Joy and Infertility

Melissa is a former music educator turned stay at home mom-preneur. In between juggling her kid’s school activities, sports, dance and piano lessons, she helps women get their energy & confidence back by sharing simple healthy tips with her online faith centered fit community! 

She understands the struggle of infertility, as well as the effects this can have on  women’s health later-since she dealt with both! 

Melissa is a busy mom to 3 kids-elementary to college age, and wife to her husband James of 27 years. 

In addition to her family, she enjoys working out and leading in worship at her church. 

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You may remember Kelsi in episode 20 when we talked about full-term pregnancy loss when she and her friend Alyson Brown both lost their full-term children within weeks of each other, working for the same ministry. It rocked a community but was such a powerful episode.

Since then, they have been forming Foreknown Ministries and today's guest is Kelsi's husband Ryan, their Chief Operating Officer and employee number 1. Ryan works to empower Foreknown Ministries to reach more women and men with Jesus’s healing in the midst of pregnancy loss. He specializes in ways to support others through pregnancy loss and is focused on helping men be better and more supportive husbands to their wives in difficult times. Through his story, people learn more about hope, where to find it and what to do in and through difficult times. 

It's undeniable to see that God's moving in the lives of Ryan and Kelsi Cole. They have been married for almost 10 years. Part of their story is that they have 6 children- a beautiful and outgoing 6-year-old daughter Kennedy, four children in heaven and one on the way. He lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado and can frequently be seen on a bike around Garden of the Gods, just around the corner from their house.

Questions for spouses to ask each other while walking through a difficult season or to just deepen their communication:

What was one good thing that happened today? 

What was one hard thing that happened today? 

What can I do to serve you better?

Where would you feel blessed if I helped out? 

What's stressing you out? 

How can I pray for you today? 

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Find the blog referenced in this episode here.

Find more information about the Foreknown Retreat here.

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Bekah has a passion for teaching the sufficiency of Scripture for everyday life. Leaving behind a career in the arts, she received a Masters of Divinity in Theology & Biblical Counseling. She enjoys writing, teaching, equipping and counseling. Rebekah is married to Andrew and has three daughters, Maggie, Charley and Ellis.

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My husband and I got married on January 9, 2016. I work as an Internal Auditor and My husband is a Vehicle Repair Supervisor for Enterprise Rental Car.  I was diagnosed with PCOS in May of 2017 and my husband was diagnosed with severe male factor infertility due to a genetic condition shortly after that. We sat down with our RE on November 30th of 2017 and he gave us the news that we would have a .0001% chance to ever conceive naturally. IVF, donor sperm, or adoption were our only options. We decided to go forward with IVF in January 2018 with a freeze all cycle due to Hyperstimulation. We did a frozen transfer in April 2018 that was unsuccessful, another frozen transfer in June 2018 that was successful but ended in a miscarriage at 7 weeks. We took a break until January 2019 and transferred our last embryos from our first IVF cycle which was also unsuccessful. We went forward with our 2nd IVF cycle in March of 2019 and went in for a frozen transfer in April and none of our three embryos survived. Devastated and heartbroken we gave it one last shot with a third IVF cycle in July 2019. We did a frozen transfer in September and are 14 weeks with twins!!! The fear and anxiety is real but we are taking one day at a time and leaving it all at His feet. I also lead the Fort Myers, FL Moms in the Making group! Which has been the most incredible and healing experience. I am forever grateful. I have met so many incredible women through this journey and it’s so encouraging to know what we are not alone. We are not defined by our diagnosis and we are not a statistic. We can fight along side each other and be the encouragement we all need. Our God is forever faithful and His plan is greater than all of our pain.  Our stories just may not look like anything that we thought it would.

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Bulk Pregnancy Tests mentioned in this episode.

Shawna is the founder of Lunchbox Babies, a lifestyle blog that is geared towards those women that are currently walking, or have walked, the road of infertility and loss. After experiencing eleven pregnancies and nine miscarriages, Shawna felt compelled to share her story with others and help people heal through hope, humor, and faith. She has also published articles with Moms Encouraging Moms, Do Say Give, Life Abundant Blog, and Heather Lobe’s Freedom Stories. Shawna can also be heard on the popular Don’t Mom Alone and Blossoming Mommy and Baby podcasts. When not working with the Lunchbox Babies community, Shawna is a mom to two miracle boys, she runs around chasing two crazy dogs, and is blessed to share this story with a very patient and understanding husband!

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Emily Skillman is a proud wife and IVF mom. She married her college sweetheart, Jeff, 7 years ago. They met at Baker University where she played soccer, received her undergraduate degree, then later earned her Master’s degree (at the School of Professional & Graduate Studies campus in Kansas City). They welcomed their IVF miracle, Lucas, into their family this past May. Emily says It has been the absolute best thing becoming a mom! She also has a fur baby named Lily (she’s a Schnoodle). They love going on family walks together. During her infertility journey, she was led to Lullaby of Hope where she is now the Packing Party Coordinator. She loves being able to connect with women and encourage them through their infertility journey. Emily is also a kindergarten teacher in Gardner, KS. There have been many ups and downs throughout her 31 years, but God’s love and grace has been constant. Throughout her life, especially as an adult, a verse that she clings to is Jeremiah 29:11“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and hope.”Sharing her infertility story has become a passion of hers to encourage other women and to share that hope that she has found in Christ.

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Krystalle Wheeler lives in Kansas City with her family and their new puppy, Scout. She is a writer, speaker and the Director of Lullaby of Hope. She founded Lullaby of Hope after she journeyed through a miscarriage and a stillbirth in 2012. At that time, she found that there were little to no resources to comfort women like her and that broke her heart. So, she started gathering meaningful items to give as a gift to help equip women in their healing process. What began as something small has now grown into a full fledge team (or more like a family!) of women lovingly sending these gifts all across the world. Along with their curated gift boxes, you can even reach out to simply receive prayer as you journey to grow your family. We love the mission of Lullaby of Hope, stay connected to their community through their events and monthly newsletters.

LOH was generous and offered us a free shipping code: JOY

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Chelsea is a Midwestern girl who loves connecting with fellow women about the topics of motherhood, infertility, and living authentically. She’s been married to Josh for 14 years and is a mom to miracle twins Kirsten and Logan. She treasures the small joys in life, like a good Americano, a cozy bookshop and mindless reality TV. Ultimately Chelsea values engaging her faith and embracing difficult seasons with joy.

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Heather is a wife, adoptive momma to a wild one year old, and a holistic pharmacist. She and her husband are continuing their fertility story thru belief in God's healing for male factor infertility while also entering into their second adoption journey this year. They watched God move mountains for their first miracle baby and can't wait for more!

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