You Are Complex: Meet Fertility Coach and Acupuncturist Aimee Raupp
Here at Vibrant Health, we believe health is an inside job, unique to you. After all, you’re one-of-a-kind and your needs are complex – that’s why your supplements should be too.
To celebrate all of the beautiful complexities of our lives, each month we’ve been highlighting individuals in our community – taking a peek into the behind-the-scenes of their work life, wellness routines and all the wonderful things that make them who they are.
In honor of the inaugural Pre-Pregnancy Awareness Month this January, we spoke with Fertility Coach and Acupuncturist Aimee Raupp. Known as a “fertility detective,” she works with clients to help improve fertility and prepare their body before getting pregnant. Not to mention, she got naturally pregnant at 40 (following her own advice)!
In this informative interview, Aimee discusses why the preconception phase is paramount, the biggest misconceptions she sees when it comes to getting pregnant (hint: it doesn’t have to be “hard”), and her top fertility-enhancing snacks and action steps. We hope you enjoy our series…and remember, keep being you!
How would you describe yourself in three words?
Eager, passionate, kind
What does a typical day in the life of a Fertility Coach and Acupuncturist look like?
It really depends on the day! Typically I wake up and try to get outside for some morning sunlight, make my tea with my collagen peptides, get my child ready for school and feed the dog. I'll usually do a morning workout, typically 30 minutes of weights or some cardio.
And then I'll get on social media and post a reel for the day as I've really been enjoying creating those and supporting my community. Next I'll get into email and answer any emails that have come in that need my attention. Then I typically start with clients; I have about three to five calls a day where I support women all over the world on their journey to motherhood.
There are three days a month where I go into my physical clinic and see acupuncture patients. And in my downtime, I'm reading, researching or creating new content for my community. I also spend about three hours a week doing case reviews with my team of fertility coaches.
January is National Pre-Pregnancy Awareness Month, recognizing the importance of preparing your body and wellness prior to becoming pregnant. Can you speak more on this 'preparation' phase? When should someone looking to get pregnant in the future start thinking about this?
I would love to see all women have at least three to six months of a preconception — focused on diet, supplements, lifestyle, mindset and creating space in their body, mind and home for this new life. I would also really encourage that in the
preconception there is a focus on the Why, meaning Why do you want to bring this child through?…Why now?…Why this home?…Why this family?…Why do you want to be a mother?…What do you want to add to this child's life?
Tell us more about your role as a "fertility detective" and what types of things you're looking into when you meet with your clients?
I find that most clients who come to me are not getting the deep dive medical care that they deserve and oftentimes things as simple as low vitamin D or poor thyroid function are completely overlooked on the fertility journey.
As a fertility detective, I see it as my job to look at the entire case holistically and, with my very trained Western Medical eyes, discover any red flags or kinks in their system that will allow me to uncover the real reason behind their fertility challenges. I think about 40% of women who are having difficulty conceiving get the diagnosis of unexplained infertility. I do not believe that this diagnosis should exist because there is no such thing as unexplained infertility. Every woman dealing with fertility struggles is dealing with them for a reason and it is my job and their medical team's job to find the underlying cause of their fertility challenges.
In my 20 years of clinical experience I find that many women are dealing with undiagnosed or mismanaged health conditions, particularly autoimmune and/or inflammatory, which have led to their hormonal and fertility challenges
What's one or two action steps someone can take to help enhance their fertility now?
Get adequate sleep and eat enough protein! I like to see people getting to bed before 11:00 p.m. and sleeping seven to eight hours. I also like to see women consume at least 80 to 100 grams of nutrient-dense protein daily.
What are some common misconceptions you see when it comes to fertility?
That it’s automatically going to be hard or that all fertility challenges are related to age. And most importantly, the biggest misconception I see is not relating fertility to overall health.
What are your personal go-to healthy snacks or meals to fuel your workday? Are there any foods that are particularly helpful for boosting fertility?
My go-to snacks tend to be things like meat sticks, hard boiled eggs, bone broth, smoked salmon and paleo/clean protein bars. If I had to pick one or two foods that are great for enhancing fertility, I would say eggs because of the choline content and bone broth because of the fat, mineral and protein content. Hummus and nut butters are also great if you can tolerate nuts/beans.
Do you have a daily wellness routine or any self-care rituals you want to share with our readers?
I do try to prioritize “me time” whether that's meditation, journaling, a walk or a workout. I try to make sure that every day there is time where I can just be alone with me and my thoughts. I also really try to avoid going on my phone, looking at email or watching television first thing in the morning.
What does wellness look like for you?
For me, wellness is listening to my body and honoring its needs. Plus allowing myself to be human and with that not being too hard on myself. To me, self-nourishment and self-connection is the foundation of wellness.
