For Bianca King, the journey to motherhood was not smooth-sailing.
On August 20, 2022, Bianca delighted the public with the news that she and her husband Ralph Wintle are expecting their first child together.
She made the announcement 15 weeks into her pregnancy.
She wrote, "I lived my life exactly the way I wanted. Took my time and did everything I needed to do. When it was time for us chase the dream of becoming parents, we were ready as ever.
"It was a long journey to get here. It was not easy - being in our mid-late 30s. I mentally gave up and was about to do IVF. But surprise! A natural miracle happened.
"I thank my beautiful husband for setting me on the path to becoming a mama. Ralph is already the best dog dad, being so hands on with Willow. We both feel confident that we will be the best parents [emoji]
The 36-year-old actress continued, "I hope our baby inherits his looks and athleticism [emoji] but my personality and creativity, and our shared wit and wisdom."
Read also: Bianca King at Ralph Wintle ikinasal sa mismong living room nila
advice for those struggling to conceive
The day after her announcement, Bianca took the time to connect with her followers who are also struggling to conceive in their late 30s.
She got candid about the emotional ups and downs that come with trying to conceive, writing (published as is), "Pregnancy can be isolating but trying (hard) to conceive is even more isolating. It’s an emotional roller coaster every 2 weeks of testing for ovulation and testing for pregnancy. It’s not easy to be open. Sometimes all you want to do is talk about it or not talk about it at all."
She also expressed that people's well-meaning suggestion to "relax, just have sex everyday" felt dismissive and invalidated her experience.
The soon-to-be mom then gave her pieces of advice.
"Here’s my best shot based on my own experience. What helped me cope is having a plan & taking steps. You can disagree and thats OK. Some people also don’t like being told what to do, some do," she informed.
"I watched videos and read articles to understand how conception happens and how to help it. Consulted a fertility doctor and did all the tests we were told to do.
"Create the best conditions for your body to hold life [emoji] put your health and well-being above everything."
Bianca also revealed 11 important tips (published as is from her caption):
1. Clue is the best period/ovulation tracker I’ve used.
2. Use the clearblue ovulation test.
3. Avoid fasting too long. Fasting affects hormones.
4. Minimise toxins like smoking and alcohol.
5. Minimise food with chemical preservatives, deli meats, fast food and junk food. Eat from nature. It’s ok to cheat but try to eat clean and promote cell renewal.
6. Minimise simple sugars from baked goods/ice cream.
7. Get vitamin D from the sun and exercise.
8. This we didn’t get to do but were planning - Go on holiday during your fertile week and no screen time.
9. Rest in bed for 9 hours with the lights off.
10. Eliminate toxic people and stressors - if you can.
11. Taper off work to relax your nervous system. Or quit all together - IF you can.
A UNIQUE JOURNEY
However, Bianca underscored that her journey may be different from that of others.
She wrote, "In April, I chose to put my family life first and be a full time housewife. l let go of trying in May and scheduled IVF. I conceived naturally after a HyCoSy scan in May.
"This is my journey and in no way am I suggesting it’s right for you. Your journey is unique."
What's important is to "have faith" and trust in your own journey.
She continued, "If you find out something’s going on in your reproductive system, don’t lose hope. Have faith [emoji] you don’t have to feel alone [emoji] my uterus isn’t perfect either [emoji] follow your heart, if you want IVF, do it. If you have time to wait, give nature a chance."
In another post following her announcement, she dedicated a special thank you message for those wishing her well for the rest of her pregnancy.
"Thank you for all the well wishes [emoji] it’s a relief to be 15 weeks pregnant and share the news. I enjoyed reading all your guesses on how far along I am.
"Thank you for the love [emoji] I look forward to sharing a piece of my heart with you. From pregnancy to birth and motherhood. Willow is gonna be a big sister!"
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