us while in Salt Lake City! #hotelmonaco #visitsaltlake #kimptonhotels
  • THESE moments! I’m not sure who more excited at the Discovery Gateway Children’s Museum, us or the kids- honestly! 😂 They had a full blown mini hospital with an OR, X-Ray machine and triage. And did I mention, THEY HAD A HELICOPTER! 🚁 We all lost our minds and had an absolute blast! And getting to see👩🏻‍⚕️Micaela teach the kids about an Operating Room was just icing on the cake (especially in their little white coats!) 🥰 Loving exploring Salt Lake City! @visitsaltlake #visitsaltlake #sponsored
  • 🌈Made it to Salt Lake City today and we found rainbows everywhere! This little LGBTQ+ family feels right at home❤️🧡💛💚💙💜 @visitsaltlake #sponsored
  • If you didn’t duck lip selfie in Vegas, did you even go?? 💃🏻🎲 But real talk, what’s the most you’ve ever lost or won in Vegas? 🎰 I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours!💰💰
  • As it turns out, traveling to Vegas with three toddlers is not only doable, but enjoyable!🤩We all decided to tag along with Micaela while she’s here for a work conference 👩🏻‍⚕️ and the kids are having a BLAST on our trip all thanks to staying at @tahitivillage! With an activity center🤸🏼‍♀️, sandy beach🏖 , lazy river, and a free shuttle (with car seats!) to and from the strip @tahitivillage is THE place to stay if you ever come to Vegas with kids! 👦🏻🧒🏼👧🏼 I seriously can’t thank you all enough for this suggestion- it’s paradise here!🌴 Now off to get ready for mama’s night out on the strip!💃🏻🎰🎲

Find me on The Gram

Recent Posts

  • 10 Lesbian Accounts From Around The World You Should Follow On Instagram
  • I Came Out As A Lesbian While I Was Married To A Man.
  • Pride Party At Sea with Celebrity Cruises

Recent Comments

  • Anonymous on I Came Out As A Lesbian While I Was Married To A Man.
  • Whitney on How To Choose A Sperm Donor
  • Lisbia on 10 Lesbian Accounts From Around The World You Should Follow On Instagram

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Instagram

  • ⁣#BabyDovePartner For 34 weeks and two days, I carried twins🤰🏼I was a medical hot mess and a walking miracle all at the same time. My first trimester I LOST 12 lbs because I was so sick and in my third trimester I got diagnosed with pre-eclampsia, which eventually progressed to HELLP syndrome- an extremely rare and sometimes fatal complication of pregnancy. ⠀ ⠀ Usually delivery is the cure, but that wasn’t the case for me. My blood pressure continued to rise postpartum🤱🏼So high in fact that I required a dose of hydralazine, an emergency medication used to bring down dangerously high BP’s. My liver enzymes and clotting factors also continued to change for the worse postpartum. But that wasn’t it. I also developed a bumpy red rash that covered almost EVERY square inch of my body except my face and itched like CRAZZZZY. No, for me delivery wasn’t the cure-all. ⠀ ⠀ But miracles happen. And with medication and time, everything eventually worked itself out. In fact when I look back on my pregnancy and delivery, I see ✨miracles✨ EVERYWHERE! Somehow both babies were head down. Somehow I was able to push BOTH babies out 28 minutes apart and didn’t require a c-section. Somehow my blood pressure, liver enzymes and clotting factors rebalanced themselves within 36 hours. Somehow our 34 weekers didn’t require additional oxygen support. Somehow the twins didn’t end up having to go to the NICU. Somehow, out of all the chaos, we were blessed with TWO beautiful little beings that we were able to bring home and love💗 Somehow, everything worked out. ⠀ ⠀ In sharing my story with other women, I’ve realized that my story isn’t that unique. I’ve realized that EVERY woman in some form or another has experienced their own version of ✨miracles✨ at some point in their journey to parenthood. If you feel inclined to share, I’d love to hear YOUR miracles below👇🏼and celebrate them- because every miracle big or small deserves to be celebrated. #BabyDovePartner #RealBirthStories @babydovecare
  • ⁣🌈Micaela and I decided that we would start with Intrauterine Insemination (or IUI) and escalate fertility treatments on an as needed basis. We decided to start with IUI over IVF for a handful of reasons. For starters, we wanted to do things as natural as possible- we didn’t want to have to take medication and hormones if it wasn’t needed (I ended up taking both on my last try and that’s what worked for me!) 🤰🏼 Second, we paid for all our fertility treatments out of pocket and IUI was the cheaper option. We also bought 15 vials of our donors sperm, so we had the option to each try multiple times (if you have limited vials of sperm that you are set on using- IVF MAY be a better option!) It ended up taking Micaela 4 tries and myself 5- with my last cycle being medicated with clomid and ovidrel. Ultimately, everyone’s journey is going to look different and one journey is definitely not more “valid” than the next♥️🧡💛💚💙💜 ⠀ More answers to more questions coming in a post tomorrow and a video this weekend! Feel free to leave any more questions about the fertility process below👇🏼⠀ ⠀ 📸: Gabby for @flytogropher ⠀ ⠀ Use code: RAFFINEE50 to get $50 off your shoot with Flytographer. Valid until 12/31/2020 #gifted #flytographer
  • ❌Giveaway Closed- Winner to be announced ❌ Yep! You read that right! It’s 🎉 GIVEAWAY time!🎉 To celebrate my milestone of reaching 100k, I wanted to thank you all in the biggest way I could possibly think of. So I’m partnering @cryobank to give one lucky winner the chance to start a family! California Cryobank is near and dear to our hearts because it is the sperm bank we used to start our own family!⠀ ⠀ THE PRIZE ($4,700 value!)⠀ 🌟4 vials of sperm from the donor of your choice ⠀ 🌟One year of storage (but three years to select your sperm so there’s no rush!)⠀ 🌟Unlimited access to donor catalog during selection ⠀ ⠀ TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:⠀ ✅ Make sure you are following me @raffinee⠀ ✅ Head over to @cryobank and give them a follow⠀ ✅ Tag TWO friends below in the same comment ⠀ ✨ BONUS entry✨share this post in your stories and tag me @raffinee so I see it! ⠀ ⠀ And that’s it! Giveaway open to US residents only. Only TWO entries per account. A third entry will be tallied for accounts who share this post in their stories and tag @raffinee! Giveaway will close 11/13/2019 at midnight. Winner announced 11/14/2019. Rules: https://bit.ly/2rzf27p Good luck! 🥳⠀ ⠀ In addition, California Cryobank wants to give EVERYONE complete access to their donor profiles for FREE for 90 days!! Use code: RAFFINEE and see my stories for more details! #lgbtqfamily #lesbianfamily #twomomfamily
  • ⁣🌈With everyday that goes by, I somehow fall more and more in love with our children. Their giggles build me up, their hugs melt me, and their smiles seize my soul. Becoming a mother alongside the love of my life has by FAR been the greatest gift in life I’ve ever received. A gift I never thought was possible for me because of WHO I loved. But I am BOTH- a mom and a lesbian and simultaneously owning these two identities has brought be the greatest happiness I have ever known. All because I stopped living my life for other people, listened to my gut and started living my life for ME ❤🧡💛💚💙💜⠀ ⠀ 📸: Belinda for @flytographer ⠀ ⠀ Use code: RAFFINEE50 to get $50 off your shoot with Flytographer. Valid until 12/31/2020 #gifted #flytographer
  • Traveling with toddlers is: embracing the WiLd 🤪 Plans go out the window, no one realllly ends up sleeping as long as they should, and for some reason there is always an epic kid 💩story on our vacations🤦🏻‍♀️ (Please tell me that’s not just us😬) but we all end up having an awesome time regardless! Especially at @monacoslc! With a FREE nightly happy hour🥂, rooms big enough for our family of five, bikes to borrow🚲 and family games in the lobby, it’s been the perfect home away from home for us while in Salt Lake City! #hotelmonaco #visitsaltlake #kimptonhotels
  • THESE moments! I’m not sure who more excited at the Discovery Gateway Children’s Museum, us or the kids- honestly! 😂 They had a full blown mini hospital with an OR, X-Ray machine and triage. And did I mention, THEY HAD A HELICOPTER! 🚁 We all lost our minds and had an absolute blast! And getting to see👩🏻‍⚕️Micaela teach the kids about an Operating Room was just icing on the cake (especially in their little white coats!) 🥰 Loving exploring Salt Lake City! @visitsaltlake #visitsaltlake #sponsored
  • 🌈Made it to Salt Lake City today and we found rainbows everywhere! This little LGBTQ+ family feels right at home❤️🧡💛💚💙💜 @visitsaltlake #sponsored
  • If you didn’t duck lip selfie in Vegas, did you even go?? 💃🏻🎲 But real talk, what’s the most you’ve ever lost or won in Vegas? 🎰 I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours!💰💰

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