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Angels and Rainbows - remembering our angels and praying for rainbows

995 replies

missalexandra · 09/09/2014 18:16

New thread ladies, hope it brings us all good luck.

OP posts:
Ducky23 · 01/12/2014 18:40

Sorry Anna I had already welcomed you! (Baby brain!)

There's no such thing as sharing too much on here I don't think!

And sorry for the awful spelling on my last post, am on my phone Grin

giantmama · 01/12/2014 21:10

anna this is all quite famiiiar. I'm 38, lost my boys in August, trying again now even though I'm terrified of being pregnant again. I wonder if I'm more terrified of that than of never being able to conceive again. I really want to bring a baby home, and for lots of reasons it would be so much better for us if it happened at the soonest opportunity. Anyway, fear has ruled ever since my babies were taken from me and I was almost snuffed out too. Before all this, I was aware of never having lost someone very close to me and not knowing how utterly devastating it is. I bloody well know now. Grief is a form of madness - I honestly can't tell you where I've been, who I've seen, what I've said half the time. We checked in with the neonatal psychologist again today and it was actually rather good to come away reassured that we are not, in fact, losing it.

Ducky we're going to a friend's wedding on Saturday but the psych consultant advised us to find some time that day to mark the occasion for ourselves and give it the weight it deserves.

Thanks cake

Hugs to all x

Annaelisabeth · 02/12/2014 01:57

Hi Giantmama and Ducky23, I will write a little more sometime soon but in the meantime I wanted to say thanks. Thanks so much for responding, thanks so much for being so kind and for sharing your knowledge and experience. Your help has given me more than 100 sittings with the therapist could. Thank you, thank you, thank you. xxa

Cakebaker35 · 02/12/2014 13:44

Another 38 year old here, there must be something in the air. giant you are so right about grief being a form of madness, I completely agree about not knowing what you've done or what you've said half the time. We are seeing a neonatal psychologist too, it's really helpful to have the sessions just to take some time out and as you say check you're not losing it even if you feel you are. I hope you're able to keep going as long as you need. We have been told we can go for as long as we like and are currently going very couple of weeks.

anna a sad but warm welcome, I'm so very sorry for the loss of your son. My son W was born 6 weeks ago today and died 8 days later. It is still very raw but I keep plodding on as best I can for our dd. As for ttc again, I have no advice to offer yet as I'm not actively ttc although I hope I will feel brave enough sometime. As you say, when you're a bit older there is a feeling you need to crack on but its so so scary. Also I had an emcs so physically I do need to wait but not really sure how long, it's something I will need to discuss with the consultants when I feel ready.

Afm, To add to the 'fun' of my days at the moment, I had to go to the dr as I found a lump down below. Gulp. Tmi warning - I had my first period last week, heavy but pretty normal, then yesterday I seemed to have another bit of blood but fresher and redder. I'd run out of sanitary towels so tried putting a tampon in and something didn't feel quite right. So I checked and quickly felt a hard, pea sized lump just inside my vaginal canal. I was totally terrified. Saw the Dr this a.m who checked me over and assured me this is relatively common and is a bit like a varicose vein/pile type thing caused by pressure, probably by my super fast labour as I was 9 cm dilated in under an hour. Anyway, I'm told it will go by itself but to go back if I have any pain/ bleeding. Has anyone else had anything similar? At least this is a physical reason not to even consider ttc at the moment! It's almost easier to know we physically can't so I don't have to decide, if that makes any sense at all.

Sorry for rambling and tmi! X

MademoiselleG · 02/12/2014 17:01

A very sad but warm and heartfelt welcome Giant and Anne . I am so incredibly sorry for the loss of your babies and for the terribly scary times you've had.
Our baby 'G' had open spina bifida starting from high up on the spine and had a very bleak life prospect. We made the decision to terminate the pregnancy in July. I was only 15 weeks as we were 'lucky' that this was diagnosed at the first scan. I realise this is incredibly different to giving birth to a stillborn baby; the pain I feel is at times so overwhelming I can hardly breathe and I can't even begin to imagine what you ladies have been through.

I'm on my phone which makes it hard to scroll back and resound individually, but it's so sad to welcome new people to this thread. I wish no one ever had to go through this ever again.

Lots and lots of love
Ps: no such thing as oversharing on here x

Annaelisabeth · 02/12/2014 18:12

Ducky23, I'm so happy to hear you're pregnant again, it can't have been an easy ride so far. I'm neurotic anyway and when I was pregnant with our daughter I was a real pain in the ass. When I was pregnant with our son I was taking it a bit easier which I'm kicking myself about now. What if I'd lived a bit healthier, been more carful about what I ate etc etc etc... I can only imagine what a wreck/monster I would become if pregnant again after this. I'm taking my vitamins when I remember to do so and we'll see how it goes.

Giantmama, I know so well what you mean. For me the loss of memory has been pretty bad. I find myself walking into a room and having no idea what I'm doing there. I forget what I did the day before and what I planned for the day ahead of me. My therapist assures me that this is normal but I feel like I'm really loosing it. Also I started having these intense feelings of anger last week, just anger for no specific reason. I guess this could be hormonal but on top of everything else I really felt C R A Z Y.

Cakebaker, how old is your daughter? Ours is 2,5. When her little brother died she was just on the cusp of understanding what had happened and in a way that was our saving grace. I still feel I let her down and that I let my husband down too.

MademoiselleG, I think grieving isn't meant to be measured or compared. Loosing a child is a very personal experience and everyone has the right to grieve in their own way. A pregnancy becomes a baby, a dream of the future and real love to people at different times. Sometimes the love is born even before conception and sometimes later.

Sending positive thoughts to everyone.

Xa

Cakebaker35 · 02/12/2014 20:05

anna I totally share those feelings of anger, just very random and they do seem to creep up on me. It's a horrible feeling, as you say it feels like you're crazy, but I'm assured it's common. I felt like throttling a woman in the post office queue the other day just because she was moaning about the wait. I just wanted to yell at her what the hell does it matter?!!? Thankfully I didn't but I was unpleasantly surprised by how angry I felt Angry Sad Blush
Our dd turned 3 last week, I found her birthday really hard as it should've been her last as an only one. I know these are my feelings projected onto her as she doesn't understand what being a sibling is like, but like you I feel guilty. I know it's not rational but it's there. Does your dd ask any questions or understand what's happened? We were given some good advice on how to talk to your dd about what had happened. She did meet her brother and touch his hand, I'm so glad she did but it obviously also means she has lots of questions, and will continue to. That's incredibly hard to deal with on bad days but on good days I feel lucky that she got to meet him at least.

MademoiselleG · 02/12/2014 20:30

Wow. So many of us with 2-3 year old daughters.
Cake, Giant, I get the anger and the "what the heck does it matter really?". I get it all the time. I want to shake people into realising how cushy they have it and how happy they actually are, so they make the most of it. What really hard to get me (and still does at times) is the small talk with perfect strangers: "how are you today? How's you day going? Are you having a good day? Oh, bye then, have a great day!" - all said in perfect innocence and benevolence, but they resonate with me.
Cake, the thought of your daughter meeting your baby made me start sobbing. It's so sad and so unfair. It's amazing that she did though as all the research proves that the more you proactively tackle circumstances around stillbirth and grief, the 'easier' it is to deal with in the future. You'll always be able to tell her she met him.
Ducky, I'm sorry you're finding it so tough. I think about you all the time. You're so close. You're nearly there. You are in my thoughts, always.
Critter, any news?
AFM- I went back to my therapist today, the one I've been seeing for a year since she came back from mat leave. She's pregnant. 34 weeks. I could have been 35 now. She's going on Mat leave next week. I felt physically sick but couldn't tell her.
Oh and I think I'm on the dreaded 2ww again...

Cakebaker35 · 02/12/2014 20:52

madem sorry to have made you sob x yes we were encouraged by the neonatal team to take dd in to see W while he was in intensive care. Initially we were worried, we didn't want her to be upset but they advised at this age they really don't see what we see, just a baby rather than all the tubes etc. they were absolutely right - she just said oh it's my baby brother, isn't he tiny and touched his hand. She wasn't at all upset and in typical pre schooler fashion then began charging around the ward! It was a very bittersweet experience for us, but for her she has a memory of him and I hope that will help her in the long run.
I'm so very sorry about your visit to the therapist today, what a horrible shock for you. I would've thought they would let you know in advance, unless you're seeing her for other reasons? Apologies if I've missed this part of your story. X fingers crossed for your 2ww x

MademoiselleG · 02/12/2014 21:41

There is a different part to that story indeed, but she knew. It's not her fault, I wish her well, but gosh did it hurt. Two perfect babies, easily conceived, healthy etc. Everything I couldn't have.
It made me acknowledge my feelings of guilt. I didn't even realise how prominent they were until today. Not about terminating (well...) but about making a poorly baby. I know it's not rational but today, that's what I am looking at.
Your toddler sounds so well balanced cake ! I can totally picture her charging around. I wish our daughters could meet. I wish I could support some of you in the very raw, all consuming stage of grief. So hard.

CritterPants · 03/12/2014 08:36

Ugh madem I am so sorry about the therapist. I would see a different one, personally - had you not seen her for a while? If she's any good, she will understand that she isn't the right person for you to see right now. I have found my feelings of jealousy towards some pregnant women and women with babies really hard to deal with. I think it's just that it is such a natural thing for most people, it makes it all the more stark how messed up our experiences are.

cake that is incredibly precious and also heartbreaking that your little girl met her baby brother. It must be unbelievably hard to explain what happened to W to her, when it's hard to even explain it to yourself - I mean, nobody can explain why terrible tragedies happen. I do think that it will mean a huge amount to her that she met him, when she is older. My mum had a stillborn son at 36 weeks before she had me and my sister, and growing up, she talked to us about him, and we always knew we were her second and third children, not her first and second (although no less loved of course!). My parents still visit his grave every year and my DH and I actually chose to name our son after him (before we knew he would die too). It may sound odd but it's really precious to me that he was always remembered with so much love and as a much-missed part of the family.

anna - welcome to our thread, I am so sorry that you're here, but glad that you found us. I'm so sorry you lost your precious little boy. It must be very hard to look after your little girl while you grieve. Three months out is no time at all, so just take it day by day. I lost my son James in January at 39 + 3 under similar circumstances - after a textbook pregnancy, some blood vessels in his cord ruptured (and I may have had a placental abruption too, they don't know) and he was born by emergency c section but only lived 20 hours on a ventilator in the NICU due to massive brain damage from oxygen deprivation. On TTC again - I couldn't see whether you had a c section or a normal birth, but if you had a normal birth I think it's ok to try after one period, as ducky says, and if you had a c section the conservative advice is usually 6 months - although I know women who have tried after 3 and had normal pregnancies. If you want to VBAC then the risk of uterine rupture (which is very small anyway, but obviously that means little when you've been on the wrong side of the statistics) goes down after 9 months (i.e. 18 months between births).

On the vitamins and minerals thing -my obstetrician told me to take prenatals constantly to replenish them. I think sadly it is more of an issue for women who are breastfeeding which isn't a problem for us Sad.

One other thing (and I don't say this to be the voice of doom) - one of the horrible things about TTC after a loss is that you don't get a free pass for it to be all ok, so you have to be prepared for that. I had a mc in the summer, and it was the lowest that I felt since the awful agonising days after getting back from the hospital without my son. I'm now nearly 8 weeks pregnant again but it's been absolutely terrifying, and you have to be emotionally prepared for a difficult ride - I was super laid back during my first pregnancy, despite having gone through two years of infertility and IVF, but I'm very anxious now (although incredibly grateful to be pregnant 10 months after my loss).

intheory welcome and I'm so sorry you lost your little boy T.

giantmama welcome, and what an absolutely devastating story, that must have been unbelievably traumatic. It absolutely broke my heart to hear about your littlest twin trying to breathe, and his poor brother. What little fighters, what courageous little hearts. I wish this hadn't happened to you and your family. I think you're spot on about grief being a form of madness. I get overtaken sometimes by such powerful rage and misery that it terrifies me. They feel physical, like physical sensations. And it is incredibly hard to carry on with normal life and remember things and stay on top of all the usual relentless admin that it involves.

ducky I can imagine that this last final stretch must be absolutely nail biting. Hang in there. I know your little girl's upcoming birthday will be a painful milestone - I am dreading J's first birthday next month, although unbelievably grateful that at least I will (hopefully, all being well, touch wood) be pregnant with his little brother or sister. We will be thinking of you and holding your hand.

kayleigh I've been thinking about you a lot with the run up to the holidays and hoping that you are ok. I know it's bound to be incredibly hard with your other two little ones excited about Christmas, and of course it's overwhelming to think about how this Christmas should have been for your family. How are you doing? You're clearly such a warm and caring person, and I worry that you don't put yourself first. I really hope you're as ok as can humanly be possible right now.

ellieandanna I had a really similar experience to you - if I'd got to the hospital a little earlier, the outcome would still probably be a very severely brain damaged child. Like you, I wouldn't want that life for my child if he was completely incapacitated and couldn't even breathe on his own. I got a very strong sense of what he would have been like from his face - he had a determined little expression and I thought he'd be like his dad who is very sporty, a bit of a jock. But it is SO hard, all the what ifs. On counselling - you may decide to go later, you don't have to take that decision now. If your DH finds - or you find - that down the road, you would like to see someone, you can always do that. In the immediate aftermath of J's death I didn't want to see anyone (and in the US it can be expensive as many psychiatrists don't accept health insurance) but later I might have gone to see someone, had it been easier to organise and pay for. To be honest, the most helpful thing I have found has been talking to other people who have been through the same thing. I've chatted on here, and also there's a closed Facebook group for women who've lost a baby to HIE or oxygen deprivation (which you might like to join - you just need to send a message asking to join and then post a little story about your baby, and if you want, share a photo) - it's called the HIE Loss Support Group. And in the UK, there's SANDS. Anyway I am so sorry you're here in the first place, it is just awful, awful, and so incredibly unfair.

lake the story about your DH kissing the photo of your bump every night before he goes to sleep brought tears to my eyes. It is so wrong that you both just have her footprints but not your precious little daughter. I'm so sorry. How are you doing with work?

salsmum thanks for sharing that poem.

blue how are things with your little one? It must be surreal - painful and wonderful at the same time.

earth thinking of you and hope everything has settled down with your family stress. Lots and lots of love to you, kind lady.

betty I hope you're ok, thinking of you.

tulip hope all is continuing uneventfully with your pregnancy. Big hug.

AFM all is ok. I had another scan yesterday at 7 + 5 which showed a heartbeat and that the baby has grown. No more heavy bleeding, thank God. I spoke to my lovely OB who delivered James last night, he gave me a call after I emailed him to let him know I was pregnant and set up my first appointment, and he advised me to cancel some work trips I have coming up, which I will try to do. Have been very tired and sick but just so grateful and thankful to be here after the painful road of the past 10 months, and the three years before that. Love to everyone.

Ducky23 · 03/12/2014 11:13

Hi guys

Just a quick update as my mind is mush ATM (no sleep) Confused

Went for my final growth scan yest and baby has shot off the growth chart Confused he is measuring at 41 weeks. They seent me for diabetes tests but they came back negative.

Due to his size he is having a hard time moving which is causing me more stress Confused and am struggling to see how I can make it another few days without going completely insane.

Unbelievable, they kept saying dd was so tiny. I've gone to the other extreme now!

Am considering bringing induction forward (again!)

Hope to check in properly soon, thank you for thinking of me Smile

Love to everyone x

BettyFriedansLoveChild · 03/12/2014 11:59

Ellie, Giantmama and Anna, welcome to the thread. So sad to see so many new people on here, but I hope that you find this a comforting place to be. We lost our DD2 in May at 35 weeks after a placental abruption (we also have a 2.5 year old DD1), and I can identify with so many of the things that you have all written about. I have found great comfort in talking to other people who have been through similar experiences - prior to this, I was totally ignorant of the fact that in this day and age babies still die, which made the experience so much worse, as it was such a shock. In an odd way, knowing that this is (sadly) not so unusual has made it easier to deal with.

Critter, glad things are going well and the bleeding has stopped. Have been thinking of you and wishing good vibes to your little emby.

Ducky sounds stressful. How far do you think they will be able to bring induction forward by?

Ducky23 · 03/12/2014 12:02

And good news about the scan critter Smile

Betty am thinking Friday, it's currently planned for Monday.... Will see how things go Confused

LakeOfDreams · 03/12/2014 12:13

Firstly I'm on my phone so if I forget anyone I'm sorry!!
Madem must be tough to have to see a therapist who is so obviously pregnant I guess she'll be going on mat leave soon so you won't be seeing her for a while. I find it tough being around pregnant colleagues although I'm sure they find it hard being around me. I don't imagine anyone who is enjoying pregnancy wants to be reminded that not everyone takes home a baby at the end of it.

Critter so glad the bleeding has stopped and the little twibling has a heartbeat and is growing well.

Ducky so sorry you are finding the last few days so hard. Are they inducing you at 38 weeks? It must be so hard when you just want the baby in your arms but know it's best for them to stay inside and keep growing. What have the hospital said? If you are concerned about movements can they step up your monitoring and get a community midwife to see you every day or 'pop' (depending on how close you are) to the hospital every now and then? I'm lucky as I work at the hospital and the stillbirth counsellor told me that a lot of ladies who have had similar losses pop over to the maternity suite every shift just to help them get through a day and apparently the midwives are happy with that!! They must be expecting you to be anxious, my head would say if the baby is a good size then it should be OK coming out a few extra days early if it's too much stress for you. Hope these last few days fly by and you get the reassurance you need.

AFM went to E's grave yesterday and 'everyone' has been decorating. My my got some sparkly dried flowers so she won't look completely left out. Not sure how I feel about decorating, was thinking of seeing if I can find a pretty wreath. I just can't find anything that's perfect yet doesn't help that I don't know what would be perfect!!
Got the week off this week as I still have so much holiday accrued, currently freezing to death as our landlord decided to get a new boiler so the boiler man has the door wide open all morning and obviously we will have no heating for a few days.

Had a couple of tough days at work, won't share too much but lots of very sick little people at the moment. Had a tough money with a very junior colleague who lost a relative 7 weeks ago and spent a whole 12.5 hr nightshift crying unfortunately we were really short staffed and they couldn't let her go home, she then phoned and spoke to me due in the day to tell me how hard she was finding it. Found it hard to be sympathetic but managed to find some empathy from somewhere! We've managed to organise a gradual return to work for her so hopefully that will help!!

Much love to everyone

LakeOfDreams · 03/12/2014 12:18

Oh dear autocorrect fail

my mum got the flowers for E

And I had a tough moment with a colleague not money?!!

Silly iPhone

Ducky23 · 04/12/2014 08:27

Lake I hope work has been a bit easier for youSmile

I am 37 weeks today Shock so will be 37+4 on my induction, however I had a massive massive wobble yesterday so am seeing the consultant today to see if my date will be moved to tomorrow or if it will be kept at Monday with daily monitoring.

Scary!

BettyFriedansLoveChild · 04/12/2014 10:36

Good luck with the consultant appointment Ducky, I hope that they take your wobble seriously. If think that if it was me I would want baby out and in my arms before the weekend.

AFM - got a very faint BFP yesterday afternoon, and a nice strong one this morning. Delighted but also absolutely cr*ing myself, and haven't been able to concentrate on anything since finding out. Praying that it sticks. Am wondering if there is any chance of seeing heartbeat on a scan before christmas? - would be 7.4 on christmas eve, is that far along enough for an external scan? Hoping to be offered an NHS one, but have decided that we will pay for a private one if not. Obviously can't tell anyone in real life (apart from DP) about this yet, so offloading here.

Ducky23 · 04/12/2014 12:14

Omg Betty congratulations Smile that is excellent news Smile it's understandable to be scared, I was terrified! I was given an nhs scan at 6+2 and it was an external one

LakeOfDreams · 04/12/2014 12:32

Betty congratulations fantastic news.

We went for an early scan with E at about 7 weeks and it was external.

InTheory · 04/12/2014 12:48

Thank you all for the welcome and hello to the others who have recently joined.

Congratulation on the BFP Betty, lovely news. I think there would be a big possibility of seeing a heartbeat before then.

Ducky hope you are doing ok. Good luck with the consultant.

Lake I have been there when it is hard to find sympathy for others. So tough.

AFM I have suspicions I may be pregnant again, my AF is four days late with no signs of appearing and I have a fair few symptoms. I did a frer on the day that my AF was due though and it was a BFN so not sure what is going on. Scared to test again. I'm so scared, baby T had several heart abnormalities which were not picked up until my 20 week scan. Unfortunately in any future pregnancies they probably wont be able to rule out that it hasn't happened again until the 20 week scan at the earliest. Because of this and against doctors advice we wont be telling anyone we are pregnant until we have the all clear except perhaps our parents. Of course I will share on here though for support if that ok.

Ducky23 · 04/12/2014 12:58

Intheory please do share on here Smile there are some very wise women on this thread that I am sure will help you through the whole pregnancy Smile

I had my appt, have settled for Saturday. I'm just worried now that I have been in so much (back in tomorrow for monitoring) that they will think I'm a nutter Hmm

Cakebaker35 · 04/12/2014 13:07

Lovely news betty I think as others have said there is every possibility of seeing a heartbeat x

intheory yes please do share, keeping everything crossed for you.

ducky woo hoo to Saturday! And don't worry about them thinking you're a nutter, I'm sure they totally understand, but if not who cares you have every right to be a it nuts if you want! Grin x

Afm, not a lot to report. Just wishing the rest of the year away and
January too, to get W's due date out the way. All these milestones are so difficult. But I've decided to get back to running again in the new year, it's something I used to do and although I'm a bit rubbish I enjoyed having the 'head space' and think I will need that more than ever in Jan.

Waves to everyone else, hope today is an okay day xxx

CritterPants · 04/12/2014 19:15

betty whispering a massive, massive congratulations. My scan on Tuesday was at 7 + 5 and it was internal. They can get a clearer view of the baby that way. But I've had so many 'dildocam' experiences with my IVF that it isn't a weird thing for me... maybe they'll do external for you. Will be here to handhold all the way through.

lake good luck and sorry for the fear. In a few days your little guy will be here.

Love to everyone else, sneaky work post so sorry not to do full name check. xx

InTheory · 05/12/2014 07:03

Ducky no one will think you are a nutter at all. Not long now!

AFM I got my BFP on a clear blue digi this morning. Tiny bit excited and a whole lot nervous. 4+5 today. Hope baby T is watching over me.