Johanna’s Amazing Egg Retrieval and Pregnancy at 40

On episode 18, we have Johanna, a pelvic floor and lactation coach from Charlotte, North Carolina. She was 40 during her pregnancy.

What do you do when the world is shut down, but you’re ready to start IVF and the doctor says they can’t start new medical cycles?

Johanna’s journey to motherhood started at 36 when her and her husband moved to Charlotte to be closer to family. After loss and years of trying, at 39 she researched the fertility doctors in the area. In January of 2020, she wanted to try naturally for a few more months. In March of 2020, the doctor said they can’t start any new medicated cycles because of the circumstances going on in the world. Johanna was devastated.  She was put on a higher priority because of her age, so she was only delayed 6 weeks.

Her egg retrieval process, you could say… went better than expected. Johanna and her husband had waffle fries afterwards as the good luck tradition goes: 40 eggs retrieved, 26 blastocysts, 8 tested, and 4 viable embryos.  She says she didn’t do anything special to get this number of eggs, but she is an athlete with PCOS. Physical fitness is important to her. She said she read It Starts with the Egg by Rebecca Fett. She says she’s very blessed to be able to get these numbers and doesn’t take it lightly.

Johanna took a month off before doing the embryo transfer for her 40^th birthday. In July 2020, she went in for the transfer while her husband waited in the waiting room. She says, “this is the way to get pregnant, not a drunken roll in the hay.” She had acupuncture, calming music and they prayed before the transfer. She says she was very relaxed and was such a great experience. The doctor was so confident it was going to be a successful pregnancy that he came out and shook her husband’s hand and said, “Congratulations, you’re going to be a father.”  

I had an easy pregnancy. I kept running and lifting weights.

She is an athlete and physical fitness is important to her. Johanna prioritized core stability and lower extremity flexibility. She also worked to lowered internal and external stress, ate good nutritional food and tried to get enough sleep. She says she didn’t even have morning sickness.  She found out the sex of her baby during pregnancy, but no one else knew, including her husband.

I did it because that’s what I thought my body was capable of, and I thought that was the birth that was waiting for me.

Johanna was 39 weeks-1 day when she went in the first time to be induced. The doctor said there was no way she was having this baby vaginally. He told her she has a non gynecoid pelvis, and a c-section is the only option.  She insisted on a trial of labor. She didn’t want a c-section unless it was absolutely necessary. She wasn’t progressing, there was no destress of her and the baby, so she left the hospital. Johanna went back almost a week later to have her water break, and active labor began. 6 hours and one episiotomy later, she gave birth to her baby boy.

Here are the topics we discuss in this episode:

• Infertility
• IVF process
• Egg retrieval
• Acupuncture
• Exercise during pregnancy
• Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy
• Pregnancy
• Birth Plan
• Pelvic Types: non Gynecoid
• episiotomy
• Induction
• Breast feeding
• Postpartum

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Johanna on Instagram

It Starts with the Egg by Rebecca Fett