This Always Benefits Fertility - Always.
I love being more transparent with you about my personal fertility journey and expertise.
Hey Baby Dust Community!
How are you? How has your February been so far?
This year, I’m trying to cultivate a sense of calm in my life. It’s one of the things that has really fallen to the wayside and I can tell that the lack of boundaries in the past several years have allowed my system to remain in a hypervigilent state. I know I’m not alone in this. The modern world has a way to putting all of us into a state of Sympathetic Nervous System dominance (fight or flight).
When we are chronically hyperstimulated, our bodies prioritize functions for survival over things like reproduction. (We discussed this in podcast episode 005! Listen to it here.) City noises, inconsistent bedtimes, disordered eating habits, hectic schedules, repressed emotions, and stored trauma can keep our systems stuck. These things are so normal to us that we don’t even realize they are contributing to the problem!
Reducing stress, carving out dedicated rest time, and encouraging my body to rest has been a critical part of my fertility journey over the years. Today, I want to share some of the things that have been most helpful to me.
Sound Therapy with Ed Can Help - I cannot recommend this enough. The stress-fertility connection (more on this in the upcoming Baby Dust Fertility Podcast episode with Dora Toma) is highly underappreciated. I can personally see how anxiety, trauma, repressed emotions, and stress have negatively impacted my TTC journey. I’m trying to hang with Ed (as I jokingly tell my husband) most days of the week and it has been a game-changer.
Nourished Nerves Calming Tonic from Fullwell Fertility - A beautiful, gentle tonic formulated by herbalist and functional medicine-trained RD Ayla Barrmer. It has a bit of a kick and is safe to take from TTC into pregnancy and postpartum. I was listening to an interview with Ayla recently and am so impressed with the level of detail that goes into every product she creates. This is no exception. (Save on your order with code BLISSBERRYWELLNESS)
Laird Vanilla Superfood Creamer - (I buy mine from Whole Foods.) Your girl can’t quite kick the coffee. I’ve done it religiously in the past, but haven’t really felt the gumption to make it happen this time around. For me, it’s not about the caffeine, it’s the taste. And whoah, this creamer just makes it better ~ and I don’t really like creamer! Lately, I’m also adding MCT oil and quickly frothing it for a luscious, latte-like consistency.
Ashwagandha - This has been a key part of my routine since getting really sick last summer. I tried several different types of Ashwagandha and, with the help of my care team, settled on taking it 1-2x per day. This adaptogenic herb nourishes the adrenals and can be very grounding. It’s also beneficial for the immune system, egg quality, and sperm! » Read more here and here.
Of course, I have to mention my interview with Dora Toma on The Baby Dust Fertility Podcast! Our conversation was so timely with my personal mental health and fertility journey. We talk through the impact of stored trauma and repressed emotions, which can be a hidden contributor to elevated stress. I highly recommend checking it out and also exploring the resources I share in the show notes ~ many of which I mentioned in more detail above.
With that, I’m going to sign off!
Hannah XO