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Sydnie | IVF & Motherhood

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IVF changes how you experience pregnancy. there’s so much gratitude & joy — but it’s complicated. 🫶

here are some things you may not know about IVF pregnancies: 🤰

1. the fear doesn’t disappear after a positive test.

2. announcing your pregnancy, even to friends and family, can feel risky and can cause immense anxiety.

3. milestones can feel fragile.

4. the waiting never really ends — it just changes as you brace for your next appointment, scan, update.

5. IVF babies are watched more closely and are considered “high-risk” pregnancies.

6. this usually means more appointments, scans, and monitoring. extra scans (especially early on) can be a lifesaver, but can also trigger a lot of anxiety.

7. you may feel immense gratitude and fear at the same time.

8. you can feel so deeply grateful, but also worried that it won’t last.

9. you may grieve the pregnancy experience you thought you’d have.

10. healing isn’t linear and it can take time to fully process the experience.

this can also be helpful information for any spouses, friends, parents, or support people in your life! ✨

#ivfpregnancy #ivfjourney #pregnancy #ttccommunity taken in Napa Valley by @softlifemama

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10 months ago

Our IVF Journey for baby #2 🤍 After 3 rounds of IVF, 2 failed embryo transters, hundreds of injections, multiple procedures and countless miles traveled, we’re over the MOON that our second little angel is on the way. ✨💉🪽👼

We found out I was pregnant on the 3 year anniversary of my son’s embryo transfer date and there are truly no words to describe how grateful we are.

Our little frozen embryos turned into our miracles and our whole world ❄️

Every shot, painful procedure, and over a year of waiting/fertility treatments were so worth it and I would do it 100x more times to get here. ❤️‍🩹

If you are struggling to conceive or going through fertility treatment, please know that you are not alone and we are thinking of you always. 🤍 xoxo

#ivf #ivfsuccess #ivfjourney #infertility #infertilityawareness taken in California USA by @softlifemama

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a year ago

this is the life i prayed so hard for 🤍

my definition of “rich” is forever changed, and the daily moments that seem ordinary are anything but.

if you’re in the season of waiting right now, i’m rooting for you more than anything 🫶

and if you’re here because you’re navigating IVF, infertility, motherhood, or the messy space in between, welcome to your new favorite corner of the internet 🌸

#ivf #ivfjourney #ttccommunity #ivfsuccess #ivfsupport by @softlifemama

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37 minutes ago

i didn’t realize how many little things i started doing because of IVF. 🤍

my journey may be over (for now), but here are the habits that stuck with me:

🌱checking every food label to make sure the ingredients are clean. it used to be for fertility, and now it’s to make sure what i’m giving my family is safe

🧖‍♀️ only using clean skincare. if we shouldn’t use it while TTC or during pregnancy, why should we use it any other time? 🤔

💅 i don’t wear nail polish, use aerosol sprays (unless it’s for a special occasion), or wear perfume — this one was sooo hard to give up, but now if i try to wear it i get a migraine 🙃

🫧 non-toxic cleaning and laundry products. my favorite right now is @koalaeco 🐨

🧘‍♀️ some kind of mindfulness practice, whether it’s a full mediation or a few deep breaths in the school pick-up line

🩰 being constantly worried that the other shoe will drop and bracing for impact. this is one i’m actively working on every single day.

🎂 celebrating the small milestones — it reminds me of the tiny wins throughout the IVF process that were worth celebrating, like great blood work results or lining checks

✨ starting new family traditions, like our embryo transfer anniversary

are there any habits you’ve carried with you after infertility? 🤍

#ivf #ivfjourney #ttccommunity #ivfsupport #ivfsuccess taken in Mendocino Coast by @softlifemama

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15 hours ago

infertility comes with guilt nobody talks about 🤍

-for feeling like you’re not doing enough for your body

-for being sad when someone else gets pregnant

-for needing a break from treatment, trying, or questions about having kids

-for wondering if you’re making the right decisions

-for not knowing if you’ll be able to give your child a sibling

infertility comes with a lot of things, but guilt is one of the unseen parts that’s invisible from the outside.

giving ourselves grace during this season is an act of self-love.

if you’re in the thick of it right now, i’m rooting for you 🫶

#ivf #ivfjourney #ttccommunity #infertility #ivfsupport taken in SF Bay Area, California by @softlifemama

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3 days ago

sometimes questions are harder to answer than people realize…

when we went through IVF, most people we knew had no idea.

so while these questions are usually well-meaning, they touch a part of you that hurts more than they realize.

🤍 “when are you going to have kids?”

🤍 “haven’t you been married for a while?”

🤍 “don’t your parents want grandchildren?”

🤍 “babies are so cute! don’t you and your husband want one?”

🤍 “are you worried you’re waiting too long?”

although they don’t know it, these cut like a knife.

and the worst part? you don’t have an answer.

perhaps you want to keep your journey private, like i did.

it puts us in such an uncomfortable position — so we either have to spill the details on the hardest, most emotional thing we’re currently going through that you’re not ready to share, or what? lie?

i loath questions like this because there’s no good way out of them.

i’m so sensitive to it now that i would never ask anyone else about their family-building journey. ever.

this is one of those things about IVF and infertility that gets overshadowed by the injections, procedures, and embryo transfers.

but it can also be one of the most painful parts, too ❤️‍🩹

follow along @softlifemama if you like honest IVF conversations that dive deep and don’t sugarcoat it 🤍

#ivf #ivfjourney #ttccommunity #ivfsupport #ivfsuccess by @softlifemama

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4 days ago

this one cuts deep 🤍

who we become through this process is often overlooked by the physical, mental and emotional toll of the journey itself.

if you’ve experienced the emotional weight of infertility, you understand.

share this with someone who gets it 🫶

follow along @softlifemama for more conversations that dive deep and don’t sugarcoat it 🤍

#ivf #ivfjourney #ttccommunity #infertility #infertilityawareness by @softlifemama

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7 days ago

no one prepares you for this part of IVF 🤍

for me, the hardest part of infertility & IVF wasn’t always the injections, the procedures, or the transfers.

it was the waiting. ❤️‍🩹

waiting for your name to be called in a silent waiting room.

waiting for test results that feel like your entire future is on the line.

waiting for your transfer day and the excruciating two week wait that follows.

and feeling like you’re waiting for life to finally begin once you see those two pink lines.

our lives don’t stop while we’re in the waiting. we still have jobs, spouses, families, maybe even other children to care for.

one of the hardest parts of IVF for me was the constant state of limbo — while the rest of the world kept spinning.

that waiting can be a few months or for some of use, can stretch years.

if you’re in the quiet waiting, i see you 🫶 i know how
challenging it can be and i want you to know that you are not alone.

so many of us walk this path silently and @softlifemama is an ongoing space to be open about the grief, fear, exhaustion, and hope that many of us go through. 🌸

#ivf #ivfjourney #ttccommunity #ivfsupport #ivfsuccess taken in Sonoma County, CA by @softlifemama

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8 days ago

the planning, the calendars, appointments, and tracking
— the mental load of IVF can be so overwhelming. 🗓️💉👩‍⚕️

remembering which medication, which day, and the correct dosage. it’s your full notes app, medication alarms, google search tabs, and calendar screenshots on your phone. 📱

it’s trying to figure out how to make it to two bloodwork appointments and an ultrasound appointment this week without disrupting your work schedule or upsetting your boss. 🫠

i used to wake up in the middle of night panicking that I forgot an injection or missed part of my protocol and would have to start all over!!

we talk so much about the emotional toll IVF takes, but it also takes up so much mental space as well.

all of this on top of all of life’s other responsibilities…

if you’re going through IVF, I am rooting for you more than anything! i know how challenging the mental load is, on top of everything else, and I see you 🤍

so many of us walk this path silently and @softlifemama is an ongoing space to be open about the grief, fear, exhaustion, and hope that so many of us go through. 🫶

#ivf #ivfjourney #ttccommunity #ivfsupport #ivfsuccess taken in Sonoma County, CA by @softlifemama

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12 days ago

if you’ve been through infertility or IVF, you know 🤍

if this resonates, welcome to your new favorite corner of the internet — follow along @softlifemama, where we have real conversations that dive deep and don’t sugarcoat it 🫶

#ivf #infertility #ivfjourney #ttccommunity #ivfsuccess by @softlifemama

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14 days ago

IVF is like living in a constant state of maybe. 🤍

“maybe I’ll be pregnant by then.”

“i might be going through another IVF cycle that month.”

“we may have to do another transfer next year.”

IVF is a living what-if.

one that affects every aspect of your life — your vacation plans, whether you’ll attend that wedding you were invited to, your PTO/work schedule, upcoming holidays, etc.

anyone who’s been through IVF knows that it’s impossible to plan your life around possibilities that you have no control over.

and that’s not talked about enough. 🤍

#ivf #ivfjourney #ttccommunity #ivfsupport #ivfsuccess taken in SF Bay Area, California by @softlifemama

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15 days ago

BTS of trying to become a family of four 🤍

a long day, hundreds of miles traveled, an uncomfortable procedure, and a flight delay 😅

all for one IVF appointment!

and spoiler, this round did not work 💔

but it was so worth it in the end 🫶

would you want to see more behind-the-scenes IVF content?

p.s. our clinic is in LA, but we live in northern california so i have to fly down for appointments, transfers, etc. i discuss the reasoning for this in the video!

#ivf #ivfjourney #ttccommunity #ivfsupport #ivfsuccess taken in Los Angeles, California by @softlifemama

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16 days ago