The 2WW! Top Tips to keep you sane!
Surviving your 2WW (two week wait)...
If you're new to IVF or IUI then this is the period after you've had a successful embryo transfer and you've got to wait until you can take a pregnancy test.
It can also quite honestly feel like the longest 2 weeks of your life...
It's a strange time, it's full of mixed emotions, anxiousness, excitement, loneliness and most of all hope..
My first 2ww was so different to the rest, the first I remember being so scared, anxious, literally losing my mind with counting down the days, the hours, the minutes until I could take the test, then I realised that all that extra pressure I was putting on my self was not doing anyone any good!
Here are my top 7 top tips to help you get through the wait..
1. Be kind to yourself, you've been on a roller coaster on your journey so far, this is your time to look after you.
2. Relax if you can, remember you are not sick though, so don't feel you have to completely sit still, although avoid vigorous exercise if you can.
3. Eat well, whilst you can't predict the outcome, you can ensure you eat a good nutritious diet for the next 2 weeks. Think lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, good quality proteins, nuts and seeds, healthy fats and whole grains. Avoid too much refined sugar! Oh and don't forget to eat the pineapple core! (The pineapple core is where the bromelain is most concentrated, so it is recommended that a piece of the core be eaten from the days leading to ovulation, or in the case of IVF, embryo transfer)
4. Get out in the fresh air, and don't forget to look up! Take in what's around you and how beautiful the small things are. Put your phone down, get off social media, listen to some music or just be.
5. Watch some good, upbeat films or TV, laughing and smiling make your happy hormones come out! Think dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin!
6. Acupuncture is a great way of relaxing and also great to have post embryo transfer and also I'd recommend having another treatment around day 7-10. I didn't have acupuncture on my first round of IVF, I did on my subsequent, it's such a relaxing experience and there is now research pout there to say it does help with implantation, so win win.
7. Lastly and MOST importantly please don't test early, the result will be more accurate the later you leave it. This will be the toughest thing to do in the 2ww, believe me it was for me, however listen to the experts they are right on this one!
After our first transfer my husband and I went to Poland for a mini break, I haven't put this as a top tip as not everyone feels ready to go away. I felt really good after my acupuncture and was ready to relax for a few days.
For me it was so lovely to be away from our daily lives and at the time the hustle and bustle of our surroundings (I'm no writing this in Covid-19 times so very different experiences all around!). It gave me an opportunity to focus our attention elsewhere, rather than what we could see everyday.
Our second transfer was a success if you wanted to know, we now have 10 month old twin girls! Sending you lots of relaxation, good food and e
