The Motherhood Series, Ep. 6: The Silent Joy — Getting to the Second Ultrasound & IVF Clinic Graduation

There’s a strange pause after your first ultrasound when you finally see that tiny heartbeat and the world doesn’t quite shift like you imagined.

Don’t get me wrong. That flicker of life on the screen felt like magic. Relief, awe, and a weight I hadn’t realized I was carrying started to lift. But what surprised me most was that the joy was… quiet.

After everything it took to get here, the joy didn’t shout it whispered.

Between Heartbeats: The Space Between Ultrasounds

IVF makes you hyper-aware of every milestone: first beta, second beta, first ultrasound. But after that, you enter a holding pattern. You’ve seen the heartbeat, but you’re still not “out of the woods.” You’re still in it.

For some, the first ultrasound is the only one they’ll have for a while, if at all. There’s no guarantee of another peek until much later, and that uncertainty can be its own form of quiet ache. Whether you get one ultrasound, two, or none before your OB takes over, this limbo is real, and your feelings are valid.

And in those weeks between ultrasounds, the worry creeps back in:

• Is the heartbeat still there?

• Why are my symptoms fading?

• Should I feel more pregnant by now?

This isn’t the blissful “I’m pregnant!” experience social media sells you. This is survival-mode pregnancy, layered with cautious hope and lingering trauma.

Graduation Day: A Bittersweet Milestone

Then the second ultrasound arrives. There it is again, our baby’s heartbeat, stronger and steady.

Our RE smiles and says, “Everything looks perfect. It’s time to graduate.”

I thought I’d feel triumphant. Instead, I felt… hesitant.

Graduating from your fertility clinic is a rite of passage, but it’s also a goodbye. These are the people who knew your story from the start, who held your hand through blood draws and embryo transfers, who called with your betas and monitored every microscopic change.

And now you’re supposed to just… leave?

I cried on my graduation day. Partly from joy. Partly from fear. Partly because it finally hit me: I’m a “regular” pregnant person now. No more hand-holding. No more early ultrasounds. Just the long wait until the next OB appointment.

Trusting My Body Again

That transition is a mind game. After years of infertility, it’s hard to believe your body will just do its thing now.

But that’s exactly what I had to learn: to step back and trust again.

I stopped checking my apps every hour.

I let go of daily symptom tracking.

I started imagining a future, not just the next moment.

It wasn’t easy. Trust doesn’t come back overnight. But with each passing week, I let myself believe a little more.

The Quiet Joy Is Still Joy

Pregnancy after infertility doesn’t always look the way you expect. The joy might be quieter. The confidence might take longer to settle in. But that doesn’t make it any less real.

If you’ve reached the point where you’re stepping into “normal” care, know this: You don’t have to pretend the anxiety is gone.

You can carry both gratitude and fear. You can feel joy and still cry at your graduation appointment. You can trust your body one day, one week, one ultrasound at a time.

Coming Next: Episode 7 — Pregnancy After IVF — The First Trimester Reality

Join me as I dive into the unfiltered truth about those early weeks, the emotional highs and lows, unexpected challenges, and what it really feels like to navigate your first trimester after IVF.