More sex they say!
Here is some great news for the men out there (OK for women too but really it’s the men that will be more excited!)
Daily sex boosts chances of getting pregnant
This one made me laugh out loud but there is some truth to it…
Many of my fertility patients are using artificial reproductive techniques (ART) like IVF, IUI, and ICSI. The use of ICSI seems to be increasing as it has been producing better results. This study suggests that parents-to-be using ART should think twice about ICSI.
The desire to be parents is strong and using ICSI eggs successfully will produce a normal child 90% of the time. So does the increase risk really matter that much?
Adding variety to kid’s diets
I often have parents come in very concerned that their child doesn’t eat enough variety. They like what they like and that’s it. This is especially true if their first child will try anything.
First off, it’s good that they are paying attention. Far too many kids (and adults) don’t eat fresh fruits or vegetables and don’t know that grains come in a different form than bread.
My son is reluctant to try new things. He is fussy about texture, taste, and visual appeal. This is how we have decided to approach it:
- Let him enjoy meal time. We ask him to try it and then if he still doesn’t want it, the topic is dropped. No fighting.
- Repeatedly put foods that he has already tried and not liked in front of him. Someone once told me that it can take up to 10 times before a child sees it as normal and part of what they’ll eat.
- Eat a wide variety of foods as a family in front of him. If we won’t try quinoa why would he?
- Fruit and water are always available in our house. When he decides that he’s not eating supper tonight, he knows that fruit will be available when he gets hungrey. Deserts and treats are not.
- We include him in meal preparation. He is much more likely to try something that he had a hand in preparing. Although it takes longer (especially in cleaning up) it is well worth it.
We put out a veggie tray to snack on before supper. Patrick would not touch it for the longest time (months). Two weeks ago, he decided that he quite likes peppers and carrots sticks.
New veggies are being tried all the time. Beets are hitting the table all the time right now. He won’t eat them yet. But there was a time when he wouldn’t eat broccoli either.
Yoga for fertility
Spring Cleansing begins
After cleaning the house last weekend I was reminded that it’s about time to do my body too.
Since I gave up weighing myself, this should end up being about feeling better and lighter instead of how much weight I can lose.
My cleanses are full of delicious foods! (like balsamic beets – yummy)
Caffeine will be removed slowly (I’m thinking of my patients and families best interests here). So coffee today and tomorrow, black tea over the weekend, then Monday will be caffeine free.
Sugar is on the outs except for moderate amounts of honey and maple syrup.
Refined products are gone short of no-sugar added fruit snacks and beverages.
I will add back in gluten-free bread products after the first week or two for ease of use. I figure that I can do this longer if I allow this modification partway through.
Dairy is already gone from our diet so that one’s easier this year.
Meat will be eliminated for this first week and then it will be one serving per day three days a week. This is my goal anyway so this gives me a good transition towards it. I will choose more vegetable based protein like nuts, seeds, peas and beans.
My vegetables will be cooked for the most part. My TCM diagnosis included Spleen Qi Deficiency which doesn’t do well with cold and raw. Salads are just not my friend 
While I know that most people like to focus on the food side of cleansing, this is really not the focus for me. Digestion is but one pathway to support. Check out next week’s Newsletter for more on this.
Tuesday’s recipes this month will be cleanse friendly foods. I will share my meal plans with you 
Balsamic Beets
We had company for dinner a few weeks ago and I served these up. Delicious!
Peel your beets and slice them into 1/4″ discs.
Place them in a glass dish and pour some quality balsamic vinegar over them. Cover them up.
Rotate the beets every hour or so until you’re ready to throw them on the BBQ
Grill the beets for about 10 minutes per side.
Today I decided to bake them at 350 for 20 minutes (it’s not a nice BBQ day). They turned out great!
Hi, my name is Liz D, I’m 32 and my husband and I have been trying for a baby for little over 2 ½ years with no success.
I have been a patient/friend of Kerri’s for over a year now and she asked me to write a little about my struggles with infertility.
I think in stages with my infertility journey. Keep in mind that I am an eternal optimist, everything happens for a reason and I am a true believer of that. I am positive by nature and (like Kerri) I am a people pleaser!
1 to 6 months of no positive was like: “Ahh hasn’t been that long, keep trying, keep BBT, keep checking CM”
At this point I was immersing myself into the new Trying To Conceive (TTC) lingo! Who knew it could be so hard to figure out all of those acronyms!?
7-10 months of no positive was like: “ok, starting to panic now, WTH??!!”
I started to see Kerri at this point. My doctor wasn’t giving me the answers I wanted to hear, so I looked for a female naturopath (on-line) who specialised in fertility. Kerri got me set up with herbs and some things to try each month, but I honestly didn’t take it seriously. Some days I would forget what day it was or what part of my cycle to take which herb. I was looking for a quick fix. Many of my friends who either had been trying (I use that term “trying” loosely as in 1-2 months or if at all) were getting pregnant. I was happy on the outside for them and was able to be at baby showers, show support, talk about morning sickness, shop for maternity clothes etc. But on the inside, enter Mr. Anger and Mr. Envy, a stage I never thought I would experience!
11-14 months of still no positive: “ok fertility Dr. hook me up!!”
I had laparoscopy surgery and found that I have Endometriosis. “That’s ok; LOTS of people have endo and end up pregnant!” I would coach myself daily. This part of my journey was where it began to be tricky. I had the surgery and endured the pain of recovery and in my doctors words “you should be pregnant NO PROBLEM in a few months”. Well a few more than a few months went by with no positive, not even the slightest hint of + on a stick. Now Mr. Anger started to show up unexpectedly in my life. I was mad at the happy family next door, down the street, everyone who showed at least an ounce of joy towards or in the company of their children. I would burst out crying at the sight of a happy family walking with their baby down the street. I want to be that happy family so bad so what is not working? Doctor says everything is fine, lab results say everything is fine, but inside, I’m not fine, not fine at all.
I had started walking during my lunch break to get away from the stress of the office and reboot myself for the afternoons. My co-worker who had just came back from a maturity leave wanted to join me. We conversed about everything from hopes and dreams to baby poo and husband issues. Then one day out of the blue, she turned to me and burst out crying. “Liz I didn’t want to tell you, but I’m pregnant again, I’m 8 weeks and just felt so guilty telling you!” The fact that she was so upset by telling me something that was supposed to be such a happy time; I knew that my act of being positive wasn’t the case. That was my “AH HA” moment. My friends mean the world to me and I would never want them to feel as if they couldn’t tell me something, especially if they are pregnant! I thought, these are the women that I’m going to be texting at 3am with questions WHEN I have a baby and I’m not about to lose them! Things HAD to change, but how and what would I do?
During this frustrating and sad time for me, I took a Mindfulness Meditation program suggested by Kerri. This is where I began to get to know Mr. Anger and Mr. Envy. We bonded in a positive way. I finally recognized and acknowledged that this isn’t the family next door, down the street or the happy couple’s fault that we’re not pregnant, it’s mine!! So with Mr. Anger and Mr. Envy in check (they still existed with me but they didn’t show up the same way as before), and a new outlook, I decided to change some things.
15-21 still no positive……….
At this point I needed to look inward. What about myself do I need to work on or prepare for before welcoming a little one to my life? Are there things that I need to change? How about diet? Yeah, could be better. How about exercise? Ok, could be a lot better in that area. Oh, and let’s throw a new job and a round of IUI in the mix, just to see what happens! The previous month my Grandmother passed away. She was such a light in my life and I miss her terribly every day! To me, this was my way of bringing (hopefully) joy back to our lives. Not so much. Mr. Anger came back that week I found out all the hard work and effort we did was for nothing. To top it all off my husband’s brother and wife announced they are pregnant, by accident none the less! My world went upside down then. It’s not fair, what do I need to do to get pregnant? I started bargaining in my nightly prayers, “Please God, I’ll go to church more, be nicer to the man down the street who lets his dog poop on our lawn and not clean it up.” That didn’t work either.
22-Present….
Enter my favourite book and current “Bible”-The Infertility Cure, by Dr. Randine Lewis. In my weekly search for the latest thing that I could try to get pregnant, I stumbled upon this book on Amazon. I quickly ordered it and was AMAZED!! I did the tests to see what areas I fit into (Blood Stagnation, Liver Qi deficiency etc). I made myself a little chart of the things suggested in the book that fit the types of disorders I fell into. This was my time to take charge and decide what happens. So in working closer with Kerri (and finally taking the Chinese herbs seriously) we are working on a new plan. I’ve come to terms with my Sister-In-Laws wonderful news and that it is completely separate of what my husband and I are going through; it has nothing to do with us. Would I want HER to treat us differently or badly because WE got pregnant? I think not, so why should I be so angry towards them, they are my family!!!
There are still days that I find hard or tougher than normal, but one day I will be pregnant and have our own little bundle of joy, but I first need to fix everything I’ve done to myself and my body over the years. I need to work on emotionally supporting myself rather than focusing on others. I live every day for that day. No more “wishing my life away” as my Grandmother would say. Today is the day I’m going to enjoy; tomorrow will just have to wait!
Leftover Risotto with a twist
I like to make lots of food on Sunday and then not have to worry about having healthy food on hand.
This was left-over Mushroom Risotto and I added sauteed peppers, zucchini and peas to make it a complete, healthy, vegetarian wonder.
Yum!
Taking breaks – a mental health must
Well, I have needed to learn this lesson over and over. Maybe this time I finally have it.
We all seem to get that we need to keep gas in our tank for our vehicles to work and batteries charged for our electronics to work. Why does it seem so difficult to translate that back to ourselves?
When the phone battery starts to get low, we know that we shouldn’t use certain features due to their power drain. We cut conversations short. Just knowing that power is diminished affects our choices. It gives us limitations.
We aren’t that different. When we start to get drained, we start to conserve. We start to make different choices.
It takes more energy to be patient, both with strangers and our loved ones.
It takes more energy to be fully engaged in the task at hand – whether that’s colouring with your kid or creating a new campaign.
Why not take breaks and re-charge before we have to start conserving? Wouldn’t life flow with greater ease?
I know that mine does.
Control when you take breaks or they will control you. Your body will shut down and force a break through illness, fatigue, depression, pain…it will use whatever it takes.
Try this – Take a lunch break away from your desk. It will take you 15 minutes. It will give you hours of renewed energy.
