As a practitioner that specializes in the childbearing year, I treat a lot of couples going through the process of getting pregnant.  I’ve found that across the board, the journey can be very stressful.  From checking your temperature to taking medication to timed intercourse, it certainly takes the fun out of trying to get pregnant.  One thing that can be helpful is being intentional of your mindset during the process.  Patients often oscillate between trying to control the situation and feeling desperately out of control.  Creating an intention for yourself can alleviate a lot of that anxiety, stress, and depression.

Creating an Intention for your Fertility

This practice is simply used to focus the mind, rather than letting anxiety and fear get the best of us.

Step 1.

Release the past: If our mind is cluttered with memories of yesterday or anxiety regarding tomorrow, we cannot truly create from a blank slate.

Breathing in, I allow myself to come into this present moment. I choose to consciously release the past at this moment. I internally declare that the past has no power over me and I release and let go. (Deep sigh of relief).

Step 2. Create an intention:

With an intention, you begin by stating your desire. Be sure to use juicy adjectives like loving, nurturing, and fully self-expressed. You want your intention to feel like it really resonates with why you desire to have a child.  Be sure NOT to intend things that are out of your control (like by when you will be pregnant, that it will be genetically yours, that you won’t have to do IVF, etc.)  These thoughts generally arise from the ego and are our way of trying to control situations.  In an ideal world, you want to be able to live into this intention no matter if you get pregnant or not.  The “bigger” you create the intention (see numbers 3 & 4 below), the less likely it will be about trying to get what you want, and the more it will be about becoming the person you want to be in the world.  Who we are for the world is the biggest gift we have to offer ourselves and others.

The flow of the intention can go something like this…

1. I would love the opportunity to be a loving mother to a healthy child.
2. My intention at this time is be a nurturing mother in a beautiful family with a child.
3. Who I am is the possibility of peace, love, and joy.
4. I am a stand for loving families on the planet.

Step 3. Release and let go.

Oftentimes this is the hardest part. But just practice it and see how your heart opens. You can speak your intention with love and gracefully follow it with a releasing meditation.

“I have shared my intention with the universe and know that it has been received. With that knowing, I release and let go. I release the attachment of my intention and choose to stay focused on who I am being, rather than what I am asking for.”

“I choose to have faith in this life. I know it is not always easy but regardless of the outcome, I choose to have faith in my journey.”

Step 4. Rinse and repeat

I recommend writing down the intention you’ve created and include the releasing meditation. You can carry it around with you in your wallet. You could put it on the mirror in your bathroom. The honest truth is that you might need to say it a lot during each day. Worry and anxiety can be so familiar to our brains that it becomes our automatic thought process. This will truly be a lesson in consciously creating your thoughts.  Overtime, your efforts to make a shift in your mindset will leave you with a sense of peace and optimism.

 

Monica Mae Leibson, Dipl. Ac.

Monica Mae Leibson earned her Masters degree at the Santa Barbara College of Oriental Medicine (SBCOM), and is a NCCAOM Board Certified Acupuncturist. Monica has been trained in the treatment of physical and musculoskeletal injuries, working with alcohol and drug detoxification, as well as working with hospice patients. She has received extensive training in Chinese herbs, physical medicine and anatomy and physiology.

Monica has also obtained specialized training in Chinese Medicine and Infertility, studying under both Dr. Randine Lewis (author of The Infertility Cure) and Jane Lyttleton (author of Treating Infertility with Traditional Chinese Medicine). Monica and her infertility practice focuses on integrating Traditional Chinese Medicine with Reproductive Medicine.

Monica has been trained as a Birth Doula and Postpartum Doula. As a specialist, she educates clients about their options during birth. Through acupuncture and education, she supports a woman’s body during pregnancy so they are less likely to need induction or medical intervention. She also uses acupuncture and acupressure during birth to relieve pain and assist a smooth birth.

Her Postpartum Doula work includes educating women about breastfeeding, hormone regulation and infant health.

Monica is the past Treasurer and Membership Chair of the Michigan Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine and uses Chinese Medicine to empower her clients to access their physical, emotional, and spiritual power. Monica combines her art of healing to express the divine creativity within all of us. When she’s not assisting patients in their healing, Monica spends her with time with her family, and also enjoys singing, dancing, and painting.