So, you’re trying to have a baby. If it’s gone well then congratulations, but chances are if you’re reading this, then you’re struggling. Things are not going to plan at all.
If you’re anything like me, then you’ll want to do all you can to ensure your success. I was desperate to have a baby and would have done anything. My eight years of trying to conceive led me on a huge path of exploration. When it came to fertility, I wanted to know all about it. I read books, blogs, visited a lot of natural and alternative health practitioners, and talked to many different people. I learnt so much and realised that when it comes to our fertility, we are not getting the complete story.
Not even medical science has all the answers. It is one of life’s greatest mysteries and there is a lot we don’t know. There is so much to know about fertility. It’s complex. There’s a combination of factors that can impact it so it’s worth taking a comprehensive approach to it.
If things have not been going well then it is worth doing something different, trying something new. Sometimes that means taking a step back, giving yourself a break from the pressure of the ticking biological clock, and taking a different approach – something more holistic.
We are all mind, body AND spirit. When it comes to fertility, we need to include all three to give ourselves the best chance of success, and to bring as much ease to the process as possible.
For me, fertility was an opportunity to discover how to take care of myself. I healed myself of endometriosis (which even surgery couldn’t do), developed some great techniques for managing my emotional and mental well being, and best of all, discover another, more spiritual side of myself.
One of the things I am grateful to the challenge of infertility, is the awareness it gave me of my body, mind, and spirit. Initially my quest to become pregnant led me to become incredibly healthy. There is nothing like the desire to be a mother to motivate you to make better health decisions. I knew that being in prime health would increase my fertility. Though diet and alternative treatments I was able to bring balance and vitality to my body.
But it didn’t stop there. I turned to other aspects of my life to solve the elusive fertility puzzle. I started to explore mindfulness and meditation and these were amazing gifts in my life. They have become important daily practises for me. Evidence is growing about the mind-body connection and we need to pay attention to our mental and emotional health when we are trying to conceive. Stress impacts our fertility hugely but there are things we can do to reduce the impact.
Trying to get pregnant for so long, led me to a lot of questioning, reflection and soul searching. Life just started making more sense as I took a wider, more spiritual perspective. I began to understand that there could be many reasons why I was not pregnant. Instead of feeling like damaged goods, I learnt to accept, and I learnt to trust.
If you are trying to conceive then I encourage you to have an open mind. Look at integrating a holistic approach so that you give yourself a greater likelihood of being in the best position physically, mentally and emotionally to conceive - either naturally or to respond in the best way to any treatments you receive.
Not only can this experience be an invitation to grow and transcend, it can be process to learn to trust and to truly know ourselves.
If you would like more help with your fertility download a copy of 101 body, mind and spirit approaches to increasing your fertility.
About the Author
Kathryn Grace is a Life Coach at Fertility Potentials. She is passionate about supporting women on their fertility journey and helping them find acceptance and peace whatever the outcome.