When a couple is faced with infertility problems, the common reaction is to be angry, upset, and confused. Very often women will ask, “Why me?” and question why it seems so easy for other women to bear children when it’s not easy for them.

Getting pregnant and giving birth are supposed to be “natural” and easy, so the idea of months or years of treatments can be overwhelming or depressing. Many women wallow in despair if the infertility lasts a considerable length of time.

My guest this week is Jodi Panayotov who is the author of Invitro Fertility Goddess. She is a fellow sister in the world of infertility and she reminds us that it’s alright to laugh in the midst of our problems.

Jodi managed to take the difficult subject of infertility and turn it into a comedic book. She tells about her adventures as a flight attendant, some good scoops about celebrity pregnancies, and her very own “Alien Theory.”

Rather than travel the path to depression, Jodi courageously transformed her own experiences into funny stories that will hopefully boost the spirits of other women faced with their own fertility problems.

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After seven years of infertility treatments and multiple failed adoptions, Colleen Geyer tells us how her strong faith carried her and her husband through those disappointing years. With the support of familiy, friends and church, they were able to stay positive and know in their hearts that their baby would come to them.

Colleen’s story does have a happy ending with the adoption of her son, Noah, and she shares how they were blessed with a second child, daughter Addison. But she also tells us about the emotional journal she kept during those discouraging years, her feelings of anguish while attending Mother’s Day services at church, and how important it is to voice your feelings of despair if you are experiencing infertility.

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I’ve recently encountered a woman that spoke to me of her continuous fear in going forward with her infertility issues.  She told me that everywhere she turns, every option she looks at, whether it be invitro, surrogacy or adoption, she feels paralyzed with fear.  I had spoken before about this being a situation that takes us out of our comfort zone into places we’ve never imagined going before.  But what ALSO gave her great fear, was finding herself at the end of her life, looking back at never having the courage to move onward so that she could experience motherhood, which she so deeply desired. 

One (of many) affirmations I had to keep repeating to myself when I was going through the battle of infertility was this, (and I shared it with her).  Just remember If you want something you’ve never had, you’ve got to do something you’ve never done.  It is a mantra we can apply to every aspect of life, but it seemed especially apropos in my journey to motherhood….as I found myself continuously doing things I had never done before…ALL of which were out of my comfort zone.  The fact that many of us had to enter into these uncomfortable places, and have come out victoriously, will hopefully give her and others a sense of peace and sisterhood…knowing they aren’t alone. 

Colleen will infect you with her spirit of enthusiasm.  She’ll inspire and encourage you, being the quintessential example of the woman who refused to be denied…while keeping her faith intact, a smile on her face and an undying hope in her heart.  Listen, and get jazzed about this courage and hope we can ALL have in our lives…this is Part 2 of the story of Colleen Geyer.

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