Jenna Eccles: Gwyneth Paltrow Gave Us a Baby

"So when are you guys going to start trying?"

"You guys are young"

"Try and not think about it"

"It will happen when you least expect it"

....things people suffering from infertility would rather put there head through a wall than to ever hear again!! Now I say that lovingly because it wasn't until further into our journey that I realized; people who can make babies by basically sneezing out a child don't know how to talk to people who are struggling to have kids. They just don't. They try their hardest and probably think saying above phrases is being helpful or supportive (and honestly, is there really a "right" thing to say?), but sometimes listening was all I needed. And a donut. I would have loved a donut during some of those failed attempts. I would be lying if I didn't say how much easier it is to talk about it now that our son is here. Do I wish I could have been this open 3 years ago? Do I wish that I didn't have to rely on social media (aka strangers) to know that I wasn't alone?

It's something we MUST talk about. It is so easy to feel completely like an outsider. It's easy to be so angry you could scream and at the very same moment be so heartbroken by the sight of a baby when you walk through Home Depot. I remember in my darkest thoughts I honestly believed people were getting pregnant and having babies JUST TO MAKE ME UPSET! #iwishiwaskidding

But baby making is supposed to be fun, right?! Yes, until…

You’re having so much sex that it's become a chore. (Unthinkable? No Way? Try having sex every day for 30 days in a row for countless months because someone's best friends dog walker got pregnant that way and get back to me)
You start taking fertility medications that turn you into a non-stop crying, "why is it always so hot in here?!?!", raging lunatic, ready to bite someones head off at any given moment.
Your life revolves around ovulation predictor kits, basal body temperatures and cervical mucus (oh yea, I’m going there!)
You spend every month believing that “this is my month!", only to have disappointment waiting around the corner.

It starts to become the norm. You can't remember the last time you weren't obsessively googling pregnancy symptoms.

"Right knee hurts when standing up....does this mean I'm pregnant?"

(Sadly, this was an actual search I made one of those months because I read somewhere that joint pain can be a pregnancy indicator #facepalm)

SO....... HOW DID WE ACTUALLY GET PREGNANT? And how does Gwyneth play a role?

To accurately tell that story, I need to bring you back in time a little. After being married for 3 years, we decided that we would start trying in September 2012. I was very naive and thought we would get pregnant right away. Very quickly I learned that just because you want a baby, doesn't always mean you get one. Month after month nothing was happening. I had irregular cycles but didn't think much of it. If only I had paid more attention to that detail. It would have saved me literally YEARS of pain and heartache to understand why we couldn't conceive. After over a year with nothing to show for it, we decided to see a fertility specialist. We did all the tests and work-ups and we got the diagnosis that I had "unexplained" infertility with "possible PCOS". Not actual PCOS. But my labs said I was slightly in the "PCOS" category. Basically we had NO ANSWERS! Awesome. Our doctor recommended to start Clomid and Metformin to try and trigger ovulation. I'll skip to the end and tell you after 3 months, nothing happened. Our doctor said that the only next option would be IUI or IVF #thousandsofdollars

Dane and I were on year 3 of no baby and actually had decided to take 2015 off from trying. It was getting too much to handle and we just needed a break. Around September 2015 I was at work one day when a co-worker was reading a magazine during lunch and said, "Oh Gwyneth! Can you believe her? This girl is crazy!" It obviously sparked my interest and I asked what she was talking about. She then went on to tell me that Gwyneth Paltrow's new "thing" was Yoni Steams AKA Vagina Steams.

Still with me?

We had a good laugh about how crazy celebrities are and I went on with my day. But for some reason, on the drive home from work, it stuck with me. I got curious as to why she would do them. So when I got home I grabbed my computer and did some investigating. And holy moly, my mind was blown! That Gwyneth knows what she is talking about! Essentially Yoni Steams are "a practice in which a woman allows the warmth of herbal steam to permeate the exterior of her vagina to heal your cycle."

Vibrant Souls Yoni Steam Herbs

Yoni Steams Have Been Found Throughout History To:

Significantly reduce pain, bloating and exhaustion associated with menstruation.
Decrease menstrual flow as well as reduce dark purple or brown blood at the onset or end of menses.
Regulate irregular or absent menstrual cycles.
Increase fertility
Speed healing and tone the reproductive system after birth.
Treat uterine fibroids, ovarian cysts, uterine weakness, uterine prolapse & endometriosis.
Assist with the repair of a vaginal tear, episiotomy, or C-section scar.
Assist with the healing of hemorrhoids.
Treat chronic vaginal/yeast infections, and works to maintain healthy odor.
Relieve symptoms of menopause including dryness or pain during intercourse.
Detoxify the womb and remove toxins from the body.

I'll speed it up by saying after my first steam, I got my period THE. VERY. NEXT. DAY! I was in complete shock! Like I said previously, I had VERY irregular cycles (50-75 days!). I continued to do the steams once a week for the remaining month of October and then into November. But then something interesting happened...my period didn't come in December! To say how disappointed I was, I can't even put it into words. I thought "I was finally getting answers! Something was FINALLY working in my favor! How could it not come?". I sulked for 3 days because I thought the steams were just a fluke. To this day, I can't tell you what possessed me to take a pregnancy test; I woke up one morning weirdly optimistic. I woke up thinking, "what if?". My thought was that if it was negative then who cares because I've been down that road MAAAANNNNYY times. Whats one more "no"?

IT. WAS. A. YEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I told myself I was going to surprise Dane because Christmas was only 10 days away. I could keep that to myself right? WRONG. My brain turned off and I literally ran downstairs waving the stick to him crying my eyes out. He didn't know what to say because he assumed it was negative (like the many times before). We hugged. We cried. And here we are today with our beautiful 10 month old....all thanks to Gwyneth Paltrow.