TTC/Pregnancy on Prednisolone or similar part 8

[Arianrhod]

A positive thread for all those diagnosed with High or Very High NK Cells and looking to start TTC or already pregnant on Prednisolone and/or Intralipid treatment.

Newcomers very much welcome!

Part 7 www.mumsnet.com/Talk/conception/1452035-TTC-Pregnancy-on-Prednisolone-or-similar-part-7

Part 6 www.mumsnet.com/Talk/conception/1419032-TTC-Pregnancy-on-Prednisolone-or-similar-part-6

Part 5 www.mumsnet.com/Talk/conception/1391787-TTC-Pregnancy-on-Prednisolone-or-similar-part-5

Part 4 www.mumsnet.com/Talk/conception/1366323-TTC-Pregnancy-on-Prednisolone-or-similar-part-4

Part 3 www.mumsnet.com/Talk/conception/1348773-TTC-pregnancy-on-Prednisolone-or-similar-part-3

Part 2 here www.mumsnet.com/Talk/conception/1323594-TTC-pregnancy-on-Prednisolone-or-similar-part-2

Part 1 here www.mumsnet.com/Talk/conception/1236324-TTC-pregnancy-on-Prednisolone-or-similar

Hello all :) Just a quick post today - had another scan today, and baby is still breech so I am going for a section. I have got a date booked, but will keep it quiet for now as we still want it to be a surprise for now :) I am happy to have a section - when you have been through what we have, just having a live baby at the end of it is a perfect birth no matter how it comes out :)

Hope everyone is ok and not melting too much in the heat!

Hello every one
I am new to this group and is looking forward to some guidance from all of you. My story is quite a long one but I will try to cut it as short as possible
Preg 1. Normal DD born in 2003
Preg 2. Miscarriage at 21 weeks 2008
Preg 3 Miscarried at 17 weeks. 2009
All NHs tests were normal
Preg 4. Miscarried. 7 weeks. 2010
Started treatment under dr s
For slightly high nk cells and repeated infections in 2nd trimester
Treatment prednisalone,cyclogest and aspirin with usual vitamins
Preg 5. Miscarried 17 weeks. 2011
Now dr s added hydroxy to the above medicines

BFP yesterday now scared beyond words any positive experiences with hydroxy will help me.dont know what to add more but need some friends who can understand.thanks for reading

Hello Hannah and a big welcome to the Pred Thread, as we so lovingly call it. So sorry to hear of your losses. It must have been awful for you. Glad thought that you have found the treatment. As you now know it is not always successful every time but we are finding that above all, if getting pregnant is not an issue, there is a very good success rate - considering that most of us who have found our way to the treatment have had recurrent losses and may also have a few other health concerns. And none of us (or very few of us I am assuming) are under the mid 30s.

Huge congratulations on the BFP. We can all identify with your fears here and so we allow ourselves to tentatively congratulate each other when we get a BFP, knowing any congratulations in real life will come a few long weeks later when you feel confident enough to tell people.

Quite a few of us have also had a mc on the treatment and had our meds slightly adjusted. So we really understand!

I am not on here as often as I usually am as I have a 9 day old baby to care for! After one loss on the treatment (three previous ones) I got pregnant in October having been on HYdroxy for just two weeks. I think I was only the second person Mr S has tried on the medication. Anyway all in all it was a pretty easy pregnancy (apart from the constant mentalling) and I had my little boy last week. Who knows what made the difference this time but the hydroxy may well have had something to do with it. I was on 40mg of Pred and also had four sessions of intralipids - 4, 8, 12 and 16 weeks. My NKC levels are what Mr S says in the highest 5% of people he sees at the clinic. He delivered my baby for me last week at Epsom General and I thanked him profusely for 'growing my baby'.

As meds go the hyrdoxy is rather pleasant compared to steroids. It can supposedly affect your appetite which is a nice contrast to the weight gain that can come with steroids! I was on it until 36 weeks. I think there are others (Sue?) who are pregnant and on it too - have a look at our list

Things here are ok, just as I feel that I was recovering well from the CS, with just a bit of stinging pain on the skin surface, terrible constipation kicked in and I was up for the last two nights in terrible pain. Knowing it was the worst case I have ever had (and with thyroid, pregnancy, miscarriage, pain meds etc it's a familiar story) I headed up to A&E this morning and endured the most awful, body shocking enema!! A big relief but awful and shocking at the time.

DS is doing well but - and Digi et all you might be able to help me with this - he is wanting to feed so much at the moment. Dr Google tells me it is a 7-10 day growth spurt and just to keep feeding. The trouble is I have now had to go on to all formula as the enema means I am not allowed to feed for 24 hours. I worry he will forget how to/won't want to go back to the breast afterwards! So am expressing profusely to keep up supply.

It's exhausting being on the baby side of things - for everyone yet to get there for the first time - but wonderful too. I love him so much! Which keeps one going through the lack of sleep and the constant worry that I am doing something wrong/something is wrong/something will go wrong... etc etc. I guess that is just a big, fat welcome to parenthood.

Love to all, will be lurking xx

PS battery any questions about the CS fire away!

Also - Sue doppler has been posted - hope it arrives soon. Do bequeath it to someone else further down the line after you have had this baby. Great timing as you reach the second trimester.

hannah you must be terrified you poor thing. As free has mentioned, there has been a lot of success post-mc with hydroxy added. Not that many of us have had many 2nd trimester losses - but I do know that there are a few here who have had tests for hidden infections, so it might be worth scrolling back through the previous thread unless ari and duggs are lurking.

free I hear you on the awful post-partum constipation. I stopped my iron tablets after three weeks when i think I probably gave myself a fissure (but have been too chicken to get it checked out). A&E enema sounds horrific though! I'm still low on iron so am quaffing two sachets of spatone a day. Breastfeeding will dehydrate you so guzzle as much water as you can. Not too much OJ as a mw told me that can give the baby wind. Ds won't forget how to feed after just one day - but he might be a little bit lazy the next day so if you need to encourage him try cup feeding him expressed milk if he refuses the breast. Then try him back on the boob after he's got a taste for your milk. Once he's happily breastfeeding just feed on demand through the growth spurt. Clear your diary and prioritise feeding him as much as he wants for those few days. It'll up your supply and he'll not be as hungry afterwards. Ds2 started off a voracious feeder but now can go up to 10 hours overnight (not in this heat though).

Good luck cheerful!!!

Congrats on graduating to second trimester sue. Seriously feels like its gone so quickly yet I imagine it's dragged by for you.

Not long now for battery either!

Hanah welcome, you poor thing. I think all our losses are very to deal with but to lose them so late in pregnancy when you think you nearly there must be so so heart breaking.
You will get lots of support here. Please look at our stats too. I've had 4 mcs, one on treatment. All these took place following my DS who was conceived quickly and with no issues during pregnancy.
I had my last mc on treatment but only started steroids at BFP.
I echo free - huge congrats on your BFP. We all understand how brilliant it is to see that BFP but also how absolutely terrifying it is as well.

Ps - Free, it gets easier. Buy some lactulose as this is safe. Hope motherhood is going well except for the constipation!

Hi Hannah and welcome to our little oasis of support. What you have been through is so very sad but you sound amazingly brave and you are definitely in the right place for virtual handholding.

Good to hear from you, Free, it sounds as though you are coping brilliantly with the early stages of motherhood. I wouldn't have a bloody clue, but hopefully you are getting plenty of sage advice like Digi's.

Well, had the ERPC today and apart from some very worried faces from Mr S, Louise and the nurse when I felt very dizzy and peculiar after the local anaesthetic was injected followed by lots of hurried blood pressure checking it wasn't as bad as I was dreading, even managed to have a conversation about 50 shades of Grey. Recovering at home and DH has been amazing. Just glad it is over and we can regroup. Interestingly, especially for Hannah, I asked Mr S to retest my NK cells last week and despite Mr S saying they usually go up during Preg. Mine have come down to 1.1 from 2.5 and I was only taking Hydroxy and cyclogest (although Mr S said the Hydroxy wouldn't affect NKc levels).

LJ hope you don't mind me asking but did you bleed quite heavily after your op? I can't remember what is 'normal', sorry to drag up painful memories.

Snoopy still thinking of you and hope you are still fighting hard.

Waves to everyone else. It's pretty quiet on here, I imagine it's because everyone is enjoying the sunshine.

free how frightening! I would recommend dried apricots to help keep you regular. I ate copious amounts of them after giving birth.

Come over to the bf boards on MN to get lots of support from the experts on how to manage if you can't get immediate RL support. I'd suggest putting your baby to the breast as often as you can tomorrow to stimulate your supply. At such an early stage your milk production won't be established. The food of love book is great, get a copy if you can. It explains that boobs aren't like ponds that get emptied and have to wait to be refilled. They are like a factory, taking production plans from your baby
So get him back to the breast as soon as you can and as often.

Thanks a lot it felt really nice after reading your replies . You all are a bunch of helpful people.thanks again...
Freelance big congratulations on the birth of your son. Hope ur constipation is getting better.your post about hydroxy really gave me some confidence to carry on.have a nice time with ur little one and drop in when ever possible.

Digital girl, holldoll and bellyd thanks for your replies. Will look forward to keep updated from all of you. Sorry but I am still reading previous posts to know all about you all

hi hannah im so sorry you have had to go through all that pain, you will find that on this thed we are all battlers ! you are in the right place . feel free to be happy,sad, angry and all of our fav ..stressed ! on here, we have all been there and it helps to talk to people who understand. good luck on hydroxy.

my legs , esp my right started hurting again yest. bummer . i even took a panadol so i could sleep. i have noticed i havint been going to the loo as much so may up the water, also had to miss acupuncture and she was on hols , hoping it will be back on track next week.

free dont worry you sound like you are going to be a fantastic mum.

belly its nice to have fantastic dh isnt it ? i dont know how i would have coped without this, thankgod im not still married to my first husband , he was a total waste of space when it came to looking after me !

is anyone of vit b complex? has it made a diff?

my last day at temp job is 7.8. back to looking for another job after that, have loved working part time !

Well I got my little boy yesterday! 7lbs 5oz of gorgeousness.

It ended in emergency c-section but all is well. I went through about 30 hours of labour - 15 hours in active labour with no pain relief -and got to 8cm but couldn't get any further. In the end it seems I have an odd shaped pelvis and would never have birthed vaginally. Anyway, I'm still glad I gave it a shot so I really feel I tried my hardest to do it the way i had wanted. I'm very lucky he didn't seem to get distressed throughout the long labour.

He's doing really really well and is getting on with breastfeeding although it's a learning curve for us both so we're both practising. I'll be in hospital til Sunday though so I am planning to get as much help as I can.

I'm very very slowly shuffling around and rather sore and also wondering about the first time I will have to got for a first bowel movement too. free it sounds excruciating!

Huge congratulations cheerful! That's wonderful news. Hopi you make a speedy recovery

Congrats cheerful - and welcome to your little son. How exciting! :)

Wonderful news Cheerful. Congratulations on the safe arrival of your little son. Sounds as though it was a bit of a marathon but so glad all is well. xxx

Oh my goodness Charlie!!! A lovely little boy!! I am so excited for you, your post had me choke up with tears. After all you have been through, here he is. I would say I can't wait to hear all about it but I know you're going to be busy/shell shocked/in love/so happy you're crying/lots of other different types of crying/engorged and all sorts of things over the next few days so probably won't be hearing much from you!

Wow to the long labour then EMCS though. It feels odd not to be able to sit up using stomach muscles at first but you will feel better once you have a shower and can gingerly walk. 11 days later I am feeling a sharp stinging at one side of the scar sight so am still on the meds but otherwise, if it wasn't for the awful constipation the other day, wouldn't be too bad at all. Yes to the lactulose! The hospital prescribed me some. Hoping it will keep that awful experience at bay.

Oh - first bowel movement wasn't actually too bad - it sneaked up on me after that, so keep an eye on it with the apricots, water etc.

So glad the operation is over BellyD, awful as it is it is good to get it behind you. When I had an ERPC in August I had already started bleeding before hand, but once I had the op I actually stopped! So I think it can be unpredictable. If you bleed hopefully it won't be more than a heavy period. I remember being so relieved it was over though.

Hannah I know relative Pred Thread newbie Iloveblue (now a RL friend of mine after we 'met' on the miscarriage boards) has had a late loss of 20 weeks and also one that was around 15 I think but turned out to have died at 13 (Blue correct me on this one if I am not quite exact)

PIco sorry the legs have started to ache. I have forgotten what conclusion they came up for it - if any? Carry on with the part-time if you can for the next job!

Digi that is excellent advice as always. Yes I need to make sure I stay on top of the water. I am also taking iron tablets so might have to give those a rest and go on to spatone. Do you buy that from the chemist or is it on prescription? Amazing that DS2 can go 10 hours overnight now! Is that what most babies end up doing ?

Lovely of you to drop in LAF. OOh - the breastfeeding boards hey - I didn't even know they exist and I have a feeling they might become a new obsession if I venture over there! I am missing my hourly daily checks of 'Pregnancy' and 'Childbirth' although of course I have less time than before. The pond analogy is good though - because the tendency is to worry that you need to wait to refill them - so it's good to know that feeding often is the way to go. He was awake every hour last night from 1-3am and I could tell he was missing the breast as he seemed to know where it was rather than searching around for it when the damn thing is pointing at his nose :)

Only a couple of hours to wait and I can start feeding him again. So yes, maybe today is a complete breast feeding day rather than dropping in a formula one. How are you getting on LAF and how old is the baby now? It's so amazing when I think back to where we were this time last year.

We are going to be a little trapped here in Greenwich for the next few days, although it is quite exciting with the whole Olympics thing, but trying to start getting out for short walks and also house hunting (again!).

free it is a miracle to have our DS's considering where we were a year ago. My heart could burst. DS is just over 4 months old and has a little personality now. He gives me the biggest smiles and giggles. It is magic.
He is enormously long, wearing some 6-9 month clothes already.
The Bf board is in "feed the world" there are several BF counsellors who post there and you can get good support and learn a lot.

Good luck to you all on your pg journeys.

Congrats Cheerful what fantastic news!!! Sounds like you really had a hard time of it though!

Hi to Hannah, I am on hydroxy after 6 losses (2 with Mr S on steroids) and it seems to be making the difference seeing as I am 14 weeks today! I also have a 4 year old with no problems at all but then had the miscarriages afterwards. It made me very sad to read of your journey so I hope we can all offer you some reassurance and hand holding. The early days when getting a BFP are awful once you have been through miscarriages/losses. I was on constant knicker watch (still am a bit) so I really empathise with you!

Belly glad the ERPC went OK - funny as I ended up chatting about 50 shades of grey when I was last at NLC too! I bled quite a bit after one of my ERPCs so I think its normal unless you feel dizzy or there is a bad smell.

Had my Downs results back today - have been waiting at the front door for the postman! They put me in the lower risk group with a risk of 1 in 40000 (not bad for a 40 year old!)

Free have sent you a PM but thanks again for the doppler!

Waves to everyone else

Great news re the Downs test Sue! What is the next scan date for you - the 20 week one? Have you got the Doppler out yet? I do hope you have as much luck with finding the hb regularly as I did. I have said this before but it depends on where the baby is sitting, your placenta etc so don't freak out if you can't find it always. It helped fend off about 20 potential A&E trips for me though, am sure.

I found the hb very low down at first, near bikini line, and after a while could differentiate between the wooshing sound where you are hearing it near the placenta and the more beating sound where the baby is. Let me know how you get on! Oh, I used hand sanitiser gel with it most times as it is clear and wipes off easy, but any lotion seemed to do the trick. The less gooey the better though.

charlie wonderful news - congratulations

sue great news on Downs results!

free sorry to hear about your A&E trip - fingers crossed the lactulose does the trick. Great to hear that youre enjoying motherhood, hope the breast feeding day goes well.

belly glad that the ERPC went as well as it could and I hope youre doing ok.

hanah so sorry to hear your heartbreaking TTC journey - you must be a very strong woman! Just remember this is a new pregnancy with new treatment so it has every chance of success - and we can do some virtual hand holding along the way

Im still having lots of symptoms which is reassuring (and knackering). Had some awful news last tho, DHs best friend came off his motorbike and has multiple injuries - its a miracle he survived the night and if he does pull thru Im not sure how disabled he maybe :-( My lovely work colleagues did a fabulous job looking after him tho - makes me remember why I decided on A&E nursing - a fact a sometimes forget when dealing with drunken fools! He has a daughter the same age as my DS and she really needs her daddy so we are hoping and praying for a good outcome.

Hello all,
Welcome hanah, so sorry to hear your sad story, it sounds as though you have been through an awful and heartbreaking couple of years. Congratulations on the bfp, fingers crossed the extra drugs will work their magic.
free I hope the enema has done its stuff, it sounded excruciating. They never tell you these grisly side effects of post partum, I have learnt so much from here!
sue what a relief on the downs test, I bet that felt like a long wait.
cheerfulbig congrats on the safe arrival of your little one, it's very heartwarming to hear about these pred babies arriving.
olives, so sorry to hear the news about your friend I am hoping that he recovers. I can't Maine what that poor family are going through.
Great news on continued symptoms, how far along are you now?
bellyd, I am glad it went as well as it could do today and that your DH is being a star. I have had 2 of the local erpcs and the first one I think I only bled lightly for a few days after. The second one I had retained products and it dragged out a bit.
Apologies for not name checking everyone else, I am still getting to grips with who everyone is and where they are up to!

I had my 6.5 week scan this morning and there was a heartbeat. I was terrified before I went in and still very cautious and anxious as I have been in this situation before where it looks good at first scan and then we get bad news at the second scan. I have brought forward the next scan for a week on Monday so only 10 days to wait! Really strangely I had very bad nausea and actual sickness on Tuesday and wednesday (after moaning about my symptomless preg). It has now gone though and I feel symptomless again, which has obv panicked me again. I know many of you said pred masked the sickness and tiredness. Did anyone who suffered from nausea have it intermittently rather than constant?

I am still a bit nervous to add my stats formally to the list, perhaps if all goes well at the next scan I may be brave enough.
I am off on holiday for a week from tomorrow so may not post much.xx

cheerful huge congratulations to you!! Another pred thread boy!! Pat on the back for going through such an effort with labour, good that you managed to get the cs before any signs of distress too. Take care with your recovery and enjoy your newborn snuggles!

jemima good news on the scan. It's all about small steps and setting yourself manageable goals to reach, so good for you bringing the next scan forward.

bellyd glad the erpc went smoothly and you can take some time to regroup. I took two weeks off after mine and it was the best thing I ever did in all my mc recovery.

sue excellent news on the risk results. Mine was 1:2500 and I was 33 at the time so that's a really reassuring number for you.

Free yes - bf boards are very very useful, the women on there helped me enormously when struggling with feeding ds1. This time round though I knew all the tips to encourage feeding and maintain supply (co-sleeping, skin to skin etc) I just needed help with ds2's latch (blisters and grazes on both nipples) which could only be helped by seeing lactation consultants at my local breastfeeding clinic. Turned out he had tongue tie so got that snipped at 4 weeks and haven't looked back since.
Good luck with the house hunting but do take it easy, I was told to rest as much as possible in the first few weeks to help restore iron supplies.

Is it battery next? Where's that list?

Welcome Hannah, not got time to type much now, but everyone on here has an idea of what you've been through and are going through - it's a great place for support.

Belly - glad yours went ok. Stay strong! Nice to have a glass of wine! I'm still bleeding - just - one week on, but hopefully only one or two days left I'd guess. The tummy aches went about a day or so ago. I feel the bleeding and aching carried on longer than the two ERPCs I've had before, but I couldn't be certain on this.

xxxx

Cheerful. Congratulations on the safe arrival of your little baby boy! More lovely news. Hope you make a speedy recovery from the op and get home soon!

Hannah welcome, and so sorry to hear what you've been through. I do hope all goes well with your current pg and we're all here to hand hold as free says.

LJ and Belly hope you're both coping as well a can be expected.

Jemima glad all well with the scan.

Suegood results for the nuchal.

Battery you're next!!

Waves to everyone else!