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Many patients at The Fertility Center experience symptoms related to stress while they are trying to get pregnant.  Stress reduction techniques can help in managing overwhelming feelings.  Meditation is one helpful technique that many people have heard about but often don’t know how to implement in their daily life.

 Meditation is simple practice.  To start, find yourself a quiet place and sit in a comfortable position.  You can close your eyes and might try to listen to soft music.  Spend about five minutes taking deep breaths.  On the exhale, find a word to repeat to yourself like “peace”, “calm” or “soft”.   Your mind will wander, especially if you are just learning to meditate.  Keep bringing your awareness back to your breath.  At the end of five minutes, slowly open your eyes and pay attention to your mood.

 It may take several weeks to get used to meditating and feel that this practice is part of your normal self-care routine.  Once or twice a day is best.  There are many ways to practice meditation, feel free to explore other ways that might work for you.   Don’t give up, even if this feels a little “weird” at first. 

 For more information about meditation you can go to: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/meditation/HQ01070 or look at the book:  The Relaxation Response by Herbert Benson.   “You tube” has other information from Herbert Benson and has various meditation segments to assist you. 

 Feel free to schedule a counseling session at the Grand Rapids office to talk about this and other stress management techniques in more detail. 

 Submitted by:  Kristin Blackwell, LMSW (The Fertility Center counselor)

Each patient has an individual story to tell about their fertility journey. The downs, the ups and all that happens in the middle. Please comment below and share your story with other couples!

Please see our previous blog…Tips for Coping with the Holidays for many good tips for this time of the year. Take care of yourself!

Fertility treatment is often emotionally challenging both individually and as a couple.  Some couples experience significant problems while trying to navigate the process.

Be honest about your feelings.  During treatment, you will have many important decisions to make.   You and your partner may not agree on the best path to take.  While it may be difficult to share feelings that are controversial, the outcome of fertility treatment is so important that you need to truthfully express your thoughts and feelings.  Actively listen to your partner to make sure that you  understand their point of view throughout the process.

Look for ways to help each other out.  Talk with your partner about how thing are going, and offer suggestions for ways they can help support you.  Even if one person always takes the garbage out and the other person always does the laundry, you may need to change responsibilities at home in order to lighten the load for someone.  Also, keep in mind that fertility treatment can be stressful so be realistic about responsibilities and simplify things as much as possible.

Be more than fertility patients.  Fertility treatment can be all-consuming.  You forget who you were as a couple before this process started.  Treat each other with the same admiration and respect you would if you were still dating.  Make sure to do things that you enjoy with one another.  When you talk to one another, make sure to focus on the positive things going on in your lives as well as fertility.

Submitted by Kristin Blackwell, LMSW, Counselor at the Fertility Center (August 2009)

We’ve all heard it before.  “One day at a time…”

 That’s a good idea in theory, but hard to put into practice.  We live in such a scheduled society.  We have the illusion that things are in our control.  If we just make a plan, we can follow it.  And then fertility challenges hit.  We no longer know if we can schedule a vacation or make a job change.  Life is put on hold. 

 Take a moment and just breathe.  It is hard to not know the outcome of fertility treatment. 

 You begin to wonder, “What do I know for sure?” 

 You know that you have this moment.  You have choices about how you are going to handle this day. 

 Make this your plan: 

·                     I will take each day as it comes. 

·                     I will wake up and do my best to make healthy choices for myself throughout the day.

·                     I will try not to think too much about the past or about the future because I am staying focused on the activities of today. 

 There are really only a few things we know for sure.  Make this day more peaceful. 

Submitted by Kristin Blackwell, LMSW, counselor at The Fertility Center (June 2009)