Spread the love

Navigating the Two Week Wait: Embrace the Journey

Are you having a hard time not stressing about whether or not you’ve got a bun in the oven? Are you symptom spotting left and right? 

This part of the process can be excruciating.

You feel a twinge in your lower back. You swear your boobs are sore to the touch.

All of a sudden you can smell everything and the smell of the highly over-cologned gentlemen you walked by earlier almost made you yak. I’m proud of you for not turning around to yell at him. You didn’t, right? Good for you!

The Two Week Wait between insemination and the pregnancy test

This post may contain affiliate links. That means if you click and buy, I may receive a small commission (at zero cost to you). Please see my full disclosure policy for details.

Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. The information in this post is for informational purposes and does not constitute medical advice in any way. I am not liable for any damages resulting from using the information in this article. Please consult a doctor for your medical advice.

The Problem with Symptom Spotting

The problem is you don’t know if these symptoms you’re experiencing are pregnancy symptoms, pre-menstrual symptoms, or if it’s all in your head.

Your brain is powerful and has the ability to convince you your body is doing things, like tasting metal in your mouth or feeling nauseous over things you normally wouldn’t.

This is why symptom spotting is so dangerous. You may be experiencing things because you’re having your brain manifest them, or you could be pregnant, or about to get your period. 

Raaaaaawr! 

And it doesn’t help that most of the early signs of pregnancy are also signs that Aunt Flo is about to make her monthly debut.

My Suggestion: Try Not to Symptom Spot 

Symptom spotting can cause added stress to your mind and body, which is not good for conceiving or nurturing a healthy pregnancy. Not to mention, it will drive you to question your sanity.

Giving up on this bad habit is easier said than done, I know. If you just can’t help yourself, here are some tips and ideas you can try:

Distract yourself

– Go to the movies, have lunch with a friend, read a book, or take a walk out in nature.

– Go do something that will take your mind off the waiting and worrying.

– Just do your best to try and get out of your head!

Know the differences between PMS and early pregnancy symptoms, but more importantly which ones are similar.

– There aren’t many differences, but it may help to know the similar ones, so you can try to ignore them. If it isn’t a clear sign one way or the other (which none of them really are besides a positive pregnancy test), try rationally telling yourself that it was a symptom that could mean you’re pregnant or getting your period. Either way, it isn’t going to help you to dwell on it.

– If you just can’t seem to help yourself, try paying attention to the more unique ones. But do your best to be cool as a cucumber about it. Like ‘Hey, that’s odd’, make a mental note (or physical one), and move along.

(Here is an article from Clearblue on PMS vs Pregnancy Symptoms)

Have a ritual.

– I had some personal items that I would look at/hold each night before I went to bed. I would put my positive vibes out into the universe to manifest my destiny of becoming a mom. It helped me to set my mind at ease each night instead of lying awake and letting my mind wander.

woman in bed drinking from a mug watching her tablet

How My Two Weeks Went

Do as I say, not as I do.

I did my best to take my own advice. I tried to temper my excitement, but the idea that I could be pregnant made me absolutely giddy and completely impatient. 

Religiously, I performed my ritual each night and would drift off to sleep, but the moment my eyes opened the next morning, it was the first thing on my brain, “I could be pregnant right now!”.

I was on hyper-alert and tuned into my body to the 100th degree. 

Googling for more information on early pregnancy symptoms became my new norm. An addiction with an impressively quick onset. ‘Google-crackhead, party of one? Here!’

I researched the process of conception to see what developments were brought about with each new day. That way I could pay attention to my body’s potential responses. I figured this would help signal if I was on the right track.

For example, between days 6 -12 post-ovulation, the fertilized ovum should implant in my uterine lining. Sometimes when this happens, you may experience some cramping or spotting. 

So, obviously, I was anxiously waiting for these symptoms to appear, but the problem with that is every pregnancy is different and so is how you experience it.

You could feel all the things with one pregnancy and have zero symptoms with the next. Yet another reason not to symptom spot.

I continued to go to the fertility specialist during this time as instructed for bloodwork. My progesterone levels came back slightly lower than they would like about a week in. They put me on suppositories of Progesterone that needed to be inserted vaginally twice a day. (Oh joy!)

Download my FREE template for Organizing Your Fertility Information which includes documents to track your appointment notes, fertility notes, financial planner, journal page, and more!

The second week slowly ebbed by, but I did it. I woke up on the morning of the 14th day and as soon as my mind registered what day it was I popped out of bed, startling my pup sleeping next to me.

I rushed to the bathroom, grabbed the pregnancy test I laid out on the bathroom counter the night before, and ripped it open.

I pulled my bottoms down, sat on the toilet, and pulled off the cap of the pregnancy test to reveal the dense tissue on the end of the stick (the part you pee on).

I started a steady stream, placed the test between my legs, did my best not to urinate on my hand, and peed on the stick for a good ten seconds.

Once it was nice and saturated, I placed the cap back on the test and carefully placed it back on the bathroom counter. 

If the last 14 days of waiting weren’t enough. Now I had to wait 3 MORE MINUTES to get the results. 

I set a timer on my phone and walked out of the bathroom. I didn’t want to just sit there and stare at the thing.

I figured I’d let it do its magic and come back to it the moment the timer dinged.  

While we wait, I thought we’d quickly talk about pregnancy tests. You may prefer the ‘two-solid-pink-lines = pregnant’ test or the digital results test that literally spells out ‘pregnant’ or ‘not pregnant’. 

I’ve tried both. One works just as well as the other. It’s just a personal preference thing.

Both the brands linked above are ones I prefer though for each type.

I sat on my bed and stroked my pup’s head, nervously and anxiously waiting for the 3 minutes to pass.

As soon as the timer came to life with its chime, I took a deep breath and walked into the bathroom.

Here goes nothing. 

I picked up the test. I looked down into the tiny results window that revealed…

To be continued in my next post…stay tuned! (I know, rude to end the post that way, right? Well, this post is all about the two-week wait after all…)

P.S. If you’ve gotten to this stage in your journey, give yourself a huge warrior battle cry! You did it! You made it through the two weeks! I hope it wasn’t completely unbearable. I hope you had some fun, and enjoyed reveling in the fact that you could be pregnant! You are a freaking warrior!

P.S.S. And for those of you about to embark on this part of the journey, I hope that sharing my experience with you helps to better prepare you for the battle ahead and how to navigate it so hopefully, it can also be an enjoyable experience. You got this!

Cheers, Warriors!

I hope you enjoyed reading this post and found it entertaining, educational, inspiring. Hopefully, all three. Please be sure to leave any comments or questions you have in the Comments section below. 

Don’t forget to sign up for my email list and claim your FREE template for Organizing Your Fertility Information that includes documents to track your appointment notes, fertility notes, financial planner, journal page, and more!