Work on hold for IVF. Thoughts? 🤔

[VMJ007]

Hi Folks. I’ve decided to take 6 months off work to focus everything on IVF. Am a 38 year old career girl and am nervous about my first career break even though it will invariably lower my stress levels. What advice do you have? My partner and work is fully supportive. The job is stressful so I’m not regretting. Just looking for tips or advice on taking such a career move. Ps. Merry Christmas to all.

[Zaazee]

Hi VMJ007, I have no advice, just wanted to say well done on making a decision you feel is right for you. It is also great that you’ve got support from your partner and work.

Wishing you the very best and success in your IVF treatment xx

[Masief]

This is an amazing step to take for yourself! I underestimated how much inner alignment is needed to prepare for pregnancy. Due to covid and running my own business I've had to stop. Like you, very career orientated. This time off had made so much difference. Things I've done to make most of it. Good sleep, eat routine, introducing yoga and meditation. But i ended up treating all of the latter like boot camp. I strongly recommend doing whatever it is you can to relax. It's taken me until December to sleep in, eat some naughty food (been ayurvedic diet which has been great). And have some fun where possible. To be honest it took quite a few months to come to terms with not extending my business during covid, and resolving that guilt and focussing on being in the right space for a baby. You are already ahead by acknowledging what you need at the beginning. It's the best thing you can do, honestly the number of times people told me to have that glass of wine during treatment. I'd ignore it, and not realise how stressed i was. Best advice is to give yourself real time off, have no expectations like you would during summer holidays as a kid, and also get things like your thyroid, b12, vit d etc checked out so you are in best position possible when ready. I've been tracking my ovulation and had a progestetone test which all have made it possible for me to know i can have a natural FET. So if those things aren't stressful and you're not sure if you ovulate every month, worth checking! Good luck, amazing step! X

[Beanybeanz]

Yes! I did this but found a way of still doing something purposeful so there wasn’t any questions from people as to why I had left my job - will message you 😊

[Sparklylife]

Good for you! And I am glad you are able to do this with the support you said you had! Especially if this is what you feel is right for you! I am glad you feel at ease with your decision and don’t regret it. Sometimes it is important I think to stop and take a second to reflect on what really is important to you as it is so easy to get stuck in a certain pattern.

I wish you all the best for when you start ivf! 🧡

[Jumpppy]

No regrets!

[Ivfcandothis]

Hi VMJ007I think this is a very wise move and a decision I wish I had made at the very start of our ivf journey. I underestimated the mental and physical toll that ivf had/has. I was a rotational midwife working full time at the start of our ivf journey, then I reduced my hours to 30 as I thought we couldn’t manage financially. As you can imagine being a midwife is stressful in itself, never mind going through ivf. I completely burnt myself out and ended up with a breakdown after our miscarriage. They also rotated me to a postnatal ward following my miscarriage which I thought was vey insensitive. It completely came out of the blue as I thought I was more resilient and coping well but turned out otherwise. Now we are struggling financially more now then if I had just taken a break in the first place. I also can’t help but think maybe we would have had a baby by now if it wasn’t for all the additional stress and things been on hold due to my breakdown. I wish I had made the brave decision just to take a break like you but hindsight is a blessing. You’ve taken a great first step 😊I would just focus on your own mental and physical well-being for now. It’s lovely that your partner and work are so supportive. Wishing you all the best and good luck 🥰 xx

[Zebedee1971]

I quit my full time teaching job in May 2019 to focus on ivf, did casual supply for a year then got pregnant September 2020. Quit my job in October to keep our baby safe from covid/stress.

Best thing I ever did. My stress levels went down immediately, and it's good to focus on yourself rather than others all the time. Well done for making a decision that's right for you, and good luck ❤️