Pregnancy after IVF
Congratulations!!!
You made it through the long and winding journey of infertility and IVF to now be pregnant with a very precious baby!
But, now there are a new set of challenges and decisions to face.
Pregnancy after IVF can be a very emotional, stressful and difficult time. I know from my own experience of this. It can take a long time for it to feel real. There is a strange mix of excitement, fear, hormones and guilt.
I had hyperemesis during my pregnancies and I felt guilty for not enjoying my pregnancy after wanting it for so long. I felt I had no right to complain after spending so long and so much money to conceive. Many women experience similar feelings. So if you do, it’s ok. It’s ok to find that pregnancy is really, really hard and to be very thankful to be carrying your baby. It’s ok to not enjoy every moment. I encourage you to remind yourself constantly that this will pass and you will get to hold your precious baby in your arms.
Rates of anxiety and depression are higher in women and their partners who have been through IVF.
I say this, not to scare you, but to ensure you can be informed, observant, quick to act and can know strategies to minimise this.
It doesn’t really surprise me that after such a grueling process that has you waiting and hoping often time and time again that we have a difficult time emotionally afterwards. There isn’t really any time to recover from this either, before going straight into all of the pregnancy symptoms and anxieties.
I am going to be writing an article specifically around IVF and Mental Health soon, so check back in for that, but I highly recommend checking out COPE (Centre of Perinatal Excellence) Website https://www.cope.org.au
Preparing for birth.
I think preparing for birth after IVF is essential. Truly preparing, not just attending generic hospital classes that often produce more fear than helpful tools (depending who runs them, some are great, just short, but some are not).
Having worked so hard for this little baby and waited so long to finally meet them, you do not want that time of meeting them to be an awful, traumatic event like it is for 1 in 3 women giving birth in Australia. Again, I say this not to scare you, but so you can be prepared, informed and able to do everything you can to avoid this experience. You want your birth to be a beautiful memory of finally meeting your precious baby.
After a 5 year journey, the moment I reached down and pulled my baby up onto my chest was absolutely magical. Not because I had a perfect birth – I reached down to him after the doctor had removed the forceps they’d used to assist his birth. But, my birth was positive. I was informed, calm, involved in decisions, had pain relief techniques and my partner was a fantastic support. You can read my birth story here.
I am so glad we did birth education to prepare both myself and my partner for birth. And that is exactly what I encourage you to do.
Research birth
Research caregivers – You can read my blog about that here.
Research pain relief techniques and options.
Research common interventions.
Understand inductions.
Make a birth plan or birth preferences – understand some of these may change throughout your birth, but many won’t.
Make sure your birth partner knows how to support you and what to expect.
Understand how your body and hormones work during birth.
There are so many things you need to research and be informed about but this is one of the most important days of your life and it deserves preparation. If that list looks overwhelming, I encourage you to check out The Positive Birth Program I teach, where I will guide you through all of these topics and more to ensure you and your birth partner are feeling informed, prepared and excited for your birth.
The nursery, pram and baby gear is so important and so much fun, but please do not spend hours and hours.
Congratulations again, I wish you all the very best on your journey and always feel free to get in touch with any questions.
