Megan McKenna’s journey to motherhood

Congratulations on your pregnancy! How are you feeling?

Thank you so much! I’m feeling good. I can’t wait for our baby to get here now though; we feel so ready! The kicks are real baby kicks. My poor bladder ha ha.

You’ve been very open about the highs and lows of your IVF experience. Tell us about your journey.

I always wanted to freeze my eggs from a younger age, as I was diagnosed with PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) as a teenager. So, when I met Oli, we decided let’s freeze our actual embryos at some point, just in case anything happened and then we had back up.

We did try naturally for a little while, but I just felt something wasn’t right. We decided to go and get checked at an IVF clinic and wow, it was the best decision we’ve ever made! We found out my womb lining was very thin, so it wasn’t holding our embryos in the implantation stage naturally. So, it made sense. Always go with your gut! If we hadn’t gone to check, who knows how long we would have been trying, and it wouldn’t have happened naturally either way.

After months of medication, injections and suffering with OHSS (over hyper stimulation of my ovaries, which led me to being hospitalised for a week and ended in me having to have more injections), my lining finally got thicker.

We lost a lot of embryos in the thawing process. We still don’t know why they didn’t survive but we had two high graded ones that did. We were then able to use a frozen embryo for a transfer.

It was the best experience watching them implant it inside. We were advised to have ICSI (Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection) and were so grateful that we even have one more embryo on ice ready to go at some point.

What advice would you give to others going through IVF?

Don’t expect everything to just ‘happen’ straight away. There can be obstacles, and your body needs to be completely relaxed and zen for your embryo to implant. I also highly recommend acupuncture during your IVF journey.

Which trimester has been your favourite?

Definitely my second. We had our babymoon during this time, and we laugh now when looking back at photos of us thinking my belly looked big, when actually it looked like I’d literally eaten a Nandos!

We love your cooking videos – what’s been your biggest craving during pregnancy?

Thank you! I do love my food. I’d say milk chocolate covered digestives (gluten free of course) and oranges! I’m obsessed with juice at the moment.

What have been your go-to pregnancy essentials?

My pregnancy pillow. It’s the best thing in the world. I chose a beaded one, so it’s like a long bean bag and it fits perfectly under my bump in bed! Also, my Stanley cup. I’ve been extra thirsty during pregnancy, so a nice big cup of iced water is the best!

You’ve just moved to Germany – how did you find the move during your third trimester?

It was surprisingly very easy getting here! It’s not too far away – only an hour’s flight! But I do feel tired now. Oli has ordered the majority of our furniture so it’s just the little bits that need doing… I can’t wait to build our nursery! I also ordered the cutest books for our baby bookshelves. I think I’m going to fit in quite nicely here.

How do you feel about giving birth in Germany?

I was nervous at first, but after meeting with our consultant yesterday it’s put me at ease. The maternity unit was amazing, and he showed us all around the hospital. My mum’s flying over so she can be there with me too. It’s so exciting. Not long now and the baby will be here with us all.

How are you preparing for labour and birth?

I’ve been very open minded as I know things can change. I’ve also changed my hospital last minute so I’m able to give birth in Germany with Oli by my side. It’s the best decision and we can’t wait to hold our baby when the day arrives!

What are you most looking forward to about becoming a mum?

Having that bond with your baby, singing it to sleep and breastfeeding. Also, I’m so excited to wean our baby. As you know I love experimenting with different dinners and to see our baby try food for the first time is going to be one of the best moments. I will be documenting all of this, so you guys can watch too!

What’s for dinner tonight?

A roast dinner. We always have two roasts a week… mid-week roasts are always a bit more laid back. But on a Sunday, I go full trimmings like it’s Christmas Day! (We can’t wait for Christmas by the way with our little baby. Bring on the photos!)

Shop Megan McKenna's Silver Cross pram here.