When you're doing everything you can to grow your family, but so much of the process feels completely out of your hands. If you've been through IVF, or you're preparing to begin, you probably know that fertility treatment involves a lot more than medications, appointments, and medical procedures. There's the waiting. The constant analyzing of symptoms. The hope that this cycle will finally be the one. The fear of getting your hopes up too high. And the overwhelming feeling th

Have you ever reached the end of the day feeling completely exhausted, overstimulated, and irritable, only to wonder what you actually accomplished? Maybe the laundry is still sitting in the basket, the kitchen is a mess, and your to-do list somehow got longer instead of shorter. Your partner asks how your day was, and you don't even know where to begin. You were busy all day. You barely sat down. You answered a hundred questions, solved a dozen problems, and made countless d

October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month—a time dedicated to acknowledging pregnancies and babies who were deeply loved, the families who continue to carry their loss, and a type of grief that for far too long was experienced quietly. As a therapist specializing in reproductive and perinatal mental health, one of the things I hope this month helps us recognize is that pregnancy loss doesn't simply end when the physical experience of the loss is over. Grief continu

What ultimately led me to create Healing Pineapple Therapy and specialize in reproductive mental health was my own personal journey with infertility. Before infertility became part of my own story, I had already spent years as a therapist specializing in health psychology, grief and loss, and medical trauma and anxiety. I understood grief. I knew coping strategies. I knew the importance of support. And yet, despite all of my clinical experience and knowledge, I still felt lik

Becoming a mom is often painted as a beautiful fairytale. You fall in love, get married, and create the little family you may have imagined since childhood. Our society makes a grand celebration out of pregnancy announcements, gender reveals, baby showers, and registries. The second you announce you’re pregnant, it can feel as though you’ve joined the club of motherhood—complete with plenty of unsolicited advice and wisdom from those who have walked the path before you. But s

When you are going through infertility, pregnancy loss, pregnancy, and/or postpartum changes, people often tell you how strong you are. “You’re so strong.” “I don’t know how you do it.” “You’ve got this.” Usually, these words are meant with love. But sometimes being called “strong” starts to feel less like encouragement and more like an expectation. Sometimes this leads us to isolate from others just to avoid the “toxic positivity.” If you are a millennial or Gen Z female, yo