35+ TTC #1 thread 2!

[SoozC]

We maxed out our last thread, so I've started another one for us!

Welcome, all those over 35 who are ttc number 1! Whether you're just starting out or you're an old-timer, come and chat with others who know what it's like to feel as though time is not on your side. When you feel like all your friends and family your age already have children and you need someone to moan to, we are here!

Thanks @Blueberry1

But more importantly, how are you and the little one getting along?

Xxx

Just popped in quickly to catch up with everyone.

Sorry for your losses Blondcat and Melamine, so sad to hear and I honestly can’t imagine how heartbreaking that must have been. I hope the coming months bring better news for you both.

79andnotout, sounds like you’ve had some tough decisions to make. Sorry things haven’t worked out the way you hoped bu I hope the future brings you good things.

Congrats on the new arrival Blueberry! Wow, I remember you just being pregnant when I joined this board, how the time has flown! Hope all is well.

And two more BFPs: congratulations Janefx40 and Russkispy, fingers crossed for sticky beans and healthy pregnancies! I had cramping that felt just like period pains and on-off spotting up to almost seven weeks, scared the life out of me (was sobbing on OH’s shoulder at one point convinced I was miscarrying) but all turned out ok.

Was really pleased to see that SoozC who used to be on here is pregnant too, think she’s about six weeks now and am keeping my fingers crossed that all goes smoothly for her this time around.

All good here: just had Harmony test and scan today at 11+2 and all looks fine with our little blob so I can finally relax a bit more. Nausea and exhaustion are finally easing too. I feel very grateful and lucky. Thanks for all the support you guys gave me through our time ttc, it really helped.

@darkstar4855 glad to hear you are getting on well and the nausea and tiredness is easing hope it continues to go well.

So nice to hear from you @Darkstar4855. Congrats on the scan. That is great news.

I did see something on a board about Sooz and have been keeping fingers crossed for her too

Xxx

Thank you ladies! And congratulations to Jane and well done to Darkstar! And Sooz! Hope it goes well in your pregnancies!

Good to hear your pregnancy is going well @darkstar4855, I remember being at that stage. In fact doesn't seem that long ago and now our son is 2 weeks old! I'm really pleased to hear @Soozc is pregnant; she had a rough time before. Wishing smooth pregnancies & healthy babies to both of you.

As for me, baby is getting better at breastfeeding (he's enthusiastic, but lacking finesse ) and is gaining weight. He had his first outing yesterday when we took him in the pram to a midwife check-up.

Checking in to see how everyone is doing. Anyone testing this week?

Good to hear the little one is gaining weight, @Blueberry1. And congrats to @Darkstar4855 as well!

I had a friend asking me if we had made a decision on TTC (I had mixed feelings about children for a while after wanting them for a long time). Is it strange that I don't want to tell anyone? She's a close friend and we normally talk about everything, so it wasn't weird or inappropriate of her to ask.

@kescilly I don’t think it’s strange at all. I’ve only told a few people & didn’t say anything for ages as i’m quite a private person anyway. Just do what is right for you.

Congratulations to all the BFPs

Thanks Pixie, glad to know I'm not the only one!

Can I come and join in? - I'm only 34 1/2 but all my friends have completed their families and lacking others in the same situation. TTC #1for a couple of years now and on cycle 1 of IVF. We didn't tell anyone for ages we were trying but now we are onto IVF a couple of friends know - partially as I broke down at a wedding where there were 2 babies conceived and born after we started trying.

Hi emalady! I'm new here myself, just about to turn 35 and this is our first cycle trying. I can totally empathize with your feelings. I was the first of my friends to get married (not super young) but then found myself divorced and older while they all started their families. I have a niece who is about to turn one and I remember when her parents got married, I was excited about starting to TTC with my first husband. He kept pushing it back and by the time we got divorced, he had wasted my most fertile years.

It's been difficult for me to get excited again and I went through a period of being unsure if I even wanted children anymore. But I fell in love again and here we are. It's been difficult to let myself hope again.

I hope we can support you as you go through IVF.

Hi Kescilly, that sounds really tough. I'm happy for you that you have found love again and have a partner who is not putting you off this time! I've been behind my friends most of the way along (last to be in a stable relationship, move in, get married etc) but we started TTC around the time the 2 of my close friends conceived their second children. I cant imagine how hard it must be to have to start all over again. Best of luck!

Welcome newbies. Hope your TTC efforts result in BFPs soon!

@emalady I was successful with IVF last year (at 41/42 so older than you) & now have a 3 week old son. If you have questions, please ask!

I am typing 1 fingered on my phone breastfeeding a hungry little boy! Impressively he managed to pee on my nightie & a cushion (somehow circumventing the nappy) yet avoid soiling his own clothes while being fed .

Thanks @emalady! That probably sounded a lot more depressing than it should have. I'm generally very upbeat!

Look at you multitasking, @blueberry1. Very impressive, as is your son's ability to stay clean.

I got my first "high" reading with the monitor today, so I'm taking that as a good sign. Unsure if I'll get a peak the first month using it.

@kescilly - I always got several days (no varied as my cycle is a bit irregular) of high then peak. No reason why that shouldn't happen 1st month you use OPKs.

Good to know! I've seen people say that their first month they didn't get a peak, so I didn't want to make any assumptions.

Hi Ladies

@Blueberry1 lovely to hear from you - I'm glad things are going well. Very talented little boy to wee everywhere but avoid his nappy! Quite a feat

Welcome @emalady I've just finished my second round of ICSI. I was 40/41 doing my rounds so also know the ropes.

As for me. I had a bit of a scare (mostly in my own head) and was convinced I had miscarried. My GP took pity on me and sent me to the Early Pregnancy Unit for a scan.
All is fine. We saw our little bean, the right sacs in the right places and we were very lucky to see a heart beat. We're only 6 weeks so a long way to go but feeling greatly reassured.

X

@janefx40 - if you saw heartbeat at 6 weeks then chance of anything going wrong is massively reduced . Just the screening tests at 10 weeks (we paid for Harmony privately; more accurate than NHS tests). Had blood test on Monday got results on Friday.

@kescilly - I used OPKs for about a year & don't recall ever not getting a peak reading although no of days of high varied quite a bit, but median was probably 4.

Hi guys, I just popped in on the off-chance Blueberry had given birth and I saw all your lovely thoughts. Thank you for thinking of me, I'm sorry I disappeared but I was finding it all very hard.

I'm so pleased there are so many congratulations to be given, what a lovely surprise! Blueberry on your 2-week-old (talented) son, Russkispy, DarkStar and Jane on pregnancies! Wishing you guys a happy and healthy time!

I am preggers again, can't really believe it. We had a scare at 6 weeks, too, Jane, where I was bleeding and we thought 'please not again'. But we had a scan at 6 weeks and 7 weeks, both showed a heartbeat so we're trying to relax. I'm 9 weeks today, got a private scan booked Tuesday afternoon as I can't wait 'til 12 weeks!

Hi @SoozC so lovely to hear from you. I was so pleased to hear things going better for you. 9 weeks is great progress! Hope all goes well on Tuesday.

I got a bit lucky scan wise. Because I got sent to EPU on Friday they like to do a follow up but because I have a scan next week at IVF clinic they have booked me in for 2 weeks later instead. So (if we get that far - still nervous about assuming anything) we will get scan at 6,7,9 and 12 weeks which is great x

Hi @soozc I am so glad to hear you're pregnant. With a heartbeat at 7 weeks chances of anything going wrong are massively reduced. Onwards & upwards!

Little blueberry is sweet but depriving me of sleep like mad. I expect this will improve over the next year...

@blueberry1, very impressive skills for the little one. Good to hear you had success with IVF, seem most the people I know who are going through it at the moment aren’t doing so well. @janefox40, hope things are still going well, brilliant you have a little ICSI bean growing. Congrats @Soozc.
@kescilly, I’m pretty sure I go a peak every cycle when I was using a clearblue monitor. And I got mine 2nd hand may have meant it was a little off for a bit but seemed ok.
I’m massively symptom spotting at the moment, have no idea if it’s just because it’s my first cycle with extra hormones but I’m getting massive tender boobs and cant help but hope that it’s a sign. Never been too bad symptom spotting before but not really had any symptoms and never had even a chemical prgagncy before so not really sure what to look out for. I cant go and have the blood test the day the hospital wants so blood test is a week today, they said we could do a urine test this Friday instead of going in but I don’t know? IVF/ICSI peeps did you gets pregnancy symptoms on cycles when you did/didn’t get a BFP?

@emalady it's a tricky one. Technically I was pregnant both times although the first time I just had low levels of hcg which did double but were tiny compared to normal.

The first time I was certain it hadn't worked as I felt pre menstrual but it had to an extent. The second was a strange one because my cycle was messed up so I assumed it hadn't worked - hard to know.

I do think, I'm afraid, that a whopping great dose of progesterone can cause all kinds of symptoms. Also I am currently at 6wk3 so my hcg is presumably over 10k at least and I don't have that many symptoms yet - so not surprising that I didn't have any when the levels were so low. But everyone is different.

The only thing I did have, that I do think was related was very specific and quite bad cramps on one side 2 days post 5dt. I'm sure that was implantation.

The wondering drives you nuts! And if you do get a BFP it continues driving you nuts afterwards!!!

@emalady - I did one isci cycle with 2 natural cycle frozen embryo transfers; 2nd transfer worked. In me progesterone pessaries stopped AF, so 1st time I was "late", but not really getting any symptoms that weren't AF/progesterone related eg sore boobs, cramps. I tested got BFN, confirmed by blood test at clinic. I stopped pessaries & AF came a few days later.

Same for 2nd time although cramps were worse when I was 3 days late. I was then convinced AF was on her way just delayed by progesterone. I was totally wrong & did a test at 4 days late (DPO15?) to put me out of my misery & to my great surprise it turned strongly positive before my eyes (didn't have to wait 3 minutes!). Clinic then confirmed with blood test & I had to take pessaries until 10 weeks.

I started getting pregnancy symptoms (fatigue & constant low level nausea) about 2 weeks later so at 6 or 7 weeks. I never got either with AF so quite different.

I would recommend natural cycle transfer if your cycle is reliable (mine always was). You just track with OPK and transfer is on DPO5 (as would happen naturally) and take progesterone pessaries from transfer day (2/day until 7 weeks then 1/day until 10 weeks if I recall right). It's really easy.

So pleased for you, @soozc!

@emalady looks like it’s given me three highs and then two peaks (I think it automatically does a second peak after the first). I know it doesn’t guarantee that I’m ovulating, but it’s slightly reassuring.