FET/IVF July 2023 - Thread 3

[Olivia199]

As always, huge apologies if I miss people, all welcome!

@IVFfirsttimer91
@10degreessunny
@wtawtaw
@EllieCatMom
@DauntedAF
@Lauralozzle
@Walker12
@loulamay
@beehappy19
@SH998
@ASGIRC
@orchid29
@IVFround1
@Sangels267

Good morning! I feel quite well, which you know worries me a lot! 😂 I've had some nausea this morning, but nothing serious. Other than that, I feel really well, no other symptoms. I am 9+3 today. I will have another scan on Sunday. I am terrified.

I don't think I'll have the flu jab. I never really catch the flu and I have never done it before. Besides, I work from home and I don't really see many people so I don't have many opportunities to catch any illness. Same for my husband. We only see friends on weekends and, if they are not well, we usually avoid.

@wtawtaw thats so exciting!!! I recon I will probably feel anxious the day before and day of the scan as well.

I do plan on getting the flu jab yes, I commute into London enough for me not to want to risk it! What are your thoughts on it?

@Charming81 helloo!! I’m glad to hear that you are feeling well! And I hope your scan on Sunday goes well :) I’m currently fighting the urge to book another private scan on Friday just to check things before my one on Monday 😂 but keep telling myself not to be ridiculous

Hey girls!!!

Im feeling ok. Week 9 has, so far, been kind to me! Food aversions seem a bit better (not completely gone, but theres more things I can face), and the spontaneous nausea IS gone.

Im also 9+3, but have no scans booked, apart from my 12 week one, on the 26th of September.

I do have my GP (midwife equivalent) appointment next week.

@IVFfirsttimer91 save your money! You have a scan a week from now! Just hold fast!

@Charming81 Im sure your scan will be fine on Sunday!!

@ASGIRC hello!!! I’m glad to hear that this week has been a good one for you so far and that you are able to face more foods!

I definitely won’t be booking another scan before my 12 week one (unless I have bleeding or anything to be concerned about) as it is definitely not money well spent at this point 😂.

I have to save as much as I can for things like this:

Hi ladies,
Glad to hear your all doing well, is it just me or are the days dragging!
Im back in panic mode which I knew I would be. My last scan was 2 weeks ago so now the panic has kicked back in as again I still feel NOT pregnant. This hasn’t been helped by my stupidity of using an at home doppler which I can’t find any sign of the baby. I do have a tilted uterus so heard it can take longer to hear sounds but that has gone straight over my head and I’m freaking out. So much I’ve tried to find an appointment for a private scan today. I was told NOT to use one but I will do these things to myself.
My hospital scan came through which is 25th September and I’ll be 13 weeks 2 days, that’s Ok isn’t it?
Thats 3 weeks away so I’m no way going to manage to hold out until then so it’s just a matter of time before I book a last minute scan (when I can find one)

@IVFfirsttimer91 Absolutely!!! Cute baby things are much better use of your money!
I have put a ban on baby buying until after 12 weeks.

Though to be honest, it will probably be MUCH longer before I start buying anything at all!

@SH998 13 weeks is absolutely fine! They need to be done until the 14th week, so you are going to be well within the time!

I do get the anxiety. Im still ok, cause I had a scan on Thursday. And only 3 weeks until the next one. But 5 weeks does feel like forever!

I might have spoken too soon, in regards to the spontaneous nausea... Definitely not feeling amazing right now! 😂

Hi @SH998, so sorry to hear that you are panicking a bit. I’ve used Window to the Womb in Bexleyheath a couple of times and they have been great. There are loads of them dotted around the UK. I’d check out their website :) hope you manage to get a scan!!

@ASGIRC i should put a ban on baby buying too, we only have a few little onesies, and that will be enough till we hit over 20 weeks, and at that stage I think we will start buying in Ernest. It’s just so hard to NOT look at the cute little outfits and even harder not to buy them though!

@IVFfirsttimer91 Ive been avoiding even LOOKING. Because if I dont look, then I dont get tempted.
Also, I have a storage issue.
Currently I dont have a nursery. It is a home office/dumping ground, which is used by my lodger.

Until she moves out, I cant really start occupying the room in earnest. So that will be a few months, still, as I doubt she will move before March or even April (hoping for March, though!)

@SH998 don't use the holter. Apparently they are not safe for the baby. My husband wanted to buy one, but he did some research first and decided it is not worth the risk. Plus, they don't even work before 12-14 weeks.

As @IVFfirsttimer91 said, you can look for Window to the womb. I have done 2 scans we them and my next one as well. They have lots of clinics around the UK.

@ASGIRC I also avoid to look at baby stuff at the moment. I will probably start buying things only after 20 weeks (If I will ever get so far). Probably even later.

@Charming81 thats my plan too.

I dont even plan on having the nursery baby ready before the baby is born! I will just need a changing station and some clothing storage, and a next to me or similar, in my room.

After that, I can sort out the nursery... Need to move my Swatch Collection from it, which will take planning and time! LOL

@ASGIRC & @Charming81 i know you guys are right. I just couldn’t help myself. I’m far too excited already, and I could be setting myself up for a very big fall come Monday - hopefully not, but I guess it’s better to prepare for bad news and happily not need it, than the other way round. Even so, it’s just nice to have the 4 little baby grows that we’ve got so far, even just to look at as they’re helping me manifest what I want 😂😂

@IVFfirsttimer91 Oh, absolutely! Theres nothing wrong with buying a few things!! You do what you want!

Ive nto bought anything, but Ive told most of my friends and family!

Every new scan, Ive told a batch of new people!

Then obviously, today, after saying I was feeling all positive, since my scan was only a few days ago, Ive read one of those awful posts, in the Pregnancy board, of bad news, and now Im paranoid again.

And debating whether to book a private OB appointment and hope they do an ultrasound, before my GP appointment next week (not sure they do ultrasounds at those, I dont think they do)

@ASGIRC I know what you mean about how quickly your feelings can change about things! I’ve got a couple of friends going through some scary situations right now and it does really make you panic. One friend got the worst news you can get when pregnant last week and it really span me out a bit. It does make you realise though that there literally isn’t anything you can do to change the outcome after a while other than the obvious lifestyle/diet choices we make at this stage.

Just have to remind yourself that the post on the pregnancy board is the exception and not the rule xx

@IVFfirsttimer91 thats it. I know you are right. But this is such a minefield!
No one warns you about this stuff!!

You get all the bits about the nausea, and tiredness, and feeling emotional (of which Ive barely had any, and also not any nausea tocry home about), but not the emotional rollercoaster of "is everything ok? will the next scan be bad news?"

Ridiculous!

I will wait for my appointment. There is nothing to be done, even if the news are bad. But Im sure it will all be fine!

@ASGIRC those are exactly my thoughts as well. I’m just going to enjoy being pregnant whilst it lasts (nausea et al) and hope that everything is fine at the end of the ride.

otherwise we’ll just make ourselves sick with worry.

@IVFfirsttimer91 Im not sure about the "enjoying" part, though!😂
Im finding it all very miserable! But then I always figured Id hate the being pregnant part, anyway!
I just want it to be over with soon, so that I can have my baby, and be able to drink wine again 😂😂

@ASGIRC im going to do my best to enjoy every miserable moment 😂😂 might not ever do this again if this one goes to plan. So I’m going to get the most out of it. I just miss smoking.

@IVFfirsttimer91 Im still undecided on whether I will try for a second one, if it all goes well.
It will all depend on how it all pans out, in terms of childcare, and work, and finances. Id love to have more than 1, though, but being single, it is a concern!

My doctor at the clinic, as she was discharging me was all like "see you in 2 years for no2!" and it kidna made me want it even more!! 😂

I also miss smoking. Even though this was the easiest quitting Ive had, because it was such a strong reason, yesterday, as I finished lunch, it really felt incomplete without a smoke at the end!

But I really miss drinking. Non alcoholic beverages just dont have the same effect, even if they make me feel a bit more normal!

Glad everyone is doing well ☺️ I'm also trying not to look at baby stuff until 12 weeks as I would be soooo tempted to buy so much. However I keep getting every baby related sponsored ad on Facebook and it makes me peek 😆 my phone is obviously listening in to conversations 🤯 the only thing I've had a very brief look at are prams/travel systems, what a minefield, where do you even start?! Meh.

I did buy some stretch mark oil and cream the other day and even buying that made me think 'I shouldn't be buying this yet just in case' but I looked at I can return it if unsealed so won't start using it yet!! Only bought it now as it had a huge offer on at the time.

@IVFfirsttimer91 I probably will get the flu jab, I'm just a bit weird with putting new stuff and drugs into my body when I'm pregnant just in case it causes something to go wrong but then if I got the flu and put baby at risk I would never forgive myself. Same with the Whooping cough jab, I will get it but it makes me nervous!!

I did look at Window to the Womb clinics but all were day appointments and I didn’t want to go alone. I’ve managed to get a last minute scan tonight at 7.45pm, i thought I’d feel better once booked but my stress levels are through the roof AGAIN.

I didn’t realise the Doppler were unsafe, I googled quite a bit before buying and couldn’t find anything harmful. What sort of issues? Do you think I could have caused damage already?

It was my 40th over the weekend so went for food with my mother and friend yesterday and it was so sweet to hear them talking about MY baby and making plans such as a baby shower but I held back coz I’m still so afraid of bad news. It’s sad we have all tried and been through so much to get this far and not one of us can say we are entirely enjoying the experience due to constant worry 😥

As for the flu jab, I doubt I’ll have it, I never have before. I’m relatively healthy so hopefully I’ll be fine.

@wtawtaw the whooping cough vaccine has been around for decades! It is 100% safe! And it will help your baby, as it can be fatal if they get it when young!

@SH998 Happy birthday!! 83 was a great year!
The doppler is NOT harmful. It is basically the same as an ultrasound. It is sound waves. It doesnt harm the baby.

They are just unreliable. And tend to make people more stressed than reassured.
Though one of the girls in ym whatsapp April group got one and she managed to pick the heartbeat up, at 8 weeks! But she did say it wasnt consistent, and the signal would drop off.
Even midwives sometimes cant pick it up at 16 weeks, and they are professionals! So i wouldnt really worry too much about the doppler.

Im sure your scan will be fine!

I dont think Ill get the flu jab, as Ive not had the flu in decades... But will definitely get the whooping cough one.

Yeah I know @ASGIR, im just a worrier. It doesn't help that an old neighbour of ours gave their baby the whooping cough vaccine and it turned him disabled, that always sticks in my mind. However that was many many years ago and im sure things have improved since then but it's never gone out of my head.

Aw glad you got a scan so soon @SH998 hope all goes well and I hope to hear from you within a few hours with lovely positive news!! 🍀

This is what we read about the at home doppler.

Ultrasound can heat tissues slightly and, in some cases, produce very small bubbles in tissue, according to experts at the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Lim and Nevo agree that there are thermal risks, as well as the potential to aggravate fetal tissue. “If you hold it in one place for a very long time, it can heat the tissue at some point,” explains Nevo. While ultrasound is considered to be quite safe in the hands of a technician, if a person doesn’t know what they are doing (such as listening to the heartbeat excessively by keeping the transducer in one spot), it has the theoretical potential to affect the fetus. Keep in mind that there are theoretical risks for any kind of ultrasound, including a home fetal Doppler, says Lim, because it transmits energy to the fetus, which has “the theoretical potential to cause harm if excessive energy is transmitted.” While there’s no definitive evidence that ultrasound can cause harm, some studies show that it could have effects on brain development, so it should be used sparingly. Many people feel it’s not worth the risk if it’s not medically required.

Plus, many times it is difficult to find the heartbeat and this leads to a over exposure to the doppler in the attempt to find it.

The FDA strongly recommend not to use them.

For all these reasons we have decided not to risk.

All good ladies, measuring 1 day ahead (10 weeks 3 days). Seen arms and legs this time and baby was jumping up and down. He was sitting up due to the tilted womb which should flip before my next scan. He looked nice and cosy. So happy right now 🥰

@Charming81 thank you for the info, that’s good to know, I’m binning them. The other half has banned me from using them as all I’ve done is scare myself today.

Hope the next few days fly by for the ones with scans in the next week or so.