Yoga for Fertility and Conception

I recently found this article in Yoga Journal Magazine. I thought I would pass this along to you. I hope you find it helpful and informative. The consensus with trying to get pregnant is relaxation. Relaxing your mind and body. I guess there is truth to when doctors would say ‘just relax and it will happen”. It used to make me upset but as I have been reading and doing some research I have found that most success rates happen in infertility clinics when patients get involved in either yoga, acupuncture, and meditation. I have been trying to get more involved in the mind and body experience. I have been doing acupuncture, yoga and I have been listening to cds in the car on relaxation and breathing.

Here is the article I found that I would like to pass on to you. I urge you to try some of these postures. Put a relaxing cd and try these postures. Jaki Nett answered this question. Jaki Nett is a certified Iyengar Yoga instructor in St. Helena, California, and a faculty member of the Iyengar Yoga Institute of San Francisco. She teaches public classes in the San Francisco Bay Area and leads workshops in the United States and Europe, including specialty workshops on female issues.

Question: Which type of yoga class has the best possible benefits to aid fertility and conception?

Answer: Restorative yoga class—a class where the body, mind, and spirit learn the art of relaxation. A woman's desire to conceive can be overpowering and can drive her to the point of obsession. If this happens, sometimes logic is overlooked and stress becomes the foundation for coitus.
Since it is the woman's body and mind that has to be healthy and free of stress, it is her responsibility--with the unwavering support of her partner--to create the most favorable conditions for conception. To start the process both partners should have a comprehensive physical and psychological examination to determine that they are both without physical and mental conditions that could block conception.
To further alleviate stress about trying to conceive, start mapping your cycle of fertility. When entering a fertile time, start practicing restorative poses. As you practice, soften the abdominal area and begin to consciously remove tension from around the uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries.
My teacher, Geeta S. Iyengar, author of Yoga a Gem for Women (Allied, Publishers Limited, 1983), writes extensively on women's issues. She stresses the importance of practicing several asanas to aid in conception. Salamba Sirsasana (Supported Headstand), Salamba Sarvangasana (Supported Shoulderstand) , and Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Supported Bridge Pose) are recommended because of their hypothesized effects on hormonal balance.

She also recommends the following poses:

Forward bends—To make the poses more restorative, place a chair in front of you and rest your head and arms on the seat for support, or use a bolster for support.
Dandasana (Staff Pose)
Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose)
Janu Sirsasana (Head-to-Knee Forward Bend)
Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend)
Upavistha Konasana (Wide Angle Pose)
Malasana (Garland Pose)

Reclining Poses—These poses are helpful because they open and elongate the abdominal area.

Bound Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclined Bound Angle Pose)
Supta Virasana (Reclined Hero's Pose)

I also recommend Viparita Karani (Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose) after coitus (which will theoretically keep the sperm inside the body and close to the opening of the uterus) to encourage the opportunity for sperm penetration. Before coitus set up for Viparita Karani (Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose). As you move into and out of the pose, keep the abdominal area soft-your partner can assist you to make this possible. The amount of time you spend in Viparita Karani is up to you.
To set up for Viparita Karani: Fold a sticky mat into quarters and place it two inches from the wall. Place a round bolster or a firm folded blanket on top of the sticky mat with the back edge of the bolster or blanket in line with the back edge of the mat. Place the buttocks on top of the bolster with the sitting bones as close to the wall as possible and the legs up the wall. The tailbone should tilt toward the ceiling so that the vaginal area is pointing upward. The shoulders, arms, and head rest on the floor. Once in the correct pelvic position, allow the legs to soften and bend the knees to allow the abdominal and pelvic floor to relax.

I hope you found this helpful and will give it a try.

Namaste.

Miles

Some days are worse than others. Reminders are constantly around me. I feel like I am going down a downward spiral and I am trying to catch my breath. I have to say that all this is the worst thing I have ever had to endure in my life.
This weekend I did rather well. I have been listening to self-help books. Dr.Weil’s Breathing techniques and Dr Wayne Dyer on positive thinking. Yesterday I spent the day with my husband going on a long walk, cooking, and having a nice Sunday dinner together. It really was a good day.
This morning I woke up very depressed and just very down on what has been going on. I had a meeting today at work. It was a small meeting this one man, woman and me. We are all sitting at this table and the woman was pregnant. I asked when she was due and she said March 18th. My last pregnancy was due March 25th. It was like a stab in the heart. I should have had the cute little belly she had. All through the meeting I kept on looking at her belly. I was so jealous of her. It’s so hard to try to breath and try to think positive. How can you when you have to encounter constant reminders that you are not pregnant. You were but they got taking away from you. It just a lot to handle.
I cant tell you how many things I get in the mail no matter how many times I tell them to take me off the mailing list. I got a catalog on all first birthday things. I would have had a one-year on November 4 th. I should be picking out Halloween costumes for my little ones.
Instead I am still childless and I am not pregnant. It’s so very hard and I am trying to get through this one day at a time. But I think of how much time as gone already.

My favorite saying and what I keep on repeating to myself is, “A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step."by Lao Tzu.

How many miles do I have to go to become a mother?

Another hurdle

I wonder how many hurdles I have to have to go through in my life. I recently changed doctors. I am at a new Fertility Clinic. I am in the evaluation cycle. The new doctor wanted to do alot of the tests that I already had done before again. Because I had a loss after all the testing he wanted to redo things to see if they missed something. He also felt better that he would be doing the tests. One of the test I had to do over was an Office hysteroscopy. You can look back in my blog to see what happened but to brief, I had it in March, the doctor that did it found that I had a uterine septum. I had surgery in April to fix it but when the doctor went in she said it wasn't a septum it was just a heart shaped uterus and left it alone.

The new doctor wanted to do another hysteroscopy to look at the septum again and because I had another loss he wanted to see in the uterus to see if anything was there from the 3rd pregnancy.

Today I had the procedure. The doctor came in and did the hysteroscopy. It wasn't my doctor who did it because my doctor is on vacation but he said that he read up on all that was happening to me. He saw the septum right away. I in fact have a septum. I explained to him what happened. The doctor said nope its definitely a septum. It is a centimeter. I clearly see it on here. If you get pregnant and it lands on it you will miscarry. A uterine septum has no blood supply. So if an embryo attaches on it, it wont survive. I also have placenta still in there from my last miscarriage that needs to come out. He said if you got pregnant and it lands on it, you would miscarry again.

He can't say for sure if the placenta is from my second miscarriage or this past one. I am hoping its from my last one. I had a d&c with my second and if they missed that, that wouldn't be good.

So I have to have surgery on Nov 4th. He will fix the septum and take the placenta out.
He was very nice. He said you have been through so much. Its time to fix this. He said I don't know who did the surgery last time but I have to do some research on her. He was kind of pissed that a doctor would do that. He clearly sees I have a septum.

So I wont be getting pregnant again for about another couple of months.

I am just very sad that it could of been fixed in April when I had the surgery and maybe prevented the last miscarriage. I think of all the time that has past. My last miscarriage could of been prevented.

I think of this being another hurdle I need to overcome. I have been think of this a positive, not a negative. I am one step closer on having the baby I so much want to have.

Please remember to get second and maybe third opinions. This is the third fertility clinic I have been to. I knew deep down inside there was something wrong. I didn't want to except them telling me its just back luck. I have to get this uterus all fixed up so I can make it a nice home for my future baby.

Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day

I can't believe there has to be such a day. Our babies should not of been lost. They should all be with their moms and dads. Growing inside of us or babies growing into toddlers.
Life doesn't work that way. Life doesn't always seem to go so smoothly.

October 15th is a day to remember all pregnancies and infants lost in order to heal and be comforted in a time of pain and heartache, and to have hope for the future.

Pregnancy & Infant loss occurs much more often in our country than people might believe. Close to 2000 families are affected by this tragedy each year. Miscarriage occurs in 20 to 30 % of all confirmed pregnancies. 75 to 80 % of miscarriages occur within the first 12 weeks of conception, sometimes so early that a woman may not even know she is pregnant, it is therefore believed that 50 % of all conceptions result in miscarriage. Ectopic pregnancy occurs in 2 to 3 % of all conceptions. Molar pregnancy occurs in 1 out of 1000 pregnancies, 4 of every 1000 births ends with a stillborn baby and almost 1 of every 100 births results in a baby who dies during the first 28 days of life (not including SIDS which occurs 2 per 100) Chances are, we all know someone who has been affected by pregnancy or infant loss.
Stillbirth is one of the most misunderstood "accidents," often viewed as an unfortunate, but minor, nonevent by those outside the family. Not everyone understands the emotional investment parents put into their unborn children, in some cases even before that child is conceived. The hopes, dreams, plans, love and anticipation are real, even if no one has yet seen this child.
Families who suffer this tragedy need sensitive caregivers, understanding friends and supportive family members.
Yes, awareness is important. A supportive environment can make all the difference in how parents incorporate this loss, this precious child, into their lives in a healthy manner.

Why Have an Awareness Month?
Because life, even the tiniest life, is special
Because life, even the tiniest life, must be remembered
Because parents want to remember.

I want to take this time to remember my 3 babies. I will never forget the joy I felt when I found out I was pregnant. A life was growing inside me. I created a life with my husband. What an amazing feeling it was. Sadly, the feeling didn't last. My first miscarriage was at 5 weeks. Our second miscarriage was a missed miscarriage at 12 weeks and the last one was a blighten ovum. To this day I have not forgotten my three blessings. My three miracles I created with my husband. I am a mom, to 3 beautiful angels.


http://www.october15th.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqfGqOx2iDQ

Relaxation

Why is relaxation so good for us?
1) Restores our energy.
We often forget that we have a limited amount of energy to expend, and push ourselves beyond that threshold daily. However, in order to keep generating more energy, we need to let our bodies rest. Think of energy like the fuel you put into your vehicle. If you don't keep refilling the tank, the car will eventually stop. Our bodies are the same way. Just by making a point to sit and do nothing periodically and get enough sleep each night, we allow our batteries to recharge and we generate more energy we can then devote to our work and recreational activities.
2) Repairs our bodies.
Our bodies are designed to repair themselves from the daily wear and tear we impose on them, and this most often happens while we rest. Most of us tend to skimp on our sleep time and push ourselves beyond our physical limits every day, which prevents us from achieving optimal health and wellness. If we are constantly on the move and not getting enough sleep, we are using most of the energy we have to keep going. That means our bodies cannot devote enough energy to healing and we suffer from fatigue or illness. By granting ourselves time to rest, we are allowing our bodies the opportunity to direct our energy to healing and restoration. Another important consideration is to eat lightly before resting, because digestion of heavy meals requires a lot of energy too. By eating small, light meals of nutritious food, we not only give our bodies a break from the intense work of digestion (which leaves more energy for healing and repair work), we also provide more energy in the form of quality fuel, which can also be used to create better health.
3) Calms our thoughts and improves focus.
Just as we tend to push our bodies past their limits, our minds are constantly on the move too. Ask anyone who has an intellectually demanding job - heavy thinking can be just as draining as physical exertion. Excessive worry can also wear us down, as can constant mental chatter or any kind of mental strain. When we set aside time to relax, we should also focus on quieting our thoughts and letting our minds rest. This can often be more restorative than the physical aspects of relaxation. Another great effect is that our calm mental state improves concentration and allows us to focus better.
4) Lifts our mood.
Relaxation can also help us to feel happier. Whether we let our thoughts drift aimlessly, read a good book, or listen to soothing music, just the act of resting relieves stress and allows us to feel content. We can even take a more proactive role in improving our mood during periods of rest and enhance the effect. Rather than letting our thoughts drift aimlessly, we can choose to think about things that make us feel happy, like our loved ones, friends, or pets. We can call up warm memories of good times, or imagine a beautiful sunset. Remember that our thoughts usually determine our mood. If we think happy thoughts, we feel happy.
5) Stimulates our creativity.
Creativity is one of those things that gets stronger the more we focus on it, but stress and busyness disconnect us from the creative potential within us. When we finally stop rushing and set aside our worries, we create a harmonious forum for our creativity to flourish. This happens for a few reasons: First, we are not so distracted by external stimulus and can hear ourselves think again. We're more open to creative insights. Secondly, inactivity allows us to feel more connected with our inner selves, which is the source of our creative energy. And finally, creativity is a form of ENERGY, which we naturally have more of when we rest and relax.
Though it may seem counterproductive to set aside time to relax in the midst of a busy schedule, doing so can actually help us to increase our productivity, accomplish more in less time, and feel happier overall. Sounds good to me!

I have been doing some relaxation techniques. I feel they have helped me tremendously. Before I get ready for work I put on my ipod and I have some relaxation music on. I try to picture my body getting relaxed, me in a beautiful place, and my uterus excepting a healthy pregnancy.

When I drive to work I listen classical music for about 15 minutes. I do some deep breathing exercises and let myself listen to the beautiful music. Deep breathing is great for you. It releases toxins in your lungs. I look at the trees and the sky and feel very relaxed and blessed. I am alive, I am healthy, and I will be a mom. I sometimes cry because the music moves me.For the remainder of my commute I listen to books on CD. The voices are very soothing and nice to listen to.

I think its very important to use some techniques to let the body relax and stay calm. I remember with my last pregnancy I was so anxious and nervous my chest hurt. I bet that wasn't good for the baby or myself.

When I get pregnant again I am going to try to relax and enjoy every moment. I think with these relaxation techniques it will be very helpful to me.