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I am a blogger, a mama, and a wife, and my goal is to help other women feel empowered and supported in their fertility journeys. Because I have walked my own road with infertility…for six long years.

I have felt hopeless, isolated, and defeated.

But then I decided to take action. To take charge of my own fertility story. I did everything I could to support myself physically and emotionally. I researched all the information regarding fertility. I spent months educating myself and then implementing huge lifestyle shifts in the name of Intentional Fertility. 

And now I’m sharing my story with the world at large. In a bigger capacity than Country Wife Chronicles can manage. I am sharing a snippet of my life, the years I spent walking the infertility valley, and a brief synopsis of the Intentional Fertility plan I employed for my husband and I in our efforts to get pregnant naturally before choosing to pursue alternative routes to parenthood.

I, personally, did a myriad of things to get pregnant and I want to find a way to share those resources and tools with other mamas-in-waiting. (In)Fertility is one of the ways I can share this information on a larger scale.

Today, as (In)Fertility is getting closer to be available to the public I wanted to share a brief excerpt from my chapter of this amazing book. 

Just a Girl with Killer Cramps

My story began long before I was concerned about my fertility. Much of my youth and young adulthood revolved around my monthly cycle, as my periods came each month with a vengeance. They were heavy, and they were painful. When the cramps kicked in, it was all I could do to not double over in pain. I’d often get ghostly pale, sweaty with the chills, and nauseous to the point of vomiting. The pain was that intense. I popped Advil like they were Skittles and would remain in the bathroom for hours, just hunched over on the toilet. If I curled up in a ball with a heating pad, then the pain was a bit more bearable. I’d bloat up like a balloon, going up an entire pants’ size, and I suffered from terrible hormonal migraines. This was my typical period. Every month, like clockwork.

My killer cramps and intense periods were just something I had come to terms with and learned to deal with over the years. While I had my mama’s empathy and understanding, she also told me what she knew to be true: that heavy, painful periods ran in our family. And apparently, I just happened to draw the short straw in the genetics game when it came to my menstrual cycle. So, I learned to live with my normal. Month after month. Year after year.

I told every single doctor I had about my extreme pain during my periods. I was told to take Midol instead of Advil, because that would help get rid of the pain. I was told my period was normal, heavy—sure, but normal, because it was regular every single month. I was told my ovaries were posterior and that was the cause of my significant lower back pain. I was put on birth control to help manage my heavy, painful periods in college. I was told endometriosis wasn’t a concern for me because I didn’t experience severe pain during intercourse. I was even told, “you would know if you had endometriosis.”

So, what about you? Has your fertility journey worked out the way you had hoped? 

Or are you where I was not all that long ago? Dealing with an endometriosis diagnosis in my thirties, when I was ready to start a family. Facing infertility head on and trying with all my might to become a mama. 

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This book, this collaboration of authors, of women connected to infertility–some professionally, some personally, is one I wish I had on my shelf when I was new to the world of infertility. It provides insight, wisdom, new thoughts and ideas on how to attain fertility, personal experiences and real talk about various paths to motherhood. It is exactly what I sought out on my own, through Google, but (In)Fertility compiles it all into one place for you. 

I was honored to be a part of this project. And I would be honored to have you check it out. 

Be Still & Know…