Hello and welcome to episode two of this series! Did you listen to last week’s chat with Amber? If you did and you enjoyed it why not drop me a rating and review right now whilst you’re listening! It would mean the world to me.  Today’s guest is Shannon who shares all about the ups and downs of pregnancy after IVF. Her story particularly resonated with me because she was expecting twins but very sadly lost one of them early on in her pregnancy.  Whatever your experience of being finally pregnant, finding the place where you belong and where you can share the challenges but also the celebrations is so important. As you’ll hear Shannon is working with a doula to help support her emotional needs but if you can’t stretch to that please know I run finally pregnant support groups as part of my Hang Out community which is just £9.99 a month.  I also run finally pregnant yoga and pilates courses, at the start of which we have a check in so everyone can share how they are feeling. It really gives an opportunity for you to be and feel heard and to find people who you share common ground with. Don’t just take my word for it though,  “I’m not sure if it’s just me but after being discharged from my clinic and told ‘it’s just like a normal pregnancy from here’ I couldn’t have felt less normal. The thought of no more appointments, check ins etc made me feel anxious. The space that Cat and Sim have created weekly has grounded me each Wednesday and put me in the same virtual room as ladies who understand. It’s such an open space and hearing from ladies who are just starting their pregnancy or who are near the end has been the best experience and full of so much love. To have a space where those of us who are ‘finally pregnant’ and can be there for each other in ways that other family and friends don’t really understand has been the perfect pregnancy accompaniment for me!” Find out more about this and all the support I offer at www.catstrawbridge.com/support. Thank you to sponsors TMRW Life Sciences. TMRW has created the world’s first and only automated platform for the safe management and care of the frozen eggs and embryos used in IVF. Find out more here. Much love, Cat x @tryingyears @finallypregnant