Join Aglaée as she interviews Ali Barton who tells her incredibly inspiring story. This is a MUST listen! We also talk about organ donation, Ali's surrogate pregnancy, the biggest lesson she wants to teach her kids, how her mindset kept her going and how she gives us permission to complain and not compare our struggles. <3

Enjoy the listen! :)

Ali Barton's bio:

   Ali Barton is a licensed psychotherapist and wellness coach with a private practice outside of Boston, Ma. Currently, her most important job is a stay at home mom to her son Ethan, who was born months before Ali had her heart transplant in the summer of 2014. Ali has always been interested in health and real food, especially after getting sick with multiple autoimmune diseases related to undiagnosed celiac disease in 2011 – Hashimoto's thyroiditis, and ulcerative colitis. When Ali got pregnant  with her doctor's approval in 2014, her autoimmune disease spiraled out of control, and her heart went into failure due to a rare condition called endomyocardial fibrosis. Doctors recommended Ali to end her pregnancy at 21 weeks, and she refused to do so. Her son Ethan was born prematurely at 31, and is thriving today! She had her heart transplant  when Ethan was six months old.     After her experience, Ali wrote a book called "Against Doctor's Orders", where she tells her story, and also talks about trusting your gut and advocating for yourself in a medical setting. The book will be published in 2017. She blogs at www.aliweinbergbarton.com. When Ali is seeing clients, she specializes in working with women with mood disorders such as anxiety and depression, and with those who have chronic health conditions that impact their mood and functioning.

Ali Barton and her family

TIMESTAMPS:

[0:00] Intro

[2:15] Aglaée's updates

[9:26] Ali Barton's bio

[11:13] Welcome Ali! Let's hear her story!

[16:10] Diagnosed with multiple autoimmune conditions

[18:07] Her battle with infertility and pregnancy complications

[20:14] Finally some answers about her heart condition and the moment she was told to end her pregnancy at 21 weeks

[26:00] Ethan is born and being away from him for the first 36 hours

[29:03] Ali needs a heart transplant!

[39:04] How Ali gives us permission to complain and NOT compare our struggles, emotions and pain

[45:25] What was the scariest part of Ali's story?

[47:48] How our MINDSET can make all the difference!

[50:57] Ali's surrogate pregnancy

[53:20] The biggest lesson Ali wants to teach her kids and a few words about the importance of organ donation

[54:40] Ali's book "Against Doctor's Orders" and where to find her blog and updates

[58:50] *** ORGAN DONATION ***check the box or use the app!!! <3

[1:02:39] Outro

► Click here to listen or find the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher!

Shownotes:

• Ali's blog: www.aliweinbergbarton.com

• Steph's Healthy Mama, Happy Baby Virtual Pregnancy Handbook
• Aglaée's Free 7-day Bloat-Free Forever Online Course
• Aglaee's new blog posts: Afraid of hunger and Cookie Monster

  Disclaimer Please remember that the views on this podcast and website are not meant to be substituted for medical advice, shouldn’t be used to diagnose, treat or cure any conditions, and are intended for general information purposes only.