It's refreshing to read some positive news about getting pregnant against the odds. The usual story is that we're too old, too fat, our ovaries defunct or we simply don't have the right haircut.
The recent announcement by BBC newsreader, Kate Silverton that she's expecting her second baby in her forties, after all hope was lost demonstrates that miracles do occur. In fact - in my experience - they happen all the time. Kate was told she couldn't conceive without help after losing an ovary in an operation she had at 29 to remove a cyst. She had four rounds of IVF which left her feeling sad that she would remain childless. However, as fate would have it she went on to conceive completely naturally with one ovary at 41, defying all the medical opinions. And now she's defied them again with a surprise pregnancy at 43. I love it.
Conceiving a baby is one of life's wonders. Our bodies were honed to make babies and the biological process is nothing short of miraculous. However, it's one of those things you can't make happen. No matter how hard you try. No matter how much money you throw at IVF or how many green juices you ingest. And in our high-tech world of FSH levels and progesterone supplements maybe science isn't the only answer.
Being a fertility coach I know how important it is to prepare your body and mind for pregnancy. And there is a lot you can do to improve your chances of conceiving whether it's naturally or with the help of IVF. But at the end of the day we are spiritual beings in a material world. And many of us have forgotten that spiritual aspect of bringing a child into the world.
We're so busy focusing on ovulation predictor kits that we've lost our faith in Mother Nature. The fertility rites and ceremonious rituals our ancestors used to practice to call upon a soul to enter the mother's body have been forgotten. But this intuitive awareness is making a slow comeback - not just for those living in a yurt somewhere in Cornwall. Thanks to yoga and meditation easing their way into the mainstream and increasing numbers on the path of personal growth and development our relationship with the Divine is improving.
Before all three of my children were conceived I had a notion of 'connecting' with a soul and each time my husband had a dream. This may sound far-fetched to some but for those sensitive to these 'other realms' it would make perfect sense.
In cultures and societies with greater respect for the sacredness of life conception is seen in a spiritual context. Dreaming about a 'spirit-child' was more important to conception than sexual intercourse in the traditions of the Australian Aborigines. They believed a spirit-child would select his parents before entering the woman's body. The father would usually make first contact with the spirit-child through a dream and then hand the child over to the mother in a second dream. They believed the dream determined parenthood rather than sperm and egg colliding.
We may not be as connected to the earth or tuned in to our subconscious as the Aborigines but we can choose what to believe. Belief has a profound effect on health and fertility. The pituitary gland sends signals to the ovaries constantly, which is why negative messages can be damaging. This means filtering out warnings like the recent one from England's Chief Medical Officer, Dame Sally Davies, that postponing a family increases the medical risks. Or the newly released poll where a quarter of respondents thought 40 the maximum age to have a new born child.
Your biology changes when you change your beliefs because they translate into biological realities in your body. Wouldn't it be nice if that biological reality were the baby you've been dreaming of?