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 🤞🤞🤞

[Chooklass]

@justkeeprunning5 - just a long walk a day for me too. I feel really unfit! None of the classes I went to pre-IVF allow pregnant women (though I’ve not really had the energy anyway). I was looking forward to starting some pregnancy classes, e.g. pilates, after 12wk scan but they are all cancelled now ☹️. Would have preferred a class to online in case I’m doing things wrong. I’ve been tempted to get out on my bike for some gentle cycling since the roads are so quiet, but am scared of falling off! My midwife said brisk 30mins walk a day is perfect so I’m trying not to worry.

[Chooklass]

Just thinking, if our checkups are minimised it is possible to buy fairly cheap blood pressure monitors and urine test kits online - might be worth looking into for peace of mind. xx

[Lily999]

That's not a bad idea @Chooklass, I was actually considering buying a fetal doppler as well..
@justkeeprunning I hope it'll be all good news tomorrow, so jealous as I still have 8days to wait.
On the exercise topic I am also only doing half an hour per day, I walk up the hill near us so at least it's not flat, but still doesn't feel like it's enough. I am incredibly tempted to cycle as we normally cycle with DH on the weekend, however I stopped since I started stimming.

[rainbow178]

@Lily999 hi!! How have you been? My scan is the 15th April which seems like AGES away- yet again, more waiting!! When's yours? I'm still struggling with constant nausea and tiredness but off work which is helping. How are you? X

[Viletta]

I go out for about an hour a day to walk my dog. Didn't go yesterday as felt really tiered. I called my midwife to book 16w appointment, they moved it to the surgery and don't go home anymore.

Good question about urine tests, I think the best way would be to get containers and bring it into the surgery to minimize time spent there. I wouldn't trust 100% with online testing kits. I also decided to opt out and not get a home Doppler, I think it'll be an extra source of anxiety and it's not a reliable confirmation of baby's health so Midwives usually recommend against it.

[Viletta]

Also try to convince myself to be a bit less lazy and do some preggo yoga with YouTube. I did lots of it before and feel confident to continue.

[DobbieFreeElf]

Because I feel quite strongly about dopplers I don’t want to come across like a cow so I’m just passing on information from a third party source:

“The most important message we try to get across to pregnant women is that home dopplers are not microphones. They are not amplifying the sound of your baby’s heartbeat. They are sending ultrasound waves into your body that reflects off moving blood vessels and SIMULATE a sound. There are a lot of blood vessels in a pregnant woman's abdomen, the baby’s heart beating being just one. The placenta also pulses at the same rate as the heart and the mother’s main artery runs across the abdomen and that can also be picked up on a doppler. There are so many vessels that can simulate the same sound as a fetal heart. NICE guidelines even highlight the risks to professionals - “Do not rely solely on the CTG trace for fetal wellbeing. Be aware of limitations and artefacts i.e. doubling of the maternal pulse being recorded as the fetal heart.”

Midwives train for 3 years to be able to differentiate these sounds using equipment costing upwards of £400. A £30 device from Amazon does not operate to the same high standard, and a YouTube tutorial can’t possibly hope to offer you the same education and skill that a midwife has. If that was the case, the NHS could save a fortune buying home dopplers instead of the high-quality equipment that they do purchase. I would compare it by saying it would be like checking your friend’s heartbeat with a Peppa Pig stethoscope rather than going to a doctor. The two pieces of equipment just can’t compare.”

I remember being very tempted in my first pregnancy to get one but then my midwife was using one at my 16 week appointment and I remember saying “oh is that it” and she said “no that’s the placenta, this is the heartbeat” and they sounded exactly the same.

[Wimbledon1]

My DH luckily was very forward thinking, and about two weeks before lockdown ordered this little chap from Argos. Hard to fall off this one!! Agree I'd be a bit worried on a real one though. It is annoying (although of course understandable) that all classes are cancelled. I'd found a good pregnancy fitness one near me. Hopefully this will all be over early enough for us to join things like that well in advance of the births.

@Lily999 you are right that seems so bad that they won't tell you when plenty of other places do. This should be a consistent policy everywhere in the UK even. I think mine allows it although I don't want to know, wish I got pass mine to you!

[Littlelot]

I’ve been walking most days but did this today which I found on the NHS website

www.nhs.uk/conditions/nhs-fitness-studio/prenatal-and-postnatal-exercise/?tabname=other-fitness-plans

I found the explanations and modelling really good and can imagine it being good to do when a bit more heavily pregnant - so am going to do it a few times a week. I’m really missing going swimming and playing netball (although I’d only be doing some of the training now).

Usually I’m quite active but the combination of lockdown and having been ill has left me feeling a bit sluggish. Hoping to do a little bit of running again now that I’m feeling a bit better.

[Viletta]

@Littlelot thank you for sharing the link! I'll have a look.

@Wimbledon1 oh nice!! Staying active is really important. I'll try to do a better job this week.

@DobbieFreeElf that's similar to what I've read and decided against the Doppler, thanks for sharing. My mum keeps saying back when she was pregnant she only had one ultrasound and that was private (not in the UK), no screenings, nothing. I do appreciate modern medicine though but also have confidence that nature will do it's thing right. I hope our appointments won't get cancelled and everything will be fine.

[FlapJackered]

I have just been doing Pilates, but I have been researching pregnancy workouts and there is one recommended on here called Mama Strong, I haven't tried it yet but might give it a go at some point, I am so unfit though!

I was told my 16 week appointment would be done over the phone until they couldn't get the NT measurement and now she said I would have to go in for the blood test. I was also told DH won't be able to go to the 20 week scan unless things change.
It kind of makes up our decision about not finding out the sex as I wouldn't want to find out without him there. So I guess it's going to be a surprise (which is what I wanted anyway!- he wanted to know! 😆)

[Chooklass]

Totally agree about doplers - my midwife cousin rants about how dangerous they are in inexperienced hands, as women can be comforted by them not realising they are listening to the wrong thing and not seek help when they should (e.g. with reduced movements).

My OH has advanced first aid training and I trust him to read my blood pressure properly if needed. I'll do a bit more reading into the urine tests and see if they can be trusted! Hopefully none of this self-sufficiency will be required - I'm just the kind of person who likes to problem solve rather than stress!

Thanks for the links to exercise above, I'll check those out.

[Chooklass]

Just realised this thread is nearly full! Shall I start another one? I'd love to keep in touch with you all through this!

[justkeeprunning5]

Thanks for the exercise tips. I think once I clear 12 weeks I will try to step up the home exercise with a light workout video. Haven’t done yoga previously so wouldn’t trust myself to do that virtually (had also hoped to join a class).

@Chooklass that would be great. Good for us all to keep in touch through this process!

[FlapJackered]

What are people thinking about NCT classes? I notice they are all online now, do you think it is worth signing up for?

[Chooklass]

May as well @FlapJackered! My midwife said mine wouldn't start until August - really hoping they are back on by then as I think they are all cancelled or gone online for now. They have a special one for new Dads in our area too which OH is going to sign up for!

[Chooklass]

Link to thread 2:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/birth_clubs/3867121-Dec19-Jan20-IVF-Graduates-Thread-2?watched=1