Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone could bring new life into the world the old-fashioned way: lights down low… a little mood music… and millions of super-fast swimmers ready to make contact with those fresh and perky young, viable eggs?
Those who have been faced with the agonizing emotional, physical, and financial drain of the IVF path know all too well how nature does not always follow the right course.
Bergen Mama Tasha Blasi has paved a new road for parents and would-be parents when it comes to fertility issues. With 10 rounds of IVF treatments under her belt, Blasi has recently launched the Fertilitites Unite Project (FU Project), putting to use her science and teaching background, seven years coaching women through IVF treatments, and experiences with four different fertility clinics and four different insurance companies. Now, Blasi’s got a full suite of mama-ready options: FU TV (online TV show and blog) a Patient-to-Patient Guide to IVF, and a Best Fertility Friend (BFF) Support Package with one-on-one support coaching.
“IVF requires a huge time commitment,” says Blasi, now a busy mom of two, ages 7 and 2. Her methods include quirky but super useful strategies like “T.I.M.E. Savers” (tips for managing time, investments, mental health and energy) and “A.A.S.S.” (anti-anxiety self-soothers.)
Blasi’s whole idea is to guide patients through the process and share what she’s learned so that others can get through IVF faster, more efficiently and less costly than she did.
The full-suite course includes 38 videos, a workbook, a resource guide and an online support group. Patients can also work one-on-one with Blasi through 30-minute support and strategy sessions. A typical strategy session might include advice on nutrition, timing for implantation of embryos, the best go-to IVF labs, and daily, quick tips for reducing anxiety and preparing oneself for the difficult mental and physical journey ahead.
“IVF is incredibly draining,” says Blasi. “The more panicked you get, the more cortisol you have in your system, and this can create a tumbleweed effect which can keep you from becoming pregnant.”
The solution? Learning how to navigate the demands, emotions and big decisions that go along with IVF, and being open to alternative strategies. “Sometimes I’ll tell patients to learn different breathing techniques, keep a journal, or even visit a psychic healer,” she says. “Most of my A.A.S.S. techniques have scientific research supporting them, except for the psychic. This is just something fun for a woman to do, specifically after a miscarriage, that might offer some answers-- and some hope.”
Blasi works with everyone at every stage, from individuals who are looking to explore different options for getting pregnant naturally, to those that have already undergone multiple rounds of IVF.
After seven soul-wrenching, expensive years experiencing almost every IVF hurtle on her own, Blasi is ready to say “FU” to all of that, and now help usher others toward a kinder, less stressful, more fertile future.
Tasha Blasi
[email protected]
www.tashablasi.com
