“I was told I would most likely never have children”

By: Jessica Peterson

Shortly after graduating from high school, I was given a diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and told repeatedly by multiple doctors and specialists that I would most likely never have children. I was prescribed metformin. It was supposed to help balance out my health condition, but after months of no results, and the doctor continually increasing the dosage, the drug wasn’t working and had started to damage my kidneys. So I decided to take my health into my own hands and do as much research as I could on diet and exercise for reversing my condition. No cure was out there, but many professionals touted that “this” diet had significant improvements in patients and “that” form of exercise was the best.

I was desperate to feel normal again and not feel sick all the time. I tried everything that had even an ounce of hope attached to it. Over the next several years, I tried Low-Glycemic, Paleo, Gluten Free, Keto, Vegetarian. You name it, I tried it.

Meanwhile, I married the man of my dreams, and two years into our marriage he approached me saying he felt there was a boy who was waiting to come to our family. Skeptical, yet hopeful, we returned to the doctors.

Four years ago, after multiple doctor visits and tests, we tried a drug we’d only heard rumors about and were finally able to get pregnant with our son. That pregnancy and birth were so successful and positive, that we decided to use that same drug to conceive my daughter.

Shortly after getting pregnant with my daughter, we started doing some research on the effects of a Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) diet for people who struggle with hormonal imbalances, chronic illnesses, infertility, and a lot of other health problems. By this point in my life, I was tired. I had tried so many diets that had promised wonderful results, with no noticeable results showing up in my life.

Despite my hesitation, my husband was certain that this WFPB diet was worth a shot. So I agreed to try it for 30 days. Within the first WEEK I noticed a huge difference in my energy levels and ability to eat without feeling sick (something I had just gotten used to for years since my diagnosis). 30 days later, I went back to eating the standard American diet for one day and immediately felt worse then I had all month. I felt achy, nauseated, constipated, dizzy, and had some serious heartburn! I decided I would try to continue eating this way at least until my daughter was born.

What really sold me on it was when I got my blood tests back in the middle of my pregnancy. My blood sugar levels had completely stabilized, and all my levels were reading more normal and stable then they had my entire life! Not only that, but I was eating NORMALLY! I was eating fruit, rice, bread, and even PINEAPPLE! All these things that had instantly made me feel ill in the past. I was hooked.

After my daughter was born, I noticed an even higher level of energy and well being. I decided with my husband that if my body was TRULY healing (as I felt like it was) then I should easily be able to get pregnant on my own without the need for additional drugs and testing by the end of the year 2018. So, we set that intention out into the universe. We prayed to God and told Him we expected to get pregnant by the end of 2018 without needing to do any extra work. I figured, “Why not? My body is healing. I can feel it. So either I get pregnant on my own, or we get to the end of 2018 and go from there.”

Then, we waited. We didn’t do anything extraordinary or special. I didn’t track my cycles, I didn’t see a doctor, I didn’t even stop nursing. 2018 was rolling smoothly along, when in December 2018 I noticed that I was feeling unusual. I took a pregnancy test on a whim and had to do a double take! For the first time in my life, I had conceived without the aid of medical attention or drugs. I couldn’t believe it. My body WAS in fact HEALING!

It seriously felt too good to be true. In fact, I went through three different pregnancy tests to make sure I hadn’t gotten a fluke test, and I had to read the instructions TWICE! My husband and I waited to tell anyone about this pregnancy for so long because we just wanted to bask in the joy and really take it all in. We had found a way to naturally heal my body. It felt amazing!

The pregnancy went smoothly, without complications, and without being classified as “high-risk” (as most PCOS pregnancies are). Last July, after a two-hour water birth at home, we welcomed our 10lbs 14oz healthy miracle baby boy into the world. It still amazes me to think about how much the WFPB diet has drastically changed and healed my body. I had done what doctors deemed “impossible.” I had had a healthy, unmedicated, non-“high-risk” pregnancy, with a healthy, beautiful baby that wasn’t born sick.

Throughout this journey, I was always surprised by how closely a WFPB diet correlated with the Word of Wisdom in the scriptures. The more I learned about WFPB, and the more I studied the Word of Wisdom, the more I saw constant correlations between the two. What’s more, the more I practiced a WFPB diet, the more my head was clear to receive inspiration from the Spirit. I believe we live in a very blessed time of abundance and Heavenly Father has given us a gift of so much nutritional variety available at our every convenience store to combat all the other confusing choices of “conspiring men in the last days.” I feel so grateful and blessed to have found this way of living early on in my life and for the promptings of the Spirit that urged my husband to talk me into trying “one last diet.”

Jessica resides in Northern Utah with her 3 beautiful children, devout husband, and many houseplants. She enjoys hiking every week with her children and, thanks to her WFPB diet, has enjoyed extra strength and energy that has allowed her to hike through her last two pregnancies up to 39 weeks and 37 weeks. When she’s not enjoying the mountains, you can find her sewing and designing patterns, travelling, and working as a birth doula.