Woohoo I’m Pregnant! (PREGNANCY ANNOUNCEMENT!)

Oct 22, 2018

Today I have a very exciting announcement to make. Drum roll please...

Actually, the blog title has probably given the game away here. Because yes, I really am pregnant!

It wasn’t an easy journey. I’d struggled with fertility issues and other health problems for many years, but after plenty of hard work, my dreams are finally coming true.

We’re going to have a baby!

Keep reading to find out how I found out about the baby, why my pregnancy is such a big deal, what were the natural tricks I used to help myself to conceive, and what I advise you do if you’re struggling to get pregnant too

How I found out that I was pregnant

When I found out I was pregnant, I wasn’t too surprised because I had known, even before I took the test.

We’d just come back from an amazing holiday in Dubai, I was nice and relaxed and I knew the timing was right! My acupuncturist was also sounding confident, saying, “This may be the month, Eleshia. Everything feels aligned so it’s only a matter of time”.

I remember speaking to a dear friend of mine at the time saying, “I KNOW I’m pregnant!!” She just advised me not to get too excited until it was confirmed.

So that’s what I did. I got it confirmed.

I went out and bought a digital test (to avoid misreadings) and waited for the result I already knew!

For the first time in my life I didn’t have any kind of self-doubt. I knew I was taking this test for confirmation for everyone else. So after the endless five-minute wait, I received the confirmation I already knew. We were having a baby!

Why is my pregnancy such a big deal?

I’m so excited about this pregnancy because I was told that it wouldn’t happen naturally.

I suffer from fertility issues such as polycystic ovaries and a blocked fallopian tube and I’m also nearing 40. This meant that IVF and keyhole surgery to unblock my tube were the only options available if I ever wanted to have kids…

Now, as much as I know that we need Western medicine, I knew that I should try Eastern medicine before I subjected myself to IVF.

Being from a holistic background, I knew that these natural therapies would boost my body, could help heal my chronic health conditions and might just help me conceive too.

Anything was worth a try!

What did I do to help my conceive this baby?

Don’t worry, I’m not about to tell you about the birds and the bees...

But I am going to share with you the lifestyle tweaks I made to help me get things moving and to help me fall pregnant. Here goes:

#1: I learned how to better manage my stress

When I started researching natural ways to boost fertility, I realised how much stress affects your reproductive organs and harms your overall health.

The previous seven years of my life had been extremely stressful (I lost my mum in 2015 and became full-time carer for my autistic brother) and this had taken its toll on my health.

I was getting bad acne breakouts and very bad food intolerances. It was time to change and invest more time and effort in self-care.

#2: I focused on healing my overall health

My next step was to get my health in check so that I was in great shape to conceive my baby.

Firstly, I went to see my GP who referred me for allergy tests. Then I did my own research and cut down on the food and drinks that seemed to trigger my food intolerances. The list of things was enormous!

Next, I concentrated on getting plenty of rest to help heal my body, I made sure I was getting enough exercise, I changed my diet (more on this below!) and I also started to see an acupuncturist to help me heal previous injuries and to work on my fertility issues.

I also scheduled time for myself and decided it was time to take a holiday without my family. I made the most of my time reading, writing and soaking up all that vitamin D.

#3: I eliminated sugar

It might be tempting to console yourself with a quick trip to Krispy Creme Donuts when your pregnancy test comes back negative, but this is one of the worst things you can do when you’re struggling with fertility issues.

After doing extensive research, I learned that eating sugar can interfere with your hormone production and balance, and prevent ovulation from taking place. If you’re not releasing an egg, there’s no chance you’ll ever get pregnant.

I know this isn’t easy news to swallow.

I for one enjoy a sweet treat every now and again, but I knew I needed to cut down on sugar if I wanted to conceive or to enjoy optimal health.

So, to build momentum, the team and I put together the ‘Eliminate The Sugar: 5 Day Challenge’ to help us overcome the obstacles we all come up against when trying to reduce our sugar consumption. If you missed it first time around, don’t worry. You can download all the challenge resources, information and accompany videos here.

#4: I boosted my diet

We all know, what we eat is really important. So I decided to work my magic on this too.

I upped my water intake, I began taking prenatal supplements and I added the superfood maca into my diet.

I also changed the whole family's eating habits too by opting for lots of green leafy vegetables and making healthy alternatives to favourite meals. It was actually quite fun and helped me stay on track with my nutrition whilst making sure that my husband was getting the nutrients he needed too without needing to make separate meals.

I also ditched alcohol completely. Not only does it have a heck of a lot of sugar in it, but studies have shown that alcohol may affect fertility too.

#5: I kept exercising

As a Pilates and Barre instructor, I do manage to stay quite active anyway. During the time I was trying to get pregnant, I kept my exercise routines low impact and I also included resistance training 2-4 times per week.

Resistance training is great for fertility issues because it helps regulate hormone production, improves your muscle tone and health and also helps keep your mental health and emotional well-being in good shape.

#6: I ditched the harmful chemicals in my cosmetics and cleaning products

Did you know that most of the cosmetic products and cleaning products that are on the market are packed full of chemicals which can disrupt your endocrine system and affect your fertility?

No, I didn’t either until I started to do my research!

This led me to eliminate all the products that contained the worst three chemical additives parabens, phthalates and pesticides. I also tried to avoid plastic products as much as possible because these are a source of xenoestrogens which can also affect your hormonal balance.

This isn’t always easy because these harmful chemicals are EVERYWHERE, but I enjoyed discovering the natural and healthy cosmetics and cleaning products available in the shops. I even started to make my own body lotions and cleaning products, a move which went down really well within the household.

#7: I did even more research

Once I’d taken these steps to heal my body and boost my fertility, I continued to do yet more research.

I began to research success stories, I discovered natural ways to boost fertility, I listened to podcasts on fertility, and my pre-existing health conditions so I could fully understand what was going on in my body.

I totally took the matter into my own hands because I was the one living with symptoms and I was determined to make this dream of having a baby a reality.

#8: I never lost faith

Lastly, I believed I could and would get pregnant and I didn’t lose hope.

I remained positive and gave myself a goal of falling pregnant by the end of April.

(My keyhole surgery for the blocked fallopian tube was scheduled for the 9th May so as you can imagine, it gave me great joy to cancel the appointment and give it to somebody who needed it more than I did!)

So back to my original announcement, “I’m pregnant!

I can’t wait until I can finally meet my baby after everything we’ve been through to conceive.

I’ve put in so much work to get here and made huge changes to my lifestyle to help me conceive from leaving my corporate role to changing my social life! Now I know all the sacrifices I’ve made have been worth it.

Are you struggling to conceive too?

I know that I’m certainly not the only woman who has suffered from fertility issues. They’re much more common than we’re ever lead to believe.

If this is you right now, if you’re the one struggling to fall pregnant, I want you to keep the faith.

Know that your situation isn’t hopeless, even if you’re struggling with multiple fertility issues, you’ve suffered from miscarriages or you’ve had a stillborn baby.

There is always hope.

You can take charge of your health and fertility and hopefully, fall pregnant just as I have.

I am so excited by all the research and information I have come across that I have put together an online programme (retreat) to assist you with your fertility journey. To find out more about it or to get your name on the waiting list, click here…

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