Dec19/Jan20 IVF Graduates

[BambiOnIce80]

Graduate thread for all the amazing ladies who have endured infertility and are hopefully now starting a new chapter🤞

@Littlelot @Viletta @candycornlover @FlapJackered @Wimbledon1

I got my BFP on Tuesday the 28th and am feeling pretty symptom free today (so obviously panicking that it's all going wrong! 😣). 7 week scan due to be Tuesday the 18th and it feels like a long way away with symptoms going awol! 😥 POAS this morning and it looks spot on for where I should be, so trying to take some comfort from that 🤞🤞🤞

[Wimbledon1]

@Viletta you are a heroine. What a good attitude. I read that post out to DH who said how sensible you sound. This was shortly after I'd spent an hour and a half researching incompetent cervix issues because my Mum had two second trimester miscarriages with it and I'm convinced that's going to happen to me 🙈 Definitely need to practice your mantra!!

Another disrupted night's sleep last night then @FlapJackered?! 😬😂

Seen lots of BFNs in the TWW group the last couple of days, awful. Really hoping someone else gets to join us soon!

[Viletta]

@FlapJackered It does make sense to get there in stages. I find helpful to think about the end result - a baby.. when my past transfers didn't work the image didn't disappear I knew it was waiting for me in the future. The fact that it implanted for you is amazing and is a cause for celebration. My DH sometimes also says let's wait for the scan, I agree and reassure him that we will be fine one way or another. If embryo is not developing right it's best if it goes away as nature planned and we'll get on with the next cycle. However more pregnancies end up with beautiful babies than otherwise so chances are we'll be fine!

I have problems falling asleep recently too.. never had an issue before I normally happily fall asleep and sleep for 8-9h

[Viletta]

I think I started having a tiny morning sickness today.. Ovia app shows 5 weeks 1 day. Anyone else have morning sickness? I think it's a bit early

[BambiOnIce80]

Can I borrow some of your positive thinking please @Viletta?! 😄 Sorry you're feeling a little sicky 💐 My back's aching a bit and I'm going a bit dizzy when I stand up too quick, but otherwise feeling pretty good 🙂

I've been feeling gutted for the BFN's too @Wimbledon1 😔 I'm optimistic that we'll get some more buddies before the week is out though 🤞🍀🤞🍀

I think I'm like most of your OH's in this situation! 😬 Last night DP was saying that we should start a list of baby names after the 7 week scan, then start telling people after the 12 week scan and then start planning the nursery and I'm like 'WoooahhhWoooaaaahhhWoooaaaahh there! Let's just get to the 7 week scan and take it from there, shall we?! 🤞🔮' 😂 I'm by no means superstitious, but my DGM (who brought me up) was and as DP was talking I could just hear her in my head screaming "don't count your chickens before they hatch!! 🐣😠" 🙄 I was delighted that he's getting excited (and thinking about practicalities!) though 😊

So I'm apparently 5+0 today and the little dull ache/aka embie/aka 'Sprocket' (had to give it a name at some point 😉) is apparently the size of a sesame seed now 🤯 The hormones should also start ramping it up a gear this week too. I was in an awesome mood last night with tonnes of energy (at least up until 9pm when it was like someone had removed my batteries! 😴), the likes of which I haven't experienced since I took soy isoflavones, so I think that might mean that my oestrogen levels are pretty high 🤔 How's everyone else feeling?x

[BambiOnIce80]

Come on over @twinkleyes35! 🤩🤩🤩

[FlapJackered]

@twinkleyes35 wahh! Congratulations!! 😍 so happy for you! I had a good feeling it was going to be a bfp for you today!

@Viletta very wise words!

@Wimbledon1 soooo tiredd! Apparently I am keeping DH up with my sleeplessness, oh poor DH getting 7 hours sleep! 😂 He has decided to sleep in the spare room tonight because I am disrupting him 😂

@BambiOnIce80 hurrah for 5 weeks! 🤩

I just went to acupuncture which was amazzzing, feeling very zen but I got told off for generally over doing it. 😕 She said I shouldn't be doing housework or anything remotely strenuous until 12 weeks. She also expressed concern that I am walking the dog up steep hills etc. It is tough though as I live on a hill so fairly unavoidable to avoid hills. 🤷‍♀️
Have any of you changed your habits? Are you taking it easy or still doing quite a bit of exercise, chores etc?

[BambiOnIce80]

It's funny you should mention that @FlapJackered because that was going to be my next question to you all! 🔮👻 The info on NHS Choices says that if you normally do exercise then you should keep it up because studies have shown that it's really beneficial to child birth. I'm normally a runner (at least 5k 1 - 3 times a week), but I got injured in October/November and then didn't run during IVF, so I'm going to be out of shape... I was wondering whether to maybe attempt a slow 3k this weekend to break myself back into it, or am I being stupid?! From what your acupuncturist says it sounds like the latter! 😳 But the NHS website is really clear about keeping up exercise as long as we don't get so out of breath that we can't speak... soooo confused and nervous that I'll do more harm than good! 🤯😥

[twinkleyes35]

Thank you all and I am so chuffed to be part of this group and continuing with you all. X feels like my comfort zone x ☺️

We did self funding IVF too due to long waiting for NHS so in Jan we were told that we going on the list so won't here back for another 6-7 months when you in top of the list.

[Viletta]

@FlapJackered my DH slept downstairs too! I kept waking him up apparently 😂

[Viletta]

Everywhere I read suggest keeping up with the exercise bit do not take on new or dangerous activities (like deep diving or climbing). Avoid carrying / lifting heavy things, exerting yourself, dehydrating. I continue my normal activities and walking. If you do yoga, check out which postures should be avoided. If you have a trainer tell you are pregnant. I don't think acupuncturists have proper medical education, so they? It sounds like an old tale, my mother said I should stay in bed to be safe, but it's best to keep moving for blood stream (as proper research suggests).

My bottom line is, if everything is good, nothing you do (and we are all sensible ladies here) will harm.

If running or going up hill would threaten pregnancies why would teenagers need a morning after pill?

[Viletta]

I also read some French and Russian research sites for a variety of opinions and they all suggest keeping active. Also do not increase calorie intake yet. It's only later on in second half of the pregnancy they say baby will need ~ 400kkal. I am trying to avoid sugar as it's not good for me or the embie, but failed and had a bit today. Speaking of being active, I spent all day on the couch feeling meh possibly morning sickness kicking in 😂

[Wimbledon1]

@twinkleyes35 welcome!!! 🎉 Fantastic news about your BFP and we're pleased to have you. In what now feels like a three week wait for the first scan 🤣

@Viletta and @FlapJackered, your DPs might want to get used to disrupted sleep if this all works out. Tell them it's training!!

Shamefully I'm not really an exerciser other than a bit of swimming, which I've dropped for now due to risk of infection until the placenta is totally formed. But everything I have read says to keep up what you did before (unless it's crazy impact like wrestling or something!) so I think gentle running would be totally fine.

[BambiOnIce80]

Thank you so much for the sensible advice @Viletta @Wimbledon1 ❤️ If it's not peeing it down on Saturday I might go out for a very slow 3K and see how it goes (I can always walk it if it starts to feel too much!). I walk quite a lot Monday to Friday (to and from the train station) and I easily get my 10,000 steps in a day because of that, but I'd like to get a bit of running in whilst I'm still feeling up to it 🤞

Off on a tangent - I found this rather helpful link describing what to expect from the 7 week scan. It's Australian, which makes me think they must do the 7 week scan as standard over there 🤔

www.baobag.com.au/wisdom/what-to-expect-at-your-first-pregnancy-ultrasound

I hope it's reassuring/helpful.x

[Viletta]

@BambiOnIce80 good read, thank you!

[twinkleyes35]

I had asked my clinic about eating / avoiding anything and she said carry on what I am used to apart from like Icecream and mayo ( if made from raw eggs) plus whatever is on nhs website (avoid raw eggs, fish and few other things ) no to vitamin A.

Normal exercise and running does not have any effect unless it's like heaving lifting or something . She did suggest not to change any medication and carry on taking whatever I was taking as normal ( folic acid and vitamin D mainly ) x

[twinkleyes35]

@BambiOnIce80 great read helps with question you will get answered ☺️.

@Wimbledon1 my clinic won't do scan for another 4 weeks . They said sometimes at 6 weeks you not get to see what you want to so they do at 8 weeks 🤪🤞to be more positive x

We have gone private so when should I inform my GP/ contact midwife . Clinic said they will discharge me after the first scan. But NHS website says to contact them as soon as you find you are pregnant 🤰 ?? So they can do there normal tests / and book for your 12 week scan x Confused 🤷‍♀️ any guidance will help x

[Viletta]

@twinkleyes35 first appointment with NHS is with midwife at around week 8. No scan then but possibly blood and urine tests and a questionnaire.

[Wimbledon1]

Well having read @BambiOnIce80 'a helpful link there, I'm thinking eight weeks in sounds sensible to ensure you get a heartbeat (rather than a heart attack!) Mine is at 6 weeks 5 days which feels too early really. Is anyone else that early?

@twinkleyes35 we were actually having the conversation and there's general confusion I think. Some people are just leaving things to their clinic for now, especially if they are NHS, and at least someone said they are all booked in for a first midwife appointment already. I've been furiously googling and can't find a firm answer....so my conclusion is it doesn't matter too much. As my scan is so early, should If (our nickname for the embie as well kept saying 'if this works' etc) make it to that scan I'll just do the midwife call straight after that I think. I feel the clinic would have told me to do this if they wanted me to urgently.

[Viletta]

@Wimbledon1 mine is booked for 6w6d, should see heartbeat normally at that time

[BambiOnIce80]

I was equally confused about when to contact the midwife @twinkleyes35 , but like @Wimbledon1 I'm going to get the 7 week scan out of the way and (if everything is looking OK! 🔮🤞) I'll ring my GP's midwife appointment line on the way home from that 👍 You'd hope that 5 weeks notice would be enough to organise the 12 week scan?! 🤔 And I know for a fact that they don't do any bloods or anything until our 12 week booking appointment (I've finally found a perk to my job! 😂). Hope this helps.x

[FlapJackered]

@Viletta 😂 I actually slept until 5am this morning which is a marked improvement so I am not going to complain if he wants to leave me to it 😂.

@BambiOnIce80 thanks, that is a really good article about the scan! Having thought about it I reckon I am just going to do what I normally do but just take it much slower. Although I have told DH I can't possibly do the hoovering 😂

@twinkleyes35 ours is a 7 week scan too with the clinic, so like Bambi I am going to call the midwife as soon as I have left the scan and book myself in. 😬 I don't know how I am going to survive the next 2.5 weeks 🙈

[BambiOnIce80]

Just tagging @Chooklass so that she can come find us 💖😊 Excellent start to a Wednesday! 😄

[twinkleyes35]

@BambiOnIce80 @FlapJackered @Wimbledon1 I got my scan with clinic at 8weeks (2nd March) which seems so far away but what can you do x

I think I will wait till my first scan with the clinic and then contact NHS.

This morning some gender reveal videos popped up on Facebook and I was emotional watching them ☺️.

What are your thoughts you gonna find out or surprise?

Ours is first but I think I would like to have gender reveal party to find out 🤪May be just planning so far ahead 🤞

[BambiOnIce80]

Surprise all the way for me @twinkleyes35 😁 For me I think it'd feel like opening my Christmas presents in August, iyswim? 😄 I guess it'd be handy to know from a practical point of view (buying clothes, doing nursery, etc), but then these things aren't 100% accurate and that's not the kind of surprise I want! My mum and dad were told that I was going to be a boy, so they only picked out boys names, painted everything blue and got boys clothes and then... Hello Bambi! 😂

How's everyone doing today? Any new symptoms popping up?x

[Chooklass]

Checking in!!! 🥳🥳🥳 Over the moon and also terrified!

I asked about GP on phone @BambiOnIce80 and she said it's best to ring our GP and tell them, but some surgeries may just tell us to go away until after scan though! 🤷‍♀️