Success Stories
The following are testimonials received from a few clients who Nikki treated in her naturopathic clinic:
Amanda – Preconception, Prenatal, Doula and Postnatal Care
Thanks Nikki for all your wonderful work you have done to get our precious healthy boy here. From preconception care where you got my body in tip top condition for conceiving (which happened within 3 months of my husbands vasectomy reversal!!) then through the first trimester with lots of tricks for dealing with morning sickness then through the rest of my pregnancy ensuring my body and my baby were receiving the necessary nutrients that we needed.
Then onto my labour – you were an amazing Doula and support person to get me through labour. My obstetrician could not believe it, for a first time mother to have such a quick and easy labour (less than 3 hours) – I definitely put this down to all your lotions and potions and support!! I would highly recommend Nikki for anyone out there needing any type of help from preconception care to being there as a Doula for your labour!!
Thanks Nikki you are a star.
Amanda gave birth to Jackson in February 2009.
Lara – Doula
We reminisce about the day Harper arrived like it was yesterday. Being our first child, I had read a lot about Hypno-birthing (natural delivery) and breastfeeding as we wanted to have our baby naturally and give her a great start to life. Our midwife came highly recommended by 3 random midwifery places I phoned in the local area and by the 4th phone call Brenden and I were booking a time to meet. Towards the end of my pregnancy at our antenatal classes Nikki (our Doula – Support Person) was introduced to us and the idea sounded great. So we had our birth team complete, of course my husband Hayden and step-daughter Chloe (13) were going to be a huge part of the event too.
My blood pressure had been raised in the last 2 weeks of my pregnancy and I had been introduced to uncomfortable sweeps to bring on the labour. Monday 8.30am we went into hospital to get my bloods checked and thought it would be the standard checks. Brenden had mentioned that I may need to be induced if my blood pressure was of concern for me and the baby and YES it was. By 10.15am I had been induced with the oxytocin hormones and Brenden said if nothing happens in 6 hours, she would give me another dose… well let’s just say I had a few teary moments as my plan had changed. We had been texting Nikki and she arrived around noon when we were at the cafe getting a bite and I felt some niggles. We went up to our room and briefly caught up with Nikki and I was starting to get uncomfortable. I went to the toilet and came out to find that my waters had broken, OMG I got so excited, then the contractions started coming and I was a little caught off guard. Nikki had mentioned she could help with soothing remedies and had massaged aromatherapy birthing oil over my tummy and given me Rescue Remedy which calmed me nicely. The contractions were 2 mins apart from the get-go and Nikki had been putting very hot cloths on my back to ease the contractions – that was great, then we moved to massaging my back upwards when they worsened. We needed to get to the birth room because I felt like I wanted to give birth asap; the realisation of walking to the room which seemed like 100s of metres away was getting all a little real. I was so worried someone would see me, and I would be embarrassed. We walked and stopped a lot and Nikki and Hayden had turns at massaging my back. I was in control of what was happening until one big moan came on and Brenden walked in and said we are going to the birthing room now. From there an amazing labour occurred with the help of a very calm atmosphere from Brenden, because I guess I could have panicked and lost the plot because it was all happening so fast with 20 second rests in between contractions. It was harder than my hardest squash match ever, but I knew I could rely on my body from all the squash I had played over the years. Brenden was controlling everything and changing situations which was more comfortable for me. I felt myself talking our baby down the birth canal and still feeling like I had more to go when Brenden said “Lara hold your baby, it’s here!!!!”
My husband sums up our birth story to his mates as “5 pushes and it was all over bro”. Bloody amazing! I think I may have put off my step-daughter as she was a little shaken by it all but WOW I had a great experience and with a great support team we had a beautiful baby girl named Harper. I would definitely do it again!
Gemma – Lactation Induction – As seen in Woman’s Day May 2009!
My daughter Madeleine was born through Gestational Surrogacy so I was using Induced Lactation so that I would be able to breastfeed. I was prescribed by my obstetrician the drug Motilium and told to pump milk regularly for a few months before my baby was due. A lactation consultant also recommended I take the herbs Blessed Thistle and Fenugreek as a tablet. The herbal tablets were really expensive – almost $80 every 10 days and on top of the breast pump I couldn’t afford to keep paying it.
Nikki was great, she made me up a herbal liquid remedy which was A LOT cheaper and I only had to take it twice a day as opposed to the tablets that I was taking – 18 a day! The liquid herbs Nikki supplied worked quicker and were much more convenient and cheaper. As well as this, the liquid herbs almost doubled my milk supply compared to the tablets! After my daughter was born, Nikki also made me up some drops which helped considerably. With Nikki’s support and remedies, I was able to maintain feeding longer than I would have if I had to give up the tablets because of the price.
Thank you for all your help and I will be recommending your services to others in my situation or anyone who isn’t producing enough milk.
Amy – Prenatal Care
Why I chose Nikki to be my naturopath:
- Professional
- Trusted
- Well-organised
- Current in knowledge
- Tries new products
- Offers a great Pregnancy Pack and info sheets
- Orders supplements before I need to ask
- Works varied hours
- Approachable
- Caring
- Modern- using internet to order supplements and to make payments
- Trained Naturopath and Doula
- Mother
This is my 6th pregnancy. I had two children very close together and then 3 successive miscarriages. With this pregnancy, I changed naturopaths and Nikki has been looking after me. I have never felt so good pregnant! I had no morning sickness after seeing Nikki and haven’t suffered constipation like I did with my previous pregnancies. Also, my blood pressure was low at the beginning of my pregnancy, and this made me feel dizzy when I stood up and contributed to fatigue. I no longer suffer from these problems now that Nikki has put me on a tonic which has increased my blood pressure to within the normal range and my energy levels have been fantastic! I feel secure and cared for because Nikki is reminding me when to do certain things and I don’t need to try to remember everything. After suffering 3 miscarriages, I was anxious about this pregnancy, so Nikki put me on a herbal tonic to relieve my anxiety and help me cope with stress. I was extremely impressed with how I felt and finally felt at ease. I feel secure that my health won’t suffer through the baby stripping me of all the nutrients as Nikki has arranged a supplement plan to keep up my strength also. I would thoroughly recommend Nikki, as she is a mother and has helped at other births as a Doula. She understands what it is like to be pregnant. She has empathy and finds solutions when you are experiencing difficulties during the pregnancy process.
Amy Young – due date 24/07/09
Amy had her son on 20/07/09 and had this to say – I had a great pregnancy, and my birth was the birth I have always wanted. Thanks Nikki for constantly assessing my needs during the pregnancy and for helping me manage my birth with the aid of herbs, vitamins, minerals and homeopathic medicines. After the birth I experienced some shock, due to the quick labour, but I had pineapple juice, arnica and my calcium-magnesium supplements on hand to help manage this. In the days and weeks since giving birth I have been told how amazing I look. I have felt really good and I am certain it is because I am keeping on top of things by using supplements and herbs. I am happy that I am finally able to hold and breastfeed the baby I have been trying to have since 2006.
Diana – Amenorrhoea, Preconception, Prenatal and Postnatal Care
I had been using Depo Provera for contraception for 6½ years and my periods had stopped completely after the first few months of use. At the time I was not concerned about how long it may take for my cycle to become regular again. I decided to come off Depo Provera as additional research came to light highlighting the side effects of loss of bone density and it was recommended that it was used for a maximum of two years only and not as a long term measure. I was aware it could take up to two years to have a regular cycle again after coming off Depo Provera, however after two years I was still yet to have any period, let alone a regular cycle. My GP was surprised, although not concerned, as I was not trying to conceive. At 27 years old I was anxious to have a regular cycle to ensure I am able to conceive when the time is right for me.
A friend of mine suggested I consult a naturopath specialising in fertility and it was through this recommendation I discovered the Natural Reproductive Care website. I spoke with Nikki who assured me she could help. After an initial consultation and blood tests it was discovered I had subclinical hypothyroidisim and my sex hormone levels were low indicating pituitary dysfunction. I was anxious and worried that my long term fertility was at risk but Nikki was supportive and knowledgeable and reassured me that a natural approach would support the return of a regular cycle. I started a herbal remedy and supplement programme and after three months my thyroid hormones were back within a normal range. After four months I had still not had a period so Nikki changed the herbs and supplements slightly and I had a period within a month. My body is slowly but surely settling into a regular cycle again. As a result of the anxiety and stress I have felt, along with the detrimental effects on my body and my cycle, I would suggest women seriously consider alternative options to Depo Provera. I have felt a sense of relief that I am getting back to normal.
Nikki has been fantastic, she has clearly explained my condition and what is happening in my body and she has given me options along the way in the approaches we have taken. I have been very impressed with Nikki’s speedy communication and follow up contact. I will continue to follow Nikki’s advice and will consult with her again when I am ready to start a family.
Note from Nikki - Diana did consult me for a preconception plan and after an easy conception is due to have her first baby in April 2014.
Brenda – Recurrent Miscarriage
Hi my name is Brenda and my husband and I have a beautiful daughter who is just about to turn five. When we started our family over five years ago we thought we would have just over a couple of years age gap between our children, however that wasn't to be. I have had five miscarriages since we started trying for our second child. It has been such an emotional roller coaster, anyone who has been through this experience can totally relate to this. You find out you are pregnant, you get excited, you start mentally planning what you are going to do and then when you miscarry it feels as though all your hopes and dreams have gone out the window. I mostly miscarried between 6 - 10 weeks, only once did I have to go and have a D & C which in itself is a pretty traumatic experience. On our journey to work out why this kept happening to us we were referred to a miscarriage unit. At that stage I had had three miscarriages. After a lot of tests and investigation and waiting we found that both my husband and I were perfectly normal and there was no medical reason as to why I miscarried. You can imagine that this was quite frustrating to us and we were told just keep trying and one day it will happen. After another two miscarriages I decided that I could not handle that emotional roller coaster anymore so we stopped trying.
As fate would have it one of my closest friends knew of a naturopath who specialises in fertility. I had been told of naturopaths many times by different friends but this time it felt different, it was meant to happen. So I rang Nikki at Natural Reproductive Care for an appointment which lasted nearly two and a half hours. I did a hair analysis test that was to be sent away. Two weeks later I had another appointment with Nikki to discuss the results and a treatment plan was organised for me. Well 3 - 4mths later I was pregnant with our second child, 26 weeks this Thursday.
Nikki I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart and I truly believe that if it wasn't for you we would not be in this position right now. Nikki has gone beyond the call of duty with me many times, meeting me at the organic health shop to show me what I should and should not be eating. I know it should be pretty straightforward but I also have gestational diabetes which doesn't help matters. I have made many phone calls to Nikki about different problems that I have had along the way, and she has always been so happy to help. So if you are reading this and wondering if you should go and see Nikki, then fate is also on your side, pick up the phone and call her now.
Charly – Fertility
My husband and I had made that big life decision to start a family and were really excited about starting this next part of our lives. However we had a bit of a road block to get over as my husband had just finished nearly three years of chemotherapy as treatment for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and I had been diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. I had serious doubts that we would get pregnant naturally, if at all. It seemed like an impossible task! We had talked about the fact that we might not be able to have children at all and decided that even if we couldn't it would do my husband good to have a good 'clean out' after all that chemotherapy.
One day I was talking with a clairvoyant and they mentioned seeing a naturopath for our fertility. I couldn't believe she had brought the subject up - how could she have known we had issues with fertility? Having been quite open to alternative medicine in the past, I looked into it and after many phone calls and research I came across Nikki Chad at Natural Reproductive Care.
After an initial consultation, blood tests, sperm test and hair analysis my husband and I went on a three week detox and then continued on a regime set by Nikki for our individual needs. After only 4 months - we fell pregnant! Honestly, we just couldn't believe it. Right through the initial months of trying, throughout the pregnancy and after the birth Nikki has been on hand for advice and assistance and I love the fact that she contacts me before I run out of things so I never have to worry about following up - and with baby brain it makes my life so much easier. It was also really helpful that Nikki was so flexible with her hours - being able to call, e-mail or drop in at different times suited my lifestyle. When I had originally started looking for a naturopath I found that they only worked 'office hours' which didn't help me much as I also worked 'office hours' and couldn't take time off during the day. The best thing about Nikki - she is a mother as well so had been through everything I was going through and could give me honest advice which I could trust.
Our little girl - Madeline - was born on 19th January 2010 - and she is just perfect!
Sonya – Fertility
Being in my early 40's I thought I had left my family run too late as nothing was happening two years after we decided to give it a go, and to be honest after one attempt at IVF which set us back 9K, I had just about given up. A friend of mine had been to see Nikki at Natural Reproductive Care and said to go and have a chat with her as she is passionate about fertility and she was right. Nikki was a breath of fresh air and after hair analysis, blood tests and a lot of questions about our day to day lives, nutrition and social activities Nikki put us on a course of natural potions and we followed her every detail.
After 12 weeks I was pregnant. Yay! I couldn't believe it. Nikki was as excited as us and from that moment on, she followed our progress and months until little Jack was born. I strongly recommend everyone I know who is thinking of having a family to talk to Nikki. No matter what your age you don't know if you can fall pregnant immediately and even if you can, are you healthy on the inside? Are all your mineral levels where they should be, as I have found doctors only worry about the common things like iron not calcium, folic acid, selenium etc.
Thanks Nikki you're the best.
Sonya gave birth to Jack in May 2007.
Roz – Fertility
My husband and I decided to seek some extra help after trying to conceive for 8 months with no success. We are both 32 and 33 years of age and didn't want to wait a whole year before seeking some help. We made an appointment with Nikki at Natural Reproductive Care who was recommended to me by a good friend. She had told me a lot of wonderful things about Nikki and how she had helped a few of her friends get pregnant that previously tried IVF and not been successful with that, so we were very enthused about starting a consultation with Nikki.
After our initial consultation we both did a number of tests to make sure we were all okay - I did all the blood tests and my husband did the sperm analysis tests. His result was not so good; he had a low count and not a lot of them were very good - his motility and morphology was very low - we were told by our doctor it would not be impossible for us to get pregnant but it would take longer for us. Our zinc levels were very low which is a very important mineral for fertility and my iron was also very low. So Nikki started us on a regime of vitamins and herbs to help with our issues; we were on these for 3.5 months. Our zinc improved and my iron got to a very good level within 2 months. We followed her instructions to the book - my husband gave up coffee, he had already cut down on alcohol a long time before we saw Nikki and he also cut down on coke. We followed her instructions strictly and successfully got pregnant from a cycle in December 3.5 months later.
I am now 11 weeks pregnant and very excited. We learnt a lot from Nikki and we are really happy about being pregnant; because we saw Nikki before getting pregnant, we were both able to get ourselves into tip top shape for pregnancy. My iron was at a great level so I have had good energy levels. My husband's energy levels improved and he felt a lot better within himself, so not only were we successful getting pregnant, but we both improved our health at the same time. The money spent to get this to happen was priceless for the result we both have. I would totally recommend Nikki as your Fertility Naturopath as she is very clued up on what she is doing and is positive that there is always a way to solve a problem. She has a great personality and is very professional to deal with. You just need to commit to giving it time and following her plan; then you will see success. I will continue to see Nikki throughout my pregnancy and after.
Roz gave birth to Ethan (picture above) in November 2008.
Kat Boyd
Interview with Kat Boyd
How did you find out about Nikki's course?
I heard about Nikki through a mutual friend of ours. Our friend and I are both personal trainers who work with a lot of pre and postnatal women. She thought Nikki would be a good connection to have with her area of expertise in natural conception care/ fertility assistance and health.
I have been following Nikki for some time and believe her message is so important. You hear of so many women struggling to conceive naturally and resort to the expensive and stressful process of IVF. It makes you wonder, had they have known more information about preconception planning and care, would their situation be different?
I attended one of Nikki's seminars in Sydney and listened to her story and motivation for becoming a fertility naturopath and this really resonated with me. It's something I believe is highly important for all women wanting to conceive.
What made you decide to sign up?
When my husband and I made the decision to begin trying for a baby, it only made sense to me to start taking her preconception multi. I then reached out to Nikki about our situation and she suggested purchasing her ‘Preparing for Pregnancy and Becoming Supplement Savvy’ courses.
For the price of one naturopathic consultation, you are getting a heap of information about how to understand your cycle, what tests you should do prior to trying to conceive, how to interpret those results and then how to take action based on your results to boost any of those key hormones, vitamins and minerals.
My mum had 4 miscarriages when she was trying to conceive, so I wanted to know what I can do to support my body to conceive naturally and reduce the risk of any miscarriage and fertility challenges.
Getting the blood test results back and then having the information at your fingertips in the online course to action straight away is amazing. Although your results may fall into the "normal" ranges, Nikki discusses optimal levels for women wanting to conceive as well as educating you on the importance of why these key hormones, vitamins and minerals are vital for the body and mother. Nikki is also available on the closed NaturoBest Babies Facebook group to answer all of your questions.
What did the course involve?
Nikki has a range of online courses available but I purchased the Preconception Package for Women which includes the ‘Preparing for Pregnancy’ and ‘Becoming Supplement Savvy’ modules which is great value. The e-courses are delivered via a PowerPoint presentation with Nikki talking in the background about all the information on each slide and more. It’s very easy to follow and understand and Nikki has a great conversational style of delivery which makes it very easy to understand.
Have you found it helpful? Would you recommend it to other prospective mums?
I would 100% recommend her courses to any woman thinking about becoming a mum. Regardless if this is their first, second or third pregnancy.
Growing a baby is a massive job. As Nikki says in her course, it’s like building a house... if you don’t build a house properly, you can get problems like water leaks! If you are going to grow a baby, it needs optimal nutrient levels to form all the parts of a body. It's like a chain of events and it only has a certain amount of time for those things to develop before it goes onto the next developmental phase. Not only that, but during pregnancy, the mother’s nutrient levels will be getting depleted to grow the baby. So it makes sense that we want to boost nutrient levels prior to conceiving. Not only for the baby, but also the mother!
How has the course changed your approach to falling pregnant?
It has 100% made me go and get all the necessary tests done to determine my current levels and highlight anything that needs boosting prior to conception. Fatigue was something that was already concerning me so I wanted to know my current level of iron stores. I learned in Nikki’s course that prior to conception we want to boost iron levels, so once I had my results back I was then able to know what to do to boost these.
There are also so many other fantastic pieces of information in Nikki’s courses such as the quality of supplements, the comparison of a lower grade supplement vs a high-quality one, key nutrients to help support breastfeeding, reducing morning sickness, stretch marks etc and without giving it all away all this information just blew my mind and made me want to take the necessary steps Nikki recommends in her Preparing for Pregnancy course before my husband and I started trying.
I also believe that having the information about my mother’s challenges to fall pregnant was another key motivator for me to do my homework before trying to have a baby.
Do you think that demand for this type of service is increasing because we are increasingly distant from pregnancy/birth etc? (e.g. back in the day, we all grew up in homes with our extended families so were exposed to birth and pregnancy from a very young age and were more connected to family wisdom on the topic)
Yes - to a degree but I also think life has become so much more fast-paced with multi-factorial reasons why women are now working more, potentially having more stress in their lives, having babies later in life and expecting to just fall pregnant as soon as they start trying. There may have been several years of a certain way of life such as high alcohol intake or severely low intake of good fats and/or many years on the contraceptive pill, all of which could have depleted key nutrient levels required for conceiving.
There is also an increase in fertility challenges such as PCOS and endometriosis so women are looking for assistance to help them fall pregnant.
What have you told friends/family about the course? Have people been curious as to why you would choose to take a course like this?
I haven't really told many people about the course. I do sometimes share Nikki's posts on my social media pages as we do have a common client market.
A few clients do mention to me the over-the-counter supplements they are taking or that they have been trying to fall pregnant for a few months without success, so then I will recommend Nikki's courses and her supplement range.
I, unfortunately, think the big pharmaceutical companies have such a big budget to market their products so women turn to them when thinking about trying for a baby without REALLY knowing the quality of it. Maybe they aren't aware of what's in it, or aware of what makes up a low-grade quality supplement vs a higher quality one. Perhaps it's just that the product is so heavily marketed and available at the local pharmacy that this is why they choose it. Some people have the viewpoint of "just start trying" rather than getting too caught up in all the testing and re-testing. I do believe personal circumstances/situations direct your interests and being a personal trainer for pre and postnatal women, this is clearly an area of interest for me and something I believe to be important for my own preconception and pregnancy journey.
How do you think the world would benefit from more women doing courses like this?
I think there could be a lot less stress and challenges if women and men knew more about preconception care. It can be a distressing time for a woman and her husband/partner when friends around them are falling pregnant and they have been trying for some time and not been successful.
If we look at the 'building a house' analogy, you would do your research into the materials you need to build a house so that it is strong, supportive and safe to live in. We need to get this message across to women that growing a baby is no different. Do Nikki's course to do your research into what your body needs, how to understand your cycle to know when you are most fertile to conceive and get educated around quality supplements to take to support your body and baby.
Nikki is a wealth of information and driven by her own story to really assist women in understanding their fertility for overall health and conception. She has created her own clean and high-quality supplement range that I would absolutely recommend to any woman. Nikki explains to you what's in the supplements and why she has chosen the ingredients in each of her products.
Get on board the NaturoBest Facebook and Instagram pages and check out her products :)
Jess Murphy
I completed the Female & Male Fertility and Preconception Care Package, for the small price you pay you get a huge investment. 4 short and easy to understand courses full of so much information, Making it so easy to head to the doctors and request the blood tests i needed for myself and my partner confidently to prepare for a healthy pregnancy.
I have learnt so much through these courses, my favourite being the supplement savvy course. I found it so interesting the different types of vitamins available and how useless some can be compared to the fantastic NaturoBest range. It Really shows how much time and effort Nikki has put in to her whole range to provide the best for everyone. I can not wait to be able to follow through with the rest of the courses available.
Belinda Mason
I have completed “Preparing for Pregnancy”, “Female Fertility and Hormone Balance” and “Becoming Supplement Savvy” (available as a package here) as part of my preconception plan and I cannot speak highly enough of the information that Nikki has made available through her online courses. I only wish I had known this information for my previous two pregnancies.
The breadth of knowledge Nikki shares in an easily understood format throughout the online courses I have completed, has left me feeling empowered on my pregnancy journey which is so important to me and I think any mum to be. I feel much more confident heading into my third pregnancy than I did with either of my first two children.
The skills I have learnt from Nikki’s online courses are not just something I will apply to my pregnancy but also beyond the birth of my children for both myself and my family, particularly in relation to interpreting blood test results and buying supplements. This is information any person should know if they truly want to take control of their health.
I remember leaving the GP after falling pregnant with my first child and being told shortly before leaving that 1 in 3 pregnancies end in miscarriage. Whilst the statistic may not have changed, with the help of Nikki’s courses I now understand why it is that miscarriage may occur. I can go into the pregnancy with my eyes wide open. It is so important to arm people with knowledge rather than just statistics without knowledge.
We always want the best for our children, particularly once they are born. I have a new appreciation for how important this is, even at the preconception phase before even falling pregnant; not only for myself but for my husband. It really does take ‘two to tango’.
The manner in which Nikki presents the information in her courses leaves me wanting to find out more and expand my knowledge base. Furthermore, Nikki is available as a resource above and beyond her courses which allows you to have any additional queries answered directly, leaving you not only with peace of mind but further strengthens the information contained in her courses.
I would encourage every woman who is about to embark on this next chapter in their lives to do themselves (and their future family) a favour and enrol in her online courses. You will be left feeling empowered on your pregnancy journey which is the best possible gift for your unborn child.
