Pregnant in her 40s: Dr. Natalie Masson’s Fertility and Pregnancy Journey @fertilityfromthesoul

[@LiveFertile]

Thanks for watching! Let me know in the comments below how you are currently or plan to incorporate more mindfulness into your life.

[@FertilityfromtheSoul]

This was such a lovely conversation we had, Kendra! Thank you for this opportunity. And to answer your prompt....Every day I recommit to bringing mindfulness into my day. I love helping others, so I remind myself that I will be sharper and more energetically present for others if I'm making time for my own mindful self care practices. Sometimes is just sitting for 10-15 minutes. Sometimes it's a swim where I tune into all the sensations of moving, breathing gliding. Lots of variety!

[@LiveFertile]

@@FertilityfromtheSoul I'm so honored you took the time to chat with me. Oooh! I love this. It's definitely a daily commitment. And I love that you explore mindfulness in so many ways. Can't wait to connect again soon!

[@bronwyn8110]

I love hearing Natalie's births stories! So hopeful that it doesn't have to be fearful and painful!

[@LiveFertile]

Right!?!? I'm with you. It was lovely to hear.

[@shawnakatzenmeyer-glass3652]

Hearing Dr. Natalie Masson’s trying to conceive and pregnancy stories is inspiring. Thank you for this video. Such a beautiful reminder that our bodies are amazing. I’ve been prioritizing mindfulness more and more recently and definitely notice a shift in my being. ❤️

[@LiveFertile]

I loved chatting with Natalie! I agree, so inspiring. And I love hearing that you’re noticing positive changes since prioritizing mindfulness.

[@FertilityfromtheSoul]

Yes, Shawna, your body is amazing! Keep believing in yourself. Thank you for the kind words. 💕

[@kaylaflynn5433]

More helpful interviews like this please :)

[@whowantsusernames]

Something I'd like to know about egg quality is, if you've been working on it for many months, then have a difficult few months, for example due to miscarriage, does that mean your egg quality is now "ruined" and you need to take time off ttc and start over? And how perfect does a month need to be to count as one of those three months working on egg quality? I mean, does a month where you went on vacation that healed your heart and relationship, but where you also ate a lot of pastries count as a month worked on egg quality? I get that you just want to move in a healthy direction, but I also wonder what qualifies as healthy enough to actually improve your egg quality?

[@LiveFertile]

Hi there. That's a very complex set of questions you're asking. I don't have definitive answers but I do have some thoughts to share. I don't believe any aspect of our health and well-being is ever "ruined." I also don't believe a miscarriage is a sign of "ruined" egg quality. Many things contribute to pregnancy loss that have nothing to do with one's egg quality. The questions that come to mind when I consider what sort of guidance I might give to someone who has experienced loss are less about a predetermined prescribed amount of time someone needs to take off to start over, and more about what that individual feels they need to heal emotionally, physically, and spiritually and move through their grief. Each person experiences loss differently and each person has to decide for themselves when they are ready (if ever) to try again. I also don't believe in striving for perfection. Our bodies are resilient, wise, and capable of remaining well even when our habits are less than ideal. Eating foods that delight our tastebuds that maybe aren't the highest in "fertility-supporting nutrients" doesn't cancel out all the benefits we gain from the pleasure of enjoying those foods and practicing other reproductive health-enhancing behaviors. There aren't specific absolute timeframes or rules one must follow to support egg quality. There are only recommendations and things to explore. To my knowledge, we don't have a rubric to determine what qualifies. In my opinion, it really is about adopting the recommendations that are right for you (based on your schedule, budget, preferences, health history, etc.) and doing the best you can in a way that feels easeful and supportive. Is there a chance you're looking for clear-cut exact measures where there are only suggestions, nuance, bio-individuality, mystery, and individual experiences?

[@FertilityfromtheSoul]

Ooh this is a great question worthy of a whole KZbin video itself! I hear this come up a lot, and I’d say it’s generally not helpful to think in these simple linear terms. There’s no equation that tells us how many doses of this or that we need in our lives to impact egg quality a certain amount. The body is a complex system and the specifics can’t really be quantified for improving egg quality. for practical purposes I teach a method of simplifying it all down to “what boosts my overall natural energy?” The joy of eating a pastry might cancel out the negative impact of processed sugar. Who knows? I encourage tuning in and listening to how your body and soul respond to various things you do. The three months for egg nurturing is based on some science but nothing super exact as far as I know. So I hold that time frame lightly and suggest it as a general conceptual guideline. That last statement from Kendra’s comment is a bit of therapeutic gold! Perhaps we sometimes wish answers were black and white. What happens when we sit with the realization that the answers are not precise and there are many unknowns?

[@whowantsusernames]

@FertilityfromtheSoul @LiveFertile Thank you for your really helpful responses! I know from personal experience that numbers and time frames relating to our bodies can be really tricky (like frantically trying to heal new tinnitus within a 3 month window before it becomes permanent). I feel like I'm in a good place 3-4 months after a miscarriage, emotionally, mentally and physically (decent enough anyway on that last one). I knew I had to grieve properly, and I think I did, heal my relationship to my spouse which has been in trouble for a long time, and not stress too much about whether that second baby will ever happen. And I did all these things, including having a very important conversation with my husband after pretty much giving up on him while on vacation. I feel like we're on a good course now, and like I would like to try again for a pregnancy, not to replace the baby I lost but because I have some amount of hope. I'm active, eat healthy, I feel intensenely happy sometimes and I know, I don't need a second baby to be ok. But then I can't help but look back at the less than ideal facts of the past three months and think: does this count as working on my egg quality? In the process of figuring myself and my situation out, there was a lot of upset, some intense stress and anxiety regarding ongoing appointments looking into autoimmune issues, and like I mentioned, a lot of pastries. I wonder, do I need to be in this good place for a few more months before ttc or is it enough to have gotten here? I am 41 1/2 by the way, and my doctor who diagnosed the auto-immune and clotting issue recommended I don't wait to try again based on my age, even though he said it's always possible that the loss happened due to egg quality too. Of course, no one can provide a definite answer, as you pointed out. I know that.

[@LiveFertile]

@@whowantsusernames You have so much awareness. I applaud you for that. It sounds like you've done a lovely job caring for yourself along this often messy journey. I'm wishing you all the best.

[@FertilityfromtheSoul]

@@whowantsusernames No one really knows but here are my intuitive reactions to what you've shared (and please don't let MY intuition override YOUR intuition!)....The pastries didn't hurt your eggs, you don't need to hurry to get pregnant again, you've done wonderful work on yourself and within your relationship, you're in a great place. (none of this is scientific feedback, just gut reaction based on limited info from you). That's my 2 cents. 💕 What's your intuition telling you?

[@erikacavalcante1811]

❤❤

[@TonyaJoyBolton]

@fertilityfromthesoul @drnataliemasson @harmonywithin We need a book charting your journey!!!

[@shawnakatzenmeyer-glass3652]

Such a beautiful, inspiring journey!

[@LiveFertile]

I couldn’t agree more! I would buy that book in a heartbeat!

[@FertilityfromtheSoul]

You're so sweet, Tonya! Perhaps one day. What I'd really love to do is write a book that's a collection of many amazing stories from our community. 🥰