The 2ww – Mindful ways to help Implantation
So once the miracle of conception has happened, whether through natural methods or assisted, the next physiological stage is implantation. Sticky vibes from well meaning friends is one thing, but what can you do to possibly help yourself during the 2 week wait?
In no particular order, here are some bite-size ideas.
Breathe!
I know that sounds silly, but the majority of us do not breathe fully, and we have oxygen deprived cells. Cells need a good supply of oxygen and that includes the womb.
Once the embryo has implanted, it will depend on oxygen and nutrients from the mother’s bloodstream to survive… so get the bloodstream oxygenated now!
Abdominal breathing exercises are very simple, can be done to fit in with any time you have…and it’s free, with very little effort!
Stop for a moment now. If you have time to read this page, you have time to consciously breathe for a few moments too. No excuses!
I won’t make you go technical… I just want you to breathe deep into your abdomen, expanding your lungs and letting your belly go! Imagine all of that oxygen refreshing every cell in your body. Breathing in revitalising energy… Then breathe out, allowing all of the air to be released, including the stagnant lot at the bottom of the lungs that is so frequently ignored… and imagine releasing any tension out along with each breath.
Abdominal breathing should be practiced each and every day, morning and night and times in-between, until good deep breathing becomes a wonderful new habit
Endometrial lining
The womb lining needs to be nice and rich and plump. If you want technical terms, it will ideally be a minimum of 7mm thick by the time you ovulate.
How can you help your body create an optimum lining?
You have a many options here. Hypnosis to balance your inner control room, and regain your healthy blue print for one. Some others are Reflexology, Mizan Abdominal Therapy, Acupuncture, Craniosacral therapy, Homeopathy, Herbs, and what I personally consider such an important component, Nutrition. It is such a big subject, but the basics of good nutrition is a wholesome diet, cutting out refined sugars, artificial sweeteners and processed foods for a start.
Luteal phase
When in balance, our cycles are pretty much lunar based, and although women vary, I’m going to base this snapshot on a 28 day cycle, with a Day 14 ovulation day, and a 14 day luteal phase (after ovulation, and before your period arrives). 14 days is classed as the norm, although I conceived two singletons and a set of identical twins, and two (natural cycle) IVF surrogacy pregnancies with my own typical luteal phase being 10 or 11 days long. Although it’s better to be longer, don’t despair if it isn’t. And if it isn’t, there are things you can do to help.
It appears that a common cause of a short luteal phase is due to hormonal imbalance, predominantly lack of Progesterone.
As a hypnotherapist, I go down the ‘Inner Control Room’ route again, our mind controls our body, and WE control our minds, although we seem to frequently forget that.
Using your mind to optimise your hormonal settings to regain balance, our bodies and cells retain the healthy Blue Print, and we need to help our bodies to get back to that.
Sex during 2ww?
A frequently asked question. I know a lot of the IVF clinics suggest that we don’t orgasm so close after the embryo transfer. I can see their point, but I’m not utterly convinced!
The benefits of sex are great. Number one reason – oxytocin. The Hormone of Love. We need it. We feel great for it.
The lucky thing is that you don’t actually have to have sex to get it! Massage, cuddles, stroking pets, watching lovey dovey films (if you can find one with no drama in?!)
What to avoid?
Well the list is endless, and sometimes a little extreme!
There’s a lot of conflicting information out there, and some will say no to things such as alcohol… but I say what and how much? If it’s an occasional small glass of red, and it relaxes you, then maybe that’s a good thing. Personally, I would wait until after the placenta has formed, to act as a filter, but more importantly I believe it is to do with blood alcohol levels. If you are tipsy, then it’s likely to be too much. My thoughts are not based on science, nor are they based on British culture. In parts of Europe you will see women indulging in a glass of wine, but not eating salad. Not because of an unhealthy lifestyle, but because their culture has different ideas about what is safe, and what it considered toxic.
Caffeine… It’s what I miss the most! But I am happy to cut it out for the risk of raising Cortisol levels.
Chocolate? Well, it contains caffeine, but it also can contain natural chemicals that make us feel good, not dissimilar to Oxytocin, but how about chilling with REAL Oxytocin boosters instead, such as massage, cuddles and kisses.
Some say avoid aromatherapy, some say certain oils would benefit, personally I would steer clear unless I was working with a therapist truly knows their stuff. I certainly wouldn’t be dabbling with anything at home.
Exercise… obviously avoid high impact and heavy duty exercise, but it’s good to keep the energy flowing. Gentle exercise such as yoga, a nice walk, tai chi can help keep the blood circulating around your body.
Stress
Avoid stress, and if you can’t avoid it, find ways to manage your reaction to stressful situations or anxious feelings. If you can find a way to relax, such as hypnosis, meditation or yoga, then you are benefitting yourself and your to-be-baby. The stress hormone Cortisol has been shown to have negative effects on fertility in many different ways, so it’s important to learn new techniques to help you keep calm and peaceful.
Implantation bleed
It’s quite common to experience a bleed when the embryo implants into the womb lining. It normally happens before your period is due, and is usually a different consistency and colour to menstruation. It can affect women differently, from spotting, to a few days, or not at all!
Visualisation/Meditation
Every cell in our body has the ability to change, and just because it has acted a particular way before, doesn’t mean it takes rocket science to change it.
Our minds control our bodies, our hormone production and our bodily systems, such as immune or endocrine system.
Using hypnosis we can go within and make changes to not only patterns of behaviours, habits, and our mindset, but also our physical being. Imagine the difference between the cells of the womb that is hated for the periods and cramps that it brings, versus one that is loved, spiritually nurtured and appreciated. Visualising a warm and welcoming womb embracing the growing embryo is far better than spending your time worrying that it’s all going to go wrong.
So being positive, I am assuming you have a positive test, congratulations and well done, and now the exhaustion hits. Everyone is different, for some it’s absolutely immediate, for some 6 weeks on the dot, for some it never really hits them until the late 3rd trimester.
But if early pregnancy exhaustion does land itself heavy self on you, then my advice is really simple. Submit. It’s there for a reason. If you are incapable of being awake after 7pm, then you really must listen to your body.
It is very energetic work developing a baby. Your body is forcing you to shut down excess energy use, to enable baby development to take priority. It’s also worth bearing in mind that there are certain stages of embryo development that require you to actually be lying down and doing nothing.
Listen to your body’s innate wisdom.
I hope this snapshot of how you can help yourself is of value to you. It is by no means an exclusive list, and each subject deserves so much more information, and is expanded on in further ebooks.