The Elderberry Pavlovas are tooling up and making plans to bust out of this joint! Evacuation by helicopter by end of September, no berry left behind!

[barkingtreefrog]

The smallprint –
Berries have a strict entrance criteria (TTC #1, over 30, TTC for 12+ months, NO instadiffers, must have a special pot and definitely no mention of baby dust or baby dancing).
Those not abiding by the rules may be escorted from the premises.

Oo Happy whilst it's rubbish you have to pay, it's a bit of good news that you can have three goes! What a long time to wait for the letter. As you've said if I was that slow I'd be sacked too! Are things still on track for starting after your wedding?

Wildflower and Chloe how did your appointments go?

Tiger sounds like you've had a lovely weekend! So pleased you loved Dublin. I have the first scan tomorrow to see if I can start the drugs. Am a bit nervous! Thanks for asking. Will you be celebrating on Wednesday as well for the big 34? Fx this is your year.

happy What a joke with all of that waiting with the NHS. It really annoys me that having private treatment can affect your entitlement, it shouldn't play a role at all. So unfair. The people who work hard and put money aside end up paying twice for everything in the UK. Rant over!

wfm How did you get on at your appt?

tiger Wishing you a happy birthday for Wednesday in case I forget. Hope all you teacher berries are enjoying a well earned break.

There was a huge drama before my appt today. Arrived at the FC to find it cordoned off and surrounded by fire engines and ambulances. Turns out an oxygen tank had exploded in the plastic surgery 2 floors below injuring 3 people. They reopened the building not long after I got there and managed to get the appts back on track. Had to see a different dr as mine had taken some patients (presumably those due for EC and ET) to another clinic. I really feel sorry for them, as that's the last thing you need on the day of the procedure - I really hope it didn't mess things up for anyone. I'm sure they must have a back-up plan in place for that kind of thing though.

Anyway, all went well, everything is going as it should. Thanks for asking everyone! Have to go back in 10 days for the next US.

Forgot to say seren Good luck for EC, hope it's going ahead tomorrow as planned. Pom poms at the ready!

Just popping in to say good luck beaky for your scan tomorrow, hope it all gets moving quickly.

I'm lurking for a bit. Looks like the chunk of horribleness was the end of the mc fingers crossed as I've been bleeding heavily for the last couple of days and I've decided this is now AF. Shockingly, given the 3-4 months I was waiting for it last time while desperate to start the clomid, and ironically, given we can't do IUI for months anyway.....

Xpost congrats Chloe

Hello Berries < kicks away remaining tumbleweed >

I was away at the inlaws over the weekend so am having an overdue catch up with the internet and the washing! I am very jealous of you teacher berries with your summer break starting; enjoy the well deserved rest.

beaky hope the scan goes ok tomorrow; I'm sure the timing will be fine!

bushy I wouldn't worry about the neighbours choosing a name you like; unless you are really close I don't that should stop you using the same name if you wanted.

happy good news that you are now on the waiting list and that you can do up to 3 private cycles. I think its ridiculous that it has any bearing on what you are entitled to. That wouldn't happen in any other area of medicine, particularly if treatment was unsuccessful.

chloe glad your appointment went well, it sounds pretty stressful though with the drama going on!

barking sounds like you are making progress - I'm so pleased. I hope you can relax and enjoy your holiday.

I'm trying to find enthusiasm for round 2 of IVF; if I weren't as old I don't think I would be jumping in again so soon. I've just spent £60 on supplements online and I had to go and get bloods done again this morning - arrived before phlebotomy opened and still waited 25 mins. Have dummy embryo transfer and 3D saline infusion sonography appointment next week - NHS seem to have a different pre-IVF procedure than the private clinic. First time around it seemed almost exciting (hope that doesn't sound odd) and with promise of it working; not so this time .

Blimey chloe that is a drama. Still, v pleased all is as it should be for you!

beaky outdoor theatre and sparkly wine picnic the evening of my birthday (as described and planned by OH, bless him) but otherwise just work and the like. Good luck tomorrow.

Hey kuma totally understand how hard it must be to find enthusiasm but perhaps a lack of expectation is no bad thing in some ways. Just take care of yourself and keep on going with it, that's all you can do for now. In the meantime, we'll be here cheering you on whenever you need it

Just had to tell the tv to fuck off. Some new bbc drama called in the club, about, you guessed it, pg ladies! Cheers beeb, nice one.

tiger welcome back to this side of the Irish Sea. And massive congratulations on your jam! Strawberry and gooseberry sounds lovely, yum yum on nice toast with lots of dripping butter. Did you make strawberry jam and also gooseberry jam separately or is it both fruits in together?

I've made a Very Important Decision which is to plant a gooseberry bush in our garden. DH then reminded me that babies are found under gooseberry bushes. Well not really, but it's an old tale told to children, similar to the stork bringing babies. I thought it was very sweet he remembered that story. At the very least I can make some jam with the gooseberries!

Chloe I was very impressed with your dramatic FC visit. I thought it was hilarious, which probably means I have no empathy for people hauled out of delicate appointments.

barking aren't you in holiday? So glad to hear that everything is moving along for you. Hopefully you will be able to properly enjoy your holiday with the help of AF.

Kuma glad to see you are getting on ok. You must feel like this is a real slog now. Remember Feather's wisdom...our time will come.

You are all so sweet for asking about my appointment with the fertility consultant. It was fine. He said it's more or less now or never for IVF, which I agree with. I asked him to talk through what IVF would mean for me, what I have to do in practical terms, how many visits to the clinic I'd need to make etc. What he said was helpful as it made the process seem more feasible and less scary.

I finished it by saying I'd research some clinics and make a decision. We will have to go private for IVF because DH already has grown-up DCs. This appointment was an NHS one but the consultant, naturally, runs the nearest private IVF gaff. The results there are fair, from what I can remember of the HFEA statistics. I had thought of going somewhere further away but which has a good reputation. For those of you who had the choice, how did you decide on a clinic?

Evening all!

Sounds like most of us had a nice weekend.

Going back to the topic of whether NHS treatment should still be possible after having private treatment, I think the rationale behind this thinking is if you say have three rounds of private treatment which don't work then it is more likely that IVF will be unsuccessful in the future. Given the very limited resources of the NHS, they wouldn't want to seem to be throwing good money after bad. So I can kind of see their point but at the same time we all pay our taxes so why shouldn't we get our NHS entitlement?

Hi Kuma! Can't believe you're starting with the next IVF round albeit a slightly different protocol. I guess it was a bit like me earlier this year being rushed through treatment before the big 4 0. I can understand your lack of enthusiasm after last time. Really really hoping that this is your time though. Would you consider using donor eggs if it were unsuccessful?

Glad all was well with the scan Chloe. One day at a time is all you can do I guess.

How was EC Serentity? The pom poms are at the ready!

Good luck tomorrow Beaky.

Very jealous of the hols Happy, although I wouldn't be prepared to put up with the shit you have to on a day to day basis. Ridiculous about the IVF wait although like you say if everyone gets 3 go's, that probably explains why. Hopefully you'll have some honeymoon diffment, if not, at least on your first private cycle.

I had my teach appointment on Friday for the FET. My drugs are getting delivered on Thursday and I start stabbing on 1st Aug. I then have a checkup on 15th to see if I am properly down regged before taking the oestrogen tablets. The nurse mentioned that they had reviewed the policy about how many embies to put back since we had the meeting in April. I quite firmly told her that as I was 40, I definitely wanted 2 putting back. She called back later in the day to say that the doctor had confirmed that this was OK. Annoyingly they never mentioned that DH had to attend to sign paperwork too so he needs to pop in on the way to work at some point.

Hi to anyone I've missed! Bedtime. Zzzzzz

hi all - back to work post hols so rather busy. Just swinging by to say good luck to rp for today, isn't it your 12 wk scan?

Hi Nolly - yes, delurking - it is this afternoon and am terrified actually feel a bit sick due to nerves.

Hope it all goes to plan rp (also delurking) fx for you

Hi everybody!
I feeling a bit Simpson-ish today
Just a quick post before I go and catch up on a weeks worth of posts.

I had egg collection today. I had six follicles but only 3 eggs. I will admit to bring disappointed by the low number. Feel jealous as the FS said that DHs sperm was textbook perfect.
We have chosen last minute ICSI to improve the chances of something actually occurring. They will implant on Saturday if all goes well.

I can't say the proceedure was pleasant. I'm comparing to bring kicked in the balls internally.

Apart from that I hope everyone is fab.

well, will be thinking of you rp.oh for the days of excitement rather than worry, eh? coming your way soon I hope.

Good luck today rp. Let us know how you get on!

serenity am appropriating the phrase: 'eggs is eggs' so here's hoping for some good progress for the three you do have! It only takes one!

Hi nolly, hope you're well!

Am shattered and realised I have an important meeting this afternoon. Argh!

Holy moly, that'll teach me not to leave you lot unattended for so long again!

chloe great news, not so much the FC drama tho! What a 'mare
serenity it only takes one good 'un so keeping all spare appendages crossed for a good one to go back this weekend.
wildflower glad you've got a bit more clarity now - hope you find the right clinic for you now.
rp waiting with baited breath for your good news this afternoon
tiger welcome home, sounds like a fantastic break! Was the weather as amazing as it has been over here? That BBC programme sounds utterly dire
gill it's finally time - hope you're not too terrified (I only say that as I know I will be totally bricking it when it comes to our turn).
kuma i can see how the emotions will be very different this time round. Maybe remember that stupid playground rhyme 'first's the worst, second's the best' (and let's hope third isn't needed - no-one wants a baby with a hairy chest!)

Nowt going on here. Had a lovely weekend, went to watch MrP's dragon boat racing which was good fun (despite being infested with bumps including one (barely pg) colleague of his who warned me not to stand next to her if i didn't want to get pregnant as 'it's catching' - I was proud of myself for not thumping her).

Proceeding out of AF week with as little attention to OV dates as possible. Just going to shag as and when possible and not thinking about it at all who am i kidding

Gillster and Seren, congrats! Sounds like you are both on the journey - fx!

Scan was fine. Thank you to everyone for good wishes! We have one baby, correct number of arms, heads etc. they couldn't complete the nuchal fold test to scan for Down's as the bean was too wriggly so I have to go back next week for another, but there is no evidence that in spite of my advanced age I am at high risk.

Phew!

Great news rp very happy for you

Great news rp! So happy for you!

rain weather was pretty good - in fact on Sat better than at home as we managed to avoid rain.

wild definitely plant that gooseberry bush! And if you can find a baby underneath it that really would be a bonus! I made strawberry and gooseberry jam combined - but with the lemon juice and pectin in the gooseberries it turned out a little firmer than I would have liked, as I prefer my jam on the runny side. Will learn for next time.

Just heading to a taster session with a contemporary choir...feeling a bit nervous suddenly. it was one of my crazy ideas when I decided to do more in my free time!

Go Dino baby!

Thank you - and all of your turns will be coming SOON!

Hi berries, just dropping by to say the iui is a no go. Scan today showed I have two cysts, one on each ovary (wonderful) so they will rescan next cycle again. It looks likely there will still be cysts then though due to size etc so may need to have an aspiration. I'm a bit gutted.

Anyway, glad your scan went well RP! Are you feeling any better as didn't you have quite bad sickness? Feather is your 12w scan soon too? And how is Win doing?

Tiger your birthday celebrations sound like they will be lovely! Your dh sounds sweet. How was choir?

Rain you should have made like father ted and kicked her up the arse, she wouldn't have expected it and therefore not believed you had actually done it!

Any sign of Funky lately?

Gill and Kuma great that things are getting underway again soon and fx for both of you.

rp great news from your scan. Keep up the excellent work.

tiger thank you fir the jam update. Striking the right firmness is a tricky business.

beaky rubbish about the cysts. These things are sent to try us.

Sleep time now. I'm already shattered and it's only Tuesday.

Aw beaky sorry to hear about the cysts. Totally understandable to be disappointed. What are your issues again, or are you unexplained? Sorry I can't quite remember. The choir was good, I think I may do it for a term and see how it goes...

beaky sorry you've had rubbish news re cysts love, that's crap. Hope you're okay.

RP congratulations on the healthy wriggly bean!!!

nolly yes I've signed my record deal with St Mary's, not Stepping Hill. It's further but they could get me on the books quicker and.. well, they're a bit better aren't they!
I've received a questionnaire pack to fill in and return, need to get that done asap this week. Got it last week but been busy (husby's 30th bd today and we went camping with 16 mates to the Lakes at the weekend, so been preoccupied). Had my day 3 bloods taken last week - af finally turned up after a 41 day cycle, ridiculous. F*cking annoyed tbh as the nurse said when I went for the test that I was overdue my smealr test. Turns out the Dr forgot to do it whilst I was having my swabs taken the other week. FFS as if it's such an enjoyable experience I want to go back for more...
Husb is irritating me a bit at the moment, berries. I feel awful slagging him off but he's really not prioritising doing his pot-of-fun test! He's still not done it, despite the Dr recommending it over a month ago when I first starting tests. I've been through the start of the process now with bloods, swabs, and was even in the room for my scan and dildocam surprise. But he's putting off the cup job as it would be scary if he found out "that something was wrong". Deep breaths kitten, deep breaths.....