IVF BFF

In this episode we dust off our mics to bring you a big old catch up of where we are both at now. Sian has had her baby, and Catherine is currently in the third trimester, and we discuss life after treatment and our ideas for the pod moving forward (it will NOT become a pregnancy or parenting podcast!)

TW: We discuss birth, birth trauma, pregnancy after IVF and pregnancy loss. If these topics are difficult for you please skip this episode and come back another time.

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In this episode, Catherine chats to the wonderful Alice Rose, founder of Fertility Life Raft. Alice is a coach and mentor and offers a plethora of support for those going through the struggles of infertility.

We chatted about her own journey to create her family and the incredible mindset work she discovered along the way which gave her better tools to cope with an incredibly stressful time dealing with infertility.

Alice offers various coaching courses, the next one being her brilliant Reclaim six week programme, which is open for enrolment until midnight UK time on 2nd November.

You can find Alice on Instagram at @fertilityliferaft, and her next course can be found at fertilityliferaft.com/reclaim.

We hope this is a helpful and soothing listen!

TW: This episode is a discussion on pregnancy after IVF and following miscarriage. Please only listen if you feel able to,

In this episode, we discuss Catherine's recent BFP, and what it's like to be newly pregnant again following IVF and a previous miscarriage, including all the anxiety that naturally comes along with it.

We also catch up with Sian on her experience of pregnancy after IVF.

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We are deep in the two week wait!

In this episode, Catherine and her husband Carl talk through their recent transfer and share their feelings from the middle of the dreaded two week wait.

We also discuss how recent events impacted Carl, and the perspective of the partner through treatment and miscarriage, especially as a male partner.

TW: We discuss pregnancy loss in this episode.

See you on the other side!

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In this episode, Catherine and Carl are in the thick of treatment and we catch up on their recent egg collection.

We chat about the process, the numbers, the dreaded embryology phonecalls and the plan for a fresh embryo transfer - it all hangs in the balance!

TW: Brief mention of Catherine's previous positive test and subsequent miscarriage.

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In this episode, we speak to the wonderful Becky Kearns, who goes by Defining Mum on Instagram. Becky talks about her journey to having her children via donor egg conception, and her work to advocate for those going through or considering donor conception. This is a heartwarming chat about Becky, her family and the route she took, and the incredible advocacy work she continues to do. We hope it will resonate with those in a similar situation and maybe educate others.

TW: We briefly mention pregnancy loss as part of Becky's story.

We also briefly catch up on Catherine's next round of IVF and how the injections are going.

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This is a real treat of an episode, we managed to catch the wonderful BFN girls, Gabby and Emma for a chat!

BFN is amongst the OG fertility podcasts, and became an absolute beacon of light for Sian and myself in our trying days. They are funny, frank, and informative and through their incredibly successful podcast they have amassed some incredible guests. They also happen to be two of the loveliest humans you could meet.

A quick trigger warning, both Gabby and Emma's stories did end in IVF success but we don't speak much about their pregnancies or babies in this episode.

This was recorded a couple of months ago, during Catherine's last two week wait, and we had meant to release it before now, but life threw us a curveball with our pregnancy loss, so it was put on the back burner. If anything seems a little out of date that is why.

You can find BFN on social media, podcasts, and also read or listen to their brilliant book. They are currently taking a summer break from their substack but will be back in the autumn.

We hope you enjoy the episode!

You can find us on instagram @ivfbffpod or email us on [email protected].

TW: This episode contains discussion of miscarriage and medical/surgical management of miscarriage.

We also briefly touch on Sian's successful pregnancy in a couple of places momentarily.

The episode we never wanted to have to record. We sadly discuss here Catherine and Carl's recent miscarriage. It's an emotional and real chat, as ever - we bring you everything, warts and all. However we manage some light and shade too.

We are sending love to anyone affected by pregnancy or baby loss.

Links for miscarriage support below:

https://theworstgirlgangever.co.uk/

https://www.miscarriageassociation.org.uk/

https://www.tommys.org/

https://www.sands.org.uk/

https://www.lullabytrust.org.uk/bereavement-support/practical-advice/places-to-go-for-support/

TW: This episode contains discussion of a positive pregnancy test after a successful frozen embryo transfer.

In this episode, Sian and Catherine discuss Catherine's BFP after her recent embryo transfer. We discuss the various feelings involved in early pregnancy after IVF and the future of the podcast (don't worry, it will NOT become a pregnancy pod!)

To anyone struggling and still waiting for their good news, we are sending you so much love.

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Catherine is deep in the two week wait following her second embryo transfer, and what better time to bring you a TWW survival guide with the wonderful Carly Garrett.

We discuss why the two week wait, both in natural trying and IVF is such a heavy time and the feelings associated with this, and Carly offers some excellent strategies and techniques to help cope.

Carly's work offers so much support for those going through this tricky time and we hope you find this a soothing episode with some helpful advice.

You can find more of Carly at her website: https://www.carlygarrett.co.uk/

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