Making Babies Program Questionnaire

I missed my acupuncture last week because I caught laryngitis. And in my work, talking is quite essential, so this has been a major hamper to my work life. Also, I talk A LOT, so it is difficult for my personal life, as I just can’t shut up sometimes.

Anyway, I went again this Monday, and left with herbs for my phlegm and a loan of a book called Making Babies: A Proven 3-Month Program for Maximum Fertility by Sami David MD and Jill Blakeway, LAc (Licensed Acupuncturist).  I have seen this book on Amazon while looking at possible fertility books to purchase. It has appealed to me as it looks at a combination of Western and Eastern medicine in its approach to fertility.

I mostly scanned the Part I & II as it covered basic strategies on achieving pregnancy naturally that I have come to know in-depth. However, if you are someone who is just starting out, or just wanting to expand your knowledge and awareness of what is involved to help your fertility, I would recommend looking at this chapter to ensure you have the complete knowledge to prepare yourself for fertility. I find it is always good to approach any undertaking with humility, to ensure I don’t overlook an important need due to my arrogance.

I am so pleased that I read the first chapter, which is pretty much an introduction to the authors and their philosophy of infertility treatment. I loved that Dr. David revealed his thoughts and feelings on what it was like to be on the forefront of IVF technology and how this motivated him to devote his practice to focus on finding an underlying diagnosis and making IVF and other ART procedures an option when less invasive methods have failed.

Also, the acupuncturist, Jill Blakeway, introduces Eastern medicine, what brought her to it, and how it works in comparison to Western medicine.

Under the fertility basics, I loved that it showed some charts for the various fertility types, so I bookmarked the ones I might be to reference later. Again, if you have not yet looked into charting this is a good introduction to using BBT for fertility charting, although I still consider TCOYF (Taking Charge of Your Fertility, by Toni Weschler) as the ultimate authority for BBT charting for fertility.

This book also reviews the nutrients needed for improved fertility, and one of the best parts, is in the entire book they make sure to highlight how each step helps both men and women individually. I was so grateful for the section that focuses on medications that can interfere with infertility. Many people don’t think twice about daily meds they are taking and whether it impacts their fertility. Women may certainly inquire on whether these meds will affect their unborn child, but not always whether it affects their efforts to achieve pregnancy.

The “What’s Your Problem?” chapter looks at both Eastern and Western methods of diagnosing fertility issues. I was amazed at the pages worth of questions Dr. David believes are essential for any doctor to ask a patient seeking fertility assessments. Although many of these questions are a part of the forms your doctor has you fill out every time you go, there are some that I know have been rarely asked by my doctors. Positions for intercourse, types of intercourse engaged in, whether one experiences pain with intercourse.  I think the most astonishing one that was like a lightbulb were the ones regarding menstrual cycle history, such as age of menarche (first menses) including what it was like (smooth, painful, flow types, etc). I find many doctors like to brush over these things. If anyone is seeking an OBGYN or RE for fertility, look for a doctor that will take time to ask you questions like these and listen for the answer. Now if they miss a few questions on Dr. David’s questionnaire, don’t kick him/her to the curb, as long as they seem to really want to know what is going on with you.

So, the fertility types. There are 5 fertility types: Tired, Dry, Stuck, Pale, Waterlogged. The names are based on the Chinese medicine categories, but the authors explain that these nicely correspond to characteristics in Western medicine. There is a quiz you can take in the book, or if you like, you can take it online at www.makingbabiesprogram.com (click on Your Fertility Type? on the right-hand side).

I took the quiz in the book and online and found that I received the same result: Tired/Stuck, with Tired as my dominant type. In taking the book test, I saw my scores for all five, and saw that Waterlogged was a close third (I think, my score sheet was destroyed).

I copied the descriptions/advice of the Tired/Stuck types. Of course, these are property of www.makingbabiesprogram.com

The advice under the Tired closely matches the diet my acupuncturist recommends with the avoiding of raw/cold food & drink. Because of my complicated diagnosing, my acupuncturist advise for nourishing food, but wants me to avoid hot spices like cayenne or cinnamon. This is why going to a licensed acupuncturist with this info will help you get an individualized diagnosis.

The stuck advice of hot water with lemon also matches recommendations from my acupuncturist and is my favorite way to get hot drinks (even more than tea!). 

So far, I am liking the book and am looking forward to investigating the conditions and advice particular for my Fertility Types. I truly think I am a combined type because although a lot of the Tired ones apply, there are some that don't, and some stuck characteristics that are also prevalent. Many of the symptoms overlap types, so you will score in each of them. 

Please comment if you have read the book and also if you have questions that I didn't address in this review. Or you can email me at motherhood.wanted@gmail.com.