Cautious Optimism: An Infertility Podcast

Today we have a new episode of the Cautious Optimism podcast. We have our friend Ariana as a guest today sharing her amazing story of her path and journey to motherhood. Ariana shares her experience of having to shift expectations early on in with fertility treatments. Ariana talks about how she held on to the moments and the people in her life that brought her joy and gratitude in the moments that felt darkest. She dives into her experience with her latest pregnancy and how some unexpected findings lead to a whole different road to navigate. Ariana also discussed how she was also involved in the local infertility resource group and was able help others navigate their own experiences and find a sense of community through this world.

We are so grateful to have Cicily Oldham as a guest this week! Cicily and her husband Dave are no strangers to the world of infertility and spent ten years trying and trying to grow their family. After they welcomed their son here naturally they never imagined the road that would lie ahead for them to get their second child and miracle daughter here. Cicily shares the countless embryo transfers and retrievals she experienced and how she never gave up despite the hard realities she faced each time they were met with disappointment. Cicily's story is one of unrelenting perseverance and faith! She is a wonderful example of finding joy in the journey and remaining happy and optimistic through the hard trials life brings. 

Last but not least we finally get to hear updates from Karly! In Karly’s story that she shared a full year ago we learned of the intimate details of how she and her husband Jordan were dealing with the aftermath of yet another heart breaking loss and learning to really be ok with not knowing their next step. Time and time again they have chosen to put their faith to action and believe that all of these disappointments could be made for their good. Karly has had a lot of decisions to make from where we left off in her story. Would she try IVF AGAIN, follow Chelsey’s example through adoption, foster care, find a gestational carrier, or look into an egg donor??? The options and roads seemed overwhelmingly unlimited and complicated, but through all the noise Karly was inspired to try an option that did NOT seem like the obvious or even practical choice. Tune in to hear what things Karly has since pursued and how that has brought miracles and new trials that she never even imagined to be possible for her. 

We are so excited to catch up with Chelsey this week! It's amazing all the miraculous things that can occur in just a year's time. Chelsey shares with us about her beautiful baby girl Arlo as well as how her relationship with her has differed from her special bond with her son Oliver. We also get to hear all about the miraculous progress Oliver has made with his development in the last few months. Chelsey talks about how her perspective has been broadened as she has become a mother herself while simultaneously staying in contact with Oliver's birth mother. We also get to hear how the relationship she shares with her first foster baby's parents has changed in the best way over the last year. We are so inspired by Chelsey's strength and courage as she as endured many ups and downs to get where she and her family are today. 

We can hardly believe that The Cautious Optimism  Podcast is coming up on a year anniversary from its launch date! We’ve never wanted this podcast to be all about our stories, but a lot has happened in each of our lives this past year and we figured after our summer break that this would be a perfect opportunity to share some life updates.  This week we are starting out with an update on Karin’s story. Karin’s last episode ended with how she would never stop fighting for her family as she continued to experience  one unexplained miscarriage after another. On today’s episode, Karin shares some of her highs and lows of this past year and what that fight for her family currently looks like today. We are so grateful for the opportunity to share the good and bad parts of our experiences with this community and hope that this happy update will bring some extra hope wherever you may be. Thank you for letting us share in both your joy and struggle as we try to practice our own Cautious Optimism. 

HI FRIENDS, we are back and have missed sharing and connecting with you as we've taken a little break over the summer.  Today, Karly, Chelsey & Karin talk about something they call "Infertility Brain".  We hope this is a positive conversation that provides some comfort to those who may feel alone in their "Infertility Brain," which we believe is a common side effect from enduring the hard road through Infertility as well as life after.  Tune in to hear how we have each been affected by this, and some ways we try to make it work for our good.  Thank you for being here with us, we appreciate you!

We are back this week with our guest Mattie Larsen. Mattie is no stranger to all things infertility. She was met with challenges to get pregnant from the start which ultimately led her and her husband to explore IVF. Although it wasn't the smoothest road, it did lead them to having their miracle little boy Channing. Since having their son things have not been easy as they have tried to grow their family again and been met with multiple ectopic pregnancies, miscarriages and understandable grief/frustration. Mattie shares how she has had to make impactful, big decisions on her journey and how ultimately she knows they are leading her to her ultimate goal of never giving up on growing her family.

Today is part 2 of our interview with Anna Chitty.  Anna shares some memories that brought some light during Desi’s hospital stay. She details the events leading up to Desi’s passing and the heartbreak that follows when losing a child. She also opens up about her family’s special connection to Desi still and some special moments when Desi has found a way to say hello and let them know he is ok. Finding a way to be a family always and forever. You will not want to miss the rest of this special interview. Again we thank Anna for being willing to sit down with us and share these very intimate and special experiences she has had with lessons of the heart. 

This week we are grateful to our guest Anna Chitty for sharing her story. Anna is a friend of the podcast and her experience with loss, unmet expectations and trying to live life through the unimaginable is one we know so many will connect with. Anna’s son Desmond was born with a congenital heart defect known as hypoplastic left heart syndrome. She shares how her family navigated this incredibly difficult experience and how Desi left an incredible impact on so many people.

Today we are incredibly lucky to share our very first interview with a PODCAST LISTENER! We connected with the amazing Kelsey Filewicz through social media thanks to our platform with the Cautious Optimism Podcast that brought us all together with our shared experiences through infertility, loss, and disappointment.   One of our biggest motivations for starting and continuing this podcast is to create a community for those who feel so alone or unseen through these heaviest parts of our lives.  It has been the greatest surprise and reward to hear from so many of our listeners who message in their thoughts & feelings on how they receive each episode as well as suggestions, questions, and incredible advice as we try to do our best in providing Cautiously Optimistic messages for all of our listeners.  We are so grateful for Kelsey's generous heart and noble motivation in sharing her story with all of us in the hopes to help others feel more prepared through infertility.  Thank you Kelsey for teaching us how to enjoy and celebrate life through the hard as well as opening our eyes to the further opportunities for connection here on the Cautious Optimism Podcast.  We hope to continue to hear from all of our listeners as we cherish your wisdom, stories, and share more from our listeners in future episodes.  Thank you for being here, we appreciate you!