If you're struggling to conceive and on the path to parenthood, looking to have a baby and are considering, planning or about to have fertility treatment like IVF, ICSI, Egg Donation, Sperm donation, Embryo donation treatment in Europe and in places like Spain, Greece and Czech Republic then you're in the right place.
I'm Emma Haslam and since the birth of our son in 2018, I have made it my mission to make fertility treatment more transparent, accessible, supported and affordable. I now help people around the world just like you to find a safe, best fit clinic and navigate fertility treatment in Europe. And since 2019 I have helped 100s of people around the world to make informed decisions that are right for them and to have fertility treatment in Europe and achieve their dreams of starting or expanding their families.
Bonfire night and Halloween are now done for 2022 and therefore I feel I am now officially allowed to mention the C word. No not that one! Christmas. Yes, Christmas. Although if the cap fits…
Now I know it might feel early, but I am acutely aware of what a difficult time of year this can be for the infertility community. I for one found it incredibly difficult.
My worst Christmas during my IVF & Fertility Treatment
It was one of the most painful times of the year for me. Despite being a Christmas lover generally it was a really harsh reminder of everything I didn’t have and everything I wanted. How much I Ionged for a baby of my own and how another year of infertility had passed me by and I was still no further forward.
My worst Christmas had to be getting a negative home pregnancy test result the week before Christmas after a failed cycle of IVF. Getting a negative pregnancy test anytime is awful, but to get one at Christmas just felt really cruel.
I felt such a mixture of emotion - grief, jealousy, anger, bitterness, hurt, actual physical pain in my chest, all of which was most definitely heightened by the time of year.
It felt like everywhere I looked there were children - on social media, on adverts, in person at family/friends gatherings and everywhere I went.
I know there are many groups of people that struggle at Christmas, but all I could see were happy families which included children and I have never felt so alone and jealous. I wanted what they had, a baby of my own.
Thankfully it only comes once a year and so if you are struggling remember that Christmas day is technically over and done with in 24 hours. That said, the actual festive season itself can feel like it goes on forever when you are struggling with things like infertility and trying to conceive.
Below are my 7 top tips to survive the festive season:
Treat yourself kindly and with compassion, just like you would a friend, family member or colleague. Do not question your feelings, you feel how you feel and that is OK. Bad feelings do not make you a bad person
Try and plan things in that you love during the time off your have over the Christmas period
Say no to anything that does not serve you - I know this can be difficult, but you must look after yourself first
Don’t pretend things are OK if they are not, confide in those people around you and tell them how they can help
Unsubscribe from emails that are triggering and consider snoozing socials or taking a digital detox break
Prioritise your self care whatever that looks like
Plan ahead now so that you have a plan on how to navigate the festive season ahead of time
Love Emma
Emma Haslam
Founder - Your IVF abroad
Free Resources & Step-By-Step Guides
To help you get started, sign up to my mailing list here. I’ve created a free step-by-step guide to the process of having fertility treatment abroad. I hope you find it incredibly useful - it's exactly what I wished we had when we were in a similar position to you. You can get your Short guide to the process of having IVF abroad here and make sure to check your spam, junk, or promo folders if you don’t receive it within a few minutes.
I truly hope this free short guide helps you to understand the steps involved with having fertility treatment like IVF in Europe and what your next step might look like.
For more support check out my free resources below:
IVF ABROAD PODCAST
Just search Your IVF abroad on all your usual platforms like Apple and Spotify, or you can listen here
And if you need more personalised support to understand how having IVF abroad might work, so you can ask your questions to help you to decide whether it’s right for you then consider booking a 30 minute video PICK MY BRAIN call with me.