How I Got Pregnant After 1.5 years of Infertility Without Fertility Treatments

Today, I announced that I'm - jubilantly! - pregnant with our third child.  I'm eight weeks along and due in early October.   Those who know me know that my husband and I have been trying to get pregnant for some time - almost a year and a half.   My husband and I were tested by a fertility doctor who found no reason why we couldn't conceive.   The doctor told me my age - 37 - was working against me, and she recommended rounds of Clomid and IUI (intra-uterine insertion).   Being the holistic, non-pharmaceutical-using person that I am, I simply could never get myself to feel like this was the right course of action for me.


What I did, instead, was drew upon the talents and wisdom of the community of natural-living mamas I am a part of (Tri-Valley Holistic Moms Network).  I never kept quiet that I was facing an infertility challenge... and so many women stepped forward to help me.  I am forever in their debt.

If you're facing an infertility challenge, and artificial reproductive technology isn't for you, I wanted to share with you the ideas and modalities that I believed helped me conceive this little one:

1.  Nutrition.  I met with my friend, and local naturopathic doctor Tara Ballew, to discuss my infertility.  I remember her saying "Katherine, I bet you can get pregnant simply by gaining weight."  You see, nursing for 3 years had taken every last fat cell off my body (and then some) and I was 15 pounds under my normal weight of 135.  She explained to me that I needed more body fat for my hormones to work properly.  We discussed nutrition.  At that point in time, I was an almost vegan - only eating eggs, no dairy and no animals at all.  My diet was extremely healthy - lots of greens, nuts, beans, fruits and other veggies, plus a little soy here and there.  She suggested, gently, that the quickest way for me to gain weight was to add some animal products back in.  Although I was unwilling to eat animals, I did concede to eating organic dairy.  She suggested I make some homemade ice cream (love that!) and make ice cream I did.  I made, and ate, gallons of ice cream.   My weight began increasing, slowly but surely.  Within 5 months, when I finally became pregnant, my weight was back to normal.

You may not need to gain weight like I did - but the point is that I highly recommend going to a naturopathic doctor and discussing nutrition, as well as supplements and lifestyle choices that might be impeding your ability to get pregnant.

2.   Reiki.  Reiki is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing. It is administered by "laying on hands" and is based on the idea that an unseen "life force energy" flows through us and is what causes us to be alive.  One month last summer, my dear friend Rose offered to give me reiki to help me get pregnant.  I truly had no idea what reiki was or if it was legitimate or would work, but I figured I would absolutely take advantage of the kind offer of my friend.  The first thing I noticed was the amount of physical energy in my body when she laid her hands over my belly area.  I was shocked.  What really made me a believer, though, was that the next day, the horrible pain in my breasts (thanks to PMS) was gone.  Gone.  For that reason alone, I had Rose give me reiki nearly every month around ovulation time.   The month I got pregnant, Rose shared her reiki talents the same day I ovulated.  I am so thankful for her "hand" in helping me get pregnant :)

3.  Craniosacral Therapy.   Craniosacral practitioners use light pressure on your skull and lower back to evaluate, and help release restrictions on, your body’s craniosacral system.  Craniosacral is often combined with other energy work like reiki.  Craniosacral has been shown to be effective for a wide range of medical problems associated with pain and loss of function.   On the day I conceived this little one, my dear friend Tricia generously did some craniosacral therapy and reiki on me.  It can be no accident that I got pregnant the first time I received CST from her.  Thank you dear Tricia!

4.  Herbs.  Based on the recommendations of my naturopathic doctor, my friend Tricia (who is also highly educated in herbs), my acupuncturist Shohreh, and some internet research, I took the following herbs to get pregnant:

• Shatavari - 1 capsule 2x a day
• Red Raspberry Leaf Tea - 1 cup/day
• Vitamin B Complex - 1 a day
• Evening Primrose Oil - 1 a day
• Fertile Garden Chinese Traditional Formula, 1 3x a day

This combo was immediately effective in solving one of the most pressing problems I was having - a lack of fertile quality cervical mucus.  I went from having no eggwhite cervical mucus at all to having eggwhite for one to two days.  After about 4 months on this regimen, I got pregnant.

5.   Chiropractic.  It can be no accident that the month I got pregnant, I started seeing a wonderful chiropractor on a regular basis.  If you're in my area, I highly recommend Dr. Pam Woodward at Absolute Chiropractic in Livermore.  Dr. Pam brought me immediate relief to back pain I was having, but moreover, worked with me to get pregnant on a mind-body level as well.  She did energy work and massage as a part of her chiropractic sessions, and she encouraged me to visualize being pregnant.  Literally, within two weeks of visiting her, I turned up pregnant.  Dr. Pam is amazing needless to say.

6.  Visualization.  The month I got pregnant, I was receiving messages from many fronts - my mom, Dr. Pam, my dear friend Siri, my own inner guidance - that I needed to visualize and affirm that I could, and would, become pregnant.  For so long, I was in the "there's something wrong with my body" mentality.  I was greatly encouraged by the Universe to change this.  My guidance told me to affirm that "every cell in my body is God - every cell is working in harmony."  Every night I would hear that guidance from within, and then I would literally visualize the sperm going up my vagina, meeting the egg, exploding with life, implanting in my uterus, and growing happily and healthily into our baby. 

So - getting pregnant was a many-pronged approach.. both on the physical, mental, and spiritual level.   I encourage you, mama, to tell people about your infertility.  You never know who might be able to share with you their talents and wisdom to help you get pregnant.   If you need more resources, reach out to your local holistic practitioners, and get some support for getting pregnant naturally.  I also encourage you to truly affirm and celebrate your perfectly working, healthy body.

Blessings and baby dust to all of you, and my deepest thanks and love to all those who helped me in my infertility journey.