Feb 2020 Bus Pt 4

[Juno231]

For the small group of ladies still here from the original February bus from 2020.

Maybe 2022 is when we finally get our babies?

@MimiArm
@paintfairy
@MrsTwentyNine

@MimiArm I've called and I'm waiting for them to call back. See if I can get it earlier.

How are you doing? I have to admit I'm already stressing it's all going to go wrong. Why can't we just enjoy it? 😭
Do we know when the CB digital will show 4+ weeks? I've only got 1 left so I want to try to do it when it should show that. To reassure myself (hopefully!).

@paintfairy Honestly, you are never prepared for how much you will worry! It's bittersweet and the excitement wears off pretty quickly, to be replaced with worry!!

So, I assume you mean 3+? It should read 3+ once your 5+ weeks.

I did a digital yesterday (I was exactly 5 weeks yesterday) and it still said 2-3. Of course I panicked all day. I literally just did another one (with a 4 hour hold) and it says 3+ so that's calmed me down a bit. You're a day or so behind me I think, so wait til Wednesday? I wouldn't be too alarmed if it's still showing 2-3 though. I read that lots of women never see 3+ and have perfectly healthy pregnancies!

Today's worry for me is my RHR. It's been sky high for weeks but I've had a big drop today. Hoping that it climbs as the day goes by up again! 🙈

The only symptom I have is sore boobs and the odd cramping. Oh, and insomnia. Though, our cat was sick last night and the smell of it literally made me wretch a few times. Normally I can cope fine with animal sickness but not last night. I think I felt slightly peaky this morning too. Do you have any symptoms?

@MimiArm yes! Literally the day after the test the excitement wears off and its back to worry. Yes I meant 3+. I'm 5 weeks today exactly.
And yes I've had the rhr panic this morning! Mine has been consistently high. Not massively high but LP type phase high. And today it dropped. Cue panic. 🤦‍♀️ I think it does vary and its best not to look. But that was giving me some reassurance before.
I've been struggling with constipation and bloating since transfer really and its still here. Worse at night. I then get trapped wind and it's just so uncomfortable. I'm now starting to get trapped wind higher up too on and off. My boobs have hurt throughout. My mouth seems really dry atm? And I keep getting a funny taste in it. The only stomach pains I have i think are digestive related but it's hard to tell. I panic I don't have pains in case that means something and then panic when I do in case it's bad. 🙄 Where is the asylum? 🤣

@paintfairy Yep, I hear you, loud and clear. I have no idea how I will make it through the next week weeks waiting for the scan.

I think we both need to ditch the heart rate monitors. Easier said than done for me as I wear an Apple Watch and I like that I know when someone is ringing me by the buzz on my wrist!

Trapped wind is not nice. I have a bowel disorder and have suffered with it for years and am often in agony. I find stretching arms up into air can help. Also. Lie on your back and lift him up and down 😂 tends to loosen things too. Prune juice also gets the bowels moving (but it's horrible).

@MimiArm me neither. And the clinic never bothered calling me back. 🙄 Honestly, the nhs may have paid but its still 6k a pop and people can't even be arsed to call you.
And mine is a fitbit. It seems to be selective when it buzzes and what it does. 🤣
I hate trapped wind. I've just taken rennie but I don't think it'll do much. What I ate at lunch feels like it's sat under my rib cage. I have managed to go to the toilet but I don't feel any better. 😫

@MimiArm clinic called. They usually do them at 8 weeks because you can see more. And they prefer to wait until then because things can can wrong between 6 and then. So I'm going to have to wait until 14 December! She said on the positive side, if everything is OK by then, then it's sightly more reassuring that you'll get to 12 weeks and the risk lessens slightly.

Longest 3 weeks ever!

@paintfairy - I can see their logic. From 8 weeks, the risk drops a lot. I found an online calculator that asks for your age and stats then calculates the % of a successful outcome. It's prob a load of shite but it says that I now have a 75% chance of success. I'll take that! I imagine yours would be even better as you're younger than me.

I've booked follow up scans on 13 December (8+1) and 22 December (9+3) to keep me sane over Xmas. If I make it to 22 Dec with nothing going wrong, I think I'll be ok then until 12 week NHS scan. I'm just even more paranoid because of my history.

@MimiArm sounds about right. I looked at the clinic stats. Over 3 years (per embryo transferred) - 44 out of 168 people my age doing icsi got pregnant. 33 of those had a birth. So I worked out its like a 70 odd% chance of it being OK. Which seems not high enough really. But then we've already done well against the odds, getting a positive test in the first place? So I suppose I should take comfort from that. But you just don't? 🤣

I might book a private scan between the 8 and 12 (especially if the 12 ends up being later than 12) to reassure myself too. Do you just Google places that do it?

I think it's normal to be paranoid when you've got issues getting pregnant in the first place. At the end of the day it's a hard journey when you've had problems, so a MC is like an extra kick to an already seemingly impossible journey.

@paintfairy I think 70+% isn't bad all things considered. And yes, the fact we have got this far is already a miracle so we're due some luck now.

I'll be having my scans at my private clinic but you can google for sure. There are lots of clinics you can go to. Window to the Womb is a popular one and there are clinics all over the UK. It costs about £70 for a scan.

I'm going to try my hardest to relax a bit. This pregnancy feels different somehow to my last and my gut feeling is that it's going to be ok (I think!)

@MimiArm I'm glad you feel that way. Fingers crossed for you 🤞

@MimiArm got my 3+ this morning! Massive relief!

@paintfairy Happy days. I know what a relief it is to get it!

I have one digital left and I'm not buying any more. Not even sure if I will use it to be honest as pretty pointless!

@MimiArm @paintfairy congrats on the 3+ you two!! I've always wanted a frer dye stealer as well so I think I'd that on top of the 3+ before stopping 😅

@MimiArm it was my last one so I was hoping that worked!
@Juno231 I've got a frer left (that's it now bar ICs) but it seemed a waste using it. 🤣

@MimiArm so, apparently here (every GP seems different) you just self refer to the midwife team. I called today and gave my info and she said you'll get a letter in the post. Thought I'd better not leave it with Xmas being in the middle of everything, but it seems so early to be telling them!

@paintfairy It's the same process here. I've sent off my self referral form today actually as it takes them an age to process them.

Do you think you will be midwife led or consultant led?

I'm fairly sure I'll be high risk and so consultant led (because I'm "geriatric", I've a history of blood clots and I'm prob at high risk for gestational diabetes thanks to the PCOS).

I feel like I take so many meds a day. Metformin x 3, Cyclogest x 2, baby aspirin x 1, Clexane injection x 1 and pregnacare x 1.

What are you currently taking?

@MimiArm I've honestly no idea. I just assumed it was all midwife led. She just asked me everything over the phone and said I'll get an appointment letter through. I have no clue about any of this stuff. 🤣

I'm just on progesterone 3x day. And I've carried on taking my pregnacare conception. But I've realised today I probably should be taking omega 3 too. So I've ordered the pregnacare max, along with extra vit D. I tend to sporadically take extra D and C.

@paintfairy Ah, no. You'll either be midwife led or consultant led. Probably midwife led if you've no other complications or anything.

I switched from pregnacare conception to pregnacare expecting (or whatever it's called). The post conception one should have everything you need all in the one tablet? I've assumed so anyways and am not taking any extra supplements (except I take 5mg folic acid on prescription cos I'm "curvy" 😂).

@MimiArm ah OK. Well I'm old. But maybe they just watch you carefully for any emerging issues, and if there are any, then you get a consultant? I'm a geriatric mother after all. (Have you seen Bridget Jones' baby? 🤣).
Some people take all sorts but I've got this far...... I dropped the ubiquinol after transfer, but I was taking that before. But read that you shouldn't after transfer. But I've ordered the pregnant version of pregnacare. I have forgot to take it odd days and then been annoyed at myself! 🤦‍♀️ I suppose it doesn't matter as long as you mostly take it.

@paintfairy How's it going? Any symptoms to report?

Nothing here - still just really sore boobs and twinges and light cramps in my uterus area. I was sooo tired yesterday but I think just because it was Friday. I feel fine today. I've only had very very mild nausea (and I'm not even 100% sure it's not just a sicky feeling when I'm hungry).

@Juno231 Have you started your trial cycle yet? What does that involve?

@MimiArm no, nothing exciting. Not even cramps. Constipated, dark nipples, hungry, dry mouth. Oh and tired this last few days. But all easily overlooked if you weren't paying attention. My rhr has gone back up though. I do wonder if anything is happening being I can't feel anything. But I guess some people just don't feel things. 🤷‍♀️

@paintfairy - from what I read, it's perfectly normal to not experience anything. My friend (also 40) is pregnant with twins after lots of recurrent miscarriages. She said she didn't have one single symptom until about 9/10 weeks. I find that reassuring as I'm almost wishing myself to feel sick!

Hello my lovely ladies

@MrsTwentyNine You're back!!! ❤️ and WOWSERS, 🎊🎊 congratulations!! That's made me smile so much, I'm so happy for you!

9+1 is a very reassuring place to be but I understand that you're anxiously waiting your next scan.

How have you been? I hoped you would come back when you were ready :-)

I'm plodding along, very anxiously waiting my early scan on 6 December. I'll be 6 weeks tomorrow, and I think this week will be tough for me as last time around, there was no development past 6+6. Deep breaths ...

Yes, 24 July for me and I believe 25 July for @paintfairy.

Have you been taking anything extra this time (progesterone or baby aspirin or anything)? I've got lots of extras ... we ended up going to a private clinic in ROI and they've thrown everything at me. Progesterone since trigger shot, baby aspirin and Clexane injections daily since positive test day. I've also been on Metformin for about 4/5 months now as I discovered I have PCOS in late summer.

How have you been mentally over the past 2 months? Any tips for the next load of weeks?

xx

@MimiArm Thank you!! I'm honestly over the moon for all of us...this is so special!!

Try not to think about the last time which is SO easily said. I had spotting around 7 weeks which I thought would be the end. I was so upset and had resigned myself to the fact that its headed the same way but there was this niggling optimism in the back of my mind that maybe this time feels different. The spotting carried on for a few days on and off actually whereas last time it was all sadly over within 48 hours. So I guess what made me mentally get through the past few weeks was just reassuring myself once I got past my own 6.5 weeks, that each day was a new day and things will be alright as I've gotten to this day...or this milestone etc. But I think the most reassuring thing was when I had my scan and saw a little bean...that was an out of world experience! Though as I type all this, I'm still anxious that things could still go wrong. Ahh but they say that is what the entire 9 months will be like ...:)

I didn't get any extra checkups etc offered after my m/c ...they just said it was natural and that was it. So no aspirin / progesterone! But I'm also on 5mg folic acid as I contacted my GP to say I'm a curvy girl too haha. In fact, I have gained a HUGE amount of weight in the first trimester as the only thing that kept my nausea at bay was EATING...so typical! But will worry about the weight if/when I'm fortunate to get to week 13...its what I tell myself. I'm glad you're being looked after by the private clinic - tbh the more things I take, I think I would have felt less anxious maybe as this time I was navigating it the same way as last time...sorry you had a diagnosis of PCOS :(

I hope the next 8 weeks fly by for you both!! Work is a good distraction, though I took a week off with my nausea/sickness at one point. Hoping you ladies don't experience it!! Just take it each day at a time. Thats all we can do