gain the tools & support you need to:
Understand your fertility and approach it from an empowered & holistic lens.
Restore your health.
Prepare for pregnancy, feel good, and enjoy growing your family.
Influence the health of your future pregnancy, birth, and baby.
Reclaim your power and innate ability to heal.
enroll now
Grow empowered while preparing for pregnancy
Prepare to enjoy pregnancy, birth, and postpartum
Set your family up for health
with Pregnancy Prep, you can.
enroll now
WHAT IF INSTEAD OF:
You could:
Struggling to conceive, or with loss, and feeling hopeless, helpless, and depleted
Stressing over growing your family
Worrying about sickness, pain, and complications throughout your pregnancy, birth and postpartum
Feel empowered and gain hope, answers and clarity in knowing what to focus on while preparing to conceive
Grow your health and influence the health of your future pregnancy, birth, and baby
Enjoy and thrive through pregnancy, birth and postpartum
After the birth of our second daughter, Grace, when my placenta refused to detach, I made it my mission to find answers to the questions that came far too close to costing my life.
After a relentless search, I finally found answers. I dove deep into preconception work, both personally and professionally, and am one of the first doctors to become Certified in the Schaefer Protocol.
I now work "hand-in-hand" with Dr. Marcia Schaefer, founder of the Schaefer Protocol, furthering the mission of creating healthy humans and educating on preconception and the truth about fertility.
Together, with Dr. Schaefer, we'll guide you through this course.
The Schaefer Protocol is an evidence informed lifestyle program that measures 8 essential health markers and creates a personalized plan for you to reach your health goals faster.
meet your expert guide
I'm Sara O'Connell. Wife & mama to 3, Doctor of Chiropractic, lactation consultant, and preconception pro.
What is the Schaefer Protocol?
But the U.S. has the highest maternal mortality rate among developed countries and an infant mortality rate that isn’t much better. Our Modern society has convinced us that the only thing we need to do to prepare for pregnancy is to take a prenatal, and that once we're pregnant it’s normal to feel miserable, be in pain and suffer prenatal, postpartum and birth complications.
A few things happen with you shift your focus from just getting pregnant, to instead first getting healthy. You start to think about things differently, ask better questions, become empowered and gain hope.
You're wonderfully created to be, conceive and grow radiantly well.
Pregnancy Prep is for you if:
You’ve struggled to conceive and/or with loss and believe there's got to be a better way.
OR
You've felt lost, hopeless, or unsure of what may be missing.
OR
You've suffered a traumatic or complicated pregnancy, birth or postpartum previously and want to do everything you can to have a better experience next time.
OR
You're thinking about growing your family and want to grow your healthiest pregnancy, birth, and baby.
what's included?
before the bump fertility course
17 weekly modules, videos and assignments guided by founder of the Schaefer Protocol, Dr. Marcia Schaefer.
Healthy human evaluations
This is an assessment used to help identify key areas of opportunity and/or concern that must be addressed in order to best prepare for pregnancy. Completed around week 2, and again in month 4.
PRECONCEPTION FAVORITES
All my favorite preconception supplements, products, resources, and goodies in one guide, complete with discount codes and links, to streamline your journey.
private app and community
You'll gain private access to our easy to use App and online community of others on a similar journey.
21-day monthly challenges
This is an opportunity to gain valuable insight and practice what you're learning.
1:1 text support (Elite option only)
Receive 17-weeks of 1:1. support with Dr. Sara, via Voxer text and audio, when you choose to go Elite.
Modules in this course include:
week 1
What is health?
week 2
Redefining "normal"
week 3
The adaptogen
week 4
Your hydroelectric self
week 5
Application week
week 6
Finding peace
week 7
creating connection
week 8
application week
week 9
the communication code of life
week 10
rediscovering play
week 11
week 13
week 16
week 15
week 14
application week
understanding your hrv
your potential for health
balancing blood sugar
real food
week 12
supporting structure
Modules in this course include:
What is health?
redefining "normal"
the adaptogen
your hydroelectric self
finding peace
creating connection
the communication code of life
rediscovering play
supporting structure
real food
balancing blood sugar
your potential for health
understanding your hrv
and more
- 17 weekly modules, videos & assignments
- Lifestyle health evaluations
- Preconception favorites
- Monthly challenges
- Easy to use app
- Private community
Support you desire with two investment options.
- 17 weekly modules, videos & assignments
- Lifestyle health evaluations
- Preconception favorites
- Monthly challenges
- Easy to use app
- Private community
elite support
- Everything above PLUS
- 17 weeks of 1:1 support from Dr. Sara
$1999
enrollment closed
the course
enrollment closed
$1500
"DR. O'CONNELL HAS GREATLY IMPROVED MY TOTAL WELLBEING WITHOUT MEDICATION OR HORMONE REPLACEMENT."
- AMBER M.
"I CAN'T RECOMMEND DR. SARA ENOUGH. She is so kind and gentle with our boy, but also with us. We have gone from a crying and unhappy baby 90% of the time to a happy and smiling baby 90% of the time."
- SHEREE R.
WE’RE TRYING TO CONCEIVE BUT IT HASN’T HAPPENED YET, WILL THIS course WORK FOR US?
Yes! I know how hard it can be to see repetitive negative pregnancy tests each month- our first daughter took us almost a year to conceive and I peed on more sticks than I could count in that time. This course is designed to create healthy humans and I’m so glad you’re here!
WE’RE STARTING TO THINK ABOUT GROWING OUR FAMILY AND WANT TO MAKE SURE WE’RE AS HEALTHY AND PREPARED AS POSSIBLE, IS THIS course FOR US?
Absolutely! This course is designed to create healthy humans- I wish it didn’t take me suffering the trauma that I did in order to seek out, find and implement what we lead you through in this course. You’re so smart to start now!
MY PARTNER ISN’T INTERESTED IN THIS COURSE, CAN I DO IT BY MYSELF?
Yes, and no. It takes 2 to make a baby and if only half of that equation is doing the work, you’re not going to see the same results. Example: It’s his sperm that’ll be responsible for building both the placenta and umbilical cord- 2 vitally important structures for keeping both you and baby safe and healthy during pregnancy.
I’M NERVOUS TO INVEST, HOW DO I KNOW THIS course WILL WORK FOR US?
This course is designed to create health and prepare you to grow your family. Although we often see happy, healthy bumps, births and baby’s result from this work, our focus is on health which creates better outcomes for everything that follows. If you do the work, this protocol works!
When does the course start?
New couples are added to the program every Sunday. The deadline to start on Monday is to enroll by the Thursday prior. If you enroll on a Friday you will not be added to the course until the following Sunday. You'll receive a welcome email when you register, as well as a link, via text, to register on the App shortly after.
IF I FEEL READY, CAN I JUMP AHEAD AND TAKE ON MORE THAN THE CURRENT WEEK'S CONTENT?
Part of the beauty of this course is that the lessons become available one week at a time. You are free to revisit any lessons that precede the week's content, but will not be able to race ahead. Slowing down is the name of the game here (and any frustration that this might cause you gives you another wonderful opportunity to let go of control and clear your attachment to a particular outcome.)
DON'T SEE YOUR QUESTION ANSWERED?
Yes! I know how hard it can be to see repetitive negative pregnancy tests each month- our first daughter took us almost a year to conceive and I peed on more sticks than I could count in that time. This program is designed to create healthy humans and I’m so glad you’re here!
WE’RE TRYING TO CONCEIVE BUT IT HASN’T HAPPENED YET, WILL THIS PROGRAM WORK FOR US?
WE’RE STARTING TO THINK ABOUT GROWING OUR FAMILY AND WANT TO MAKE SURE WE’RE AS HEALTHY AND PREPARED AS POSSIBLE, IS THIS PROGRAM FOR US?
Absolutely! This program is designed to create healthy humans- I wish it didn’t take me suffering the trauma that I did in order to seek out, find and implement what I lead you through in this program. You’re so smart to start now!
MY PARTNER ISN’T INTERESTED IN THIS PROGRAM, CAN I DO IT BY MYSELF?
Yes, and no. It takes 2 to make a baby and if only half of that equation is doing the work, you’re not going to see the same results. Example: It’s his sperm that’ll be responsible for building both the placenta and umbilical cord- 2 vitally important structures for keeping both you and baby safe and healthy during pregnancy.
I’M NERVOUS TO INVEST, HOW DO I KNOW THIS PROGRAM WILL WORK FOR US?
This program is designed to create health and prepare you to grow your family. Although we often see happy, healthy bumps, births and baby’s result from this work, our focus is on health which creates better outcomes for everything that follows. If you do the work, this protocol works!
when does the course start?
New couples are added to the program every Sunday. The deadline to start on Monday is to enroll by the Thursday prior. If you enroll on a Friday you will not be added to the course until the following Sunday. You'll receive a welcome email when you register, as well as a link, via text, to register on the App shortly after.
+ IF I FEEL READY, CAN I JUMP AHEAD AND TAKE ON MORE THAN THE CURRENT WEEK'S CONTENT?
WILL I HEAR A “CRACK OR POP” DURING MY ADJUSTMENT?
Sometimes, but that’s not our goal. Our mission is to work with your (or your kiddo’s) nervous system to increase your body’s ability to adapt to stress and function at its best.
Dr. Sara does this through a specific analysis of your nervous system and is known for being gentle and intuitive while firmly believing in bio-individuality. Sometimes she uses her hands for adjustments and sometimes she uses an instrument.
For infants, there’s never any fast movements, twisting, cracking, popping or instruments.