So, we've survived the Christmas Gooch*. Time to TTC again?

Hello everyone, happy Friday!

Well, it’s 2026. How the hell did that happen? We just got over the holidays here at Béa, which can be brutal when you’re TTC. Usually our bodies decide to ovulate on Christmas morning, which is annoying because the bedroom walls at our parents’ place are as thick as a Post-it note and no one wants Great Aunt Gertrude hearing us get jiggy with it.

Alas, it’s now 2026 and you’ve done it, you’ve survived the days between Christmas and New Year that a friend of mine lovingly refers to as the ‘Christmas Gooch’: the sort of in-between space that doesn’t serve much of a purpose but exists nonetheless.

It’s usually a time period in which we say “fuck it” and give up entirely, eating our body weight in chocolate, swilling around in old PJs and putting off any sense of trying to conceive until January.

Then January arrives. And we’re like… already?! What do we do now?

The internet will bombard us with wellness hacks. Spend five minutes on Instagram and we actually start to believe that eating sea moss will guarantee a pregnancy. Our feeds will fill up with plaid-clad seasonal gender reveals, and the CoQ10 ads will come thick and fast. It’s the Wild West. And yet here we are trying to navigate it all the same way we did before, as if a new year might make a difference.

If this is you, we’ve got you. Here are some of the ways I’m thinking about 2026 as I too grapple with how to enter the new year with kindness for myself and those around me.

1. Do not bring holiday shame into the new year.

Yes, you might feel like a human-sized Hershey’s kiss right now, but leave that shit in 2025. Here’s what I’m telling myself: my body needed rest. It needed comfort. It needed those extra cookies because honestly, surviving another round of “when are you having kids?” questions while tracking your cycle and wondering if this is the month deserves a medal, not guilt. Your worth isn’t measured in clean eating streaks or how many days you made it to the gym. January 1st is just another Thursday. You’re still you, and you’re doing great.

2. Food is important, and it’s simpler than you think.

The supplement world will have us believing we need to eat like a medieval alchemist. Pinch of this adaptogen, dash of that supplement, only ‘organic beef, grass-fed, blessed by fairies under a full moon’ folic acid. But here’s what actually matters: eating real food, consistently. This January I’m aiming for just two changes: more vegetables than I’m currently eating (frankly, the bar is low), and trying for protein at every meal. We don’t need a restrictive diet plan or to eliminate entire food groups. We need grace and compassion and sensible, small changes.

3. Start gently, pick one thing.

You don’t need to overhaul your entire life in January. In fact, please don’t. Overzealous resolutions is how I end up burnt out by February 3rd, wondering why I fail at everything. Which is deeply unhelpful. So this is what I’m changing this year: I will pick one thing. Just one. And I’ll try to stick with it, and if I don’t, that’s ok too. Maybe in January that’s finally starting to track ovulation properly. Maybe it’s swapping milk chocolate for dark. Maybe it’s going to bed 30 minutes earlier. One thing. Do it well. Do it consistently. Then next month, I’ll add something else. Small steps, small changes that compound into long term positive effects.

4. Talk to someone and make a plan.

If you’re sitting there thinking “I can’t do another year of this,” there’s only one thing to know: you don’t have to. Not like you were before, anyway. I really encourage you to talk to your doctor, or someone you trust who knows what they’re talking about. Talk to our clinical team at Béa, we’re right here and want to help. Talk to an REI if that’s available to you. Make a plan for 2026. Even if that plan is “we’re trying naturally until March and then we’re taking a break,” having a plan can be the difference between feeling stuck, and feeling purposeful. Plans don’t always work out the way we hope, but there’s real power in making a plan, it gives us something to stick to, and more importantly, something to change when it’s not working.

Go easy on yourself. Be gentle, be kind. It might be the New Year, but remember we’re still in the depths of winter, a season for turning inwards, resting, and rooting deep so we can grow when spring comes.

Take care of yourself this weekend.

Warmly,

Tess

Co-Founder & CEO