UltimateFertility

15/12/2023

Birth work is HARD. The sacrifices are real. Don’t ever tell us that we’re in this for the money because chances are we paid a lot to get here in money, blood, sweat, TIME, and real tears.

Doula trainings: $500-$1500
Certifications: $200-$1000
Lactation Programs: $1500-$30000
Nursing School: $3000-$100000
CPM Schools & Trainings: $500-$60000
CNM Schools: $25000-$60000

This work is NOT FREE and sometimes there are no scholarships for these programs.

We drive long distances to school and births.
We stay up all night.
We take time away from friends and family to support clients.
We miss events and holidays/Holy Days.
We advocate.
We educate.
We support clients.
We help each other.

Respect the work that we do because it’s NOT for the weak.
It takes heart, dedication, sacrifice, and determination.

11/12/2023

Let’s talk about stress…

Whenever I get stressed the first thing my body does is to react within my uterus.

Y’all remember how microbiology had me stressed out in the spring semester?

My eating habits had not changed.

I was still working out regularly (at that time).

However…I was studying non-stop, working, not sleeping as much, parenting, being a wife, cooking, and cleaning.

I went to see a women’s health NP in my area in July and the 1st thing she mentioned was a hysterectomy.

My only symptom was frequent urination.

No pain, no heavy bleeding, nothing except having to p*e like I was 9 months pregnant.

She didn’t ask me when it started or if I had been dealing with any major life events.

She gave me 2 options…birth control or take out my uterus.

I left her office, made more changes to my diet and lifestyle, started my herbs & supplements, then I went to see my Chinese medicine practitioner.

I also got a housekeeper and a nanny at the suggestion of my husband.

Within 2 weeks my 1 and only symptom was gone.

As a nursing student my school is HEAVY on looking at what the person is currently going through AND considering alternative & holistic care.

Stress = cortisol
Cortisol can increase estrogen within the body.

Sometimes your issues aren’t diet related or because your hormones and out of wack…

Sometimes it’s life!

Don’t focus on the symptoms.

Find the root cause and find someone who will listen.

Needless to say…I’m switching my care to someone who will look at the whole person.

I will keep you all updated on how my journey is going. ❤️

I try to be transparent because healing is cyclical and it is NEVER linear. If I can do it once, I can do it again & so can you.

*Note: This is NOT medical advice. I’m just sharing my story to inspire and bring awareness to how stress can affect the body.

10/12/2023

Testimony Time…

In 2004 I went to NC State University as a chemical and paper science engineering major. I graduated high school with honors and I had NEVER struggled academically.

Well…a dual engineering major is NOT like any other major. I spent countless nights doing homework for hours, I had a tutor, I went to office hours weekly, I was drinking 5 Coke’s per day, I was stressed out, and I ended up in the emergency room multiple times due to minor illnesses.

I called my mom crying 4 out of 7 days per week.
I just wanted to throw in the towel and go home. Nothing I did was helping me to better understand calculus and Chem 202.

I had the lowest gpa I had ever had in my life…AND I was being told by my academic advisor that I didn’t belong in the program because I was a woman and I couldn’t cut it.

He even allowed me to go from chem 101 to 202 without telling me there was a course in between that should have been taken.

When I left engineering, I was defeated.
I felt like I was not as smart as I thought AND I became a Psychology major because it seemed easy.

My academic advisor in Psych also said, “You will never get a graduate degree due to those grades that you had in engineering.”

To make a long story short…
I met a beautiful Black mentor who took me under her wing and told me that I could do anything I set my mind to. Not only did I get a graduate on time from State…I have multiple graduate degrees.

I have accomplished a lot, but those words & grades I got 2nd semester of undergrad, kept me from going to nursing school for over 10 years.

Every time I thought about it, I would tell myself to remember what happened the first time that I tried to do something hard.

I ran away from what I knew was my calling and took an easier path.

I always wanted to be an OBGYN or a midwife and I knew from an early age that it was what I was supposed to do.
For years The Most High reminded me about going back to school to become a midwife.

I hardened my heart and my head because I was afraid.

-Instead of listening, I went to graduate school and got degrees that I didn’t want or need.

-I became a birth doula

-I even became a health coach & helped people to conceive.

However…The Most High dealt with me like a hard headed child and I paid the price.

I finally decided to listen in 2021 and I now have a 4.0 GPA & everything has been coming into alignment.

Every door that needs to be opened has been opened for me in this time and season.

When you ask me or yourself why I’m in school AGAIN this is the answer…

“Obedience is better than sacrifice…”

When you see my posts encouraging others to go for what they KNOW they were called to do…it’s because I let fear keep me from doing what I was supposed to do & now I know that there is NOTHING to fear except The Most High.

07/12/2023

I told myself that I wasn’t smart enough for nursing school for over 10 years. The grades are in and I am truly amazed and excited!

I am so grateful to The Most High God for keeping me throughout this semester.

I’m thankful to my husband Odell A. Bizzell II for holding down the fort while I worked and went to school.

Thanks to my parents for all of their support.

Thanks to my mentor for every encouraging word.

Thanks to my study group and my friend Angelica Lynn for the study sessions and the venting sessions.

Lastly…thanks to my prayer team that was behind me every step of the way. You all know who you are.

This is for those of you that need a push to get started.

Go for it because you definitely CAN do this!!

27/08/2023

Happy Black Breast/ Chest / Body Feeding Week

Human milk and black people have a very interesting history. We fed a nation that told us that we were inferior and that we didn’t belong. We were taught that breast/ chest feeding was nasty and for poor people.

I did not grow up around people that breast fed. In fact, I never even saw a person breastfeed until I was in college and one of my friends had a baby.

All I knew is that when I had babies of my own, I wanted to breastfeed.
I didn’t know anything about the benefits for me or baby, but I felt like it was what I should do. I had my oldest in 2009 and we began the journey that changed my life.

My experience as a breastfeeding parent was very different in both cases. I don’t have any beautiful pictures to share because when I was feeding my oldest, I had to cover up or feed my baby in a car. People would tell me to go to the bathroom even with the cover on, but I took my baby outside and fed her.

People joked about me breastfeeding. They said she would never get off of my breast. She wouldn’t take a bottle, so I stayed home and no one understood. It was the most beautiful experience and for me it would be the only baby that I would give birth to.

I’m so grateful for the 15 months that I was able to exclusively breastfeed my daughter. I’m happy to have created a bond . I am honored to have been able to sustain her life and give her nutrients from my body.

I’m thankful for being able to use my milk and milk sharing to help my son. Inducing lactation not only fixed my son’s skin and digestive system when nothing else worked, but it made him happier and calmed an otherwise inconsolable baby.

Here’s to those that have joined the revolution and fed their babies. Whether you pumped, exclusively breast fed, or combo fed with formula and human milk…you did that!!!

Let’s keep spreading the word and changing the outcomes for our babies. ❤️🖤💚✊🏿✊🏿✊🏿

27/08/2023

Happy Black Breast/ Chest / Body Feeding Week

Human milk and black people have a very interesting history. We fed a nation that told us that we were inferior and that we didn’t belong. We were taught that breast/ chest feeding was nasty and for poor people.

I did not grow up around people that breast fed. In fact, I never even saw a person breastfeed until I was in college and one of my friends had a baby.

All I knew is that when I had babies of my own, I wanted to breastfeed.
I didn’t know anything about the benefits for me or baby, but I felt like it was what I should do. I had my oldest in 2009 and we began the journey that changed my life.

My experience as a breastfeeding parent was very different in both cases. I don’t have any beautiful pictures to share because when I was feeding my oldest, I had to cover up or feed my baby in a car. People would tell me to go to the bathroom even with the cover on, but I took my baby outside and fed her.

People joked about me breastfeeding. They said she would never get off of my breast. She wouldn’t take a bottle, so I stayed home and no one understood. It was the most beautiful experience and for me it would be the only baby that I would give birth to.

I’m so grateful for the 15 months that I was able to exclusively breastfeed my daughter. I’m happy to have created a bond with her. I am honored to have been able to sustain her life and give her nutrients from my body.

I’m thankful for being able to use my milk and milk sharing to help my son. Inducing lactation not only fixed my son’s skin and digestive system when nothing else worked, but it made him happier and calmed an otherwise inconsolable baby.

Both experiences shaped who I am and fueled my fire to become an IBCLC and a future midwife. Both experiences have allowed me to assist those within my community and so many others to feed their babies human milk.

Here’s to those that have joined the revolution and fed their babies. Whether you pumped, exclusively breast fed, or combo fed with formula and human milk…you did that!!!

For those of you that didn’t or couldn’t feed your babies your milk, this is not an attack on you. It is a celebration of what we as a culture have done and are doing to improve the infant mortality rates for Black babies.

Let’s keep spreading the word and changing the outcomes for our babies. ❤️🖤💚✊🏿✊🏿✊🏿

03/08/2023

It’s World Breastfeeding & Chest feeding Week!

This is my 1st year getting to celebrate as an IBCLC and I’m so grateful to be in this space.

I am proud to have fed babies from my body.

I am thankful that I to get to help other parents to do the same.

My journeys as a lactating parent were both very different.

I have used that knowledge to assist parents that have gone through ivf, induced lactation, those that have hormonal issues, and more.

Shoutout to all of the parents that breast fed or chest fed even if it was for 1 day.

Much love to those that couldn’t.

Sending light and love to all of my fellow IBCLCs out there! 😘❤️

01/08/2023

I was having a conversation with my husband about imposter syndrome and he said to me…

You don’t suffer from imposter syndrome. You have a humility problem. You don’t want to accept that you’re very good at what you do and acknowledge that you’ve got this. That way if you make a mistake, you won’t have to feel as though you were wrong.

That hit differently!

I am a board certified health coach. I have helped a lot of people to conceive and work through womb issues. I now train other people to coach others as well.

I have been a birth doula for 7 years and have assisted many people in brining their babies earthside.

I am a lactation educator and IBCLC and I help people with feeding their babies.

I’m on the path to becoming a midwife.

I’m embracing the fact that I don’t know it all.

I’m learning and growing.

However…I am good at what I do.

Want to learn more about becoming a certified fertility coach through my school?

Need help with fertility or womb issues?

Send me a DM!

More importantly embrace your own greatness.

Have an amazing day! 😘

25/07/2023

😔

😟😞😔

24/07/2023

I’ve been a birth worker for 7 years. Over the years I have worked with many families that have had some interesting starts to feeding their babies human milk.

One of the most disappointing things for a lot of parents is coming into their parenting journey and expecting to make tons of milk on day 1 of life.

A lot of social media influencers have people thinking that they should make gallons of milk on day 1 of their baby’s life.

The truth is…you will make DROPS!

A 1 day old takes in 5-7 mL per feed.

5-7 mL = 1 teaspoon of colostrum.

Colostrum is very thick and it can be hard to express.

If a person tries to pump when they’re in the colostrum phase, they may or may not see anything when pumping.

If they hand express, they may be able to fill up a teaspoon OR they might see 1 drop.

This is NORMAL!

Babies don’t need a lot of milk on day 1.

Some babies latch well and some don’t.

Some are able to stay with their parents and some are separated from them due to medical reasons.

Don’t get discouraged when you see drops!

That means you’re right on track.

If you don’t see anything, that’s ok too.

Just keep going.

If you’re pumping in the hospital, a birthing center, or at home due to medical reasons or latch issues, seek the help of an IBCLC.

Be encouraged!

20/07/2023

Good reminder...

06/07/2023

Healing looks like being able to sit in the gynecologist’s office without wanting to cry at the sight of a pregnant belly or from filling out the health form.

Praise The Most High for healing. It took work and time.

Sending love to all of you that are still trying to have babies or have suffered losses.

It will get better and it does get easier. 🧡

26/05/2023

The early days of breast/chest feeding can be so hard.

You question whether you’re doing it right and if you’re making enough.

Every person starts out with drops.

We go from drops, to teaspoons, to tablespoons, to ounces.

I know it doesn’t seem like a lot, but your baby’s tummy is very small.

Hang in there new parents and be encouraged! ❤️

*Note: This is for educational purposes ONLY and is not meant to be medical advice. Please consult with an IBCLC and your child’s pediatrician if you have any questions.

24/05/2023

Year 15…
15 years of marriage.
Secondary Infertility.
Parenting.
Richer and poorer.
Sickness.
Health.
Loss.
Growth.
Metamorphosis.

We’ve been through all of the things that we promised to work through in our vows and we’re still together.

Loving you is beautiful and I am honored to share time and space with the beautiful soul that is you.

I’m so grateful to The Most High for you, for the life that we have built together, and for the opportunity to choose you each day. 🙌🏾

In the words of Jhené Aiko, “It ain’t perfect, but everything’s beautiful here.”

Here’s to many more years of loving you and getting on your nerves…😜😘.

18/05/2023

I made this video last year when I was a lactation student. Now I get to make videos as an IBCLC to help people with having successful lactation journeys.

Please watch, like, and share!! ❤️

Learn how to hand express milk from your breast/chest.

14/05/2023

Sending love to all today!

25/04/2023

Join us live tonight on IG as Mary Cato takes us through a FREE healing yoga session. Tune in at 7pm EST on the Faithfully Fertile Foundation page on IG.

If you can’t catch it live, be sure to catch the replay. 🧡