Meet Wendy Jo Peterson – Warrior Women Wednesday
Welcome back to another round of Warrior Women Wednesday!
Today I’m honored to introduce you to Wendy Jo Peterson. Though I’ve yet to meet this Warrior Women in real life, I feel like I’ve “known” her for years. She’s also a Registered Dietitian Nutritionists and a big advocate for nutrition, health and baby led weaning. Wendy Jo touched my heart when she shared a post on Instagram. She’s an inspiration to me in more ways than one. Please join me in welcoming the amazing Wendy Jo!
Tell your story. What was your fertility diagnosis? Did you have one?
At about the age of 25 and 4 years of marriage we finally decided to start a family. It was a stressful time for us. My husband is in the military and we had a lot of tragedy around us coupled with frequent and lengthy deployments. I chalked up our struggles to that…after about 2 years I started to get frustrated and concerned. Being under military care I was bounced around doctor to doctor with not always the best responses…”well you’re too fit to have PCOS,” or “your husband is gone a lot, it’s to be expected.” Sigh. This didn’t exactly make the trying part fun, either. Finally, I got a referral (after begging and trying clomid without success) to see a fertility specialist. He immediately noted my signs and symptoms and with an internal ultrasound diagnosed me with PCOS. Pesky cysts!
How many years did you try? Ovulation calendars? IUI? IVF?
We tried on and off for about 14 years—deployments got in the way and tragedies took their toll on us emotionally and physically. I tried it ALL—ovulation calendars, clomid, glucophage (which I hated), 3-rounds of IUI and finally after a military move and a new doc who listened to my instinct we had a successful IUI. We would wait too long between my cycle and the next round of meds that my cyst would grow too strong and disrupt my pregnancy…every time. So, my doc listened to me and we immediately started meds right after my last day of my cycle. Bam, on the day I was scheduled for my first IVF appointment I found out I was pregnant. I had numerous miscarriages prior, so I kept my appointment because I knew how quickly things can change. In the interim I had two friends have rainbow babies, both lost on or near their due date. I had this surreal calm during my pregnancy (mostly because I was throwing up until I delivered), but I also knew that things happen and to let go of trying to be in control. I was mindful of movement and went in if I ever had concerns. I actually thought I was miscarrying on week 12…I had massive amounts of blood (this was farther along than my other miscarriages, but I chalked it up to that). We went to the hospital and I calmly said, “I believe I am miscarrying.” My BP was 108/72…I was truly calm. Well, it was the placenta attaching to the lining and it must’ve nicked a capillary resulting in the “gushing blood.” She was fine, healthy, and the pregnancy was safe. I actually didn’t feel attached to my baby until week 18 and I felt her move…only then did I allow myself to fall in love with her.
How has infertility changed you?
For a long time I was bitter and angry. I hated showers. I hated babies. I hated answering the questions, “When are y’all going to have kids?” I had to put up a front of disliking kids for protective reasons, and I have since come to terms with all that. This went on for about a decade, and then I finally let go and came to terms with being happy just as us. We had some personal trials and tribulations to work through before we decided to go forward again with fertility options.
I never had envisioned how hard it is to get pregnant for some women…for many women. Interestingly, upon my delivery my doula viewed my placenta and said that I had some abnormalities which very quickly could have resulted in an emergency c-section. In some regards I rationalized my fertility issues with the fact that had I gotten pregnant in different times I may not have survived the delivery, but now with amazing medicine I didn’t have to have my pelvic bones broken to deliver a healthy baby girl. Blessings and logic help me work through all of this.
What advice do you have to women with infertility?
Turn off the voices of those around you who don’t understand. Find peace within yourself and your relationship above all else. Hope is different for each couple, so define your own terms.
What is your favorite quote to pick you up?
Hmmmm, anything by brene brown resonates with me or Maya Angelou, too
Favorite Warrior Song?
Fuckin’ Perfect by P!NK (mantra for me!) & A Thousand Years by Christina Perri—that’s my song to Miss A
Favorite Healthy Recipe That Brings You Comfort?
Favorite comfort food…chicken pot pie! Just look at her photos, it screams comfort at its finest!
Final Comments?
Thank you so much Wendy Jo! An inspiration to me, and I guarantee, so many out there too. I love the thought that a strong foundation to built between the partners first, don’t you? I know I’ve spoken about that before here, but truly, such a great reminder!