The Backup Plan

IVF as a single mom by choice is hard enough, I don't need a cancer scare! Fears of breast cancer are looming as I get a radial scar checked out at Hoag Hospital Newport Beach. Having a mammogram under 40 wasn’t on my bingo card for 2024.

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Hey, I'm Meredith! I'm becoming a single mom by choice using a known donor; I'm so stoked to be having a baby with my gay best friend. After a few tries with the turkey baster in 2023, I turned to IVF in Spring of 2024.

CONNECT WITH THE BACKUP PLAN
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CONNECT WITH MEREDITH
Instagram: https://instagram.com/meredithk8

WORK WITH THE BACKUP PLAN
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Created, produced and hosted by Meredith Kate.

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CONNECT WITH MEREDITH
Instagram: https://instagram.com/meredithk8

WORK WITH THE BACKUP PLAN
Visit https://backupplanpod.com/work-with-me for brand partnerships and business inquiries.

IVF success isn’t just getting pregnant - it’s a lot of steps along the way. In her journey to becoming a single mom by choice, Meredith decided to celebrate her embryos after they passed preimplantation genetic screening with an EMBRYO REVEAL PARTY - a modern twist on a traditional gender reveal party.

Support the show

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CONNECT WITH THE BACKUP PLAN
Website: https://backupplanpod.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/backupplanpod
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/backupplanpod

CONNECT WITH MEREDITH
Instagram: https://instagram.com/meredithk8

WORK WITH THE BACKUP PLAN
Visit https://backupplanpod.com/work-with-me for brand partnerships and business inquiries.

Meredith is sharing news from her fertility doctors at Kindbody this week - her frozen embryo transfer (FET) has been scheduled! She goes over the process, why her and her doctor chose a controlled FET and plans for her BLASTOSHOWER - an embryo sex reveal.

TOPICS COVERED
00:53 Getting the physical PGT-A results and planning the BLASTOSHOWER!
02:23 Scheduling the FET
04:02 Explaining what an FET is
05:09 Choosing a natural or a controlled FET and preparation
09:18 What happens after a frozen embryo transfer?
10:25 Getting Excited

MEREDITH’S FIT THIS WEEK
Sleeveless Suit And Wide Leg Pants Set: https://amzn.to/3Y1usOZ

ARTICLE REFERENCES
NYU Langone Health https://nyulangone.org/locations/fertility-center/in-vitro-fertilization-egg-freezing-embryo-banking/in-vitro-fertilization
Ovoclinic, Embryo Transfer: Natural or Artificial Cycle? https://ovoclinic.net/embryo-transfer-natural-or-artificial-cycle-ovoclinic/?lang=en

VIDEO REFERENCES
Embryo Transfer | Santa Monica Fertility https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvQZA7EWwmk
Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago, Embryo Transfer During IVF https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAfworG82Xo

Support the show

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CONNECT WITH THE BACKUP PLAN
Website: https://backupplanpod.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/backupplanpod
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/backupplanpod

CONNECT WITH MEREDITH
Instagram: https://instagram.com/meredithk8

WORK WITH THE BACKUP PLAN
Visit https://backupplanpod.com/work-with-me for brand partnerships and business inquiries.

Meredith got her PGT-A test results a week early! Watch as she shares the news with family and friends, talks about next steps, and shares tips for maintaining sanity during the process. Frozen embryo implantation comes next…stay tuned!

ITEMS MENTIONED
Jujube Dr BFF Bag: https://amzn.to/3LfQp5f

SMBC COMMUNITIES
SMBC Official: https://www.singlemothersbychoice.org
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/SingleMothersbyChoice

NEW TO THE BACKUP PLAN?
Who is Whitney? https://backupplanpod.com/18-whoop-swoop-and-pull-w-whitney-warren/
Who is Krystina? https://backupplanpod.com/9-to-breed-or-not-to-breed-w-krystina-arielle-whitney-warren/

Support the show

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CONNECT WITH THE BACKUP PLAN
Website: https://backupplanpod.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/backupplanpod
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/backupplanpod

CONNECT WITH MEREDITH
Instagram: https://instagram.com/meredithk8

WORK WITH THE BACKUP PLAN
Visit https://backupplanpod.com/work-with-me for brand partnerships and business inquiries.

Meredith has embryo news!! Aside from sharing which zygotes made it to blastocyst status, she's going over best practices for checking in on a friend who is undergoing IVF.

Support the show

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CONNECT WITH THE BACKUP PLAN
Website: https://backupplanpod.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/backupplanpod
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/backupplanpod

CONNECT WITH MEREDITH
Instagram: https://instagram.com/meredithk8

WORK WITH THE BACKUP PLAN
Visit https://backupplanpod.com/work-with-me for brand partnerships and business inquiries.

Meredith came out of her most recent egg retrieval with very different results! What were the differences in treatment? Did she keep calm, cool, and collected this time? Will this be her last retrieval?

STAY TUNED.

Support the show

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CONNECT WITH THE BACKUP PLAN
Website: https://backupplanpod.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/backupplanpod
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/backupplanpod

CONNECT WITH MEREDITH
Instagram: https://instagram.com/meredithk8

WORK WITH THE BACKUP PLAN
Visit https://backupplanpod.com/work-with-me for brand partnerships and business inquiries.

Mental health is muy importante, so Meredith is sharing her journey from sad little girl to a healthy medicated lady. In preparation for pregnancy (and because of the influx of hormones in her system thanks to the second round of egg retrieval), she decided to get in touch with a perinatal psychiatrist early. Here's how she found one and how her first appointment went.

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ARTICLES DISCUSSED
The health benefits of spicy food, Piedmont (https://www.piedmont.org/living-real-change/the-health-benefits-of-spicy-foods)

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Hey, I'm Meredith! I'm becoming a single mother by choice using a known donor; I'm so stoked to be having a baby with my gay best friend. After a few tries with the turkey baster, I turned to IVF in Spring of 2024.

Support the show

---

CONNECT WITH THE BACKUP PLAN
Website: https://backupplanpod.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/backupplanpod
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/backupplanpod

CONNECT WITH MEREDITH
Instagram: https://instagram.com/meredithk8

WORK WITH THE BACKUP PLAN
Visit https://backupplanpod.com/work-with-me for brand partnerships and business inquiries.

Meredith discusses the results from the PGT-A tests her embryos underwent, explains what a segmented mosaic embryo means, and discusses next steps in her IVF journey.

SHOP THAT BANGIN' PREMIERE LOOK
Mock Neck Cloak Sleeve Pleated Midi Dress
Silver Cuff Bracelets
Long Metal Bar Drop Earrings
Mirrored Metallic Evening Bag

ARTICLES DISCUSSED
What Does It Mean When Your Embryo Is a Mosaic?, Fertility Centers of New England
What is a Mosaic Embryo?, International Fertility Group
Does Chromosome 4 Hold the Secret to Human Longevity?, HHMI

Support the show

---

CONNECT WITH THE BACKUP PLAN
Website: https://backupplanpod.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/backupplanpod
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/backupplanpod

CONNECT WITH MEREDITH
Instagram: https://instagram.com/meredithk8

WORK WITH THE BACKUP PLAN
Visit https://backupplanpod.com/work-with-me for brand partnerships and business inquiries.

Nana is back in California! They’re discussing Meredith’s Day 5 4BB and Day 7 4BA embryos (better known at Chip & Dale); the nail-biting wait on genetic test results, whether or not to learn the sex, and if so, WHEN?

TOPICS COVERED

• 0:00 - Introduction and Catch Up 
• 04:09 - Should I find out the sex of my embryos? 
• 16:10 - “The Parents Who Want Daughters and Daughters Only” by Emi Nietfeld
• 22:30 - The Birth of the BLASTOSHOWER
• 23:56 - Survival Rates of Female/Male Embryos 
• 33:34 - Processing Grief Over Lost Eggs and Embryos 

ARTICLES DISCUSSED

• The Parents Who Want Daughters and Daughters Only, Emi Nietfeld for Slate
• Survival of the Fetus: Why Males Have it So Rough, LiveScience
• Female embryos less likely to survive to birth, University of Oxford
• Embryo quality, ploidy, and transfer outcomes in male versus female blastocysts, National Institutes of Health

PLACES MENTIONED

• Glen Ivy Day Spa
• Kookaburra Lounge

Support the show

---

CONNECT WITH THE BACKUP PLAN
Website: https://backupplanpod.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/backupplanpod
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/backupplanpod

CONNECT WITH MEREDITH
Instagram: https://instagram.com/meredithk8

WORK WITH THE BACKUP PLAN
Visit https://backupplanpod.com/work-with-me for brand partnerships and business inquiries.

After a week of waiting, Meredith learns how many of her fertilized eggs have become full fledged embryos. She shares how she found out, how she's feeling, and what's up next.

Read the full blog post here - https://backupplanpod.com/34-blastocysts/

ITEMS MENTIONED:
Diva Cup - https://amzn.to/3UJRfLO

Support the show

---

CONNECT WITH THE BACKUP PLAN
Website: https://backupplanpod.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/backupplanpod
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/backupplanpod

CONNECT WITH MEREDITH
Instagram: https://instagram.com/meredithk8

WORK WITH THE BACKUP PLAN
Visit https://backupplanpod.com/work-with-me for brand partnerships and business inquiries.