A Photo Tour of My JuJu

First thing is first…

Yesterday morning, around 10:15, these two beauties were transferred back to me:

2 strong little 8-cell embryos. The embryologist did not provide a “grading.” I asked if they were good and strong and she replied that they were. That was enough for me. I don’t think people at infertility clinics make a habit of giving their patients false hope. And anyway, they were the two strongest. One of the other 4 stopped dividing, and the last was a 6-cell which they will continue to monitor. I’m leaning toward not freezing it, but will wait for the embryology report on Tuesday.

So here I am, officially in my two week wait, which as we all know is probably the hardest part. There are no more ultrasounds for updates, no more daily trips to see the doctor. So of course I feel the need to take some control and “do” something. Enter: my juju.

Now, I am not a particularly religious person, but I do believe is some sort of higher being, and in other “forces” working for and against us in the universe. Juju is a West African (as far as I know) word that describes an amulet of superstitious power. So here is some of the JuJu on which I am relying during these next two weeks, followed by descriptions:

1. Pineapple Core There is actually some science behind this one. Many-a-blogger (including myself) have dedicated entries to the almighty pineapple core. I ate 1/5 of a pineapple yesterday (on transfer day), and will continue to eat one piece for the next 4 days. Also, pineapples are a sign of welcome, so, “Welcome home, Embies! Please settle in here for the next 9 months or so!” In this picture, the pineapple is upside down to help ripen it faster and more evenly.

2. Sandstone Vase From Sedona, AZ My parents have been to Sedona a number of times and on their last trip, my mom came home with this little token for me. I figured she just thought it was pretty (it is!), but just the other day, she referred to “the fertility vase I bought you in Sedona.” And then upon seeing my confused face, added, “but I don’t think I ever told you it was for fertility.” Sedona is said to have healing powers, and Kokopelli (the cute little dude featured on this vase) is a symbol of fertility, so it all makes sense. Immediately, I cleaned it out (more like just blew the dust out and into my eyes), and placed it by my pillow on my nightstand. Inside, I placed a piece of rose quartz (also from my mom), which is a gem stone that is said to have some hidden fertility magic. I brought the quartz with me to the transfer yesterday and held on to it the whole time.

3. Lentil Soup On a list of implantation friendly foods that I found, lentils are number 1. I’m also pretty sure that lentils are good luck in some cultures. We also know that a warm uterus is a much more inviting place for embryos and blasts to set up shop, so soups and stews should always be on the 2WW menu! Sooo, the night before transfer, I made this big pot of homemade lentil soup out of all organic ingredients. And it actually tastes amazing! It will be my lunch until I run out. Added bonus: contains spinach, another ingredient on the list!

4. Fertility Affirmations I really believe in a mind / body connection. So as silly as I felt at first listening to an Australian woman say things like, “My IVF treatments are easy and successful. I am pregnant. My hormones are in perfect balance. My womb is ready to accept a strong healthy baby,” etc., I really do put a lot of stake in it. I have had a lot of self defeating talk in my life (“I know it’s going to be hard to get pregnant,” “I hate my reproductive system; it’s defective,” etc.) and I really think I did a lot of damage when I talked like that. Of course I did it as a defense mechanism, but lo and behold! — it did not defend me from $h!t. So… fertility affirmations all the way, baby! No use being negative now!

And there you have it, a tour of my 2ww juju. 🌠