Last week, just before I left for a brief mini-vacation this past weekend, I got a call from my clinic. They’ve given us a treatment plan and schedule.
I’m to continue taking my Estrace and Provera pills through the end of August. I should hopefully bleed just after Labor Day weekend, most likely as we’re headed on our way back from a wedding in New York. The following week, my friend begins taking her egg donor medication. We’re shooting for egg retrieval on the weekend of September 22nd with an embryo transfer potentially around September 25th. (For those of you playing at home, we could very well have embryo transfer on Yom Kippur.)
Today is August 1st. It’s do or die time to get myself – my mind, my body – my spirit – baby-ready.
. . .
It helped that I got to see my friend this weekend. She’s looking good, feeling well and more than on top of and ready for the challenge of being our egg donor. After the battle I’ve been having between my thyroid and my depression, seeing her was the kick in the ass I needed to really set my sights on the path ahead of us.
There’s a lot I have to work on. I’m still well over my goal weight, by about 15 pounds. I’ve let my diet go to crap – I’ve been existing almost exclusively on comfort foods for the past two months. And I stopped going to the gym a while ago, and my body has certainly felt the change, slumping back into a series of daily aches and pains.
I’ve got about 8 weeks to get myself back on track. This may very well shape up to be the toughest, most disciplined 8 weeks of my life.
. . .
It’s ambitious, but it’s necessary. If I’m going to do this, I’m going to give it not just 110% – I’m giving it everything I have. Maybe it’s because I’ve been watching the Olympics all week, but I’m caught up in the spirit to do the best that I can for myself – and ultimately, for our family.
The Plan
1. Stop eating junk.
Like, seriously. I probably eat more pizza per capita than the country of Italy. That needs to stop. I’m using SparkPeople to record what and how much I eat each day. Ultimately, I want to put good things in my body and leave the bad stuff out. And maybe losing a little more weight before I ultimately gain baby weight would be a bonus. Hello whole grains, fruits and veggies. Goodbye (most) processed foods.
Kiss the caffeine goodbye.
This is a hard one. I am a diehard caffeine addict. Right now, I’m going on 43 hours without caffeine. I’ve been tapering since last week. Between the estrogen pills and caffeine withdrawal, I’m trying to temper the migraines as much as possible. I’ve decided that when the caffeine migraine roars, I satiate it with just a little bit, maybe half a Diet Coke or a small iced coffee. But then no more. So far, I’ve managed to progressively add another 12-15 hours to each break between caffeine hits. My biggest gripe is that a) I hate drinking water and b) I’m forced to make less healthy choices as a result. I don’t want to drink juice or regular, non-caffeinated sodas all the time because hello sugar. I just don’t need all that sugar. It’s a tough call sometimes.
Kiss 99% of the delicious foods I love goodbye (for the next year).
Sushi. Smoked fish. Soft cheeses. Alcohol. I’m struggling with this one. In fact, I have a whole other post I’ve been working on that’s my farewell to some of my favorite foods for the next year.
Start training for the pregnancy marathon.
I’m doing Couch to 5K (c25k) again. For reals this time. I’m also investing in looking for some prenatal yoga DVDs. While I may not be pregnant yet, there’s no reason I can’t balance out c25k with some gentler yoga that ultimately preps my body for labor and birth down the road. (Anything that opens up that pelvic bowl, amirite?) The point of this is to a) finally finish that damn c25k program for real and b) to set my body into a pattern of gentle fitness so that come time to carry around our child(ren), I’m not huffing and puffing all the damn time.
Calm down the mind.
I’ve been listening to Circle+Bloom’s Energy for Empowerment and Donor Egg Cycle for the Hopeful Parent mind/body programs. They are amazing and honestly, the only thing keeping me somewhat sane as we head into our first fertility treatment cycle. I’ll be writing a fuller review of both programs in the coming weeks.
Is this ambitious? Yes. Is it doable? Of course. Is it necessary?
Absolutely.
Because at the end of the day, I have to remember why I’m doing this – and this is my sole intention, my motivation – my mantra – for all of these changes in my life:
I’m doing all of this to be a sacred, fertile vessel for my future children.
have you ever tried Oogave? SOOOO GOOD! And made with Agave Nectar. They totally hit the spot and are only 100 calories. There are other great drink options too – iced tea (sweetened with agave or honey) or how about iced green tea. The caffeine is minimal in them, and the health benefits are amazing. i’ve switched my afternoon coffee to an iced green tea and it’s so refreshing, especially when it’s stinkin hot out!
Wow— good for you and good luck!!!!
Hmmmm… I had a. Ice big reply and it disappeared!
Anyways, you will love yoga! It has done wonders for my focus and relaxation. Th only thing I would suggest is asking your RE about exercise recommendations. Mine required only walking, biking, or swimming. There has been some research that showed new or strenuous exercise programs can decrease fertility and the success rates of IVF. Def ask your RE before taking up the c25k! Good luck with the rest of your goals. 🙂
*~ Melanie
I love this … in fact, I had a similar plan when I finally got pregnant with N. And honestly? The year of no food you like goes by pretty quickly. Sending so much positive energy your way …
It sounds like you have a really comprehensive plan of how to prepare yourself. That is awesome. Hey, I have a fertility DVD, you want it? I can send it your way. I don’t have much time to use it in the next few months anyway, and if I still need it when you’re done you can send it back. 😉 I actually might have a few. I’ll send them your way. Email me your address.
Hey Keiko, looks like my first FET cycle will be early September so we can easily be cycle buddies if you want 🙂 I have found that I really enjoy the Tazo Passion Tea which is sugar free (unless you add sweetener and you can always add stivia instead) and caffeine free. The “Dry” brand sodas are also great and most are around 50 calories which isn’t bad. I pour them into a martini glass and garnish with berries or grapes and I feel posh while staying alcohol free and low on calories. I just started acupuncture and think it will be a nice change this cycle. I hear you about the smoked fish, sushi and un-pasteurized cheeses – luckily some of my favorites like soft chevre can be found in pasteurized form so no fears of listeria. I wish you all the best!
Hi Keiko: We haven’t touched base in a few months but I’m so glad to hear where you’re at. I think your goals are great, but hope you will be kind to yourself if you find that you’re not able to meet them all. You sound like me and I know when I set many big goals in the face of a major life event, I can be very hard on myself and feel like a failure if I don’t meet them all. And that’s not how you should go into your DE cycle, so please tell yourself that it will all go well regardless of how many of these goals you reach and don’t stress the number on the scale. Also, you may be depriving yourself of a bit much. Maybe relax a teensy bit on a vice here or there? (Not that I want to be the one to de-rail your plan!) Maybe you should work some rewards in along the way to make up for what you’re depriving yourself of…maybe a massage or little shopping spree…to help keep you on track? And here’s a trick I used: Pretend you’re already pregnant instead of getting ready to become pregnant. When tempted by those golden arches or any time you’re deciding to put something less healthy in your mouth, imagine you are pregnant and feeding it to your baby. When you focus on that, it makes it easier to make the healthier choice. (Forgive the unsolicited advice, but it’s from the heart!) Good luck!~Tracey
How about decaf iced tea?
Just put 6 tea bags in a gallon pitcher of water and put it in the refrigerate. In like 4-5 hours you have iced tea. No boiling water necessary. So easy…this is like all we keep on hand to drink (an its cheap!)
Then just sweeten each glass as you’d like.
Sounds like a plan! I think preparing is wise, as it will help get you into the mind-set of being pregnant. Just as mu PCP said to me, I firmly believe you are an expectant parent. Preparing your body for your embryo(s) will only help with this process. Wishing you lots of luck as you prepare for this cycle.
That’s an awesome plan! I think the combination of yoga and running is fantastic, but I wonder if you would consider doing some non-prenatal yoga until you’re pregnant? I’m just thinking it might do a better job of building strength and flexibility, which might help you be more prepared for pregnancy. If not, I think prenatal yoga will be good, too!
One thing that helps me stay healthy is planning out our meals for the week, and trying to stick to only 1-2 meals out per week. Weekends are my downfall, so I try to have either things in the house to make that are a big treat (like homemade pizza, which isn’t crazy healthy, but I make it all from scratch, so it’s not AS bad) or easy to quickly throw together. Maybe that’s not an issue for you, but it helps me. Also, do you like carbonated or seltzer water? A lot of people hate it, but I love the fizz. 🙂 Cutting out wine is my biggest obstacle…I think I am going to hold out until I absolutely have to give it up.
Good luck! I may have to check out Circle + Bloom.
Good for you! I embarked on a similar pre-DE IVF cycle project last year myself. Starting about 6 weeks before our cycle, I went on a low-carb diet and started doing a fitness boot camp three mornings a week (with extra, less intense workouts on my off days). I managed to lose about 15 lbs that way. I also cut out caffeine entirely and started using Circle + Bloom.
Good luck!