Embrace Fertility

Episode 120: While waiting for your baby, does it feel like you're just spinning your wheels? Sometimes you are so overwhelmed and so scared that you can't even think straight, and so you're trying to make decisions and you're researching.

You're on Dr Google, you're on Instagram and everyone's shouting at you and everyone's saying you need to do this to get pregnant, or you need to look at this, or this is the new wonder supplemental. Have you tried this?

And you're like oh my word, like there's just so much out there. And then, on top of that, you're trying to stay positive, trying to stay in the vibe and it feels like this is impossible.

And so you end up planning out and thinking about not just what you're doing now, this cycle, but what your plan B is. And actually, let's just get real, it's not plan B, is it? By this point, those of you that are listening to the Embrace Fertility podcast it's probably like plan J. Plan J all the other plans, a onwards, have not worked.

We're now on plan J and then you're thinking about the plan after that and the plan after that and the plan after that, because that's what we're used to doing.

Listen now for more....

Episode 117: Podcast interview with Kevin the founder of The Man Cave a male infertility/mental health advocate. Today we are discussing male infertility and the importance of finding the right coping strategies and support.

Kevin set up The Man Cave to share his story, to reach out to other men going through a similar journey and to help raise awareness of male infertility and mental health.

In this episode:

- Kevin shares his own personal journey of being told he was infertile 10 years ago

- Micro-TESE, Sertoli cell-only Syndrome, donor sperm, IVF and ICSI

- How Kevin helps men who suffer in silence by spreading awareness.

Anxiety and depression

Episode 116: Have a listen and see if this resonates.

The reasons in short:

1 - You wouldn’t benefit from being supported by someone as you already feel resilient, in control and have a strong plan in place for supporting both your physical fertility and mental health in 2024.

2. - You could put together your own mind-body fertility course from free content on YouTube. There are so many amazing coaches sharing high-quality information on YouTube today so it would be completely feasible for you to sit down and cherry pick videos that could create an outline. However the content is endless and knowing what to watch when in what order and then having the accountability of actually practising is what makes doing a course so empowering.

3. - You have a strong support network of friends and family who completely understand how you feel and know just what to say to make you feel better.

You are lucky enough to have friends who are going through this at the moment you are experiencing very similar struggles to yourself and not only that, they have decided to put their own well-being and mental health at the forefront of their priorities so are tuned in with the mind-body techniques that could help you most at this time. 

Episode 115: This week's episode is an expert interview with with Sabrina Fletcher, The TFMR (Termination for medical reasons) Doula. The heartbreak of losing a wanted baby

Sabrina companions bereaved parents through the unique heartbreak of losing a wanted baby to TFMR pregnancy loss. Through support groups and holistic healing she walks alongside as her community members learn to live again from the deep deep love they have for their babies and themselves.  

We discuss three ways to live from the love you have for your baby and get through your underworld journey of such an intimate death and grief.

Connect with Sabrina

Helping bereaved parents in the aftermath of a poor prenatal/maternal/perinatal diagnosis and the heartbreaking decision to terminate a wanted pregnancy (TFMR).  

As your bereavement doula, I support you as you navigate grief after baby loss. So you can learn to honor your baby and your grief and move in the world from the love you have for your child.  

Episode 114: Walking and talking about the power of working with a therapist during this time in your life and the things you should expect from the person supporting you.

I then describe AMDR the trauma release technique I use. Here is some feedback that inspired this episode:

"The AMDR sessions just keep blowing my mind every time I experience one. I have tried lots of different mind shift techniques before like Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) which is powerful but AMDR is like Superman defeating Lex Luthor in one go!!! I can not express enough how powerful this technique is. Every time I have something that pops up which takes me back to a past experience/memory and I'm overly emotional about it or have experienced an emotional situation in the present where I wouldn't normally be, I reach out to the amazing Naomi for an AMDR session so I can move through it quicker than I would normally using EFT. If anybody is on the fence about an AMDR just give it a go, you have nothing to loose and you definitely will not regret it!"- Crystal

Episode 113: Are you dreading the weeks ahead? Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year.

You can't quite believe another ENTIRE year has gone by and you still don't have your baby. You're putting so much pressure on yourself to be pregnant by the end of 2023 you might actually implode. 

And you're not sure how you are going to get through the celebrations, the social gathers and the never ending cheer. 

I've got you. 

In this episode I talk about the four options you have for how you go into the holiday season. 

Also talk about the free class that I ran last year "Holiday Survival Guide for those trying to conceive" 

Episode 112: The final installation of my three part series on how to emotionally and energetically prepare for IVF. As I’ve said in previous episodes this is also suitable for anyone who is trying to get pregnant without the help of fertility treatment. Today I’m talking about how to align with pregnancy and parenthood and share the scientifically proven mind-body techniques to help you to do that. I also share a fertility visualisation to guide you to imagine stepping into your future when you have your child. Please only listen to this part of the podcast when it is safe to do so. By listening you agreed to take full responsibility for your own well-being. Do you let me know how it feels to visualise in this way. If you’d like to make fertility visualisation an ongoing part of your conception plan check out:

Visualisations and hypnosis for fertility and IVF

Deeply Relax and Visualise. These MP3s have been written and recorded to allow you to experience deep relaxation, enhance your fertility and guide you to connect deeply with your body, your future child and your inner strength.
Hypnosis and visualisations can enhance fertility and support success by:
🌟 Guiding the body into a state of deep relaxation
🌟 Releasing fears and negative beliefs
🌟 Giving the unconscious mind a clear goal to work towards

All my top MP3s in one powerful bundle

I've grouped all my top tracks so this digital bundle includes:
🍍Natural Cycle Hypnosis Package 
🍍Assisted Cycle Hypnosis Package (IVF/IUI/ICSI)
🍍Visualisations and Affirmations for Pregnancy
🍍Hypnosis for Pain Management

🍍The self soothers guidance video.
Worth £100 invest in yourself and your happiness for just £55.

Episode 111: Today I’m sharing how you can clear the way for pregnancy. As mentioned last week these techniques are also suitable if you are trying to conceive without the support of fertility treatments.

Resources mentioned:

Part one of this podcast series:

Episode 110: Part one of three. Today I’m taking about resilience, The Four D’s and how to raise your vibration in preparation for IVF. (This episode will also be beneficial for those trying without the support of treatment.)

Episode 109: You have probably heard of inflammation how does inflammation impact our fertility? In today’s fertility expert interview with Jaclyn Downs a Functional Nutrigenomics Consultant we will be discussing just that. 

Root causes of inflammation

We discuss common, but lesser-known root causes of inflammation that affect fertility and egg health.

What functional genomics is and how it can provide clarity on root causes and which protocols would be most effective (and why other protocols may not have worked).

Epigenetics, mold/mycotoxins, histamine, poor fatty acid utilization, iron dysregulation, addressing stress, antioxidants and detoxification pathways.

Episode 107: Using fiction as a way to educate, heal and connect

This is an interview on using fiction as a way to educate, heal and connect. I absolutely loved recording this episode and I hope you love the stories that Jolene shares with us. 

From Jolene: In my stories I’ve focused on the effects of fertility on women, the men who care for them, and small town culture around issues of fertility. In my stories, I’ve chosen to use specific and medical jargon and terms relating to, specifically, women’s health issues to bring awareness.

I’ve written stories about infertility, miscarriage, pregnancy, high-risk pregnancy, pre-term labor, endometriosis, mental health issues, PTSD, post-natal PTSD.

I’ve written at least one story (“You Four Are the One”) using a technique in therapy treatment for people with PTSD called RECON (reconsolidation therapy) by Courtney Armstrong.

I’m hoping our talk will inspire others to write their own fictional (or nonfiction) stories of fertility and women’s health issues. I’m hoping they’ll buy SIDLE CREEK and they’ll find they’re not alone.

Jolene McIlwain’s work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and appears in numerous online and print literary journals including West Branch, Florida Review, Cincinnati Review, CRAFT, Smokelong Quarterly, New Orleans Review, LITRO, and more.   Her work was included in 2019’s Best Small Fictions Anthology and named finalist for 2018’s Best of the Net, Glimmer Train’s and River Styx’s contests, and semifinalist in Nimrod’s Katherine Anne Porter Prize and two American Short Fictions contests. She’s received a Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council grant, the Georgia Court Chautauqua faculty scholarship, and Tinker Mountain’s merit scholarship.   

She’s taught literary theory/analysis at Duquesne and Chatham Universities, and she worked as a radiologic technologist before attending college (BS English, minor in sculpture, MA Literature). She was born, raised, and currently lives in a small town in the Appalachian plateau of Western Pennsylvania.   

Her debut, SIDLE CREEK, out with Melville House this spring, received a starred review from Publishers Weekly and Shelf Awareness calls it a “riveting debut collection” and “a rare gem, a compelling blend of nature and humanity perfect for fans of Barbara Kingsolver's Prodigal Summer and Daisy Johnson's Fen."

Connect with Jolene and buy Sidle Creek

Episode 103: How any people have you told about your fertility journey? In today's episode we explore the role of a fertility doula and what support she an offer.

"I can't tell my family or friends I'm trying for a baby" - How a fertility doula can help

What is a Fertility Support Doula with Guest Alexie Reilly

Alexie Sara Reilly lives in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, with her husband, Tom and their three fur babies - Mason, Mocha and Murphy. They enjoy cooking, travelling, and watching reality television. 

Alexie is a Certified Fertility Support Doula. In addition she has certificates in Diverse Family, Complicated Birth, and Chestfeeding Support. She is currently certifying to become a Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support Doula.

Her passion for all things fertility stems from her almost five-year journey of trying to conceive. When starting this journey back in 2018, she found herself incredibly confused, alone and scared. She had no idea what to expect and didn't know anyone that had or was experiencing what I was going through. 

However, by connecting with a community and finding support from a Fertility Support Practitioner - she discovered her true passion for supporting and helping others on this challenging path. She genuinely believes that no one has to do this alone! IG: @epicquest4babyreilly and @golden_stork

What is a Fertility Support Doula with Guest Alexie Reilly listen now. 

Connect with Alexie: 

https://www.instagram.com/the.infertility.doula/

Episode 90: Another inspiring and informative fertility expert interview today for you.

Charlotte Grand is a qualified and registered Nutritional Therapist trained in functional medicine. In her practice, she focuses on root cause, individualised nutrition and optimal health to give her clients the best chance of conception and a healthy baby. She works with a diverse range of clients, from those looking to optimise their preconception wellbeing, to helping couples with fertility issues such as unexplained infertility, recurrent pregnancy loss, male factor infertility, immune and thyroid dysfunction, endometriosis and PCOS, to supporting those navigating assisted conception.   

It has been thirteen years since she embarked on her own fertility journey and nine years since she specialised in preconception care and infertility through her work. She continues to be astounded by the medicinal effects of eating well and this drives her passion for cooking, lifestyle and nutritional medicine.  

Today Charlotte shares with us:

• Her fertility journey and how it inspired The Fertility Kitchen (business and book) 

• The three pillars of The Fertility Kitchen (Fertility, Food and Life) 

• Fertility: Personalised nutrition, foundations for optimal fertility (looking beyond the reproductive system) 

• Food: Finding a sustainable and balanced approach to eating for fertility and for life, creating an optimal fertility diet, creating balanced meals, fertility ‘super foods’ 

• Life: How optimal fertility also relies upon a healthy lifestyle

Connect with Charlotte

Episode 78: Expert Interview with Jennifer Robertson

Jennifer is a fertility coach and has helped women all over the world transform their mindset and take back control of their life in the midst of infertility. 

She is also author of The Injustice of Infertility, a deeply inspiring and raw account of her own seven-year fertility journey.  

Throughout her own fertility journey, Jen discovered that her old ways of pushing and working hard weren’t serving her. She is now using the lessons learned along the way to develop programs and support women throughout their journey to motherhood - from the moment they start trying to conceive, until they hold their baby in their arms.

Episode 74: Fertility Expert Interview Series.

If anyone has watched 'Comedians in cars getting coffee" you will know the vibe I am intending to create with these fertility expert interviews!

Like-minded people coming together and talking about a host of topics that they are incredibly passionate about.

Each of the six fertility experts that I’m going to be introducing you to over the coming weeks has something very valuable to bring to the table.

We kick off this week with the lovely Monica Cox of Finding Fertility. 

Monica is a top Holistic Fertility Coach and Infertility Warrior who helps woman get to the bottom of their unexplained infertility so they can increase their chances of getting and staying pregnant.

Author of the best-seller Baby & Me mindfulness journal & host of the highly popular podcast Finding Fertility, she dedicating to inspiring woman to look beyond their infertility diagnosis and take control of their health through clean eating and simplifying their lifestyle.

In this interview Monica shares her own journey and how a friend suggesting she meet with a functional health coach began an exploration into her diet that and lifestyle that lead to uncovering obscure food intolerances and flagging up dietary health issues that Monica had been coping with that she hadn’t realised could be drastically altered through simple changes. 

Monica dealt with unexplained infertility, several miscarriages & failed IVF's before becoming an IVF mom & getting pregnant natural even though the doctors said there was nothing she could do to improve her situation.

This is an informative and fun interview, we cover Natural Killer Cells, how Yoga can suck for A type personalities, how even foods we label as healthy can cause intolerances, and how your Insta handle and the way you label yourself can have such a huge impact on your mindset and mental well-being.