Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Getting ME Ready

I know I posted about this when we were preparing for our FET too, but getting ready for IVF takes some work. Now that we're paying for it completely out of pocket, I especially want to make sure I'm doing everything I can. And more than just taking a pre-natal and cutting out coffee, something I'm waiting until the last minute to give up.

I, along with everyone else, started back to the gym after New Year's. I didn't go back for a resolution though, I went back for a baby. Or the possibility of two babies. Twin pregnancy killed my muscle tone, and even though I have been a gym rat on and off over the past two years, I've never really regained the tone I lost. I've been going 6 days a week for the past few weeks, and for the first time in three years, my bum is start to perk up, I have some mini arm muscles, and if I look just right, there's even a little definition to my abs. Ok, so I can't really call them abs because after twin pregnancy, I will never really have abs again.

I hate cardio with a passion, but between Wendy Williams, my guilty pleasure, and a little Chromeo on Pandora, I can make it through 30 minutes on the arc trainer. I've been really focusing on weights, and have been stepping out of my comfort zone of Cybex machines. Another guilty pleasure of mine is late 90s and early 2000s rap, so Ludacris radio helps me pump out a few extra reps. I'm telling you, music makes all the difference.

I have approximately 2 more months until all exercise other than walking will come to a halt. Once stims start, I'll have to slow it down. We don't want any overstimulated, twisted ovaries. So I'm going to make sure I keep at it until them, and if I start to talk myself out of going, or cutting my cardio time, I just remind myself that it's for the baby(s).

As much as I don't always love the gym, I do always love acupuncture. I did it for the first time a few years ago to help with headaches, and it was great. I find it very relaxing, and the benefits are amazing. I didn't do it with our first IVF, but it is something our RE highly recommends. When doing acupuncture for fertility, the aim is to improve egg quality, ready the uterus, and help with relaxation.


I am seeing the same acupuncturist I saw previously, and am going once a week. A session consists of 20 minutes with 6 needles in my back. Sometimes the needles are paired with electrical stimulation, and sometimes they are not. Once the first 20 minutes is over, I spend 20 minutes with 12 needles on my front. they are placed in my abdomen, hands, wrist, feet, and ankles. Again, sometimes paired with electrical stimulation, and sometimes not. It is a very relaxing process, and an appointment that I look forward to every week.

Our RE's Indianapolis office has an acupuncturist on staff, so when we go down for retrieval and transfer, I will be getting acupuncture treatments there as well.

I haven't made any big changes diet wise. I have been avoiding all of the bad for me stuff that I want so bad. Cupcakes, cookies, and more cupcakes. I have considered doing Whole 30, but I really don't know that it's something I am willing to commit to. Not because I don't think I could do it, but I have zero interest in having to make my food, and then something else for Robbie and the kids if the don't want to eat what I am having. And really, if I have to give up coffee soon, I may as well enjoy it with cream while I can. Am I right?!

So who else out there has been through IF treatment? What did you do to get ready? Were there things you would do the same or do differently?



No comments:

Post a Comment