Many women dream even when very young of becoming a mother. And others who are not quite sure they want a baby realize they want a child of their own later in life. It’s almost always expected that when you get married the next step is having a baby. It’s seen as a natural next step. Becoming a mother may not be for everyone, and something that should really be deeply thought about before acting upon. However women often feel the race against time to make such a huge decision, and for those who have decided they’d like to embark in the journey into motherhood, time is no longer the only factor to consider when going about this journey. It is unfortunate that for many women getting pregnant does not come easily. Some may have hormonal issues such as PCOS or conditions such as endometriosis, which have become more and more common, which makes getting pregnant even more difficult.
From my research, infertility rates are on the rise as reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In 1950, the average number of children per woman worldwide was five, but by 2020 it had decreased to two. If you are having a hard time getting pregnant, then this surely indicates you are not alone in the journey.
What Infertility Can Do To Someone
There are many reasons for infertility and one of those is STRESS. Although it’s unclear that stress on its own can cause infertility, stress does prevent a woman from becoming pregnant due to stress hormones that can disrupt ovulation. Also, women who have a history of depression are twice as likely to struggle with infertility.
With this, things get even more complicated problems due to the fact that infertility itself can cause added stress to a woman.
Create Unfulfilled Expectations, Emotional Rollercoasters and a Rocky Relationship.
Couples who are very much in love talk about what the names of their children will be even before getting married. They are excited about what they would look like and how many. Some use technology to see how their future kids will look like with baby face generators. They want to have many children, even enough children to fill a football team.
They imagine how chaotic but happy their home is going to be. Their mini me’s looking pretty much like them with different charms and personalities.
A few months pass by and every time her monthly period comes late she gets excited and asks her husband to buy her a pregnancy test kit just to have a single line instead of two. Then her period comes a few days later.
It happens far too often, in some cases, over and over again.. Every time a woman gets anxious about her menstrual period coming and even more anxious about it having been delayed because it does not always mean she is pregnant. The rollercoaster of emotions finally starts to go just downhill after a year of unfulfilled expectations. In the beginning, she and her partner may still have faith and cheer themselves on, but at some point, it can feel really exhausting, tortuous, lonely, depressing. powerless and hopeless. Not only can it challenge a woman trying to conceive very much physically, mentally and emotionally, but her partner too. On some days, it can take a toll on their relationship, housing a whirl of emotions. And sometimes there’s no energy left to handle those emotions and their rooms can fill with silence. The fertility journey can be a serious test to a couple’s love, patience for each other and resiliency.
It’s Easy To Feel Left Out And Behind.
Friends and cousins who got married the same year as you are or even later start having babies. One pregnancy announcement after another comes and you have started to feel left out. You see their children growing up with your house still as quiet as ever.
Your friends would talk about daycares, schools, and all parenting stuff you can not relate to. There are times you can contribute to the conversations but always from other’s experiences and it will not always feel natural.
When are you going to have a baby? Or another baby?
People around, especially the inlaws, now start asking questions. When are you going to have a baby? Or another baby? It can begin building a whole lot of pressure, especially if you’ve been undecided about it. Sometimes women can also suffer from secondary infertility. Having another baby can also be difficult for some women.
The time is ticking. They are excited for you both but the pressure is not helping. They now barrage you with advice you have heard a thousand times. Even other people start to question, why not have a baby already? They think you just don’t want children. They just do not know the struggle as a couple you have been facing trying for a baby. It’s not fair as it’s so deeply personal. Not only do you have to deal with the physical challenge, the emotional ups and down, but also the external, often thoughtless, or well-intended external questioning.
Even if you do not have to, you sometimes feel the need to explain and that can feel dehumanizing. As a woman, it’s easy you can start to feel bad about yourself even insecure about the love and devotion of your husband.
Although infertility comes either way, you as a woman feel the weight even more. You start to question yourself as a woman. Can there be really something wrong? For some people, it just takes time to get pregnant. You are trying to figure out if could it just be that.
Family gatherings and reunions that used to be joyous for you can turn into something you just need to get over with. You never know who is going to ask again about you having a kid and can’t help feeling defensive and insecure. Or if you’re lucky, you may have a uber supportive family who know how to navigate around your challenges and not make them worse. They may, on the other hand, help you relax, feel less pressure from the outside, redirect invasive questions from relatives or elders, help you take your mind off fertility issues, and remind you to not get out of touch with who you around at the core and invite positive, self-care practices to assist you.
Medical Intervention
Perhaps you’re no longer in denial and you figure out you need help. Anxious? Excited? Afraid to expect. All the tests and medications can take their toll, especially if nothing is working. Not to mention your draining finances.
At times, it’s not even about the money. You can have all the money in the world and it may still not work out. Failed IVFs are a very huge possibility. I’ve worked with plenty of women who have turned to Reiki after unfortunate and exhausting rounds of failed IVFs.
How Reiki Can Help
The journey to fertility can be very trying. For some, it’s not just a period of time but it can span through almost a lifetime. The heartbreak of unfulfilled expectations is very real. The rollercoaster of emotions is downright tiring.
A lot of medical intervention has been made to assist couples in getting pregnant but stress management is a very huge part of the journey.
Reiki sessions can be super helpful in assisting you in helping recover physically, emotionally, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Reiki healing can attend to energy blockages in the body, releasing them so the energy around your entire body can flow a lot more smoothly. It can improve the function of your endocrine system and female reproductive system, supporting women’s health and any issues that may exist.
There’s also Intuitive Healing, an advanced form of Reiki energy healing, which provides all the benefits of Reiki but additionally specializes in deep forms of emotional healing and emotional release. Intuitive Healing works to release any trapped emotions that might be causing your infertility, along with the negative emotions you’ve developed whilst on your fertility journey such as anger, frustration, depression, hopelessness, burn out, jealousy, powerlessness to name a few. Negative emotions have a way of getting stuck in our bodies and consciousness if we are unable to process them. This may result in discomfort and bodily suffering, as well as alter our organs’ typical functions and operations. Reiki and Intuitive Healing enables us to gently release these unfavorable feelings so that we can be in the moment, feel liberated, continue the healing process and reach our most optimal state in a holistic way during our fertility journey. They are great tools for expecting mothers in the prenatal, postnatal phases and mothers who need a serious pick me up too.
Reiki has its advantage in terms of natural and holistic healing as it can also address the stress that comes along with infertility. Reiki is often complimented with other forms of medicine and alternative treatments so it is safe for anyone to experience.
You can utilize Reiki for fertility as a powerful technique to aid you in your efforts to start a family. As you strive toward your pregnancy goal, it can assist in lowering tension, anxiety and improving the state of your body physically as well as mentally and emotionally as you take every single step toward fertility.
Although successful conception is not instantly guaranteed, Reiki can provide the emotional support and power to understand the purpose or meaning behind very trying fertility journeys and help clients feel empowered.
