My Fertility Story

Hi all! My name is Donielle and I blog here at Naturally Knocked Up in order to bring light to the role “REAL” nutrition has upon our fertility. I started this blog back in 2008 just one week before I found out I was pregnant with baby number two. I had found my way through the real/traditional food movement and felt I needed to share what I found with others. One in six couples now suffer from infertility and it’s my goal, not to give you a one size cure all, but to equip you with information about how natural living and nourishing foods effect our bodies. Before I was blessed with my first son, I ate a very “healthy” Standard American Diet full of low fat dairy, low cholesterol and fat, with plenty of boxed foods. But I was never truly healthy until I found real foods!

My Fertility Story

I was finally diagnosed with poly-cycstic ovary syndrome in 2002, but only after I had hours upon hours researching why I never had regular cycles. When I was 19, my doctor at the time just prescribed me The Pill, saying many women had irregular cycles and taking hormones through the pill would fix my problems and if and when I wanted to get pregnant, there was another little pill I could take.

The problem was, the pill wasn’t fixing any of my problems. In fact, in many ways, I believe it was making them worse. I was just giving my body fake hormones so that it didn’t have to try and produce any natural hormones itself. I suffered everything from migraines and stomach upset, to emotional instability. I was on these beastly little things for 4 long years and I had come to think that what I was feeling was just my ‘normal’. Little did I know how much effect they actually had on me.

It wasn’t until we started thinking about starting a family that I really started to look at the natural ways a person can increase fertility. I knew that it may take a long while for me to actually conceive and I wanted to make sure I gave my body the nourishment it deserved.

So I ate what is medically considered a healthy diet. Skim milk, wheat bread (store bought) high fiber cereals (store bought) and lots of fruits and veggies (non-organic). Although I was eating the best I knew how at the time, I would still go 6-8 months between cycles and I never knew when ovulation was coming. Fortunately we did become pregnant and I now have a son who was born in August of 2006.

Although I was able to become pregnant once, I new that my body still was not functioning properly. Since my son was born I’ve spent hours and hours researching and reading about traditional, nourishing foods and natural fertility. I wanted to be able to regulate my body so that I never had to rely on fake hormones to either prevent or achieve pregnancy. Eight months after starting on my journey to better health (and weaning from breastfeeding), I was able to do just that. My body is finally receiving the nourishment it needs in order to regulate my cycles. Naturally.

The week before this blog went live in 2008, I found out I was pregnant with baby #2! I had a little girl on April 7, 2009. And while I feel the Lord is the only one truly at work on my fertility and the blessings he bestows upon us, I know he led me down this path of real food and true nutrition so that it was able to happen.

I’ve actually started this blog many times before making it public. I’ve written many posts and deleted them days later, not liking the fact that my personal business was all over the web. I started it as an anonymous blog under a different name, not wanting people to know who I really was. But I’ve come to the conclusion that I may have a lot of knowledge that may be beneficial to other women who not only struggle with infertility, but women who may be just thinking about starting a family or one who just wants to have the healthiest body possible.

About This Site

I understand the struggle of not being incredibly fertile. I know how doctors are very ready to write a prescription and start drawing blood and bodily fluids. And, I know how very often a person searches Google looking for ways to conceive, to only find odd ball sites full of ads to buy different products or sites based on new-age theology.

But this site is here to show all of you, there could be another way. A way to change your odds of getting pregnant. Naturally. This site will not be filled with a one size fits all cure, but with information on getting the right nutrition to optimize your chances of conceiving. With the right nutrition and personal research on your part, you may even be able to reverse many different health ailments and increase your chances of producing healthy eggs (and sperm) and begin ovulating regularly. My story is testament to that.

Unfortunately though, sometimes no matter what they do, not all women are able to become pregnant, and it is my belief that the Lord is the only one that truly governs over our bodies. Although some days I have struggled immensely, I know that with his strength, I can find peace about the future of my fertility. It is something that I must continually place in his hands. I pray this site is both God honoring and also full of useful information, so that you might begin your own quest to better health through reading and research.

I want this site to be a site about fertility, so that whether you are just beginning to think about starting a family or have struggled with infertility yourself, you may be able to find information here that can help you have a happy, healthy pregnancy.