In my fertility support group we started a new tradition about three years ago.  We decided to give an IVF shower to anyone in the group who was getting ready to go through the IVF process.  It was a wonderful way to celebrate hope and bring comfort and friendship to the recipient as they prepared for retrieval, transfer and bed rest time.

I can’t remember who came up with the idea first.  It might have come up in passing as we were discussing how much we dreaded baby showers at that time and wondering whether or not we would ever get to have one of our own.  We were all excited about the shower and prepared to give one to one of the girls in the group two weeks later.

When preparing for the shower, we steered clear of any baby related items.  We wanted it to be all about the recipient, a shower to pamper her and comfort her.  Many people in the group are spiritual and I began to look for unique books that either had uplifting stories, inspirational stories or daily thoughts. I wanted it to be a book that would help them pass bed rest time and one that would be appropriate no matter what the IVF results were.

When it came time for my IVF shower, we met at Starbucks. I’m addicted to coffee, but gave up caffeine totally once we started fertility treatments.  I chose a coffee shop though because I love the atmosphere and smells there.  Anyway, it was a wonderful experience to be surrounded by women who knew what I was going through and to feel their love and support.

I was given all sorts of goodies such as lotion, lip gloss and candies.  I got a comedy DVD that I watched my second day of bed rest and it helped keep my mind off of things and made me laugh, which I needed.  My favorite gift was a relaxation CD.  I listened to it the day I came home from my transfer and was on bed rest.  The songs on that CD still invoke so much emotion in me today.  Every time I used any of the items that were given to me it made me feel comforted.  Even after bed rest, as I was awaiting my results, I found my gifts comforting.

If you know someone who is going through the IVF process, you don’t necessarily have to give them a shower, but just give them a book, CD or pampering gift that will let them know you care and are thinking about them.  It will let them know they are not alone.  Even buying a pampering gift can be comforting.  Whatever you can do to help yourself or someone else going through the IVF process is a gift worth giving.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 14th, 2006 at 5:05 am and is filed under Fertility. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.