Adoption has been on our minds of late. Our best friends are in the latter stages of domestic adoption, and have had a few heart-breaks and near-misses.

We take heart and get so excited, however, when we hear of adoptions proceeding to the hopeful conclusion. This is the family that we posted the video of a few weeks back of them seeing their son for the first time through pictures, and now this video is of the entire family meeting Endale.

Warning: this is incredibly emotional and do expect your eyes to explode with tears!

When creating our Energy for Empowerment Program, I did a lot of research on the effects of lack of sleep on our body.  Turns out, lack of sleep can be the first domino in a chain of events that can wreak havoc on all aspects of your well-being.  When you do not get enough sleep, your body does not operate the way it should, and the net result is increased stress levels and cortisol, which we all know is harmful to all facets of our well-being and fertility.

I have always been one that “needs” 7 – 8 hours of sleep per night, or else I never leave zombie-land throughout the day.  Not only that, but even with 7 – 8 hours sleep per night, I still would rarely wake up feeling refreshed, energetic and feeling positive for the day. I used to need something like the “clocky” alarm clock that jumps off your nightstand when you don’t get up on time!

I am proud to say that I have changed that.

I now wake up without the alarm.  I now wake up feeling positive and excited for the day.  I start by planning my day while I still have my eyes closed and then spring out of bed.  How did I accomplish this?

By reprogramming my subconscious to allow for deeper sleep, and re-thinking about how I awake.

One of the sessions in our energy program focuses on your sleep:  Helping to fall asleep, and more importantly, programming your mind and body to sleep as deep as possible

It’s your subconscious mind in the wee-hours of the morning that dictate your behavior.  If you have always woken up feeling lethargic and tired, I believe the only way to change that is to change your thinking.  How can you change the thinking?  By using your brain to guide your body and direct it to change how it feels and reacts to waking up.

It’s hard for me to listen to my own voice, so I have created programs that I know can help people, but I have been the last one to actually use them.  My sister urged me to get over that and I am glad to say that and now I actually enjoy listening to myself (I sound pretty good, BTW!).  Anyway, I have really started to integrate the sleep and other aspects of the Energy program into my routine and the difference is profound and life-changing.

I am so passionate about what you can do with our programs and thank you for following along!

Just to show you how truly easy it is to use our programs and integrate it into your daily life – take a minute and watch…We had fun making it!

And it might just get you to make a similar one and enter to win an Apple iPad!

This post dedicated to my closest friends who are going through the process of adoption that I admire and love so greatly.

There was a bag packed full of brand new baby boy clothes and tiny diapers. A breast pump. An infant car seat.

Our closest friends were within a few days of adoption. The birth mother had selected them and plans were set. A c-section was scheduled and they flew down to be there for the birth. Given the strength of the relationship that had built over the previous months, the birth mother asked my friend to be part of the birthing process. She was. She was the first to hold the baby. There were tears of happiness given the beauty and health of this baby boy. When they couldn’t stay at the hospital any longer, they went to buy presents for the birth mom and her family.

And then…the birth mother decided to keep the baby.

The rational way to look at this of course is the fact that the birth mom has made a decision that she feels comfortable with. That she has decided to raise this child.

But plans were made. The baby was named. There was to be a baptism with two of his cousins. My friend was even going to breast feed.

I am in awe of the strength, love and hope of my friends who are going through this. And this is the second time this has happened to them.  Yes, it was one of the most painful things they have ever experienced.  Period.  But they are not bitter.  They are not vengeful. Nope. They simply remain hopeful. Ready to start the process all over again.

I personally don’t know if I could do this. To go through that again. To put yourself out there again. But I know they will. They will persevere and continue, touching countless lives in a positive way as they do. I guarantee that this birth mom will never forget this couple who demonstrated the highest qualities of virtue, generosity and love.

Life unfolds in mysterious ways.  Events like this remind me to surrender and remember that everything happens in its own time.

And for the next time there will be a bag packed of baby clothes with tiny diapers. A breast pump. An infant car seat.  And boundless love.

I believe that everyone trying to get pregnant and having difficulty at some point contemplates what it would be like to adopt even if it is for a few moments. I’ve always said there is a courage associated with that decision – just like there is a courage in the decision in having your own baby. It changes your life completely and forever.

Break out the tissue before you watch this incredible video. This is of a young family seeing their adopted son for the very first time.

My best friend, Stephanie, is on this journey to bring a third child into their family and I get to witness this first hand. Not only me, but my family gets to see and experience what this is like. It’s love unbounded. I am hoping she will write about it for us…and plan to see the photos.

Peter, the Dad in the video, writes “my wife Andrea and I are adoption advocates and are always looking to encourage others to follow their calling. Also check out Adoption Fathers, a website I started to serve as a resource for prospective adoptive fathers. Thanks again for your note and please let me know if there is anything else I can do to support your or your families.”

As we all know, the “baby-dance” can take us on a very difficult emotional roller-coaster. Talking with family and friends certainly helps, but there is nothing like connecting with someone who truly understands what you are going through. Someone who has been trained with the knowledge – as well as deep personal experience – in the ins and outs of infertility. Not only does it make you feel better, but it is another way to tap into your innate healing ability and mind+body connection.

We are proud to have partnered with Lisa Marsh, from Your Great Life to offer one-on-one counseling sessions to get your questions answered, explore emotions that you may be experiencing, or to simply talk about your history.  A complimentary 30 minute session is included when you purchase our new Complete Fertility Package.

Lisa Marsh specializes in coaching women and men, with ultimate discretion and flexibility, through the challenges associated with fertility and family-building.

Her clients are:
• Women unable to conceive without medical or therapeutic assistance,
• Men who discover the have no sperm count,
• Women and/or couples who have suffered pregnancy loss,
• Women who have lost their fertility through menopause or cancer treatment,
• The single person or same-sex couple, who cannot parent without 3rd-party participation, and many other scenarios.

Lisa gives attention to the whole person. Every facet of your life may be affected by infertility, including your self-esteem, your relationships with spouse/partner, family and friends, your work commitments and financial security. The stress that results comes around full circle to impact as an obstacle to conception. Those obstacles can be internal or external. Internal pressure comes from thoughts, attitudes and feelings, causing you to act or fail to act, such as:
• Shutting down or isolating yourself,
• Fearing to join or feeling left out of conversations or get-togethers with friends that revolve around pregnancy and babies,
• As an infertile man, confusing fertility with masculinity and virility,
• Feeling guilt, fear or jealousy regarding the need for an egg or sperm donor.
• Being fearful of trying to conceive again.
• Feeling too anxious to make necessary decisions about treatment.

Through coaching with Lisa, you can overcome these self-imposed obstacles by learning how to regain clarity and control, build your resilience and commit to a program of mindful self-care.

Lisa can also work with you on the external pressures, such as a small window of opportunity to conceive, the expectations of others, insensitive remarks, your medical treatment and funding treatment. Fertility coaching with Lisa can help alleviate your emotional response to those pressures. You can learn to recognize what, or who, drains your confidence, make decisions based upon your own values rather than someone else’s and where to look for unbiased support.

Lisa’s work as a fertility coach is informed by her own 7-year experience of recurrent miscarriage, secondary infertility, IVF and parenting her two children. She is the coordinator of the North London Miscarriage Support Group on behalf of the Miscarriage Association, a registered charity in England and Wales. Through Your Great Life, Lisa offers not only 1-to-1 sessions by phone and in person, but also group workshops, fertility-related events, support tips and relevant links on Twitter, and fertility-related products that support her coaching.

When Sue and I first spoke with the folks at Conceive Magazine back in September of last year, I was struck by the shared goals of our organization.  Started by Kim Hahn, who recognized the need for women and couples on the family building path to have a resource of information, Conceive Magazine does an excellent job of covering all facets of baby-making.  Conceive is an organization with a sole purpose:  to provide unbiased information to women and couples to help them on their journey to motherhood.

On many levels, I admire her initiative to create something where nothing existed – and creating and growing a magazine in a climate where print media is under pressure.  Managed by Beth Weinhouse, the quality of the editorial is extremely high.  The research, breath and depth – in a very uncompromised fashion – is evident in each and every issue.  We recommend to pick up your issue today – which you can find easily at Barnes and Noble.

Circle + Bloom was featured in the news section of their Winter Issue 2010, and for that we want to thank Conceive Magazine for informing their readers of our new program.  We look forward to a relationship that continues to blossom!  Here is the link to the article article, and the gorgeous cover of the winter issue.

Mary is a patient with a highly regarded IVF center in the NY metropolitan area, whom we have created a partnership to give our program to a handful of their patients to test outcomes. 

Here is Mary’s story**:

My husband and I had been trying to get pregnant for a year on our own with no success.  It was very frustrating because all my friends from work seemed to be getting pregnant so easily.  Everyone told us to relax and it will happen.  We decided after a year to go seek professional help.  We had every test known to man, and it was deemed that we were perfectly fine.  Seeking fertility help would just get us pregnant faster.  1 IUI, 2 IVFs, and one frozen cycle later, still no luck.  We were told that we make beautiful embryos and that there was nothing wrong with my uterus. They just wouldn’t stick.  I decided to take a little less than a year off and try on our own.  I started eating organically, started acupuncture and then several months later decided to try my last IVF allowed by my insurance.  My doctor told me about Circle + Bloom and I decided to try it.  It really helped me relax and feel like I had some control over what was going on inside me.  My last IVF I had three embryos put in and one took!  I really do think that Circle + Bloom was one of the things I did to help me achieve this pregnancy!

PHOTO CREDIT CC:  MEAGANJEAN

****INDIVIDUAL RESULTS MAY VARY. THESE STORIES AND COMMENTS SHOW THE RESULTS THAT SOME PEOPLE WHO HAVE USED THE PROGRAM HAVE ACHIEVED. THE RESULTS PORTRAYED ARE ILLUSTRATIVE ONLY, AND MAY NOT BE TYPICAL OR THE RESULTS THAT YOU ACHIEVE WITH THE PROGRAM.

My dear friend, Stephanie, who has been our source of inspiration – our “muse” – used our program for one full month, got her period and started using the program again the next month.  About 10 days into the following month, however, she was stuck with powerful intuition from her body while using the program. She came to the realization that her body was just not going to cooperate in the near future and become pregnant on its own.  She knew at that moment, that their desire for a third child would only come from adopting (they had used IVF for their second baby, Grace, and she did not want to go through that process again).  She stopped trying almost immediately.

I first thought – “oh well, it didn’t work for her…”  She was the first one to correct me by saying that IT DID WORK.  Her body told her something very important while she listened in a state of deep relaxation and meditation.  Being able to make the adoption decision came much more effortlessly, more organically, as her and her husband realized what they needed to do with clarity and confidence.   She THANKED ME.

We have cousins who are in the latter stages of adopting a little boy, Tyler, from Taiwan.  As of this week (Labor Day), they are in Taiwan bringing him home after many months of waiting.  I honestly can’t imagine the emotions they must be feeling – everything ranging from pure joy to being scared out of their minds.  To say that adoption takes courage is an understatement.

Luckily for us, they have taken the time to document their full experience, starting from the first time they met him, to their current experiences in Taiwan in bringing him home.  It’s a beautiful and very humorous blog! Thank you Sara and Justin for letting us share this with others..