IVF Graduates due Late 2021/Early 2022

[BambiOnIce80]

Hi ladies 👋 I'm tentatively setting up a thread for those of us who have made the scary leap from infertility to a BFP and still need a hand hold from others who get it 🤝

I'm only 4+4 and already worrying that the BFP is too good to be true (I've had a previous MMC at 10+5, so that bitter experience doesn't help). Would love the company of other warrior ladies to go through the ups and downs of this emotional roller coaster for as long as it lasts 🎢

@Bella1984 and @PT8998, tagging you ladies on the hope that you'll join me 💗

Evening everyone : )

@OM82 great news on your results 🥳🥳🥳 Your "specialist" midwife sounds awful 🤦🏻‍♀️ at least the person who phoned was better. Hope you have a fab time in east neuk, it looks amazing.

We went to Morvich (an Airbnb called wee hoose in the hills!). It was perfect 1 bed and amazing views of the hills. Managed to climb up about a quarter of one before giving up 🤣 it was so lovely to get away.

@BambiOnIce80 yeah I think my midwife said on trisomy no news was good news but if don't hear within 7 days can call them. So I'm sure they will be fine with you calling. Midwife called me today to re-arrange my appointment and straight away she assured me it was nothing bad!

In exactly same place as you with being a mix of excitement (literally can't help but tell everyone I speak to!) but really worried about jinxing things and insisting not buying baby stuff until week 20 scan! But definitely this is 100% the place to share that sort of thing. Fingers crossed you get good news soon.

And nice one that the birthday card had the desired effect and you finally got the invite! 🤣

@Bella1984 your hair looks lovely!!! I never got a proper due date from ivf clinic which my midwife has asked me to chase up. But nhs calc was 26th dec and based that I'm 13+3. Last scan due date 22nd dec.

@lboogy are you still there? How you getting on with the twins? 👯‍♀️

I'm still here @Em916 🤣
Update from me is my 20 w scan on Friday went well. Everything looks as it should. I have monthly scans since I'm old and carrying twins. I've been put on blood thinning injections as I'm at high risk of clots. I thought my days of needles was behind me 😭

Anyway onto brighter news. Your holiday sounds lovely. I'd love to get away before the baby comes. Shame we can't fly anywhere but I will look into a uk spot.

Yay great to hear from you @lboogy 😀 and fab news about the 20 week scan. Such a great milestone! How you feeling about things after that? Less nervous?

That's rubbish about the needles but at least you are probably a pro after ivf 🤣

It is such a shame about not flying but hopefully you find somewhere in the uk for a nice wee break!

Ice cream and a coastal break sounds like a good way to celebrate to me @OM82 🍦😊 I agree completely about the testing - not knowing wasn't an option for us and we were really clear about what we would do if we got bad news. The waiting for the result has been stressful (even more so for you, I know ❤️) but it's been a means to an ends.

Glad you had a lovely break too @Em916 🙂 Has your midwife brought your appointment forward? My next one isn't until the 15th of July... feels like a long way away 😏

Excellent news about your 20 week scan @lboogy, but sorry to hear about the jabs 💐 And there was me moaning about having to start aspirin! 😳 I think we'll all be heading for stay-cations this year 😏 I'm really hoping that borders might open up a bit more next year and then we might be able to spend a few months of my mat leave in Italy with DP's family - I'd really like them to get some significant time with the bambino and this might be our only opportunity... I guess we'll see how things pan out 🔮 Where are you fancying for your stay-cation?

Thanks for understanding my neuroses ladies 🥰 I chanced my hand and rang the midwives office on Wednesday. The one I spoke to explained that they don't pass on our trisomy results if we're low risk until the 16 week appointment, but she was happy to give me mine, seems I'd called in (phew! 😪). We're low risk (thus no phone call) so that's a weight lifted 😊 I still feel like I'm going to leave it until the 20 week scan until I start telling friends/colleagues, but I guess that might change if I finally relax into it before then.

On the parents front, I still don't think they see the double standard 🤷🏻‍♀️ I gives us a cheap stay-cation though, so that helps me get over it! 😂

It's finally Friday! 🥳 What's everyone up to this weekend? My normal clothes are beyond tight now (😳) so I'm going to check out H&M's mat range at one of my local stores - wish me luck! 🍀

Glad you enjoyed Morvich @em916. It's lovely over there if the midges aren't too mad! I definitely needed this break, I'm feeling totally relaxed. But also realising how I can't do as much as usual. I wanted to walk to Crail yesterday (6 miles each way) and my husband said no, good thing as after just driving there ah wandering around for a few hours I had to come back and have a two hour snooze 😆

Good to hear all is well with you @lboogy. Are you already noticeably bigger than someone with just one baby? Hope the injections aren't too painful. And hopefully they're not in your stomach again? That's what I found worst!

And great news about your results @bambionice80. Hopefully you can relax now for a few weeks knowing everything is as positive as you can find out for now. I'm glad you phoned to get answers earlier. It does seem odd that they normally make you wait even when they know!

You'll have to let us know if you find any good clothes. I'm living out of one pair of hiking trousers (with a hair tie to expand the waist!) as my "smart" outfit and at home a pair of dungarees as I normally garden for a couple of hours after work on them anyway. I thought they were good at hiding things but my one neighbour I told (who's a psychologist so always a good listener and not a gossip) said she had wondered as I looked a bit fatter in them the other day!

I'm at 15 weeks now (due 17 Dec, both from ivf date and scan) so have my next midwife appointment on Monday. I finally feel like a bit more energy - though doing stuff takes it out of me, at least I can contemplate doing more than lying around. We've got stand up paddle boards so I'm going to try and get back in the habit of going out on them regularly as it's a very calming exercise to do as well (for my head).

Our dog has been whining for walks at 5am both days we've been here which is unusual for him - early walks are normally my job but my husband has taken it over - so he's now still fast asleep upstairs and I'm fighting the dog for space on the sofa downstairs. He's half greyhound so can stretch out impressively long!

Hope you all have great weekends! Looks like it should be nice and sunny in Scotland at least.

Happy Saturday ladies

Saw this and thought of you all

Amy x

Ugh this silly app won't attach my photo! Sorry. Jojo Maman Bebe have a summer shopping party until the 27th just saw it there, in store check out their website / faecbook page 😊

Hard to keep up with everyone so apologies for being rubbish!

Glad everyone's test results have gone well and amazing news about your 20 week scan that's fantastic. Having twins is so exciting!

I am actually veey big already ladies not exaggerating my bump is insane for 14 and 2 I swear it must be a very large boy! So I've been in mat clothes for a few weeks already, well jeans anyway I cannot fit into any of my trousers FFS.

Def not complaining but I had lost 2.5 stone pre ivf and its been an adjustment putting weight back on!

Can I ask a personal question and how much you have gained roughly? I really need mine to slow down! Eeeek. . . I have 2 prolapsed discs in my lower back which are not helping matters as not been able to exercise as much as I'd have liked. I did join a fancy gym last week and have swam 30 lengths twice this week which is a start at least! Dying to get into the jacuzzi but obvs a no go for a while now.

Are any of you into training / exercising normally? I am trying to do some gentle pilates too but it kind of bores me shouldn't say that as a physio haha.

My next mat app is the 6th July with the consultant which I am really looking forward to. I have to book my whooping cough jab too tbey advise 16 wks onwards here.

Sorry to hear about your parents, missed a lot of this but hopefully it's nice to spend time with them nonetheless. My mum is coming to our 4D gender scan on the 9th, we have had to tell a white lie to my mother in law that only 2 of us allowed as how do you possibly choose that?!

Anyways we are actually at a BBQ tonight with 2 couples which I cannot wait for. One have 2 boys and the other actually had failed ivf many years ago and don't have any . . . You never know what folk go through do you. There will be my dog Nova and one called Sid!

Hope you all have a lovely weekend ladies

A xx

You're exactly one week ahead of me then @OM82 😃 I'm starting to feel more 'normal' now too (well, not rough anyway! 😂), which is really weird after the best part of 3 months of being very aware that the way I was feeling was because I was pregnant. I almost forget about it all day now... except for how chunky my stomach is looking and the tender boobs! You did make me smile with your hair tie expanded hiking trousers 😄 I can report back that H&M's in-store maternity range was hugely underwhelming 😕 Really small stock and nasty material for the clothes I looked at. I still tried a few pairs of jeans on, but none of them fit well so I gave up. Decided to go back to Jojo Maman Bebe's to try stuff on and then order online (thanks for the heads-up about the discount @Bella1984 😉), but turned out the 15% off was in store as well so I was saved! 🙏 It's soooooo nice to be in comfy trousers at work now - I'd forgotten what that was like! 😂

I've not dared! weigh myself in months @Bella1984 , but there's no denying I'm about one dress size bigger from how tight my clothes have gotten 😳 I was worrying that it was pure weight gain but having googled it it seems that there's a big variation in when people start showing. You can apparently start showing from 15 weeks if you've got a shorter torso (which I have), so I think my bulge is a combination of bloat and baby... at least I hope it is and it's not pure fat! 🙈 I do tonnes of walking to and fro work and I'm making sure I drag myself off the sofa at the weekend now that I'm not feeling so rough. How's your swimming going? 🏊‍♀️

I hope everyone is having a good week - happy hump day ladies! 🐪

Hey guys

Yeah I've gone up a dress size too and was showing well before 15 weeks which I am today! Exciting.

Some mat clothes are terrible. I'm going a size up in regular dresses and that's worked. Plus jojo maman bebe can't go wrong with them, glad you got some discount!

It's amazing not feeling nauseous/ vomiting anymore isn't it! I literally had it from week 6 to 13. I do have terrible indigestion though. And getting these sharp side abdominal pains every now and then which is apparently totally normal from week 14ish and called round ligament pain as everything stretches.

At 15 weeks our babies are the size of an apple apparently, which blows my mind as there is so much development and detail already.

It's my last day of work today so I am in great form haha. Hoping the weather improves for my week off.

Happy Thursday ladies xx

Hi, hope everyone is doing well and looking forward to the weekend. And your week off @bella1984. Although think it's going to be quite wet here...

I've not really gained much weight but I've got stocky Scandinavian farmer genes so my weight doesn't ever vary much even when my size does. The only time I ever lost a lot of weight was when I worked in Siberia for a few weeks and 90% of the food was raw onion and this absolutely rank gristely horsemeat that I really struggled to eat 😁 I'm definitely showing now though and have to be careful what I wear out the house as my neighbours are all quite gossipy!

I hope you're back isn't too bad @bella1984. I've got scoliosis and a slipped disc and I'm petrified this pregnancy is going to make my problems worse. I need to try and book in with the physio I use to see if she has any suggestions... I normally walk a lot and cycle or paddle board most weeks, I'm not comfy on the bike just now so will be trying to get out on the lochs a bit more.

Good to know H&M isn't worth bothering with @bambionice80! Maybe I'll just link more hair ties together... I did buy a pair of maternity trousers off ebay so I'll see what they're like. Luckily I'm working from home most of the time and a very casual dresser anyway so I can get away with jogging bottoms most of the day just now...

Hi @OM82

You sound like you haven't put on much at all which is fab. I know we are all different and I am.not comparing at all just interested!

Weather is rubbish here too and predicted forecast is literally 80% chance of rain daily for the 10 days I'm off 🙈

I spent today doing gardening (when dry!) And painted our kitchen it looks great if I may say so myself. Lovely pale sage and white nice and fresh and summery.

I was actually due to have a Mensa test this morning, something I've always wanted to do. It was supposed to be last year but postponed due to covid. I postponed it again due to Baby brain. No way my IQ is it's usual atm ha, it would appear baby brain is a legitimate thing!

My favourite mat clothes are def JMB. I did get a lovely floaty dress from zara and just went up a size it's lovely. Belts will soon be a thing of the past me thinks haha.

We are having a quiet weekend. Football tonight with a take away from our local pub, they started it during covid and still deliver its great getting pub grub at home.

Cooking a roast for my folks tomorrow which should be nice. Did another 30 lengths yesterday go super early and have the pool to myself basically which is great.

Hope you're all keeping OK? When are peoples next mat apps? Looking forward to meeting new consultant on Tuesday. Time is flying now for.me which is great!

Chat soon, hope you all enjoy your weekend

A xx

Ps @OM82 if you need any advice RE your back pain please just ask. Not just a physio but a sufferer now too! I have an icats app in 3 weeks and they are discussing a spinal injection as its so bad and I have nerve root compression. Surgery obvs a no go as is any pain relief. So will see, hoping I can make it through until after the bambino has arrived!

Xx

Morning ladies
Hope everyone is well. Nothing new to report - just checking in 😁

Evening everyone!

My DP had toe surgery so I've been busy running around after him (not good with a broken dishwasher!). And he should be running around after me ha ha!!! It went well though and he's now mobile again (thank god!).

Great news on the test results @BambiOnIce80. I got mine in the post a week after my scan and I'm low risk too. Does seem really silly not just to send them out for everyone.

Glad you had a nice break away @OM82 and good improvising with the hair band on the trousers. A friend just text today to offer me some maternity clothes so hopefully I'll get something that fits.

Great you've been out swimming @Bella1984. I've been super lazy without my walking partner (DP!) but signed up to a work stepping challenge for July so need to get out more. If only it would stop raining!

How's it going with injections @lboogy?

I had another midwife appt on Monday but lasted about 15 mins! Just giving me back all my test results which were all normal and booked me in for week 22 when they said they'll listen to the heartbeat so to bring DP along. 

My mum, sister and my sisters family all came to visit at the weekend. So lovely seeing them. My 4.5 year old nephew was stroking my stomach like a cat and saying hi to the baby. He wants it to be a boy but thinks it will be a girl. My mum is really excited, she was also saying I slept through the night from 10 days old. Everyone is now obsessed with us getting a house sorted. Hopefully our house sale in England completes at the end of July (3rd time lucky!) and can then start looking properly.

Hi @lboogy always good to check in, hi 😊

Sounds like you've had a lot going on @em916

Glad to hear the DP is on the mend. Yes swimming has been great and trying to get 10-15k steps a day which is easier when not working from home! Start my new job next week which is exciting. Had my final da today and work bought me some lovely alcohol free Seedlip Gin it's yum! Currently sipping with some posh fever tree orange and cinnamon tonic they got me. Well I am on my holidays!

Your nephew sounds very sweet 🥰

I had a maternity app today with the consultant and specialist midwife was amazing as they did a scan and we got to hear the heartbeat! 💓 which was strong and a perfect speed, yay. My BP was good too at 112/64. Baby was much calmer today which I think is a reflection of my better mood ha. You can see the whole vertebrae at 16 weeks blew my mind so small but perfectly formed and! The wee face is so much more defined can see the shape of the cheek bones and wee upturned nose, super cute! So that was a lovely surprise.
I have my 19 week scan on 30th July then a wee break until 25 weeks which is good. Gender scan this Friday!

Glad to hear all you tests results are coming back OK, I'm lucky I didn't have to go through that. Ivf is enough isn't it!

Maternity clothes sound good, all my friends with kids are in England / abroad so no hand me downs for me unfortunately. I did get a beautiful moses basket on Gumtree for £20 it's immaculate as good as new. Safely in the loft until needed 👶

Had a busy day so football and bed early for me.

Hope you're all keeping OK?

B xx

I had a mat app today to meet the consultant

Exiting news about the house @Em916 . I'm
In the middle of a refurbished so hopefully it's done before the babies come.

Injections are rubbish. It stings and then the injection site aches for ages after. Can't believe I've got to be on them for 3 months after birth too! Grrrr

Side note , has anyone taken the COVID jab? I'm struggling to decide

Hey @Bella1984 great all the results came
In. Must be a massive relief! Now to relax and enjoy the pregnancy

Apologies for the lack of comms ladies 💐 I've started a secondment at work (into my bosses job for a while), so lots and lots of concentration at work which leaves me unable to string sentences together outside of work! 🥴

Siberia sounds intriguing @OM82 😯 Could do without the raw onions and grisly horse meat though! 🤢 How are you getting on with the ebay maternity trousers?

Sorry to hear the injections are stinging and achey @lboogy 💐 On the covid jab front, I managed to get my second Pfizer dose in February before starting my FET cycle so I'm OK for now. I'll definitely be taking the booster in November if I get offered it though 👍 Incidentally, one of my friends is 33 weeks and had her 1st Pfizer dose about 8 weeks ago... she's caught covid 😟 She feels awful and the midwifery team are keeping a close eye on her in case she hasn't got enough immunity to fight off the complications of covid for her and the baby - I'm so worried for her 😔

Glad to hear you've got your walking partner back @Em916 🙂 It blows my mind that we probably live about a 20 minute walk from each other and yet our midwifery teams deal with results completely differently!! 🤯🤯🤯 I thought I'd be able to gleam what to expect at my 16 week midwife appointment from yours, but maybe not if they do things so differently! 🤷🏻‍♀️ Mines next Thursday (when I'm a day short of 17 weeks 🙄), so I guess we'll see what it entails 🔮 Did they discuss when to get the whooping cough jab with you?

Delighted to hear that your maternity appointment went well @Bella1984 😊 Very excited for the gender reveal on Friday! 🤩

Happy hump day ladies!x

Hi everyone, just catching up too. Taking a bit of a break after my work supervisor sent me an email this morning checking he'd done stuff correctly and he's missed out about 50% of the steps. I've written a really detailed guidance document and an excel to track progress which he totally ignores. argh... Not sure who will be covering my maternity as it's pretty specialised!

Thanks for the offer of help for my back @OM82. For now it seems okay, my physio does craniosacral therapy too (though is NHS physio) and has scoliosis herself so I've always found her really useful and sympathetic. Even when the issues are probably my own fault because I stopped doing my exercises once I felt better!

Hope your house sale goes through smoothly @Em916. It's not really extra stress you need right now. And good luck with buying somewhere, which part of Edinburgh are you looking at again? I had my 16 week appointment reecntly and it was really quick too - probably less than 10 minutes. My community midwife is changing jobs soon so I'll have a new one at my next appointment (also at 22 weeks). I also have an extra scan at 28 weeks and the first consultant appointment after now booked in, I think because of the low papp-a but I am sure they said it would be consultant anyway because of ivf.

Those injections sounds grim @lboogy. Every time I moan now I'll think of you as I'm not sure I could handle much more discomfort, especially self inflicted...

The maternity trousers are great actually @BambiOnIce80 (and well done on the job change, hope it's not too stressful though). They are black skinny ones so much smarter than my normal outfits , it's hard to tell from ebay photos but they only cost £4 so I figured worth the risk. I wore them to a family party on Sunday and everyone commented how good I looked! I was a bit annoyed actually, we've barely told anyone I'm pregnant (I've just told a few friends/neighbours/colleagues who would have definitely guessed, and my parents/sister) but my inlaws seem to have told all their relations so everyone was wanting to hug me and give congratulations. It was really awkward, and I don't want to be hugged just now. My husband is from a family of 6 who share everything so I think it's normal for them, but I'm quite private.

I'm thinking after the 20 week scan I'll feel a bit more comfortable and probably tell work colleagues at least - I'm very slow going up hill on site visits at the moment so some of them I'm sure have guessed, but they're all old men so maybe not! They might just think I've been eating too many cakes....

I had my first covid vaccine (pfizer) at 13 weeks, delayed a bit from my original appointment. I've got a sister in law who's a GP and a friend as well and both their opinions were to go for it (but avoid AZ). They also both said no real evidence to suggest delaying until after 12 weeks, but to do it if I felt more comfortable and also you can get fever from the jag so after 12 weeks would be best (though no real evidence about that either). My husband is a teacher so I feel a bit vulnerable about catching it through him, he's got his second appointment at the weekend so hopefully fairly safe by the time schools go back...

Anyway, that's enough skiving for today!

Just realised what an essay that was - sorry! I think it's because I wrote it on my computer rather than phone

Hi everyone, just thought I'd see how you're all coping in this heat. I've had this week and last on leave which has been great. Lots of siestas and hiding from the sun...

I was in south England on holiday staying at my sister's house last week and really missed the access to rivers and lochs I get at home. Last night we went out paddle boarding but had to wait until 8pm for it to be cool enough! Even managed a skinny dip for about 10 minutes which was the first time I've felt cool in days.

I hope you're all keeping okay.

Hi @OM82

I was thinking about you all in this heat too. I have been back working in the hospital full time hours across 4 days with PPE, it is brutal! We've even had patients faint in the department due to the heat. My clinic room was 31 degrees yday 🥵

Your sisters house sounds lovely I love paddle boarding and go you on the skinny dip, sounds divine! I've been sea swimming before or after work to cool off, only 5 mins to the beach which is amazing.

It's just birthday tomorrow so I am having a family meal at our favourite restaurant the salty dog tonight. Then off to lusty beg island resort and Spa with our dog for 2 nights, beyond excited!

I have my 19 week scan next Friday which I am excited for. Hopefully everything will still be going well.

Mh bump has officially popped to the point random patients ask when I am due 🙈 they are all shocked when I say not until December!

Hope you are all keeping well and I hear some colder weather is on the way thankfully. It will probably rain just in time for my bday as usual but I don't actually mind this year!

Take care all

A xx

Meant my birthday tomorrow! Oops 🥳

Happy birthday for tomorrow @Bella1984 ! 😃🎂🎁🎉🥳🍾🥂 A getaway sounds like just the ticket 😎 How's the new job going?

Your 2 weeks away sounds lovely as well @OM82 🌊😎 The heat has been a bit of a bugger, hasn't it?! 🥵 It's been tricky to get to sleep at night and then even trickier to function at work the next day! 🥱 Your 20 week scan must be soon? Please let us know how you get on 🍀

Not much to report at my end. Have had a weird sore/tender throat for going on 2 months (which has been doing both my head and my throat in!), but the GP thinks she's gotten to the bottom of it now - hoping the awful medicine she's given me for it works soon 🤞 My bump is definitely catching people's eyes too @Bella1984 🤰🏻👀 I'm trying to wear the baggiest things possible to hide it (I'm not intending to tell my team unless the 20 week scan goes OK), but it's funny watching people start off talking to my face and then their eyes slowly gravitate to my bump! 😂 I don't think I'll be surprising anyone as and when I do make the announcement 😏 Other than that, not much going on. Going to be proactive and go and get quotes today to put new flooring down in the spare room and hallway... it needs doing if all goes well with the bambino or not, so best crack on and get it sorted (whilst I'm still on full pay! 💸). 20+3 week scan is still a couple of weeks weeks away, but might start looking at converting the spare room into a nursery if that goes OK 🔮🤞

I hope everything is going well with you guys too @Em916 and @lboogy ❤️ Have a lovely weekend ladies, whatever you're up to.x

Happy birthday @bella1984! I hope you have a lovely day and enjoy your break away. It'll be great to be somewhere away from home, whatever the weather.

Your work in ppe sounds brutal, I could definitely not handle that. I struggle with anything above about 23C so normally enjoy the Scottish summers! I've been swimming in the local loch most evenings this week which has been great.

I hope your throat issues get sorted soon @bambionice80. That sounds pretty frustrating. I've been having lots of issues with stuffy sinuses, which I'm prone to anyway, but can't use my normal tablets just now. Luckily a salt water spray thing seems to be helping.

Hope you manage to find someone to do your flooring. My husband wanted to start sorting the spare room out for a nursery now whilst he's on his summer holidays but I feel it's just too early at the moment. Like you I'm hoping the 20 week scan will give me some reassurance. Mine is a week tomorrow and I'm already starting to get nervous about it.

Luckily I've got a couple of tops where I don't look pregnant at all so have been wearing those when I'm meeting folk, in a t shirt it's very obvious (or you'd think I've been tucking into too much ice cream!) A few folk at work know as it's affecting what I can do but not that many yet. I'll probably tell them in a couple of weeks.

Hope you have a nice Sunday, it should be a bit cooler at least!