Fertility Options – What I Have Tried

It is always strange to announce to the world, “I struggle with infertility!”  Yet if I don’t talk about it, I know many women are going to continue to feel alone and not have the information they need.  If you are dealing with infertility, you need me to talk about the fertility options that I have tried.  You need other women who are TTC (trying to conceive) to talk about what they are doing.  Why?  Because you don’t have to make the same mistakes and you might find that one of these options helps you skip some of the stress that we’ve endured.

You could try one of these fertility options and have it work for you in the next three months.  I would LOVE for you to find fertility options that would work for you and change your fertility journey from a long arduous journey to a quickly solved situation.

Below you will see my timeline of what fertility options I have tried throughout my seven year journey with infertility –>

Options for Infertility

Fertility Options – My Seven Year Journey TTC

Year 1

Cycle Length – 35-45 days
Weight – 155

OBGYN #1 – Said that we would need to have been trying for a year before getting checked out for infertility (we hadn’t been preventing pregnancy for over a year); I had one positive pregnancy test and then negative tests and they decided to tell me I had never been pregnant

Year 2

Cycle Length – 35-45 days
Weight – 155

General Practitioner – told us to just “do it” every day; finally referred me to the OBGYN

Weston A. Price Wise Traditions Diet – began to make bone broth, eat coconut oil, and cook traditionally; lost 15 pounds of […]

Perfect Birth VS Perfect Wedding

I just had an epiphany. Why do women believe that they need to spend time and money to plan their perfect wedding securing photographers, videographers, THE dress, favors, cakes, hors d’oeuvres, a wedding planner, the DJ or band, and the venue, but often have no plans to spend time or money to facilitate their perfect birth?

Women plan their dream wedding, but forget to plan their dream birth.

 The Perfect Birth

Perfect Wedding vs Perfect Birth: Special Event Planning

Location

WEDDING – When a woman gets married she knows that nothing will happen unless she plans it.  She won’t get the venue she wants on accident.  She has to spend time and effort finding just the right place.  Locations outdoors require more planning, such as renting chairs, tables, and tents with indoor locations requiring decorating and special touches for a wedding.  The venue matters.

BIRTH – When a woman prepares for birth, she also has a choice to make.  Will she have her baby in a formal hospital setting, at a birthing center, or at home?  Each location has different pros and cons.  A hospital environment is great for emergencies, but is may not facilitate the choices of the mother for her birth.  A birthing center can be fantastic, but in certain parts of the country these are not as available.  Finally, a home birth can be very relaxing and even allow for using water as a part of the birth, but some mothers feel uncomfortable with the idea of birthing at home.  Location matters.

Natural Baby Registry Products

Making a baby registry is hard, but making a natural baby registry is harder!  Even though our skin is the largest organ of our sweet little baby’s body, companies have filled so many baby products with harmful chemicals and even hormone disruptors.  Below is a list of natural baby products that are great to add to your natural baby registry that will keep your sweetie smiling and healthy!

Natural Baby Registry for Amazon

Care Productsnatural lotion for babies

100% Pure Extra Gentle Baby Lotion <– Formulated without artificial chemicals, chemical preservatives, perfumes or any other toxins

Green Sprouts Baby Wooden Brush and Comb Set <– natural wood and hair with soft bristles

Badger Balm Baby Zinc Oxide Diaper Cream <– Calendula with Beeswax & Sunflower

Badger Baby Sunscreen Cream <– SPF 30 – All Natural and Certified Organic

Health and Wellness

Baltic Amber Teething Necklace For Babies <– Natural Certificated Baltic Jewelry

Details: Anti-Flammatory & Succinic Acid Immune System Boosting Properties; Teething Pain, Drooling & Fussiness Reduce; Safety knotted (Amber Bead); 32-33cm Long

The Honest Company Breathe Easy Rub <– all real ingredients

Wellements Organic Gripe Water for Tummy <– fennel and chamomile

Linens Optionsorganic muslin on amazon

Baby Muslin Washcloths and Towels <– Natural Organic Cotton Baby Wipes

Baby Buddy’s Natural Baby Bath Sponge <– Biodegradable, Hypoallergenic, Absorbent Natural Sea Sponge

DermaH2O WaterWipes Wipes <– only water and grape fruit seed extract

YourEcoFamily Certified Organic Cotton Receiving Blanket <– organic cotton is great for the littles so they are not exposed to GMO cotton or residual pesticides

Margaux & May Muslin Swaddle Blankets <– adorable and organic

Household Items

Planet Wise Reusable Diaper Pail […]

Childbirth Doula – Montgomery, Alabama

In June 2016, I had the opportunity to train with Madriella Doula Network to become a certified childbirth doula.  Through this training and my own birth experience, I have been able to support women in the Montgomery and Prattville area with their non-medical childbirth needs.  This post will detail my childbirth doula services allowing you a window into what I offer and how to hire me for your birth!

Doula in Prattville, Alabama

 

What is a Childbirth Doula?

A childbirth doula is a woman’s birth helper who:

  • answers non-medical pregnancy questions
  • encourages mothers while they go through the new experiences of pregnancy
  • helps mothers prepare birth plans/wishes to prepare for childbirth
  • prepares mothers and fathers with practicing birth positions and pregnancy goals
  • attends the birth as a mother’s support to give encouragement, massage, hip squeezes, birth position support, and more

How can I hire a Childbirth Doula in Montgomery?

You can hire me by following the steps below or you can search online to find other local doula services.

I offer childbirth doula services in Prattville, Millbrook, Boylston, and Montgomery.  The first interview can be scheduled within the first trimester and future sessions can be scheduled during this meeting.  My childbirth services are contracted for a three sessions, a birth plan/wishes session, a birth position and preparation session, and the final session being your birth!

Ask me about my add on services at our interview!

$800 for doula services that include […]

Digital Doula – Finding Pregnancy Support Online

As a woman who serves other women as a doula for fertility, pregnancy, childbirth, and post partum support, I have been able to support women in my local community with their tangible needs.  However, many women live far away from where my local businesses exists and still would like doula pregnancy support.  In order to meet these needs, I offer digital doula services.

Hiring a Digital Doula

What is a Digital Doula?

A digital doula is available by e-mail and Facebook PM (occasionally through other technological communication methods) to:

  • answer non-medical pregnancy questions
  • provide educational support for birth plans
  • encourage mothers while they go through the new experiences of pregnancy

How can I hire a Digital Doula?

You can hire me following the steps below or you can search online to find other digital doula services.

I offer digital doula services as I am available.  I rarely book specific appointments, but will spend time answering questions and going over information with clients online.  My digital services are contracted per hour and a client can purchase up to 6 hours at a time.  This means that over the next weeks, as I spend time with my client, I will keep track of the time spent performing digital services and provide the client with a detailed time sheet when the contracted time is expired.

 

If you would like to hire me, you can contact me on my Boholistic Mom Facebook Page –> here or you can send a message to my “Contact Me” Page –> here.

How it works:

  1. I will check my schedule to see if I will be available for the amount of time you request for […]

What is a Doula & Why You Need One

Many women are trying to conceive and giving birth without ever asking the question, “What is a doula?”  I must do my part to remedy this missing information so that not one more woman has to give birth without the support she could use.  In this post, I will define what a doula is, what she does, and why you need one.

Definition of a Doula

What is a Doula?

A doula is by historical Greek definition a “women’s servant.”  She serves women.  In our modern age, the term doula is often used to refer to a birth doula – a non-medical birth support person who stays with you during labor, delivery, and right after delivery.  However, many doulas help before birth, during birth, and after birth.

I am personally passionate about helping empower women prior to their birth, even prior to pregnancy.  As a fertility doula, I help women who are interested in considering a fertility diet before birth or women who have had trouble with becoming pregnant.  Through coaching, I help empower women to achieve their fertility goals and I am present and there for them as they go through appointments and walk the road ahead.

As a birth doula, I help to empower women after they become pregnant to work out their birth wishes (birth plan) and to prepare the both parents with ideas of birth positions and massages that will help reduce pain during delivery.  A doula is passionate about birth education!  Rather than first time mothers being thrust into the labor and delivery ward with no idea what to expect, a doula will prepare them to know how their bodies’ work and be with them throughout their birth.  While nurses go through shift changes, doulas […]

Fertility Health Check – How healthy are you?

Download a health check at Boholistic Mom

As I have studied and explored the world of fertility health, one thing I have realized is that many women have no idea what factors in their lives could impact their fertility.  Many times when we realize that we are having fertility difficulties, we run to the doctor to be officially diagnosed as “infertile.”  What if before the two year point, women had the opportunity to take an objective look at their fertility health and begin to intentionally make changes to their own health to improve their fertility?

This is my mini mission.

My mini mission is to help women before they have received an official diagnosis to improve their fertility by analyzing their own health and making powerful choices for their own body.

My long-term mission is to help women who have a fertility imbalance (who are often diagnosed as “infertile”) to feel empowered to make informed choices toward improving their fertility.

Fertility Resource

The resource I have today is extremely useful for both sets of women.  The Fertility Health Check will help you to think through factors that are impacting your health.  By following the instructions in the health check, you can analyze where you are at with your health and where you can work to improve your health.

Steps to Download this PDF

I cannot stand websites that force me to sign up for their e-mail list in order to download a PDF.  You may want my resource, but not desire to be signed up for yet another e-mail list.  Therefore, I simply ask that you consider following at least three steps below, but I’m leaving it up to you.  I want you to love me for me, not for my resources 😉

  1. Visit my Services […]

Fertility Journey – Begin Moving Forward Here

This may sound strange in the context of fertility, but I want to congratulate you for beginning your fertility journey.  No matter where you are in your awareness of your body and whether you have been labeled with infertility or more information on fertility, you are taking a monumental step toward reproductive health by declaring that you are in charge of your fertility.  My goal is for you to know how your body works, make informed decisions, and take the steps that you desire toward having the fertility you want.  Is it possible?  In many cases, absolutely yes.

Begin Your Fertility Journey Here --> www.boholisticmom.com/main

You are in charge of your fertility journey

There is a reason that the most popular book on fertility is titled “Taking Charge of your Fertility.”  You desperately need to be put back in charge of your fertility.  In a day and age when hospitals reign supreme and doctors are considered the be-all and end-all of your health, women have had their powers removed.  The second you question your body’s fertility, you are laid flat on your back and subject to tests and told your options.  The options provided normally consist of medical procedures and ongoing medical tests.  By putting you back in charge of your fertility, I hope to help you to own your body again.

I want you to feel like a powerful woman again.  This is the first step to fertility.

A powerful woman who can make decisions for her own body can change everything.  You are no longer desperate and without hope.  You are confident and you are deliberate.  You are no longer subject to one person’s list of options . . . you […]

Why are my pads a medical device according to the FDA?

Our Common Thread

Every woman over the age of 14 has something in common.  We all have monthly cycles.  Most of us wouldn’t consider it glamorous, but most of us also wouldn’t describe it as a medical problem.  Our bodies are not malfunctioning when they begin their cycle each month with a cleansing.  We aren’t broken and medically in need of a fix.  Or are we?

Medical Problem?

According to the FDA of the United States of America, women are in need of a monthly medical device for dealing with their period.  According to the FDA, we have a medical problem that needs a medical solution.  Don’t agree?  Neither do I.

A menstrual pad is a medical device?

After attempting to buy my favorite brand of cloth pads off of Etsy (LillyaPads), I found out a new regulation that has been slipped into FDA playbook without the awareness of the women of America.  In the 1990’s, the FDA decided to begin regulating menstrual pads by calling them “medical devices.”  Did you know that you were using a medical device when you were wearing a pad?

Cloth Menstrual Pads and FDA Regulation

Regardless of the concern the FDA may have about the plastic chemical-laden menstrual products on the market, cloth menstrual pads have been used by women for centuries.  They are literally a piece of cloth.  In 2014, the FDA decided to begin regulating cloth menstrual pads by having all of the small businesses who made cloth reusable menstrual pads begin to pay a yearly registration fee of $3,646.  In 2015, the registration fee for the upcoming 2016 year increased to […]

The Late Cycle | Boholistic Mom

The Late Cycle

The Late Cycle | Boholistic Mom

It’s 30 days today and no visitor.

Last month, it came at 29 days.

There’s always a chance . . .

No positive.

Two months ago it came at 31 days.

It’s 32 days now . . .

I try another test.

No positive.

Another day.

Another day.

Another day.

It’s 35 days today and no visitor.

I’m bloated.

I’m so tired.

I’m too tender.

Maybe today?

No positive.

Surely, I must be.

It’s 39 days.

I haven’t waited this long in a while.

And yet, I’ve been waiting six years.

It’s 40 days.

Oh no.

A spot.

It’s 41 days.

It’s over.

No more thoughts of little booties.

No more hopes of little giggles.

My heart is rent again.

Lord,

Today, I am giving You my pain.

I am giving You my womb.

I am offering You my suffering

as a way to bring You glory.

This may not be the last disappointment,

but regardless, I will trust in You.

You will be my God.

Take this breaking heart of mine

and make it whole

like only you can.

Please, don’t think this is a plea for sympathy.  My desire is for other women to understand the emotions involved […]