The Baby Making Business

We are bang-smack in the emotional hellscape that is the two-week-wait. We deep-dive into Lauren’s medical protocol and how it has left her physically, emotionally, mentally and financially drained, yet somehow -  funnier. We talk injections in public and in our specific case this week, in the accessible toilet at a theatre, which nearly leads to a criminal record and David getting cancelled. David lies about his A-level results and Lauren explains a very basic metaphor to him, which he still doesn’t grasp. We talk about our brother-in-law saving Lauren’s Dad’s life (true story) and how it means David will never be the favourite - ever. Also for some reason we talk about why people put dogs in prams. We discuss how to survive the famous IVF 2WW and the sense of dread that it brings. T/W - This week we talk about loss and positive and negative results.Support our Podcast Herehttps://buymeacoffee.com/thebabymakingbusinessNERPA TRAVEL - https://www.nerpatravel.com/

We are back in Athens for our next transfer. We have picked ourselves up, dusted ourselves off, had a quick check of the credit card limit…and we’ve gone again! It’s our 6th transfer now and we are sad/poor/old pros by this point. We don’t help ourselves by accidentally picking a hotel that had lovely pictures but is ghetto adjacent.This week we talk about the different approaches to pain management between Greece and the UK when it comes to IVF treatment. David buys Lauren some meaningful jewellery and almost poisons her and we discuss making friends on holiday - mainly how we hate it. However we are forced to eat humble pie when an Angel from Texas interrupts our night and proves that we shouldn’t be such anti-social A-holes. We discuss IVF clinic waiting room etiquette and how our partners can be the most supportive on Transfer Day, as well as the Thibaut Flament story that has been in the news this week and we learn an interesting fact about IVF in Saudi Arabia. Support our Podcast Herehttps://buymeacoffee.com/thebabymakingbusinesshttps://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/articles/cx2gg01rx41o

This week we sat down with the amazing Lucy Edwards. We chatted about her book “Blind not Broken” and how she navigated the darkest period of her life after losing her sight. Lucy joins us on the IVF train and we discuss how she navigates the process as a visually impaired person.We talk about the fears of going under General Anesthetic, how the system could be improved in terms of accessibility and David fan-girls over Lucy’s famous Guide Dogs.About our GuestLucy Edwards is a blind broadcaster, journalist, author, content creator, & disability activist and is an absolute force to be reckoned with.After losing her full eyesight at 17, Lucy had no one to look up to that was going through the same thing, and made it her mission to share her experiences with the world. Through her infectious personality and her open commentary on life Lucy has amassed an incredible 1.8M followers on TikTok, 804K subscribers with over 350 million views on YouTube, and 196,000 followers on Instagram.As a keynote speaker Lucy has led talks with world leading brands around disability inclusion, universal design, strategy and resilience, and last year was invited by Forbes Magazine to speak at the Brilliant Minds event in Stockholm and spoke alongside Naomi Campbell, Malala, and Alicia Keys.As one of Lucy’s favourite sayings goes ‘Nothing about us, without us’, and as she continues to pave the way for change, Lucy has positioned herself as a key figure in both digital, broadcast and print media.Shownoteshttps://www.lucyedwards.com/https://www.instagram.com/lucyedwardsofficial/?hl=enhttps://www.instagram.com/etialondon/?hl=enSupport our Podcast Herehttps://buymeacoffee.com/thebabymakingbusiness

This week we apologise for releasing visual clips online and go into a pit of self-loathing as it’s part of making a podcast. Lauren talks about her obsession with murder and true crime and David insists ghosts aren’t real.David is told that he is a Karen and fights his corner. We do a deep dive into the more holistic approaches to IVF and discuss all things Reiki, reflexology and acupuncture. In our build up to our next transfer in Greece, we have been going for regular ultrasounds - only to discover some annoying new A**holes in Lauren’s Uterus who it seems were only put there to scare the life out of us. David is reprimanded for saying “botty botty botty” in response to Lauren’s naked bum at the Ultrasound. Botty. Support our podcast here:https://buymeacoffee.com/thebabymakingbusiness

T/W This week we cover loss, miscarriage and positive results. This week we sat down with the incredible Dr. Lucky Sekhon, who is fast becoming one of the most prominent voices in the world of IVF. In the lead up to the launch of her book “The Lucky Egg” we discuss what made her want to publish. We discuss knowledge gaps in the world of fertility and IVF. We get into some mythbusting of supplements, how we are only scratching the surface on the level of attention given to patient and Doctor’s mental health in this field and some of the things to look for when choosing a clinic for your treatment. Dr. Lucky has made it her life’s work to give patients all of the tools needed before approaching infertility treatment and her book is perhaps the first of it’s kind - a comprehensive and accessible manual for all things fertility. Links to her book below.Dr. Lucky SekhonDr. Lucky Sekhon is a board-certified reproductive endocrinologist, infertility specialist, and obstetrician-gynecologist, as well as an Assistant Clinical Professor at the Mount Sinai Health System in New York City. She is the author of The Lucky Egg, a comprehensive, myth-busting guide to understanding reproductive health and overcoming infertility — written to empower anyone navigating the complex and often confusing world of fertility.  Widely recognized for her expertise in egg freezing, IVF, and LGBTQ+ family building, Dr. Sekhon is a trusted voice in reproductive medicine known for blending cutting-edge science with deeply compassionate patient care. Originally from Toronto and a graduate of McGill University, she earned her medical degree with Honors from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland before moving to New York City to complete her residency and fellowship at Mount Sinai.  Beyond her busy clinical practice, Dr. Sekhon actively publishes and presents research at national conferences and is passionate about making evidence-based fertility information accessible to all. Through her social media presence, blog, and community outreach, she’s become a leading advocate for closing the fertility knowledge gap and helping people make informed, confident decisions about their reproductive futures.Episode links:https://theluckyegg.com/https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lucky-Egg-Dr-Sekhon-ebook/dp/B0F54SNKR9https://www.instagram.com/lucky.sekhon/?hl=enSupport Our Podcast Here:https://buymeacoffee.com/thebabymakingbusiness

This week we are full of existential dread about where our IVF Quest might take us next. We chat about how we navigated the holidays through the lens of a recent loss and where we were able to sneak small moments of joy. We chat about Irish Christmas chips, not putting up Christmas trees and the struggle with being around children at Christmas (not cos we hate them , but cos we’re trying to bloody have one.) David also goes into detail about getting viciously attacked by our three year old niece on boxing day. We make a huge confession about learning harmonies to songs in the car in secret and discuss whether or not we should open a pub. As per, we stumble through some IVF sciency-stuff (we both scraped a C in GCSE science); discussing our PGTA test results, genetic counseling and adapting to a more natural protocol for our next transfer. We saddle up and prepare for another trip to Greece and Lauren discusses whether to rawdog it or be put under for the next embryo transfer. T/W this week we talk about loss. Support our show here:https://buymeacoffee.com/thebabymakingbusiness

AN UNEXPECTED UPDATE - EPISODE 18 T/W In this episode we talk about loss and miscarriage.A difficult week for us and our IVF quest. We talk about it, we feel it out and we go again. Thank you for sticking with us. x

This week Lauren discovers that she can get David to bring her anything in the half hour after taking her pessaries as she has to lie down. More chaos as we have to go to A & E on the day of the Doctor’s strike. For some reason there is also a parade of sickly children, who seemed to have been sent by the IVF goblin to make us both cry. None of it is helped by the fact that the Nurse didn’t seem to know what IVF is.We discuss positive results and the struggle to allow the joy in when we have been burned so many times before.Dr. CHATGPT collects information and a character profile on Lauren in order to plot her demise. We discuss how everyone seems to to want to eat dinner at the dining table but we are all lazy and eat in front of the TV. Lauren reveals her sixth sense in sniffing out knob-heads and baddies within 30 seconds of meeting them. Also in an attempt to measure HCG levels from home, Lauren creates a bloodbath in our kitchen that leaves our house looking like the end of the movie “Carrie”.We also answer listener questions about possible benefits and drawbacks of going for IVF treatment abroad. T/W - This week we discuss positive results, negative results and miscarriage.Support our show here:https://buymeacoffee.com/thebabymakingbusiness

This week Lauren causes a scene at the airport on the way back from Greece and it’s her turn to get on the no fly-list. In a show-down of Karens, Lauren nearly meets her match. Then once on the plane, Lauren pees in a circle around David as he gets chatted up again (yeah right).We pull a fast one and leave Athens with some extra cargo on board, so we are forced to go into detail about our latest transfer. We discuss lucky transfer socks, not spooking the horse and what went differently this time. We decide that doing IVF is like Squid Game but for sperm and Lauren tries to justify why she went into her transfer dressed like Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat. Maybe this is why she was able to rawdog it and do the transfer with no pain relief.This episode was officially reviewed by Lauren’s Dad;“It’s really funny and you talk about some important things - but there’s so much unnecessary swearing.”Show links:https://www.nexysfertility.com/abouthttps://thefertilityalliance.org.uk/Support our show here:https://buymeacoffee.com/thebabymakingbusiness

It's day 5 post egg-transfer and the numbers are in! We compare and contrast to our previous round. However, just when we feel like we are on solid ground again, the clinic throw us a curveball. David becomes a Greek rapper and may get sued by the Flight of The Conchords, we discuss the "hoooyah" craze and more confusion as to what 6/7 is - spoiler, we still don't know.We talk millenials and their tight jeans, Lauren's facebook induced nervous breakdown, insomnia and discuss what the best stand up is when convalescing during IVF. T/W - This week we talk injections!Episode Links:A77 SUITES:https://www.a77suites.com/For 10% off, use discount code: BABYMAKINGSupport the podcast here:https://buymeacoffee.com/thebabymakingbusiness

Ok so we’ve only gone and done our Egg Retrieval haven’t we?!Lauren does an injection live on air - could this be something to explore for OnlyFans?We have mild-scrap about the fact that David will never set foot on a cruise ship and Lauren laments the once-in-a lifetime trip lost to Covid.David makes a friend outside the “sad room for little boys” and navigates a very awkward post-donation handshake incident. All of Lauren’s IVF meds go up a notch and we finally meet the infamous Mr G.We also touch on Organ Theft, stealing coffee from the clinic and make the decision that we are probably co-dependent (but fine with it). Support the Podcast here - https://buymeacoffee.com/thebabymakingbusinessPlease like, subscribe and comment!  AND SHARE! It really helps! X

ATHENS WEEK 2! What a week. Lauren’s been prodded and poked, drained of blood and taken up the Acropolis. We get into the nitty-gritty about IVF in Athens - the treatments, the clinic, the scans, the blood tests. We discuss whether culturally it feels like they have different bedside manner here. Lauren gets triggered (by her trigger injection) and David gets triggered by everything else. Some news from Great Ormond Street about our failed last round, throws up lots of new questions.We have our first on air “heated debate” (argument), as we discuss who is to blame for making a mistake with an injection. Think we can all guess who’s at fault.Once David is found guilty, we talk build-up to our egg collection. We are all systems go!Trigger Warning - This week we talk about pregnancy and loss.https://buymeacoffee.com/thebabymakingbusiness

We are back on the hope-train and are in GREECE for our next egg collection! However getting here was an absolute omni-shambles, with periods that didn’t come, chopping and changing of flights and accommodation and  a kick,bo***ck/vagina scramble to the airport of Home Alone proportions. We talk about settling into our new home for the next few weeks, the mystique around the famous Mr G, airport rage and David almost ending up on a no-fly list.We offer an official apology to the man who tried to sit at the bar at the airport and just wanted to get smashed at 9am on his own, but was subjected to Lauren being an IVF pin cushion again - and completely bringing the vibe down. We do a deep dive into one of David’s biggest triggers - gender reveal parties and Lauren strategises how to talk him round. Like he has a real choice, anyway. Please like and subscribe. It helps us to stay on the air!And if you'd like to support our quest, please do so here:https://buymeacoffee.com/thebabymakingbusiness

Shaun Greenaway is a male fertility advocate and co-founder of NeXYs Fertility. After being diagnosed with azoospermia, he experienced first-hand the silence and stigma surrounding male infertility. Now a proud father to donor-conceived twins, Shaun shares his journey through @Knackered_Knackers, using honesty and humour to break the taboo and support others navigating similar paths.He also co-hosts The Male Fertility Podcast, listened to worldwide, and leads NeXYs Fertility - a platform transforming how men access fertility support. Shaun is dedicated to ensuring no man faces infertility alone or uninformed again.Trigger warning - this week we talk about loss. We do a deep dive into Shaun’s story and his journey (quest) to parenthood. We cover everything from his former job as a Police Officer in the Met and how that impacted how he navigated his diagnosis and his mental health to why there’s always one kid at school who lies about being on the books for a professional football club. Shaun gives us some tips on how to best show up and support your partner through IVF and how to reach out and connect with other men who may feel isolated in the process. Also, Lauren has some drug-induced brain farts in real time. This episode is sponsored by IMPRYL. Find out more at www.fertilityfamily.co.uk and use the code; BABYMAKINGBIZ10Episode Links:wwwthemalefertilitycoach.comhttps://www.nexysfertility.comhttps://www.instagram.com/knackered_knackers/?hl=en

Jodie Relf is a Registered Dietitian with close to a decade of experience working in women’s health, and a specialist focus on polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). As the creator of the PCOS ReBalance Protocol™, Jodie has supported hundreds of women worldwide to reduce their symptoms, restore confidence, and improve long-term health through an evidence-based, food-first approach. Having navigated her own PCOS journey, she brings empathy, clarity, and empowerment to her practice. Jodie also speaks regularly on PCOS awareness, the gaps in healthcare, and the vital role dietitians can play in women’s health.This week we, two potatoes with a microphone, sit down with nutrition expert Jodie and discuss her own journey with PCOS, how she received her diagnosis while beginning her studies as a dietician and how the intersection of those two things changed her life. PCOS is such a misunderstood condition and it impacts a huge amount of women - we go into details as to how the wraparound care for such a common condition can be so limited, the work being done by people like Jodie and other charities and foundations who are beginning to make real headway into bringing real change into how it is treated. PCOS is so common within the IVF and infertility space and Jodie talks us through some very simple, actionable steps that can be taken to help combat the symptoms. We also discuss the minefield of bad advice, fad diets, coming up in the 90s and how that can still impact our body image today. We ask Jodie how new GL-15 weight loss drugs such as Ozempic and Munjaro may impact the PCOS community.This is also one for partners, friends and family of those with PCOS and how best they can support their loved ones with the condition. Trigger Warning - This week we talk about loss.EPISODE LINKS:Jodie’s website - https://www.thepcosdietitian.co.uk/APPG report findings on PCOS - https://www.pcosappg.co.uk/2025-report-breaking-the-cycleVerity (Leading PCOS Charity) - https://www.verity-pcos.org.uk/NICE Guidelines on PCOS - https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/indevelopment/gid-ng10436Support the Podcast here - https://buymeacoffee.com/thebabymakingbusinessPlease like, subscribe and comment!  AND SHARE! It really helps! X

The John and Yoko of infertility podcasts are back from their bed and resentfully drinking herbal tea (as copious amounts of caffeine has been banned).The IVF and infertility journey continues and this week we dig deep into PGTA testing of our Embryos. We get the clearance from the Greek authorities so we are gonna find out what's inside those little buggers. We discuss thirsty-surface-feminist-ally dudes in beanie hats, who pretend-read Caitlin Moran books in public, the battle of the cats continues and David’s shoulder falls out of its socket for the 16th time. We discuss what happens if we fail on our quest and whether society would accept us attempting to breastfeed our dogs as we become slowly convinced they are our children.We also cover surrogacy, adoption and donors as well as Lauren contemplating borrowing her sister's womb. ALL THIS IN UNDER 40 MINUTES!Become a supporter at https://buymeacoffee.com/thebabymakingbusiness 

This week we grow up a little and chat with the amazing Dr. Andrea Liner - a clinical psychologist and IVF mum who works with people dealing with infertility, loss, pregnancy, and postpartum. She’s both an expert and card-carrying member of the “been there - injected that” club. If you’re trying to stay sane while your ovaries do their thing, Andrea is your person. She knows "this s**t is hard."We cover how best to protect yourself, your brain-box and your partner as you wade through the swamp of IVF turmoil. With tips on keeping your relationship in good nick, intimacy and navigating our favourite subject; the unsolicited advice. At the end she didn’t say something really profound that definitely didn’t make us cry and we may or may not get a quote of it framed and put in our house.  Dr. Andrea Liner : @reproductivepsychologist      https://www.fluxpsychology.com/Support our podcast here; https://buymeacoffee.com/thebabymakingbusiness

Another round of new IVF test results leave us reeling, feeling a bit tired and even more poor.We discuss life as a child in the 80s - watching films you shouldn't and being sent to the shops as an 8 year old to buy cigarettes for your parents. Lauren tells us about her best ever first date (and it wasn't with David), and new robe she bought for her next transfer cos she's a comfie, cosy, bouji Queen and she reveals her one and only impression of a famous person. We (start to) learn about Lupus Anticoagulant, a condition that sounds like it's exclusively for Victorian orphans, but actually impacts our fertility quest. We cover clinics dropping the ball and how to move past it and we begin prepping to roll out some "spermies" merch.

This week we take a deep dive in to (the subject of) sperm. Some confusing results are broken down and figured out. We discuss family events and milestones through the lens of IVF, finding the joy in the small wins and is it weird to wish a baby "happy birthday" on the family whatsapp?We discover the story of a 30 year old baby, discuss whether sperm can be bipolar and decide whether or not to retire the word "spermies".

We are back with some lols and a bit of hope.This week we come to the realisation that we are the sexiest Podcast about infertility in the business, Lauren displays her singing prowess for the first time in her life and we discuss whether or not is a deep-cover agent sent to stop David from procreating.We talk next steps after our unsuccessful final transfer - the difficulties of starting from scratch, PGTA testing and going abroad for treatment. Lauren also fills us in on what it's like to have Ovaries that go from the size of walnuts to the size of baseballs.