Olive Fertility Care

06/21/2023

There were days I couldn’t pull myself out of bed. The grief of not being able to hold my babies 👶🏼👶🏼👶🏼was too much for my heart and all I wanted to do was sleep the day away.

There were days I wanted to give up on everything…..on life.

But something deep inside pushed me to keep going, so I took a break from being fertility-obsessed to just doing 1 thing a day that lifted me up. In the process these prints of our babies in heaven were created and have now become art pieces in our home.

Being creative has surprisingly been so helpful with the overwhelming grief I’m not able to put into words. What has been a helpful tool for your healing?

05/08/2023

“My baby died. It’s ok to ask me about it. Actually, please ask me about them so they can be honoured and remembered, not forgotten like they never existed.”

This has been the sentiment that many loss parents wished others could be more sensitive to when interacting with families who have experienced pregnancy and infant loss. 👼

Perhaps that is what sparked me to design this sweatshirt for the Pregnancy Loss Collection in our Etsy shop (👆🏼 )…..a subtle way to help those of us grieving the loss of our baby(s) feel less alone AND a conversation starter to prompt more open dialogue about a topic that brings a lot of uneasiness to people.

With today being Bereaved Mother’s Day, check in on a friend/family member 👩‍❤️‍👩 who carry some, perhaps all, of their littles in their hearts, rather than in their arms.

And as Mother’s Day approaches next weekend, consider sending her a memorial gift 💝 so that she can be remembered too when the rest of the world is celebrating with their living children.

PS: If you’ve experienced a pregnancy or infant loss, what memorial gift did you like/would have liked the most?

04/24/2023

The stats used to be 1 in 8…..but the World Health Organization (WHO) just released a new infertility report that estimates 1 in 6 people worldwide struggle with infertility.

It breaks my heart 💔 to see this number increase so drastically because it means that every day…more of us are facing the uphill battle of trying to find answers, that more of us are fighting the medical system to get the care we need, and that more of us are left feeling broken, incapable and hopeless.

This journey has been one of the loneliest and darkest times I’ve ever experienced in my life and it is my hope that we can start talking more openly about infertility and pregnancy loss.

So with the beginning of I urge you to share your story (ours is in the highlights)👆🏼, to repost this photo, to recognize a community of people who have been dealt one of the hardest life challenges to overcome and heal from.

You are not alone sister.
And together we can make this journey less lonely.

03/19/2023

Did you know, consuming specific types of seeds at different phases of your menstrual cycle can help regulate your hormones and improve your fertility?

Just 1 tbsp each of ground flax seed + pumpkin seeds during your follicular phase and 1 tbsp each of sesame seeds + sunflower seeds during your luteal phase can help:
✅ balance estrogen & progesterone levels for conception and implantation
✅ regulate your menstrual cycle for ovulation to occur
✅ reduce inflammation in your body

Sprinkle it in your oatmeal or smoothies. Add it to your soups or pasta sauce. You can even mix it in desserts or use it to top your pancakes. 🥘🍝🌮🍪🧁

03/16/2023

I recently reached out to one of the top rated OBGYN’s in Calgary 🇨🇦 to see if she was accepting new patients. Her nurse told me she was taking a sabbatical from gynaecology but would still take on new OB patients only if the patient:
1. Got a referral sent in from their family doctor
2. Had a viability ultrasound done at 8-9 weeks showing that baby was growing 😱😱
3. If accepted, the patient would be triaged and seen at 24-26 weeks 😱😱😱

Wait WHAT?!? So you’re telling me my baby is not worthy of receiving care prior to a heartbeat at the first ultrasound? What if my baby and my body requires additional support to make it to 8 weeks? And what if I’m high risk and my baby will be in danger if I don’t have regular checkups before 24 weeks?

Has this been a similar experience for you? Have you been scouring the internet trying to find a doctor👩‍⚕️who believes in monitoring your body while TTC? Have you been searching for a care provider👭who believes in supporting your pregnancy as soon as you get a positive test?

YES they are out there and I’ll be highlighting who they are in the coming weeks. If you want to find one in your area, just send me a DM with where you live and I’ll get back to you 💞

12/13/2022

Hi, I'm Cherrie 👋🏼

I’m grateful we have the opportunity to connect on here, but also pray with all my heart that you're not a member of the WORST LADIES CLUB EVER…..where you’ve had to say goodbye to your baby who you watched grow in your belly but who never made it earth side, 💔 or where you've been yearning for that positive test and question whether you will ever get to snuggle skin to skin with your precious baby cradled in your arms.

A year ago, we lost our 1st baby (Emma Rose) in a missed miscarriage and 5 months later we lost her sister (Trinity Faith) in another miscarriage after hearing and seeing her strong heartbeat just a few weeks before.

Since then it’s been a nightmare of doctor appointments, lengthy waitlists to see fertility specialists and me diving in to ALL 👏🏼 THE 👏🏼 RESEARCH 👏🏼 because I was tired of doctors telling me there was no reason for our losses…..when the research actually shows why.

It has now become my mission to share all that I have learned about fertility challenges and pregnancy loss so other families can hopefully avoid the heartbreaks we’ve had to endure because we weren’t properly educated.

I’ll be sharing more of our family's journey over at www.instagram.com/cherriemacleod so come follow along and please say hi and share your story if you’re comfortable

xoxo 💞

12/13/2022

12/13/2022