BFP after IVF - anyone want to join me in the wait for first scan?

[HopefulllHolly]

Sensitive

Hi everyone,
I’ve just had our first cycle of IVF and although we had very slim odds of it working (low AMH, low AFC, male factor, which led to only 2 mature eggs which thankfully led to one perfect day 5 blast). We are absolutely amazed and over the moon that it worked despite everything, but I am really struggling with the wait for first scan. I almost feel with infertility (we TTC for 6/7 years) that it does make you anxious and I’m finding the wait to my first scan (6th June) unbearable. I don’t want to seem ungrateful but I really wish I could enjoy it or relax a little but instead I am worrying about miscarriage and things I can’t control. For me this has been the worst bit of IVF so far, and I’d love to just be able to be happy so I don’t look back (if it does work) and wish that I hadn’t been so anxious and scared.

Is anyone else in the same boat who wants to keep me company? 🥹 Or can provide some tips on how to distract myself and cope better? I know there’s nothing I can do to change the outcome and what will be will be, but I don’t think I’ve ever worried so much in my life.

Thank you 🙏

@AnnieStar12 Is it your NIPT this Saturday? Xx

Congrats @Edf beautiful scan pic!

Lovely news @jas1996 ! Keeping everything crossed for you. I think we were about 0.34 at 6 weeks so on the smaller side.

We just had our NIPT results back - thankfully low risk and we are having a little girl. 💕

Yayyyyy @Leaf86 A LITTLE GIRL!! And so pleased your results are back and all good! It’s such a relief isn’t it! 🥹🥹

@Leaf86 congratulations! How many weeks were you when you got the test done?

@HopefulllHolly yes I’m doing it on Saturday at 10+1 which I hope is not too early!

@Leaf86 awwe that is such lovely news 💕💕💕

Busy week in here! I love seeing all these great results rolling in

@edf Woo hoo! Happy news and look at that wonderful little baby in there! So pleased to hear that it all went well and good luck with the nipt.

@jas1996 happy news! and congratulations on your 1.5 babies lol! how amazing that you're a twin and that you might have twins! and great that they offered you another scan, hopefully they both grow nicely together in there.

This reminds me that our consultant kept asking me during the scan yesterday whether we transferred one embryo, and both my husband and I were shitting our pants because we thought he could see 2 in there lol. I guess that it's been a long journey and our chances were somewhat low this time round, that we didn't even consider that we might have a baby out of this cycle, let alone two lol. So now we're frantically making plans for the next few months haha

@Fluffyted good luck again! hope your scan has gone well today

@HopefulllHolly I was looking at the midwife book too but it sounded like it's more about preparing for labour, and I'm so far from that right now. But do let us know if you find it useful. And good luck for Wed of course! Fingers crossed!

@oliviagrace2307 sending lots of positive vibes your way ahead of tomorrow, hope it goes well. Really sorry to hear that you've been struggling with pain but hopefully it will get better in the next few days, as it sounds like you're having a better day today. After the scan I was feeling chuffed that we made it so far! Also overwhelmed because we didn't allow ourselves at all to believe that we could have a baby out of this, so now I'm frantically trying to research antenatal care options, move trips, get clothes to hide the bump, all that lol

@Leaf86 Thanks for the maternity advice, very useful. Especially as your message made me realise that their maternity is at St. Thomas. That changed my trip from a 15 min train ride to a 20 min one with a change in between + the 12 mins walk to the hospital, that feels like a lot especially when I'll be heavily pregnant. I had a polyp removal procedure there once and forgot how somewhat out of the way it is, but they do have great care. Wonderful news on the nipt and congratulations on having a baby girl! How exciting!

@AnnieStar12 all very good points, thank you. Lots of things to consider.

@LouP87 thanks for sharing.

So after going through the appointment from yesterday again in my mind, I realised that the consultant advised me to take it easy and avoid activities that elevate my heart rate because of my consistent brown spotting. He checked everything and his current theory is that the uterus is working over-time and there might be a leaky blood vessel or something in there. So I assume that keeping my heart rate normal and the amount of blood that flows through my veins, that should keep it in check. Which definitely correlates with my pattern of when I get most of it.

Did anyone else have this issue?

@AnnieStar12 Wow that’s come around quickly hasn’t it! How exciting! I had mine exactly 10w and had 7% fetal fraction so I’m sure you’ll be fine! How exciting.

@ThePeachGoose Thank you! Nervous! Hope it goes as well as others scans today. I’ll let you know about the book -will probably save it for when I’m further down the line.

Thanks everyone ! Definitely feeling more real now! ❤️

@ThePeachGoose that does sound like a lot. Do you drive ? We drove for our appointments (from home) and it was ten minutes on the tube from work for the midweek ones. They have a car park there, which can fill up - but I’ve usually managed to find a space. Otherwise there are lots of really good London hospitals we would also have been happy with (Kings and UCLH were top of our list too). Two of my friends also had bleeding all the way through the first and second trimester (both IVF pregnancies) and they were told to take it easy because the two likely causes were cervical irritation and sub chorionic haematoma and both can bleed a bit more with activity, which isn’t necessarily dangerous, but it’s anxiety provoking.

@AnnieStar12 10+1 and 15% fetal fraction (!).

@ThePeachGoose I had spotting from 5 weeks all the way through to 11 weeks because of a subchronic hematoma. It was small at 8weeks, doubled in size at 10 weeks, and now apparently gone at 13 weeks.

at each appointment I was just told it’s really common and not unusual, goes away in its own and that there was nothing I could do myself to heal it!

I have my scan this week as well. I was surprised when my GP told me to come this Friday already (5w + 4d) and I double checked if they were sure, but they said yes. I guess they just want to confirm everything is in the right place … and I’m sure she’s going to want me to come in a week or two for another check up (to hear the heartbeat hopefully).

when did you guys first hear the heartbeat? And at what time did you get your NIPT - 10 weeks I remember I read in the previous posts? I’m 100% I want to do it!

@summerchild92 How exciting! I think you can usually see the heartbeat from 6 weeks-ish? And NHS usually don’t let you listen to it until 16 weeks as it can be hard to find until then I think. So don’t worry if it’s purely a scan to make sure it’s all in the right place - which to be honest was my main worry to start with! And yeah NIPT from 10 weeks - I’m so glad I did it! ☺️ Good luck for Friday!

Thank you for the well wishes today ❤️
Our scan went amazingly!! We were updated to 13.1 weeks 😅 so our new due date is the 12th January 🥰
Baby is measuring the perfect size and looking good so far. Bloods were taken today so hopefully they come back ok 🤞🏼
Our baby was a little wiggler today!!! Crazy how we can't feel them move but they are literally wiggling & summersaulting around.

@oliviagrace2307 aww that's sounds awful, I hope it keeps on getting better for you! How far along are you now?

@Edf I'm so happy for you that your 12 week scan went well!! It's such an amazing thing isn't it. I agree it's crazy that we can't feel them wiggling around yet. What a lovely scan picture!! 😍

@jas1996 im soooo happy your scan went well today!! Literally the best feeling seeing the heartbeat 💓 I hope next time you get to see two very strong heartbeats 💓💓 twins will be so exciting!! One baby will also be just as exciting & perfect!
I actually don't know how big my baby was at 7 weeks (when I had my first scan) as I wasn't told, but I imagine your sizes are perfectly normal for twins! Good luck for your next scan in 10 days.

@AnnieStar12 Good luck with your blood on the weekend, I think that sounds like a good idea!! I wish I did a blood test but I didn't 🙈

@summerchild92 wow!! Good luck with your scan this week!!
I thought I'd be able to hear the heartbeat today at my 12 week scan but I wasn't allowed! ☹️ we could see the baby's little heart beating away on the screen which was nice to see! Maybe a private scan might do it earlier, or your hospital might have a different policy, but mine said at my 20 week scan I'll be able to hear it!
Agggggessss away.

Here is our little baby scan ❤️
(sorry if it upsets anyone)

@Leaf86 great news your nipt came back low risk and another little girl 🩷

@Fluffyted glad your scan went well. Lovely little pic too ❤️❤️

Awww congratulations @Fluffyted what a gorgeous little babe already! So pleased it all went well for you! 😍😍😍
I’m getting more and more anxious now in case something is wrong. I was doing so well! 😞

@Fluffyted congratulations!!! What a gorgeous little baby you have in there! We love the photos here lol I’m pleased that it’s all going so well and hope that it continues this way!

@Leaf86 yeah, looks like St. Thomas might be a bit of a hassle for me. I do drive but my husband doesn’t annoyingly. I assume that there comes a time when I won't be able to drive because of my bump being too big? I might just go to King’s, as I’m getting more experiences in from friends locally and maybe it isn’t as bad as i thought, or it’s for sure quite random. The spotting is anxiety provoking, that's for sure! also when your heart is racing at the same time from not doing an awful lot. Oh well...

@LouP87 the consultant told me yesterday that the lining is unbroken so i assumed that that also means there’s no haematoma? I’ll just have to continue with the scans and follow the advice. One thing I do notice in all the stories is that it’s extremely common and not a cause for worry, especially if it’s just brown blood. So I'll live my life, take it easy, and not focus too much on it. Thank you for sharing your experience with me.

@Fluffyted aww gorgeous pic ❤️ congrats on a positive scan, Oo your dates 1 day ahead- we were moved from the 16tg to the 13th.
with my first we could hear hb for the first time at the 16 week midwife appt- just with Doppler, so no scan but still very reassuring

@DippyDuck19 thank you lovely ❤️ it still doesn't feel real yet but maybe that will change when I get a bump! (Which I can't wait for)

@HopefulllHolly thank you lovely ❤️ I was soooo anxious last night, I barely slept. And my tummy was in knots in the waiting room but somehow the sonography person (not sure that they are called) was so calming and I jumped on the bed and I was so ready lol And just like that all the anxiety vanished (for now)
I've got a feeling yours will be perfect and you'll be so happy. Only a couple of days left ... You've got this 💪🏼

@ThePeachGoose thank you lovely ❤️ I love seeing all the scan pics too. I can't wait for the baby to be here now 😂

@Edf thank you lovely ❤️ aww that's reassuring to know! Hopefully we all get to hear our babies heartbeat at 16 weeks🤞🏼 that will make all the difference.
Wow just 1 day apart 🥰

Thank you for the reassurance @Fluffyted need to just get through tomorrow and stay calm. So scary every scan isn’t it! 🙁

Good luck tomorrow @oliviagrace2307 I hope it all goes well for you! ☺️

@Fluffyted and @Edf maybe a silly question, but how can they change your due date in an IVF pregnancy when you know exactly when fertilisation happened?!

@HopefulllHolly So close now to the 12 week scan, and you know the main things they are checking for you've already got the all clear for so I'm sure you're gonna be totally fine. But I do get it, the closer we get to the next scan/test/appointment the more the anxiety rises. 16 days to go to my scan and that feels like forever!

@HopefulllHolly it totally is! Honestly I'm starting to think I'll be a mess through this whole pregnancy 🙈 but like you said earlier it's probably a normal mummy thing and this is just the beginning of all the child anxiety we will have!
We are all here with you & you're baby girl will be perfect ❤️

@AnnieStar12 I asked that today, she asked how many weeks I think I am so I explained we did IVF so know I am exactly "12.3" (what I was originally dated by the IVF clinic) and then she said "my dates will be different just to warn you and we don't take the IVF dates into count because we have to go off the size your baby is today - that's how we will monitor your baby's process & growth from now on"
Then I spoke to the midwife who took my blood and she said that it's because they need measurements to go on and unfortunately can't use the IVF info because they won't have any way of knowing how far along the embryo was developed before it attached to the womb. So they now treat us like a naturally conceived pregnancy for dates & growth.

I was a little confused but then thought well at least that should be one less week to wait during the pregnancy! 😅 silver linings.

Sorry to have been missing in action for a few days. I haven't been feeling well at all with nausea and fatigue so not been on the best of form! Just tried to catch up on all of the chat - so much lovely good news about scans recently! Lovely to see and hear!! 😍💕

Best of luck tomorrow @HopefulllHolly and anyone else with upcoming scans this week...sorry my fuzzy brain is making it difficult for me to process the last few days of the chat properly! 😜🥰💜

@Fluffyted @AnnieStar12 that’s really interesting, my hospital said the opposite to me - that babies are all different sizes and because we can be so precise about the IVF dates, it’s more useful for them to know that you’re measuring small/large for your exact gestation and go from there (so they use the IVF due date and don’t change it). I guess every hospital / trust is different!