Tips for Labor Day and infertility

We don’t mean the kind of Labor Day that you can spend at Zilker Park. We mean labor pains that lead to a birthday. Texas Fertility Center believes that a labor of love — efforts to overcome infertility – sometimes begins well before the test turns blue.

This Labor Day, we want to recognize the hard work and perseverance it takes to undergo infertility treatment. We have some advice that your labor and delivery nurse will also supply in the last months of pregnancy.

Breathe.

Letting go of physical and emotional pain and stress begins with what yogis call belly breathing: Long, slow and deep breathing through your nose that has a pause on the top (the inhale) and bottom (the exhale).

It’s the same practice childbirth classes teach: rhythmic, controlled breathing that helps with pregnancy labor. Shallow breaths and holding in tension can make the pain even worse.

While labor pain is concentrated into a single day (hopefully not longer!), infertility treatment can extend into months, even years. We encourage you to find a sustainable stress-reducing tool that works for you:

• Controlled breathing
• Meditation
• Yoga (Labor Day is Free Day of Yoga in Austin!)
• Running
• Massage
• Acupuncture

Read more about wellness strategies and companion treatments while undergoing infertility care at Texas Fertility Center.

If you’ve been at this a while, trying to conceive probably feels like work. At TFC, we hope that you can take a break this Labor Day, and take a breather from the pressure to get pregnant. One day, when people ask how long you were in labor, don’t forget to tack on the months of trying to conceive!

Contact us to learn more about Labor Day and infertility.