Building a Daily Fertility Practice: What a day looks like when you focus on fertility

The Daily Fertility Practice

In my 79 Things I did to get Happy, Healthy, and Pregnant, I did a TON of mind-body work- acupuncture, yoga, a crazy fertility diet, meditation, lots of sex, all while leaving plenty of time to relax.

You might think I’m crazy- there aren’t enough hours in the day! Well, I’m here to say- yes there are!  You just have to get your priorities right and commit your day to fertility.

In other words, set your intention to be fertile, and integrate that intention throughout your day.

This daily practice integrates the To Make a Mommy Fertility Diet, fertility mind-body program, and other fertile habits into a Daily Fertility Practice. The practice includes prayers, yoga, visualization, and other fertile habits that can help you beat infertility and increase your chances of conceiving, whether you are trying naturally, or preparing for an IUI, IVF, FET or donor egg cycle.

Whatever you do, it is time to start building your life around having a baby. You are probably busy and feel like you don’t have time to sleep, have fun, do yoga, do acupuncture, create nourishing herbal infusions from scratch, cook healthy meals, etc.. The problem is, if you don’t have time to do those things, you don’t have time to have a baby!  Make the time now.  Part of telling the Universe that you are ready for a baby is by making the time for self- care now.

*This post contains affiliate links which at no cost to you provide me with some small change to help keep this blog running! If you decide to buy something I recommend, please consider clicking through one of my links to help support this blog and my family!  Thank you!

My Experience with Infertility

The Daily Fertility Practice below is the one that I used to overcome my “infertility” diagnosis and get pregnant naturally.  The doctors said because of my high FSH, diminished ovarian reserve, endometriosis, and other diagnoses, I would not be able to get pregnant with my own eggs and would need donor eggs.

I  researched, developed a plan, implemented it, and got pregnant naturally in under three months.  Then, I did it again with my second child. Yes, it is a TON of work, but you know what? It is 100% worth it.

You can find out here the 79 diet and lifestyle changes I made to get pregnant so fast. One of the most effective ways of implementing all the different things I came up with in my research was developing a daily schedule. And, my readers are always asking for it- so here it is!

Setting my intentions on FERTILITY

One of the most important decisions I made when I finally buckled down to do ALL THE THINGS to get pregnant was decide to build my life around making a baby.  This means that I fully embraced my desire to get pregnant, and set it as my intention.

I yelled to the world exactly what I wanted, “I WANT TO GET PREGNANT WITH MY OWN EGGS!”

Errr, okay so I didn’t actually yell, but I did say it out loud.  I also wrote it down, I prayed those exact words, and I visualized it coming true. I knew I had to work this desire into every aspect of my day.  I had to develop a daily fertility practice that was interwoven with my life.  In essence, I had to think, live and breathe fertility.  Sounds crazy, I know.  But, IT WORKED! AND I got happy and healthy while trying.

My Daily Fertility Practice

Below are my daily fertility practices for both a work day (I worked a full 40 hour week in an office schedule while trying to conceive my first), and the weekends.  Yes, it looks like a lot.  I’m sure if you showed it to your mother she would think it was crazy.

The amazing thing is, doing all of this didn’t make me feel crazy at all.  In fact, it was the only time I didn’t feel crazy in my baby journey.  Before that I was always stressed and obsessing as I worried what I wasn’t doing.

When I started doing ALL THE THINGS, there was so much self-care, self-nourishment, and personal empowerment, that I just started to feel HAPPY in a way I hadn’t since I’d had my first miscarriage.  I also finally felt truly organized, like I really, really was doing everything I could.

Make it Yours: Tailor this plan for YOU

I want to help YOU make YOUR plan for integrating ALL THE THINGS you need to be doing into your daily life.

1. As you research your condition, jot down ALL THE THINGS that will be helpful for it so you can create your own daily fertility practice.
2. Start with mine, and then tailor it to your needs and schedule.  Wherever you see “***” that means it is an activity or supplement that was specific to my condition (my Western or Eastern Medicine diagnosis).  If you don’t see the “***” then it is an activity that is helpful for anyone trying to conceive.
3. Set your intention.  Tell the universe exactly what you want. Say it outloud, and write it down. Then, expect it!
4. At the bottom leave a comment with how you have integrated your baby journey into your everyday schedule!

Work Day

5:00 am- Alarm goes off. Quickly write down dreams in dream journal and then lay back down. Do mayan belly massage in bed for five minutes or so if post-period and pre-ovulation. Pray. I would give thanks and set my daily intention (something like “I am happy, I am healthy, I am fertile”). Here are 85 examples of daily intentions/affirmations I used!

5:15 am- Back-up alarm goes off.  Sit up, and put headphones on to listen to chosen AM Fertile Heart Imagery. Read my full review of the Fertile Heart Program here.

5:20 am- Get in shower. Count your blessings/practice gratitude. In shower imagine your belly is large, beautiful and swelling with life.  Wash your belly gently while looking down and seeing a large pregnant belly. Feel the large pregnant belly under your hands. Read about the science behind visualization here.  Use a non-toxic body wash that is invigorating and energizing (think citrus, not lavender).  All your products should be free of phthalates, sodium lauryl sulfate, and parabens. Here is a collection of my favorite non-toxic products!

5:45 am- Yoga.  A quick ten minute sun salutation to get the blood flowing and stretch your muscles after they are warmed from the shower.

6:00 am- Get dressed, do hair and makeup with products free of toxins.

6:15 am- Start a (glass or stainless) large bottle of water with lemon (with the second pregnancy I used this Whole Lemon Drink). Eat a quick first breakfast.  Maybe high fat and protein fertility bread. Or almond butter on an organic brown rice cake.  Or a couple hard boiled organic free range eggs. Grab your prepacked homemade lunch, some prepped healthy snacks, and your prepped fertility smoothie to go, or make one fresh (I use the Nutribullet to minimize cleaning). Take DHA supplement. Take CoQ10 Supplement.*** Take any B vitamins. Click here to read my overview on fertility supplements!

6:30- Get on bus/train and listen to either Circle + Bloom meditation for the correct day of your cycle or the Fertile Heart Body Truth Guided Meditation.  If you have to drive, listen to either fertility affirmations (this one is nice) or happy, energizing music.

7:15- Get to work. Start a new bottle of water. Take a look at the fertility symbols you have at your desk (maybe some rose quartz, a sweet little bunny statue, or a prayer card to St. Gerard). Check out my Pinterest board on Fertility Decorations for ideas. Do deep breathing. Work!

8:15- Time for more water and a snack. Drink your fertility smoothie, or have some nuts and seeds.  Maybe some berries if you aren’t having a smoothie.  Maybe a hard boiled organic, free range egg. Be sure you are tailoring your fertility diet to YOUR needs (and not mine or anyone else’s!). Take a short five minute walk.

9:15- Get up and walk outside briefly. Sunshine is important!

10:15- More water.  Maybe a cup of red raspberry tea if you need something warming.  If you are hungry have another snack!  Have some peanut or almond butter.  Put them on something healthy or eat it straight with a spoon! Maybe watch the Miracle of Life on youtube.

11:15- More water, get up and walk briefly. Say a quick prayer or affirmation. Check out my Fertility Affirmations board on Pinterest for ideas. 

12:00- Lunch time!  Have healthy homemade leftovers with at least two veggie sides- maybe brown rice, lentil curry, zucchini and sauteed spinach, or a black bean and sweet potato chili with a side of cooked broccoli. With my second, I ate more meat because of new macro research, so my meals and snacks looked more like this. I would eat at my desk and work so I could take a walking break later on.

1:00- More water!

1:30- Go on a nice long walk, for however long your break is, 30 minutes, 45 minutes, or an hour. If you can, walk somewhere pretty in nature.

3:30- Drink some water and pack up!

4:00- Commute home- if not driving listen to either Circle + Bloom meditation for the day, Fertile Heart Body Truth Guided Meditation, or a short yoga nidra session like this one.  If you have to drive, listen to either fertility affirmations or happy, energizing music.

4:45- Arrive home, have a glass of your red raspberry, nettles, and oatstraw herbal fertility infusion and a yummy snack.  Maybe a turkey muffin? Or some homemade guacamole or hummus and celery? Or a nourishing mug of homemade organic bone broth?

5:30- Go on a walk with your spouse.  Make it at least 30 minutes, preferably 45.  Take it easy, go slow, and try to walk somewhere where you can enjoy nature.  Alternatively, do the yoga sequence from Restoring Fertility for the correct part of your cycle.

6:15- Do your Fertile Heart body work somewhere alone and quiet.

6:30- Cook/reheat dinner. Take your chinese herbs prescribed by your acupuncturist.

7:00- Relax together and eat a healthy meal.  Maybe a homemade chickpea curry with winter squash and spinach. Or roast chicken and carrots with sauteed kale & garlic or slow cooked collards (you can make all of these super fast in an InstantPot!). Or roasted cauliflower.   Yum! Know that the food is providing nourishment and energy to your body, your womb, your ovaries, and your eggs. After dinner, I would take my whole foods prenatal vitamin, a probiotic, and a calcium supplement.

7:45- Do something relaxing while you let the food settle.  Thirty minutes of a funny show together, maybe? Do a hot foot soak while relaxing.***

8:15- Get ready for bed. Listen to your chosen PM Fertile Heart imagery.

8:30- Pee. Have sex (yes, have sex every day!).  Snuggle. Ideally, stay in bed for the night afterwards.

9:00- Do fertility yoga pose (legs up the wall, or other) while praying. Give gratitude for the blessings of the day. Consider praying to saints that specialize in fertility related issues: St. Gerard, St. Anne, St. Joseph, St. Gianna, St. Rita, St. Mary (of course!). See my post on Fertility Saints here!

9:10- Fall asleep listening to Circle + Bloom meditation for the correct day in your cycle. Have your partner tuck a heating pad around your feet to keep them warm.*** Let your partner clean the kitchen. Aren’t you so generous? No, but seriously, this is work for the whole family!

*Try to schedule acupuncturist appointments on your way home from work so you don’t waste time going back out.  On those days, skip the evening walk and let your partner cook and clean!  One evening a week I volunteered at my church, so on that evening I would skip the evening walk, and my husband would cook dinner.

*** The few things I did that were specific to my diagnosis are noted.  You can substitute in supplements specific to your condition, or special practices for your needs.

Weekend – more flexible

Morning

• Wake up naturally.  Do mayan belly massage in bed for ten minutes or so if post-period and pre-ovulation. Write down your dreams.
• Sit up, and put headphones on to listen to chosen AM Fertile Heart Imagery.
• Maybe have sex- morning sex is the best for conception! Snuggle afterwards.
• Yoga.  A quick ten minute sun salutation to get the blood flowing and stretch your muscles after they are warmed from the shower.
• Cook a hot breakfast with your spouse.  Scramble or fry eggs in coconut oil.  Have some organic breakfast meat if you would like, with some sauteed greens.  Have berries as a side.
• Get a healthy dinner going in the crockpot or wait til later if you have an InstantPot.
• Drink lots of filtered water all day.
• Make your smoothie fresh, and room temperature- no adding ice as it is hard on the digestion.  Pour extra into pint size mason jars and freeze for the week (unless making yours daily with a NutriBullet).
• Have healthy snacks.
• Go for a walk.  Run errands. Do something fun.

Afternoon

• Have a healthy homemade lunch.
• Have healthy snacks, drink your herbal infusion.
• Activity Ideas:
  • Make an extra healthy meal to have for the week and either freeze or portion into lunch size glass pyrex.
  • Go to somewhere in nature that is beautiful and go for a long walk or hike. Get that Vitamin D! Maybe invite some friends or extended family.
  • Sit in your favorite place in your house or yard and journal. Write a love-letter to your baby-in-waiting. Journal about whatever you want.
  • Have leisurely afternoon sex if you didn’t have morning sex.
  • Create some kind of art, or jewelry, do a grown-up coloring book with gorgeous fertility pictures like this one, or do other creative work.
  • Work in your garden. If you don’t have a garden, plant an indoor flower or herb to lighten up your apartment.
  • Spend time with the babies of friends and family.  Hold them, smell them, let them sit on your lap.
  • Do the yoga sequence for the right part of your cycle from the Restoring Fertility DVD.
  • Take your time doing your Fertile Heart body work
  • See your acupuncturist if they have weekend hours.

Evening

• Eat a healthy homemade dinner.
• Make your nourishing herbal infusion for the next 3-4 days and let steep overnight.
• Relax with your honey- watch tv, go for an evening walk, snuggle, read books together, play a game, or spend time with extended family or friends.
• Get ready for bed. Listen to your chosen PM Fertile Heart imagery.
• Have sex if you haven’t yet that day.  Snuggle afterwards.
• Fall asleep listening to Circle + Bloom meditation for the correct day in your cycle.