Cautious Optimism: An Infertility Podcast

Karly, Chelsey, and Karin are excited to be back together again in person on today’s episode.  They catch up on what is going on in their lives including Karly’s BIG 30th Birthday this Monday March 15th.  With all the fun plans to celebrate this big milestone in Karly’s life also comes the conversation of how to handle occasions, celebrations, holidays, or milestones in life that are met with fail...

This week we discuss the importance of self care when dealing with difficult trials such as infertility. Not only is there a physical aspect to the ups and downs of trying to conceive but the mental stress and turmoil is also ever present. We each highlight the different ways we have personally struggled with not implementing great self care as well as sharing things that have helped us to show ou...

In today's episode of the Cautious Optimism Podcast Chelsey & Karly interview the amazing Lisa Henderson, a nurse who provides us with so much knowledge, experience, and perspective from working in an infertility clinic. Lisa has been an incredible resource and friend to us through our experiences of infertility and we are so grateful to her for being here with us today.  We learn how Lis...

We are so thrilled to have the inspiring Jenny Hunter with us on this week's episode. When we  were brainstorming in the very beginning of this podcast on who we would like to interview, we all individually thought of this amazing woman because she has touched all of our lives with her light and love! We are so fortunate to have Jenny as one of our neighbors and a fellow member of our religio...

We end our couple interview's with Karin and Stephen this week!  Karin and Stephen just got back from a long anticipated family vacation, so this episode sounds a little different than others because it was recorded via Zoom. Through their trial of recurrent miscarriages Stephen and Karin have realized the importance of communication with one another but also with those closest to them, Steph...

This week we continue with our mini couples interviews with our amazing Karly and Jordan. Their faith and hope is tangible as they answer each question and unknown with the deepest of Cautious Optimism! Together they work on seeing things from an eternal perspective and practice vulnerability as they share their true emotions and fears with one another and loved ones. Tune in to hear the intimate...

Today's mini episode features an intimate interview with our lovely Chelsey and James Vreeken! They get personal with the  honest truth of marital challenges that are commonly present when the road to parenthood is longer than expected.  We get their advice on how to work through  feelings of failure and blame connected to infertility  together as a couple.  We highlight the parts of their re...

Welcome to our first guests...our Husbands! We are so grateful they are willing to share their perspectives and thoughts on all things infertility. This week we hear from Jordan, Stephen and James as they discuss the varying emotions that accompany infertility. They share the heartbreak of watching the woman you love endure the unimaginable, as well as the complicated emotions that we all experien...

This week we continue to learn more about Karin's story. She shares about the trauma and heartbreak that came as she encountered loss after loss and the hopelessness that followed. The complete loss of control, fears and endless questions that enveloped her in this time of her life helped her to turn to God in the most personal way and she relied on her faith more than ever before.  Karin sha...

Our next two episodes we are honored to hear from Karin as she shares her story. We are so grateful to have a perspective different than what our listeners have heard thus far and we know so many will relate to her story. For Karin and Stephen, getting pregnant has never been the problem...It is, unfortunately, the staying pregnant part. Karin shares the heartbreaking details of her first experien...

One question we have all been asked is "What can I do to support/help you?" and we wish we knew the answer for each and every person who has/is struggling with infertility. Unfortunately, the answer is different for everyone-and sometimes we don't know the answer. However, what we can share are ways we have felt loved, supported and carried through our hard moments. In this episode,...

It's the most wonderful time of the year! But at times it can be the most difficult time of the year when dealing with a broad spectrum of all different kinds of grief. In this episode, we discuss how we have strived to stay cautiously optimistic during the holidays as well as how others have done the same  through various challenges.  Listeners submitted answers to the question: How do you f...

In this episode Chelsey continues her story of becoming a mother to her son Oliver. Chelsey and her husband James loved this little boy from the first time they set their eyes on him. Chelsey shares how she has experienced the reality that love heals all as she has watched her little boy conquer more than anyone thought he could. Though the road to being a mother was not easy by any means for Chel...

This week we hear from Chelsey as she fills us in on her story to become a Mom. Chelsey talks about her experience with IVF and how she felt she needed to try something totally different after multiple tries and no success. She shares about the pivotal moment when she and her husband James decided to pursue foster care which led them to their son Max. Chelsey shares how this was one of the most am...

In this week's episode we hear from Karly as she fills us in on the rest of her infertility journey up to today. She shares about the second, and third rounds of IVF that she endured and the outcomes that followed. Despite the challenges life seems to throw at us, Karly shares how she strives to always find something to be grateful for: supportive friends and family, a cute dog Sox, her faith...

This week we hear from Karly as she shares part one of her five year struggle with infertility. We will learn some of the early methods Karly and her husband Jordan tried to grow their family from when they first saw an OB to the intense process of IVF that they eventually were led to try two years later. We discuss some of the raw, emotional, and difficult moments that infertility often brings mo...

In this episode we (Chelsey and Karly) talk candidly about our experiences with IVF.  We discuss some of the treatments we experienced at the beginning of our journeys to get pregnant (oral medications and IUI) and then go on to explain the step by step process of IVF. From the initial appointment to the frozen embryo transfer we share how we felt during this process and leave you with the general...

Welcome to Cautious Optimism, an infertility podcast. In this introductory episode you will meet us, your hosts, Karly, Chelsey and Karin! We are three friends who have all walked down different, yet similar, roads of infertility and have found a special bond by supporting each other and leaning on one another through the ups and downs on the path to parenthood. You will learn a little bit about e...