Shownotes
Today, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Marie, who struggled to conceive for 8+ years and is now 25 weeks pregnant! She is a member of my Fertility 101 Membership and beautifully exemplifies what your fertility journey can look like when you dive deeper and work to heal your body and mind. She shares the ups and downs of her story and how she persevered. Her and her partner’s experience is truly inspiring and I am so grateful that she sat down with me to share it. Tune in to learn more.
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STOP wasting time and grasping at straws. Let’s navigate your fertility journey together, so you can feel more confident and in control for this next BIG chapter of your life. Within the Fertility 101 membership, you'll join me - Dr. Jane, Naturopathic Doctor and a Natural Fertility expert, to learn how to optimize your hormones, improve egg quality and enhance your fertility naturally.
Every month, Dr. Jane takes on 2 couples where she works with them 1:1 to identify and overcome the root cause of their infertility.
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Key Takeways
2:07 Marie's journey before meeting Dr. Jane
6:07 The importance of believing in natural pregnancy
10:18 Shifting from masculine to feminine energy
14:27 Key factors for Marie's success
27:42 Three lessons for fertility seekers
40:19 The transformation of pregnancy
47:40 Balancing masculine and feminine energies
Memorable Quotes
"I just did the right thing at the right time and it was a lot. But stop trying to save money. That was what I tell them. Stop trying to try everything and listen to all the noise out there and take all the supplements on the shelf. That just doesn't work. You spend so much time and money for nothing."
"I knew there was something going on. Not pregnancy at all. I thought it was the journey. Just tired and exhausted. And I was telling him, I'm so sorry. I'm ready for holiday. I don't know what's going on because you're really annoying me more than normal."
"Find someone you can trust. So you can follow blindly, even though it's going to be stretchy at some point, you're not going to be comfortable or you're going to feel bad in your body, or you're going to feel bad in your bank account, or you're going to think you won't have time to do it. You will find excuses."
Connect With Dr. Jane Levesque
Click Here To Sign Up For Dr. Jane’s Hormones Masterclass
Website - https://www.drjanelevesque.com/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/drjanelevesque/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/DrJaneLevesque/
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@dr.janelevesque7319
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Transcripts
When you have all this information, I think the group is really, really, really relevant. But you need to empower yourself and be, like, the driver of your own journey, to reach out to you and ask, like, the proper question and. Yeah. Not be scared of, like, sharing what's going on. So. Yeah.
Dr. Jane Levesque:Yes.
Marie:Yeah. So we were on this office hour. I was in this kind of. I don't know, I think it was my third month of parasite cleansing. So I was at the end of the supplements, and this second half of the cycle was particularly hard for me. First, I was really frustrated. Like, really frustrated. I wanted to kill my partner.
Dr. Jane Levesque:Pregnancy is a natural process. So if it's not happening or if it's not sticking, something is missing. After having a family member go through infertility and experiencing a miscarriage myself, I realized how little support and education women have around infertility. I want to Change that. I'm Dr. Jane Levesque. I'm a naturopathic doctor and a natural fertility expert. Tune in every Tuesday at 9am for insightful case studies, expert interviews, and practical tips on how you can optimize fertility naturally. If you've been struggling with infertility, pregnancy loss, women's health issues, or you just want to be proactive and prepare yourself for the next big chapter in your life, this show is for you. Hey, guys. Today I'm excited to connect with one of my past members, Marie. She joined me in the Fertility 101 membership not that long ago. And before we met, she was actually struggling with infertility for eight years, maybe even 10. To be honest, she said she lost track because it has been so long. But here she is today, 25 weeks pregnant, got pregnant naturally after following my advice for five months. Now, she didn't just follow advice. There is a couple critical steps that she took that I believe made the biggest difference in her success story. And she's here with us today to share those pieces of information with you in hopes that it helps you guys as well. Thanks for being here, Marie. I'm so excited to have you here.
Marie:The pleasure, really.
Dr. Jane Levesque:Give us an introduction who you are and tell me where you were before we met, and then we're going to talk about your journey.
Marie:All right. I'm Marie and I'm from Quebec, so you can hear it, probably. So I'm 38 years old now. Where I was before. I mean, I was at home. I don't know what you mean. I mean, I was before we met.
Dr. Jane Levesque:Why did you reach out?
Marie:So, yeah, it started actually eight years ago when I stopped the pill and then everything went weird in my woman health life. I would say that in the cycle and everything. And I was also traveling, so. And I was with other partner than the one I'm now. So I was trying to conceive. It was not working. My cycle were not good. I felt really not healthy. I didn't have energy or if I had energy, was not for really long. And I went on this for like eight years. And then since I'm back home and I'm with this partner, the current one, I just reach rock button for like, maybe, I don't know, a few times now. And then I was just. I had enough. And so I was looking for professional that would have the same approaches. I thought was the good one for me. Like, I try to reach out to doctors, even functional doctors, and I didn't really have results. I was not really getting better or if I was getting better was like for a short period of time, but it was not really sustainable. So. Yeah, and then thank you for Instagram, because you came into my feed and then I was listening to like everything you were saying, and then I saw you had a podcast. I started to listen the podcast and then I was like, yeah, that's the one. I mean, that you were the only one that resonated deep inside of me that was like, this is the kind of approach that I think that actually works. And also that I think it's for the best for me because I knew that if I was just going into IVF or taking some medication, I don't know, I don't think I'd feel better after all. I don't think I'd feel good. I don't think it's going to even work anyway. So.
Dr. Jane Levesque:Yeah, I think you were very logical when we met from a perspective of like, I meet a lot of women who have been struggling for a long time, a lot of couples. And the logic in you was that I don't feel good, I don't feel healthy, my period is not healthy. I think you were smoking pot at that time still because you were so dysregulated.
Marie:Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Dr. Jane Levesque:And you're like, I don't want to bring a baby into this world in this health, but I want to have a baby. So, like, show me what to do.
Marie:Yeah, exactly. And then there was no way. Yeah, like you said, there was no way for me to raise a child not being energetic and not feeling good and not sleeping at night. I mean, there's no point. I won't really Enjoy my motherhood if I do that and if I don't have baby, I don't enjoy. You know what I mean? Like, there was kind of no end for me. It was just. I was stuck. I was so stuck. Even though I knew a lot of things, even though I tried many things by myself because I wanted to save money, it's not worth it. This is what I'm telling people around me at the moment. They all see me pregnant and they're like, what did you do? Like, how did it work? Because they all knew I was in this season of life and I was not able. And it was. Yeah. And I said, well, I just did the right thing at the right time and it was a lot. But stop trying to save money. That was what I tell them. Stop trying to try everything and listen to all the noise out there and. Yeah, take all the supplements on the shelf. That just doesn't work. You spend so much time and money for nothing. And it's like you lose hope as well when you do that for sure.
Dr. Jane Levesque:Because the effort is still there. Right. You're still. You're thinking, like, I'm still putting effort in, but nothing is coming.
Marie: Dr. Jane Levesque:I knew this would be a good conversation. So, Marie, tell us where you are now and then we're going to break down the process and some lessons along the way and why you think this was different and why you think it worked.
Marie:Okay. Well, I'm 25 week pregnant right now.
Dr. Jane Levesque:We're so excited for that.
Marie:Yeah. I'll show you my baby later. Yes. And then I feel much better at the moment. Obviously I'm in my second trimester, so it's like, it's the best one. I can feel the difference. But I do also have like tools in my toolkit being pregnant because of the work we did together. So I know how to like, for example, constipation. That's something we've got in the first trimester. But because I was used to eat a lot of cabbage as soon as the nausea went, like, as soon as they were gone, then I started to eat cabbage again. And then I'm just super regulated now. Like, I was better than before. And like the anti inflammation, the shots that you made me have, I still take it every day, you know, so.
Dr. Jane Levesque:Good.
Marie:Yeah. And I haven't been sick. I had like one cold. It lasts three days, you know, it's so much better. So I have a lot of tools whilst I'm pregnant to just support myself. So this is where I'm now. And I know I haven't done all the work because I got pregnant quite quickly, so I had to stop things. Like there's more parasite to go. I know there's a lot of things still, but I know it's working. So I'm just going to like go back this afterwards, you know, to help myself recovering and. Yeah. So that. That's where I might.
Dr. Jane Levesque:Well, that things don't have to be perfect in order to be pregnant. Because we talked off recording that. Like, you didn't expect to be pregnant this quickly.
Marie:No.
Dr. Jane Levesque:Which is great. But I think the body is amazing and it does, like, it's just a perfect example that you don't need to have everything perfect in line, but there is enough things that need to be in line for it to happen.
Marie:Yeah. And I don't think it's just like in the physical world because when we started to work together, I was in this situation where, like you said, I was smoking a lot of weed to medicate myself to be able to sleep, to manage my stress. That was like the only thing I found at the end that was kind of working. We were like having. We were just purchased a house, renovating the house. My days were crazy. And when we started to actually work in the direction of having a baby, I always ask myself, like, if I have the baby right now, I won't even have time for that baby. So I need to just create space in my life to be able to welcome that baby and act like, feel and act like I was a mother already. I really had to do this consciously and with intention. That was part of the. Also because it was hard because there was so much to do to put things aside or to just reorganize or even manage my nervous system to go through my days kind of easier and calmer with more. Yeah. With more ease.
Dr. Jane Levesque:So, yeah, thank you for sharing that. It's something that we're still working on in like the fertility 101 group when people are jumping into the calls. One of the members she just shared, she was like, oh, I'm not sleeping that well. And it's. I dug in and I was like, give me the data. Why and whatnot. Oh, you're working 12 hour days.
Marie:Yeah.
Dr. Jane Levesque:Okay, well, are you trying to get pregnant or are you working 12 hour days?
Marie:Right.
Dr. Jane Levesque:Like, it's so hard. And I'm that woman too, you know, I used to be that woman to where it's like we got to work and we got to do things and we all the errands and the. We get put last. So I love that you embodied that energy way before you actually conceived because it is part of the spiritual journey, I think.
Marie:Yeah, I was this manager. I had this position where I had like to decide to be super masculine. I was not even eating or I was eating whilst working. I was not taking breaks and I was like always at work if I needed to, if someone on my team couldn't show up or whatever. And then when we started together, I told my whole team and I said, from now on, at this time of the day, I'm not available, I'm on break, I'm outside work, don't call me, I'm just going for a walk and leave me alone. And this really changed a lot because every day even people were like, are you not going to a walk today? And I was like, yeah, I'm going in 15 minutes. You know. So my surrounding was really into it as well because I shared it. And also, I don't know, I told that for a few people. But I also was speaking to my baby spirit a lot and I was. I'm a journaling people, so I'm journaling a lot. So I started this journal for my baby and speaking now I can say speaking to her, but at the moment was speaking to the baby. And then I was like, this is what I'm doing right now to welcome you and just guide me. What do I need to do? And please enlighten me and like, why am I experiencing this right now? Because sometimes I was really frustrated and really struggling with all I got. Many times in the short amount of times that we work together, many times I asked myself, am I going backwards? I feel him went backwards. And he was like, no, no, you keep going. It's just like a little rollbub, but it's fine. And so like, many times I was reaching out to that baby and today I still do it whilst I'm pregnant. So it's like her journal. And then, yeah, I read those moments beforehand and all the supplements I'm taking and many things I was learning and I was crying the other day, it was crazy. I was pregnant, I didn't know. And I was like, what am I experience talking to her, but someone that tells me she wants to be pregnant, I'm like, do you speak to your baby? Like, do you know she's around? Or he's, do you know your baby's around? For me, this part of the journey was really important as well.
Dr. Jane Levesque:It is. I think it's the fertility space. Like, if you think about what it is about getting pregnant, we have to step into the feminine energy. Like, our ovaries are the biggest reserve of feminine power and the biggest chance for transformation. Right. Like, ovaries, eggs become humans. And if we're in this masculine energy, that's go, go, go, go, go. We're not able to be present. Like, you can't be in both. And so the switch to the feminine energy is more intuitive, more trust, more peace, more listening. And if you create the space for it, I genuinely believe, like, the reason that you're chasing this baby in the first place is because you actually feel it already. You already feel that conversation with the spirit, you know, or the soul or whatever.
Marie:Yeah.
Dr. Jane Levesque:So, yeah, there's the physical component of stuff that you have to do, which is all the supplements and the detoxing.
Marie:Yeah.
Dr. Jane Levesque:By doing it from a feminine energy instead of a masculine energy.
Marie:Yeah. Even though it takes a lot of organization, you know, to make sure you have everything ready for the next week of detoxing when you switch in or. And then make sure you have your supplement on time, you know, before your bottles finishing. So you still need some of that. But, yeah, that's true what you're saying, and dishonest. Like, there's things that we had to do. And that actually brought me to have me time. You know, I used that to have some me time going for walks. Like, it was not mandatory. I made it mandatory because I knew it was necessary. But, like, even the saunas, it was my. I missed the saunas. It's me time. I can't wait to go back. It's me time. Like, it's time where I could just relax and be with myself in my little space where. Yeah, cocoon. Exactly. No one could be me. And I don't know, I just loved it. And also, I was vegan, and I've thought to eat meat. That was a big shift.
Dr. Jane Levesque:Yeah. Tell me all the stuff you tried before, and then you talked off recording that like you were just gonna jump in once you trusted me. And I want to dive into that a little bit more. Like, what told you to trust? And specific things. Because I think that is intuition as well. And so you listen to it. But when people like yourself come to me who have already done everything, sometimes I'm like, how can I help this person? Like, they've already done all the things.
Marie:Yeah, that's a really good question. How to put words on this? Because you're right. It's a lot of, like, feelings Intuition, sorry, but like feeling that we know and tried everything. It's also from a masculine perspective, I think, you know, I know where I'm going. So not listening to you. For example, I'm taking my time, I'm taking your time. I'm investing my money. So I had to like really make a decision to just trust and surrender to the process. Because if I would stay in my head and be like, yeah, but I've learned that and I know it's not this and I have to do this.
Dr. Jane Levesque:This is what I've, I've already done coffee animals, I've already done castor oil packs.
Marie:And then I was like, if I still do this, I will have the same results. Like if I want different results, I need to do different things. But sometimes the different things were just in the right order or, you know, there was, I don't know. So. And then there was also this approach because I was coming with my knowledge to the doctors and they were like, I don't know, they was, didn't know what to answer. They were just telling me, you don't have any problem. Which is true. I mean, I'm a woman, I'm meant to have a baby. But there is something wrong at the moment because it's not working. And so I really made a decision and it was for us, Carl and I. It was really, really stretchy financially and also time wise, like energy wise, because all the things that was going on. So I just said to myself, I'd rather do it all in and it takes like less time and it just works. Then resist and resist and resist again and again and again and trying to shortcut or trying to, I don't know, save money or save time. So this is when I just decided to trust you. I was like, I'm investing all of this, then I'm just gonna listen to everything that she tells me. That was really just a decision. What made me that? I don't know. Yeah, intuition, the timing, the approach, the fact that I felt like you knew exactly what you were talking about. So for me it was really reassuring. You were also doing like testing. So you have like proper data to like lean on. And not only like woo woo things, but also you were including this emotional and spiritual part of the journey that is also very, very important. And you were not using medication. And you like, you believe, you really believe that it's meant to be natural. Like being pregnant is meant to be natural. And this is also what I think. So I think it's all of this, like the Emergent ideas of we're meant to be pregnant naturally. And then the approach, like combining, I'd say science and spiritual.
Dr. Jane Levesque:Holistic minister, spiritual medicine. Yeah, all of it for sure.
Marie:And then after this, I just had to make a decision. Like re. You used to be like in your head, you used to think, you know, everything. You used to, I don't know, decide and not listen to professional. Because you think they're not good. I'm still a little bit like this though, with my doctor, but, you know, depends who.
Dr. Jane Levesque:Like, that's what I mean. I don't. I mean, I thank you for that trust and I don't take that lightly because I think it takes a lot of like, energy and it's not a fluke that you develop that trust with me. So I work really hard on developing that because I think that actually creates the container for you guys as couples to be able to believe and go full in and then have the results. Because if you don't trust me, then it's, you know, you're not going to listen. And then if you don't listen, then you're not really all in. And there's so many different components to it. Meaning, like, do you actually believe that it's possible for you to get pregnant versus do you believe that I'm the right person to help? You know, those are. There's lots of different aspects to it.
Marie:Yeah. That's one of the first question you asked me. Do you believe you can get pregnant naturally? You tell me that and I said, yeah, no, but you do you believe it? I said, yeah, yeah, I do. And then I knew, I knew I had to like, hang on this idea and thought like, yeah, it's really possible for me. It's really, really. But I need to know that it's gonna happen, that it's there. Then I just need to know the roadmap. And then, yeah, this is when I decided to follow you. But it was.
Dr. Jane Levesque:Yeah, you were still fun. It was fun. I mean, I love it because you see the transformation, right? And there was a couple convincing. I remember on the calls where you're like, I've already done this or. And it's like, yeah, but did you do all of it at the same time? You know when that was like. I remember you started drinking the liver cleansing juice and you're like, can I drink this every day? You should, yeah, it's great for pregnancy, great for hormones. So what are the. If we take you back to like, okay, the three things that you did that set you up for success. What would you say those are? Like, the lab testing was one of them, I think you said.
Marie:Yeah, well, first I think it's. It was that making the decision, me and my partner. Not only me, but him as well. There was no way I was to go in this alone with him on my side. But just like observing me and witnessing, there was no way. So this was like a commitment we had to have together. And if I didn't feel like I would have it with him, I would just not do it. So. And deciding to trust you. So because I had like a partner, it was easier for me to have courage to go and overcome my fear of not being able to do it, not having the time. I don't know, you know, it's not going to work. I'm going to not have enough money, whatever. Like that first decision was really important then. Yes. Doing the testing. I think doing the testing and having you like choosing someone that is not yourself. Because even though you're a naturopathic doctor yourself, I still believe that you need someone else to look at your.
Dr. Jane Levesque:Yeah, I have professionals that reach out all the time.
Marie:Yes.
Dr. Jane Levesque:About myself or like anything that I'm struggling with, Whether it's finances or making big decisions or health things that it's really hard to see things on yourself in that objective way. Right. Like you're gonna. Maybe it's not so bad or.
Marie:Exactly. So I had. I needed someone like you to like test me and tell me everything I had. And that was really eye opening for me, the testing. I've never done it before, like that deep. And it was not that deep. I mean, I could have gone deeper, but. Yeah.
Dr. Jane Levesque:You had some limitations in terms of what we could get to you just being in Quebec, like there's a lot of blood work stuff that we were missing.
Marie:Yeah. Being in Quebec and. Yeah. And also I'd say financially, but for sure.
Dr. Jane Levesque:Yeah.
Marie:Still, we, like you help us to decide what was most important. And then I think it uncovered a lot of things that was going on inside of me and when I had the result and. Yeah. Choosing the right person to give you the right reason as well, and then understanding it properly, because it's not. I don't want to do this for myself. It's just too hard. And then making that proper protocol and plan after this. So when you say, have you done this all together to create momentum in your body, whatever. I think it's because you give us like a good protocol, including not only supplements, but actions like drainage and everything. We have to like you said the castor oil, the saunas or the juice or walk in, you know, whatever it is that we need to hear, basically. So, yeah. And then what made it as well? I think I don't know if I told more than three, but yeah, it was this commitment and then the testing and then just the plan, like having you every second week answering the question and telling me what to do next. It's like proper support and then also being able to reach out every day when we had to. Like, every time we were like, struggling or having questions during our journey of detoxing or whatever, it was supplementation or even just how we felt, you know, is it normal to feel like this? Or why am I so frustrated or what's coming out of me? Is it the actual work, you know?
Dr. Jane Levesque:Yeah, I know. People, like, they're so. I had somebody message me. They were like, I think I passed the parasite. Help. What should I do? I'm like, keep pooping them out.
Marie:I don't know. It's so ripping prank still today when I say this to people, they were like, I can't do it. And I was like, well, you're not gonna have your result. You know, it's not like there's no problem pooping the worm. It's okay.
Dr. Jane Levesque:There's no pain.
Marie:There's no pain.
Dr. Jane Levesque:You feel better.
Marie:It's really. Yeah. But all of this is because I trusted you enough to tell you I was actually passing well, you know, because a lot of women, especially on a group of other women, maybe they're not as comfortable to like, talk about their. Whatever was happening in their journey. So, yeah, for me, this was really important to be, like, fair with myself and with you, to share everything I could share, to give you this as much information that you needed to actually help myself, you know, and really being open to the answers you're giving me and then doing it, if I was to do it. You told me to buy a sauna. I didn't have the money. I found it. I asked people for my birthday, and I had a sauna two months before my birthday. But then I had two months sauna, and then at my birthday, I was almost pregnant, you know, So I don't know. I just think, like, when you.
Dr. Jane Levesque:Yeah, you said something beautiful because you were scared that you weren't working with me one on one. You were in the group. And I love what you said. You're like, so how can I not, like, pretend? But, like, how can I create that environment as much as if it was one on one? And the difference between. I know there's probably Fertility 101 members that are listening right now. And I think you set a tone where you're just gonna share everything. Like you're gonna talk about your menstrual cycle and the weird discharges that you're having and. Or passing parasites or these emotional things that you were going through instead of just, well, how do I increase my progesterone?
Marie:Yeah.
Dr. Jane Levesque:Do you know what I mean? I'm like, I don't know, tell me about your life, Tell me how you're sleeping, how much are you working, what fights are you having with your partner? Like, those are the vulnerable things that people don't want to share, but those are the things that tell me exactly what's going on in your day to day life and therefore your cortisol levels and inflammation and, you know, all of it.
Marie:I don't know if it's everyone in that group, but if it's not, I would really recommend it to that people have this initial consultation with you. I don't know.
Dr. Jane Levesque:Not everyone does.
Marie:But like, can they do it?
Dr. Jane Levesque:They could, yeah.
Marie:Because I think for me that was also really, really, really important. I could see the difference between the one of us that did it and then the one that just jumped into the group that haven't done it because is so long for you after this to have all the information that you collect when you do this first consultation. I think this is really, really, really important.
Dr. Jane Levesque:Yeah, this one I get to know you exactly right. Like, it's two and a half hours and it's you and your partner and like you had to translate for Carl because he only speaks French. And it's like, well, we made it work.
Marie:We made it work.
Dr. Jane Levesque:I have women who are like, well, he doesn't speak English. And I'm like, well, I don't care. You figure it out. You're going on this journey together. Translate whatever. I want to see what, how he's like with you and what your relationship is like. Because like you said, if you're going on this alone, chances of you making it are 50% less.
Marie:Oh, wow.
Dr. Jane Levesque:Well, he's 50% of the equation.
Marie:Yeah, sure. Think about it.
Dr. Jane Levesque:So if you think about it like that, it's like it's not just the sperm. No, it's the energetics.
Marie:It's definitely not just the sperm. Yeah, sure.
Dr. Jane Levesque:Tell the miracle story. So, like, the day before you found out you were pregnant, tell us what you were talking about on the group call.
Marie:Well, just to finish that. Yeah, Consultation, initial consultation and the testing. When you have all this information, I think the group is really, really, really relevant. But you need to empower yourself and be like the driver of your own journey to reach out to you and ask like the proper question and. Yeah. Not be scared of like sharing what's going on. So. Yeah.
Dr. Jane Levesque:Yes.
Marie:Yeah. So we were on this office hour. I was in this kind of. I don't know, I think it was my third month of parasite cleansing. So I was at the end of, like the supplements. And this second half of the cycle was particularly hard for me. I first I was really frustrated. Like, really frustrated. I wanted to kill my partner. That was more than usual. Like, for me it was really intense. And I felt bad for him as well. Sorry. Because I couldn't smell it too much.
Dr. Jane Levesque:He's a nice guy.
Marie:He's perfect. He's actually perfect, everyone. He's lovely. It was.
Dr. Jane Levesque:It's for us women to have that reflection. I think when my husband irritates me, I'm like, why am I like, what's happening for me that he's all of a sudden irritating me because he loves me? Anything. Like, the poor guy is just gonna get the lash.
Marie:I know. So I knew there was something going on. Not pregnancy at all. I thought was like the journey. Just tired and exhausted. And I was telling him, I was like, I'm so sorry. I'm ready for holiday. You know, I'm ready for having our vacation. And I don't know what's going on because you're really annoying me more than normal. So I'm just gonna go journal. But I'm telling you, don't care about me. That's just something going on.
Dr. Jane Levesque:Don't eat, don't breathe. Just leave me alone.
Marie:Stay away. No. Because we had to make that baby. So we had some good moments. But yeah, so that was big because I remember having those conversations with you and you were like, yeah. And also my datas. I was have. I have the ring. I don't have it right now, but I had the ring. I still have it, but I had it. And then I was following the daily datas and I was like, the hre was like thinking my heart rate and then it was restless. I was never recovering during the night. And I reach out and I said, something's going on. I feel like I'm worse than when I started. Like when you started together and you said.
Dr. Jane Levesque:Which is always an exaggeration because you're not completely worse. Right. But it's true. Like, I see when we first met and you had, like the extra weight and you were breaking out and you were smoking pod and like the period wasn't there. You're not all those things again. True, true. You just feel terrible.
Marie:I felt terrible and tired and annoyed and frustrated. And I was like, I can't.
Dr. Jane Levesque:And we looked at Carl's sperm. Was that group or was it the one before?
Marie:It was in that one. So I got pregnant mid September. I know now because I know exactly when I was ovulating and I was tracking everything, so I know when I conceived the baby. And then a week after, he went for the sperm analysis. And then we had the result quite quickly. And then the week after was on day 27 of my cycle. And then this is when we had the office hour. And then we had a chat about all of this. And you said, marie, you're in a very big parasite cleansing right now. It's just working. That's what it means. And then you decide, or you keep pushing so you can go through, or you just step back, but you know, like, you just know what to do. And you said, but first have a pregnancy test to rule it out. And I was like, that's possible. He said, yeah, but we need just to rule it out. I said, okay. And I even said to call us. And she said, to have a pregnancy death. Have you seen your style? Like, it's not possible. And he said, we never know.
Dr. Jane Levesque:So the sperm, because you didn't fill in, he was basically had zero sperm that was viable. It was like zero sperm that was morphology. Zero morphology or something.
Marie:Yeah, they said, there is a word for that. Tetra sperms. Yeah, something like this. Well, I think that the sperm got tested too late after he gave the sample. That's what I think. Because they don't write like they just wrote on the result. They just wrote down what time it got analyzed or when came out. And it was like a few hours after he did it.
Dr. Jane Levesque:So I. Yeah, so it was way too late, I think.
Marie:Yeah, I think that was it, because even the doctor that gave us the script, like the request, he called us and he said, we understand now why you can't have baby. The fertility doctor that we had here. And I said, well, I'm pregnant. And he said, but. So, yeah, he said. He said, just do it again in like three months and see. But we haven't done it yet. But yeah, so that was the story. And because of this, I was very, very anxious. And I think also that because my work wasn't finished, like my Body was not optimal. I'd say this. I think it caused anxiety. Like, some women can have more nausea or something. For me, I think it went out in anxiety as well. I'm not just, like, knowing that there's risk of miscarriages and I didn't believe I could be pregnant. So, like, I wanted it so much I was scared to lose it. But also just like, just the. Yeah, pregnancy anxiety, they say, like the hormones and my body was not really well balanced. Maybe. I don't know.
Dr. Jane Levesque:I don't know. I think there was a lot. I think the whole journey is to learn how to trust yourself, because that is ultimately what you have to do when you're pregnant. Like, you have to trust that your body is doing what it's supposed to be doing. And a lot of women, when they're struggling with infertility, usually you have a lot of menstrual cycle issues. You have, you know, what, do you have other symptoms. You don't have a good relationship with your body. You don't have this like, oh, my body is doing exactly what it's supposed to be doing. You hate it for doing what it's doing. You know, when I was in that situation, when I had my IBS and I had my stubborn weight and I was frustrated that nothing was working, and the day that I'm talking about, like, making decisions, the day that I decided that me and my body are on the same team and I'm going to listen to it, is the day that everything changed.
Marie:Yeah.
Dr. Jane Levesque:You know, and then, like, I couldn't tell you how I healed my ibs. I couldn't tell how I lost weight because I was already doing all the things, you know, but because I made that shift, all of a sudden, I wasn't stressed about it. And so then I wasn't holding on inflammation and I started listening instead of suppressing, and my IBS one went away, you know, and I lost my 25 pounds almost overnight. It seems like.
Marie:It seems like, yeah, the right people coming to you, the right information, you start to hear it.
Dr. Jane Levesque:And it was a naturopath that helped me made that switch. So I'm not talking about, like, that's why I help people make that switch now, because I needed someone to say, hey, what if you're in your body, are on the same team, and what if we spend time listening to it? And I think you were just scared because you're like, I didn't do enough yet. Yeah, but that's like an old version of you that, you know, doesn't love and trust the body versus the new version that says you deserve this.
Marie:That's so true. Well, be careful. We're crying when we're pregnant. I know.
Dr. Jane Levesque:Hormones.
Marie:Yeah, but that's so beautiful what you say, just being grateful. I mean, this is the only way I went through this first trimester where anxiety was to the roof. It was being grateful every day and speaking to that baby and be like, thank you for being here today still, you know? And also, it kind of forced me to stop working because I was just too anxious. But it's fine. It's perfect because this is what I always wanted to do. Not working whilst I'm pregnant so I can focus on me and my baby. So thank you. This anxiety, actually, because it helped me to be able to be enough work and just have time for us and, you know, prepare this birth and this new journey differently than just being stressed because I have to put the work.
Dr. Jane Levesque:It's a transformation.
Marie:Yeah.
Dr. Jane Levesque:And it gives you nine months to get there if you choose to go it. But I do think a lot of women resist it. I was one of those women. I really resisted the transformation and the change in my first pregnancy. And I do think that there's still a lot of trauma in there for me that I'm constantly healing because I have a reminder of my child here every day. Sorry, it's just a journey. No, it's true, though. Like, you have the child in this reminder. Like, oh, my God, she is this way. Because I didn't take the time to connect with her when she was in your belly, you know, baby, when she was in the belly, I didn't take that time because I didn't think I needed to. And so I can forgive myself because I didn't know any better. But I know the experience between the two different pregnancies. And I'm like, listen, you want the other one? You want the one where you can connect, you can surrender, you can step into that feminine energy and just be the thing that you've been dying to be, you know?
Marie:Yeah. And I think for this also, we need to be very strong woman, because society and culture is not designed for us to be able to do that.
Dr. Jane Levesque:It's a different kind of strength.
Marie:Yeah.
Dr. Jane Levesque:It's not a masculine strength.
Marie:Exactly. Like I said for me, because I was in this kind of work, I had to being anxious to be able for my doctor to say, okay, you can have. You can be off work and still be paid, you know, so for me, I'm really grateful for everything. How it unfolded. But yeah, I mean, we're speaking about it and I don't want people to think it's easy to just be like, yeah, she's off work. I can't, I just can't do it. I think you can, but it's.
Dr. Jane Levesque:You don't necessarily have to be off work, but you're going to. You need to change something. And I do think that, yeah, pregnancy puts you in this like, survival mode, if you will, and you have to make decision quickly. And it's very easy for you to make decisions that are not in alignment with where you want to go.
Marie:Right.
Dr. Jane Levesque:Like you. The mama bear instinct, I think kicks in pretty quickly. And I remember when I was first pregnant and I was like traveling for this work and so I would be away for a week and then home for a week and it was just a three hour drive. But as soon as I got pregnant, I was like, I'm not doing that. That's crazy. Yeah, I still wanted to work. I just didn't want to do that. And deep down I knew that before I wanted to get pregnant. I just were like, it's okay, I can handle it. It's good, it's good money or whatever. And as soon as I got pregnant, I was like six weeks pregnancy. That was my last day.
Marie:I'm not doing it yet. I think this is it. I think this is also part of the journey beforehand, like trying to set boundaries for itself and trying to like, think how it would look like if you were pregnant and start to already. Yep. Build this environment for yourself, you know, this flexibility or this way to live your life where you can create space and time and like, maybe I was just even waiting to be pregnant to stop working. For me, that was the work. But you know, for you it was a traveler. You knew already that when you were to be pregnant you wouldn't be traveling. For me, I knew already when I was to be pregnant, I couldn't, I don't know, couldn't work that much or.
Dr. Jane Levesque:You didn't want to work that much?
Marie:I didn't want to work that much and I had to, like, I was not exercising because I didn't have energy when we started together, but I knew I had to. Now I'm pregnant and I'm exercising more than before. So I had to like put this already in motion to be able to be pregnant. I guess, like, it comes back so called to the thirst, the conversation we had, like, we need really to become a mom kind of before having the child.
Dr. Jane Levesque:I agree. I think that's something that I'll coach my couples on is like, how can you embody the energy of, like, you as a future parent? Because if you're having a hard time fueling yourself right now, for example, like, you don't, oh, we keep going out to eat because we don't have time to make dinner. I'm like, what are you going to do when you have a kid? You're just not gonna put dinner on the table? Like, no, that's right away. You're like, no, no, I want to be the kind of parent that feeds my child.
Marie:Exactly.
Dr. Jane Levesque:And so you almost have to parent yourself or step into that energy of, you know, your future self as a parent. And I do think that that's really.
Marie:Helpful or at least like visualizing it, like, even asking a question, like, asking yourself what my life would look like if I was a parent. Like, when I have a child, what would it look like? And if I already have a child, if I have a second child, because it's going to be different, what would it look like already? If you have an idea that. Where you go in. Because I feel like we still want to be pregnant. We still want to be pregnant sometimes, but we don't really know. I don't know not why, but it's kind of. It's so unknown that we can't embody this. And we're just trying to do it desperately without knowing. And for people who struggling for me, for example, I think it was important, like some people that you talked about.
Dr. Jane Levesque:I think sometimes it's because you see other people getting pregnant so easily and not doing anything else for it. It's like, well, why do I have to embody the energy of my future self as a parent where this person just got pregnant, you know? And so there's this comparison that's going on, but I'll tell you that, like, I was that parent that didn't do anything to prepare for the first. And, like, I didn't think I had to because I was a naturopath and I felt healthy and I was an athlete and all these things. But it is genuinely a different energy to be pregnant and then to have a baby. And that's the transformation that I was resisting because I'm like, things are not going to change. I'm just gonna have a baby, but I'm gonna be the same. And, like, how naive is that? Literally everything changes. Literally your entire being is, you know, goes through a transformation. And so, yeah, when you're trying to get pregnant, I don't know if it's wise to take advice from people who didn't struggle to get pregnant because they don't really get it. Yeah, I don't mean that in a harsh way. I just mean, like, if somebody got pregnant on a first try and you're struggling for eight years, I'm not sure they're going to be able to offer you advice. They might feel empathy and compassion and all those things for you, but they can't really offer you advice because they haven't been in that situation.
Marie:Yeah. Or maybe they're just really wise people in their life and they already embodied it, so it came straight away, but I think so, but we don't.
Dr. Jane Levesque:There is those people, too.
Marie:Right.
Dr. Jane Levesque:Those people are usually not throwing out advice, though.
Marie:True. I don't know. I didn't feel like I could see the difference between people that were in the same boat as me and then the other ones that were, like, getting pregnant easily. And I got a few people struggling around me, and as soon as I told them I was pregnant, because we kind of were talking to each other, we're in the same go, you know, and they reach out to me straight away, and they were like, what have you done? And I'm like, but you know what I've done? Cleanse, parasite. I had detox. I went with Dr. Jane, and every time I was like, yeah, I was in a fertility journey. And he was like, oh, yeah, you did ivf? And I was like, no, no, no, different one. And a lot of them, like, curious now because they see me pregnant. So I've got results faster than then as well. So they kind of reach out to me and they're, like, interested and curious. But the other ones, they. I don't know. They just don't know. It's just different journey. But when I look at myself, even it shocked me the other day. I saw a picture of me, like, last summer I was not pregnant. And I look at this girl, and I was like, whoa, that's me. But it doesn't even feel like it's me. It feels. It really re. Like when people said, becoming a mom during these nine months, you really shift and you've really been another person. It's a big transition now. I can tell it's true, because even just looking at a picture, I don't even think. I don't know. I don't think it's me. I'm like, this is an old me. Really. I do feel like it's another person. That's so weird.
Dr. Jane Levesque:But, yeah, what's the energy that the old person is embodying versus the new person.
Marie:That's a really good question. I never asked myself that question, but right on the top of my head, I would say it felt like this girl was a little girl. This is what I can tell right now. I'd say naive and.
Dr. Jane Levesque:Innocent. Sorry, innocent.
Marie:Yeah, and like not too energetic, but, like not nervous, but for an ethic, you know, not really centered. Not really being a mom. It really made me slower at first. I mean. And. Yeah. And my brain as well has changed. So. Yeah. Naive and really like little girl, not really composed. Not that I'm just a bit less impulsive, maybe more confident. A bit more confident, but because of some 25 weeks. I mean, if we would have done this interview. Weeks, I don't know, 10. I would have maybe not say that. When everything now is just getting a bit more normal. Just to be pregnant and to create his kind of life and acknowledging that my life is changing and me, the way I think, the way I see things, the way I make. And there's science to explain the decision. Yeah. Neuroplasticity, you said.
Dr. Jane Levesque:Yeah, the neuroplasticity for the progesterone. And it actually helps to develop the nervous system of the baby. And so, yeah, your brain changes permanently. Even postpartum. It's huge.
Marie:Yeah. We forget a lot of things as well, but we. We're having a different schedule. If I look at my day, everything is slower.
Dr. Jane Levesque:Good.
Marie:Yeah. Even my decision, obviously. Every time I'm making a decision, I mean, I'm thinking it's going to be around the baby, so I don't know even what I'm eating.
Dr. Jane Levesque:Yes.
Marie:So, yeah, it's just different.
Dr. Jane Levesque:It's the most selfless thing you can do.
Marie:What do you mean?
Dr. Jane Levesque:Like to have a baby. Oh, you're just taking care of another thing.
Marie:I know, but people don't understand that because they can't see it, you know? Like what?
Dr. Jane Levesque:People who don't have babies don't understand it.
Marie:Yeah, but even the woman that didn't struggle. What did you do today? Well, I built a baby. That's what I did. It's very hard. Have you been sick and been to work? You're kind of doing two things at the same time and you're very tired at night. That's what I do, you know, I have to live my life whilst building a baby.
Dr. Jane Levesque:So I'm so glad you're being vocal about it because it's. But we need more of that because that's the feminine energy of like being able to switch from the masculine to the feminine. And I always say to my women who are, you know, the CEOs, the go getters, the managers, they wanna, the career developers, it's, you can have it all, but you can't have it all at the same time because it's just separate energy. The go getter, the confidence, the do, the make the decisions versus the creator, the intuitive, the trust, the peace, the rest. And it's just being able to balance those.
Marie:Right.
Dr. Jane Levesque:And recognizing when it's time to be more in the rest phase of your life as opposed to the go phase.
Marie:Exactly. A hundred percent. It's exactly this. I wish I would have this and that when I was in my twenties. It's exactly this. It took me on almost until my 40s, but I agree 100%. And for example, when I was telling this to my boss because he was like, why are you anxious? And I'm like, some pregnant, I'm just building a baby. Don't ask me to produce a day at work as well. And he was like, yeah, but you're not sick, you're just pregnant. And I was like, you really don't understand, you know, so my masculine had to come out a little bit to be snappy.
Dr. Jane Levesque:But sure, protect the feminine.
Marie:Yeah, protect the feminine. But to be like, yeah, but definitely you've never been pregnant because you don't understand that. I don't know how to tell you otherwise, but I literally said that to my boss two times. I could like, stop telling me I'm not sick. I'm not telling you I'm sick. I'm just building a baby. I don't know how to explain otherwise, something is, yeah, it's in a tremendous.
Dr. Jane Levesque:Amount of energy, it's tremendous amount of nutrients. It's a vulnerable state, it's an inflammatory state. Like, it's the hardest thing that the body will ever do. And I think when it's your first time getting like having a baby, it's hard to believe that it's like you're gonna have a baby and it's gonna be a human. That was for me anyways. And I remember when I gave birth and I'm like, oh my God, it's real to me.
Marie:Yeah, I do feel the same.
Dr. Jane Levesque:Right, because you're just like, it's hard to believe that your body is doing this incredible thing and then you see these babies come out and they're these perfect little creatures and you'll see you have. Because of all the nutrients and all the things that you're doing, you'll see that your baby looks different than the quote, unquote, what the average population sees because of all the energy and there's a big sense of pride in them, you know. So we're excited to meet you, baby. Tell us before to wrap this up, three lessons. Listeners, viewers, members of the Fertility 101 membership, what they can learn from your case.
Marie:Good. What have I write ever? Wrote my notes? Yes. First I would say just believe it, that you can be pregnant naturally. I'm 38 and I've been pregnant and eight years ago I was what, 30. I stopped the pill at 28, so maybe 10 years and then I couldn't. So I mean, it's more than believing, it's knowing. You gotta, you need to know, you really need to know. And then I can hear many people be like, yeah, but I have pcos. So my doctor told me I can't, you know, that person, she did ivf, so I can't, you know, there's always like something happening outside of that. I think I really, for me, I knew because you asked me the question to start with, I knew and then I, I just hung onto that. And then also I think before starting the journey, just to make sure you're not burn yourself in it, because I did burn myself in journeys to that beforehand. Before? Yeah, before, because I didn't have a partner all in, so maybe make sure. I don't know about the relationship. I won't say the relationship needs to be perfect, but I think that we really, really need to be on board. And I think it's a really good practice for when you have the baby because if he's not on board for that journey, we won't be on board when the baby will be there and he'll be struggling or it's going to be really, really hard to like just, you know.
Dr. Jane Levesque:Yeah, lots of fighting and lots of miscommunication because now you're trying to figure out how to be a team when you're taking care of a baby versus just you two.
Marie:Exactly. So even when there was like sometimes I was telling Carl, you know, for getting pregnant, we gotta do this and do this. And he was a little bit resistant. I was like, yeah, that's just practice, you know, that's just practice to find solution when we'll have the baby. So. And then find a good communication. So I think make sure the partner's on board. I think for me the best successful way to do it and I would say get out of like, what you think, you know, for me, it was a big, big shift, you know, even from, like, I thought vegan was the best and ever, you know, so. But what if it's not? You know, what if she's right? Or what if, you know, just put your ego and what you think you know aside and just follow. Follow blindly, even though. And then believe it before it even happened. You know, just. I won't say be blind. I would say trust, you know, find really someone you can trust. So you can follow the.
Dr. Jane Levesque:So then you can follow blindly, but you have to find a person you're trusting. Yeah, for sure.
Marie:Exactly. And then after this, be really coachable, you know, do exactly. Even though if it's freaking uncomfortable for many reason, you know, stretchy. See, it's going to be stretchy at some point, you're not going to be comfortable or you're going to feel bad in your body, or you're going to feel bad in your bank account, or you're going to think you will have time to do it. You will find excuses. You've got social things for us, we really put a lot of social aside and we manage everything around this. I was like, I can't go there because I've been transitioning. My detox. We'll do another week and then we just. That's how I dealt with my journey. But, yeah, being coachable and do everything you say, I think, and then always ask, what's next for me. Not like, why exactly. I just said, why is my progesterone low? Well, I don't know. But what next you do well, get tested or do this or do that, then you have a better roadmap, I think, and just trust and. Yeah. For me.
Dr. Jane Levesque:Thank you, Marie.
Marie:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Dr. Jane Levesque:No, those are fantastic points. I think the belief there is some couples where I always reflect on the case and I'm like, why didn't it work, you know, yet? And I should say yet. And sometimes I'm like, I believe in the couple more than they believe in themselves. And sometimes I think that's part of, like, my job as a practitioner is I'm always going to have hope for my clients and always have the belief. But sometimes I wish I could shake him and be like, you know, like, it's in there. And I know it's in there because that's why you're here. But you're doubting it. And the more that you doubt it, then the less action you can take because you're like, well, I don't know. If it's gonna work. Everything is now layered with doubt instead of belief, you know, And I get it. Like, it's easy to doubt because things haven't worked before.
Marie:Yeah, yeah, definitely. Yeah, yeah. The belief is really important. True. And believe in you.
Dr. Jane Levesque:Thank you for sharing all that.
Marie:Believe in you. Yeah. Believe in the advice. Believe in your experience or your knowledge. Because, see, I was a nutritionist before. So like you as a naturopath, you thought you knew and he thought you didn't need anyone. So when I say go blindly is like, put this kind of ego thinking you know everything because you'll have the title where you have the studies and just put it aside and trust the person that believes in you and you believe in yourself. Yeah, yeah.
Dr. Jane Levesque:And I think you did a great job asking a lot of questions. Right. Which I think just helped you make sense of the journey.
Marie:Yeah.
Dr. Jane Levesque:So there is trust blindly, but you also are like, why are we doing this? How does that fit into the protocol? So like, you could make sense of it as opposed to just like, oh, I'll just do whatever, you know, it doesn't matter. There was always an explanation as to why we were doing what we were doing. And I think that helped you trust, you know, quote unquote, blindly.
Marie:Because I wanted to feel like if I was on one on one, I really wanted to make the most of the time that we had together. That's what I wanted the most, really. So even like all the modules, I haven't listened to them all at the first because I didn't want to waste my time doing this and just being again, lost in all the information. I really wanted to know where to go. So when you said, now you can start the 10 week detox, then I'm going to watch the 10 week detox, you know, now you can start parasite cleansing a little bit deeper. Then I went to watch the parasite cleansing module. And then, you know, the drainage you need to drain. Marie. Okay, well, I want to go and see what drainage I can do. So then I can ask my question about the information I got, you know, and then when we had the chance to speak in the office hours, then I could be more speaking about my case. Like, I did this. This is the data. Like that happened to me. This is how I felt. Now, what does that mean? What do I do? And I think for me that was the most logical way to go.
Dr. Jane Levesque:But yep, I love is the most logical way to go. That's the hope that people do it. But it doesn't necessarily work out that way all the time. Marie, congrats. I'm really excited for you.
Marie:Me too.
Dr. Jane Levesque:Yeah. It's been amazing to watch your transformation.
Marie:Oh, thank you. It's not over.
Dr. Jane Levesque:It's always an honor.
Marie:It's not over. I can't wait to talk to you to tell you about my birthday story.
Dr. Jane Levesque:Yes.
Marie:Can't wait to see.
Dr. Jane Levesque:I'm going to definitely keep us updated.
Marie:Yeah, I will. I'm going to birth at home.
Dr. Jane Levesque:Nice.
Marie:I'm very.
Dr. Jane Levesque:That's what I did. Thank you. Thanks guys and we'll see you next week. Thank you so much for listening. To read the full show notes of this episode, including summary, timestamps, guest quotes and any resources that were mentioned on the episode. Visit drjanelevesque.com podcast and if you're getting value from these episodes, I'd love it if you took 2 minutes to share it with a friend. Rate and leave me a review@ratethispodcast.com Dr.Jane the reviews will help with the discoverability of the show. And who knows, I might share your review on my next episode. Thank you so much for tuning in. And let's make your fertility journey your healing journey.
Marie:Sa.
